Re-release? Yes, Please!
Not Gonna Lie…
I’m OBSESSED with this new book cover! Seriously, I keep pulling out my phone and showing people. I’m not sure if they really love it, or just want the crazy lady to go away… but whatever. I can’t contain my excitement. CAN’T! Ok, let’s get down to business here.
What the What?
Yeah, I know, why make a big deal about re-releasing a book that was already, you know, released? Well, what started the whole fuss was that beautiful book cover up there. As soon as I saw the finished product, I was like, um… I think I’d better re-read this guy to see if it’s as good as the cover! And, well, guess what? It wasn’t. Yikes. Shit… no, fuck, actually. Explanation time (I’ll be quick).
Here’s wazzup…
When I wrote my first YA (young adult) novel Into the Everwood a few years ago, I was really, really flying by the seat of my pants. Like, WAY more than usual. I didn’t know jack shit about publishing. It didn’t even cross my mind to have people proof-read it. Duh, right? So yup, there were lots of errors, mostly typos (as a reader, I HATE typos, so what the fuck heck was I thinking?!) Color me chagrined. As in, please, if you bought that book, I will give you a new one, signed & free to make up for it.
An Aside…
You ever hear actors say, ‘Oh, I can’t watch myself on screen!” Well, that’s how I am with my books. Once they’re done, I kind of never want to revisit them again. Weird, maybe? But, here’s the good thing that came from this revision task: I love the story. Like, love, love, love it. I was afraid I read it after these couple years and say, Oh, my God, this is pure shit! Not the case, I’m relieved to say! Phew. No, seriously, what a fricking relief. And I say this with no over-inflated ego: It’s a great story. I feel like I can say that with some objectivity because I don’t feel like I wrote it. It’s like the story told itself to me, and I just tried to type it out as fast as it came through me (hence the typos, guys).
Now, Here’s Something Special…
As much as I love the whole story (and the ones to follow!) there’s a particular arc in the book that is profoundly significant to me on a very personal level, as it is based in some (sort of) truth. A little scene set up: Mala has just arrived at the Great Willow and gets the shock of her life when she comes face to face with the mystery figure from her dreams, a man who’s been on the edges and corners of nearly every dream she’d ever had since she was a small child. She’d believed him to be her Guardian Angel, sent to protect her, but when he abruptly vanishes, she thought she’d lost him forever. Until now. More hurt and heartbroken at the loss than she’d ever fully realized, her usually guarded emotions rise to the surface in this heartbreaking and beautiful meeting. Here is the moment when they speak for the very first time…
At last they were alone, standing side by side facing the curtain of silvery green leaves that separated them from the retreating night beyond. Absently she reached up and pressed one surprisingly cool leaf between her fingertips, caressing the smooth surface with her thumb. This was a moment she didn’t even know she been waiting her whole life for, and now, here it was, and she was tongue tied and shy.
She snuck a glance up at him, and felt a catch in her throat. He was as beautiful- no, more so- as he was in her dreams, but now close and in minute detail. High cheekbones, strong jaw line, straight Grecian looking nose, and faint lines at the corner of his eye that she knew would deepen when he smiled. His long, dark blonde hair had the highlights of one who’d spent a lifetime in the sun, his skin, a golden hue. His physique was hidden mostly by the garment he wore, but she could still recall how muscular he appeared in her dreams.
“This must be a shock for you. I am sorry.”
His voice was deep and quiet, his words slow and careful, warm and rich,
like honey. She sighed, and could feel him looking down at her. But she stared hard at the leaf in her hand, tracing with her eyes the jagged veins on its narrow surface, and willing herself not to cry.
It was the ‘I’m sorry.’ She was never much a fan of those words, sometimes they hurt as much as the offense that pre-empted them. ‘Sorry’ made her feel, and she worked so damn hard to not. So, she clenched her jaw, wrapped her arm, the one not fidgeting with the leaf, across her body and dug her nails into the back of her upper arm.
Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Don’t cry. But the telltale prickling sensation began behind her eyes and the leaf became a watery blur, and though she tried not to blink out a drop, one fat tear slid down the curve of her cheek, hot and betraying.
What she could not know, was that Makis’ heart was pained as well, more than even he could believe. This girl, this human, had captivated him for time beyond measure. Lifetimes. Yet he could be no more than an observer of her life, and not a participant. What cruel rules they lived by, both Gods and men…
So, Check it Out!
Story synopsis: “A Modern Day Fairy-Tale For the Ages…”
Step through a mysterious door in the heart of a strange forest, and into a world like no other. Two small-town kids: Seventeen year old Mala: a strong-willed, self-described misfit. Jaime: her tall, handsome best friend. He’s the brooding rebel boy that all the girls love, but only has eyes for Mala, and she’s the girl looking to escape her mundane small town life.
When Jaime tells Mala about the door in the Everwood, she is certain it leads to an adventure, despite his insistence that it leads nowhere. Though he’s reluctance, he follows her back to the door in the dark of night. So begins an epic adventure or terror and thrills, with creatures great and terrible. Will they survive? Can they ever return from this strange world? Will Mala ever realize how much Jaime loves her? So many questions, so much to discover in… Into the Everwood.
Within a few days I’ll be releasing this new and improved version (which includes the first four chapters of Book Two, Out of the Everwood!) so stay tuned!
About the Author:
Elsa Kurt is a multi-genre, indie published author to several children’s books (written as Melanie Cherniack), a book of empowerment & inspirations based on her life, as well as contemporary women’s fiction novels. Into the Everwood is her first novel. She is a lifelong New England resident and married mother to two grown children. Visit her website, elsakurt.com, and join her in ‘Finding Beauty in the Imperfections of Life’. Follow Elsa on social media: Facebook & Instagram: @authorelsakurt
