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Spring Update

Hi, all. I know it’s been too long since I’ve posted an update, but a lot has been going on lately that’s been taking up much of my time. I had a baby! On May 16th, I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl via unplanned c section after about 17 hours of unsuccessful labor. It was a rough day, but we’re both doing well, her so much better than me. She’s the most adorable little thing I’ve ever seen and she is absolutely thriving. She also sleeps like 18 hours a day, so there’s still plenty of time for me to get some writing done in between naps and all the pumping I’ve been doing lol.

Stand is currently 230,000 words and I am just a two chapters away from finally finishing the first draft. After that, it’s the two epilogues, and then the first draft is done! I still can’t commit to a release date yet, but I’m getting so much closer to it. I’m really happy with how the book has progressed and I think you guys will really enjoy it. Plus, there’s so much more to read than ever before so I’ll honestly be shocked if anyone finishes it in a single setting lol.

So that’s where I’m at right now. I will try to keep you guys updated on here now that my pregnancy is finally over and I have a very sleepy newborn on my hands lol.

Thank you still for your support and incredible patience.

<3 Jay Marie

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End of Fall Update

Hey, everyone, I’m just dropping a quick update on what’s going on with Stand. It’s now currently 173,000 words. I was actually wrong in my last post. Strike was actually 183,000 words, not 163,000 like I originally thought. But regardless, I’m getting a lot closer to writing the end. I’m thinking I have another 15k words to go before it might be finished. Unfortunately I got hit with a bit of a snag back in early October when I stepped out for a short trip to Vegas and came back with Covid. And it knocked me off my ass for a good two weeks. I’ve had Covid once before and that was a breeze compared to this round. Then there was a lot of catching up with work and life in general. There’s another big update going on with my life right now too, but I’m just not quite ready to reveal that just yet.

Any way, I’m hoping to have the first draft done and to my editor before the end of the year. Once I get it back from her, I’ll do my revisions and a final read, then I’ll start recruiting a few beta readers to sniff out any kinks and get an authentic response to the book. Then I’ll make my final touches, distribute the ARCs and set it up for pre-order. I don’t expect to have to do too much revising since I’ve been doing a lot of that already this whole time.

So, that’s what’s going on. I know the waiting sucks, but unfortunately, I’m not a full time author and only do this on the side for fun, so there’s only so much time I can spare between work and life’s obligations. But I’m doing the best that I can without turning this whole thing into a job and ruining the fun of writing for myself.

Thanks again for your continued patience and I can’t tell you guys how excited I am for you to finally sink your teeth into this book!

<3 Jay Marie

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End of Summer Update

Stand is now over 150,000 words and still going strong. For reference, Strike was 163,000. And in all honesty, I think Stand is going to be longer. I’m currently 2/3 of the way through the first draft, and every time I think I’m satisfied with something I go back and add more and make it even better. There’s so much going into this book because it’s the last one. And believe me, it is THE LAST ONE. So if the book has to be extra long to wrap everything up to my satisfaction then that’s what’s going to happen.

As far as a timeline goes, I still can’t guarantee anything, but I will admit that I have booked with my editor for the end of October, so hopefully I’ll have the first draft done by then. If not, then I’ll be sending her what I have and just go from there. I can’t imagine not making the deadline since all I do now is work on this book. I come home from work and literally do nothing else. I don’t clean my house. I don’t work out. I’ve barely touched my laundry. And I get so anxious when anything interrupts my writing time because it’s all I want to do. Thank God I don’t have kids, otherwise this would be a nightmare.

My goal is to get this beast out before the end of the year, but you never know what life might throw at me. But I have to say, I’m really loving how everything is turning out so far. I expect to start working on the ending in the next couple of weeks.

In the mean time, if anyone wants to stay in touch with the most recent updates then I suggest joining my facebook group where I post teasers every now and then and answer questions. https://www.facebook.com/groups/142059833103253

As always, your patience is appreciated while I close out this final chapter. It’s been a hell of a run.

<3 Jay Marie

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Stand Teaser

I don’t usually post teasers on my blog, but I think this one deserves a place on the fridge. Enjoy.

Darren

The soft sound of steady, rhythmic breathing cascaded across my skin, flowing gently into my ears like a delicate sonata. It pained me to admit that such a sweet sound could calm my undying rage. A remedy to swiftly lull me into a sense of tranquility unmatched by any others. But it was only due to the source of that sound.

            Warmth filled my chest as I stared down through the bars of the metal cage that contained my most prized possession. The pale skin of her naked body contrasted so beautifully with the purple bruises marking her under my brutal touch. Her chest slowly rose and fell, drawing my eyes to her hardened nipples that had peaked out from behind her slender arms. She’d been clutching her chest all night to keep herself warm, but eventually she learned to sleep through the shivers I purposely plagued her with. My beautiful, adaptable little soldier.

            Glossy strands of red hair had fallen over her angelic face, only poorly shielding her from my gaze. I suddenly had an urge to run my fingers through it, relishing the softness before wrapping it tightly around my hand like a leash.

And she’d love me for it. Because that was who she was now. My toy. My doll. My little puppet. Just waiting for me to play with her.  

           In a matter of weeks, I’d successfully managed to reduce Jaden to nothing more than a sweet little pet.

It took patience, time, and so much discipline, but eventually everybody breaks. Even the strongest of us. I’d warned her of the inevitable so long ago when I’d had her dangling from those chains, fighting me with everything she had, still believing she had a choice. Back when she was still just a dollar sign at the warehouse.

And while I had broken her, the little spitfire had also successfully broken me.

For the first time in my life, I found myself alarmingly obsessed. To such a disturbing degree that I would compromise my own sanity and relentlessly fixate until my mind was so damn distracted I could focus on nothing else but her. I’d never wanted anything with such an intense urgency before in my life. This tiny sprig of a girl had consumed me entirely, mind, body, and soul, and there was no escaping her. I was well and truly gone, tortured by a prize that had grabbed my soul by the throat and ruthlessly claimed it.

The strength of my obsession was unrivaled, and even when I’d finally acted and taken her, it did nothing to dull the flame. It just grew and grew until the blazing inferno threatened to burn us both to the ground. The lengths I would go for this woman – to keep her in my grasp and under my control – was boundless. There couldn’t have been a deadlier fixation.  

Jaden was mine. And to my detriment…I was hers.

Stand: 93,500 words

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First Update of 2023

Well, here we are in year 2023. I know the only thing that’s on everyone’s mind is when Stand will come out. And the truth is, I still don’t know. I’m at about 90,000 words so I would say I’m somewhere around the halfway mark of the first draft. I’m almost finished connecting the beginning to the middle, then I need to finish the other half of the middle, and then write the ending. So far, I’m really liking where it’s going. It took me a while to warm up to it but now that I’ve got a good momentum, I’m able to carry it better than I did before. There’s still lots left to do, but I’m enjoying the progress. Writing this one is hard because I’m writing the end of these characters and their stories, so it’s like I’m saying goodbye to them in a way. Sometimes it’s difficult to let go and walk away, but I hope that when I do, it will be with the satisfaction of a great story.

Just an FYI for some, I do not frequent Goodreads. Like at all. That place is probably the most toxic website for authors and I just don’t feel the need to engage with people who call me an ungrateful bitch or accuse me of stringing them along for money. I’m a lawyer and I do very well for myself. There’s no need to string people along for financial gain when I barely make anything from my sales anyway. If I was in it for the money, I’d advertise a hell of a lot more than I do, which is basically zero. I write because it’s what I love to do. Not because I need the income. Not because of the attention. But because I enjoy it. There is no other reason. So I really hope people start taking that into consideration the next time they want to wish me misfortune because I didn’t update a particular site or didn’t write a book fast enough to their satisfaction.

I don’t update my website as much as I probably should but I post updates in my readers group on Facebook a lot more often. I just posted a teaser from Stand on there a few days ago.

Anyway, that’s what’s been going on. As always, your patience and support is appreciated.

Much loves,

<3 Jay Marie

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Late Update

Yikes, it’s been a while since I’ve made an update on here. Well, here’s what’s been going on. Ya girl passed the bar exam and is now officially working as a lawyer. Yay me! Will that take away some time from working on Stand? Yes, but I don’t think it will affect my pace as much as you think. Stand is currently over 57,000 words, but nowhere near close to finished. The other books came out to about 250,000 words, but for some reason I don’t think Stand is going to be as long. No release date yet, and there won’t be one for a long time. I’m trying really hard to keep my writing process from being a chore, otherwise I just won’t enjoy writing it and it will suck the creativity right out of me. So I’m taking my time, writing when inspiration hits and putting my best forward. I know it’s tough, but trust me, a lot of good shit is coming in this book and it will be worth it.

As always, your patience and support is greatly appreciated. Don’t forget, I post teasers and regular updates in my facebook group.

<3 Jay Marie

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Finally Back At It

Hey, everyone! Its been a few months since my last update and I’ve got some good news! The bar exam has finally come and gone and I’m happy to say that it went a lot better this time around. I feel much more confident about my results, which will hopefully be here in mid May. With that being said, I can now finally immerse myself back into my writing world, and I am ready to dive in head first! The ending is calling me so I will working on Stand as often as I can. My hope is to have it out by the end of 2022, but as per usual, no promises. I’ve already posted a few teasers in my readers group on Facebook, so if your chops are drooling for a taste, you might want to check it out ;)

Stay tuned for more updates! And thank you again for your patience and support!

<3 Jay Marie

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The Latest

Hello, lovelies!

I hope everyone had a good holiday this year. I finally got to visit my family in Canada for the first time in almost two years so it was really exciting for me.

Anyway, I thought I’d give everyone an update with what’s going on with the series. The new version of Stolen is out and available. It took a while for Amazon to get with the program so I was emailing the file directly to some of readers’ kindles. But the ebook and paperback are now available on Amazon and on all my other platforms. I hope you all like it!

Now onto Stand. I am happy to report that I finally reached the peak inspiration that I needed to really kick my writing into gear. Over Thanksgiving weekend, I finally had a breakthrough moment that allowed me to plan out a significant chunk of the book that I was really struggling with. And now that I have that figured out, I’m inspired to write, and so that’s what I’ve been doing. I’ve been able to add two new full chapters which is a lot for me since, for the longest time, I could barely get a sentence out. I’ve also been able to figure out the timeline and worked out some plot hole kinks I was dealing with. I’m still nowhere near finished and not even close to determining a release day, but the fact that I am finally inspired to write gives me hope that the end is finally near.

As always, your patience and support is incredibly appreciated. If you haven’t seen, the first chapter of Stand has been posted on this site and I will be posting teasers in my Facebook readers group throughout my writing process. Much love!

<3 Jay Marie

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Update on Stolen

Hi, everyone! I just wanted to leave a little update with what’s new and what I’ve been working on. Some of you may already be aware that while I was working on Stand, I found it difficult to find inspiration, so I turned back to my original book and reread Stolen, hoping to rekindle that spark. But while I was reading, I couldn’t help but notice how my writing had changed over time, and I found myself wanting to make corrections and revisions that I thought would actually improve the original story. And then suddenly I was inspired to write new scenes and add more dialogue that I felt would enhance the depth of my characters. And I think it came out beautifully. So essentially, I have re-written Stolen, added five new chapters, about 50 pages, and several new scenes that will hopefully leave you just as captivated as the first version did.

With the Beta readers finishing up their review, I thought now would be a good time to let everyone know that the new version of Stolen should be available in the next two weeks. Depending on where you purchased/downloaded the ebook, you should receive a notification that a new version is available for upload at no charge to you. The update will be completely free. However, if you purchased a paperback, unfortunately, that can not be replaced. However, the old paperback version will become memorabilia of my original debut novel, so it will still hold value as you will not be able to purchase this version anywhere else ever again. So, if you would like to purchase that original paperback before I replace it, now is the time.
Thank you to everyone for your patience while I take this inspiration and apply it to the final conclusion of the Stronger Series. I have been struggling with Stand for the majority of the year, but I will be doubling my efforts to bring you the masterpiece you all deserve. I can only hope that I deliver. With that being said, I hope you all will enjoy the new version of Stolen when it becomes available! I will announce it’s release as soon as I finish with the final edits from my amazing Betas.

Much love! ❤

Jay

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Long Time Coming Update

So this summer, I finally graduated from law school and took the Michigan Bar Exam. I took about 3 months off of my normal day job as a paralegal to focus only on studying for the bar exam. I think it went well, but I won’t know my results until the end of October, early November. It’s been an incredibly stressful summer for me since my sleep schedule was completely thrown off, I didn’t eat much, and I became a bit of a social recluse, but I’m glad its finally over and I can move on and get back to the things I truly enjoy.

The first update I have is about Stolen. I decided like 6 months ago that I wanted to rewrite it. I was having a hard time finding inspiration to write Stand so I went back to the very beginning and started reading the first book. But while I was reading I noticed how my writing has changed over time and I started to find inspiration in writing new scenes for the first book. I ended up writing them to see where they could go and they were a lot of fun to write, and so I’ve decided to include them in the new version of Stolen I’ll be publishing in the near future. My editor has already sent back her revisions so I’m just going through those right now. Once I approve the final draft I will be contacting my formatter to get it formatted and then I will begin the process of beta reading and then I will resubmit it to Amazon and Smashwords. If you already have the original e-version of Stolen then that version should either automatically update or you should receive a notification from where you purchased it to let you know a new version is available for download. Updating the new version should not cost you any money. Unfortunately, the same can not be said for the paperback since those can not be revised in the same way. So you will need to purchase a new paperback if that’s the version you prefer.

My second update relates to the final book in the series, Stand. I am currently working on the conclusion and have already posted the first chapter on this site under Stand’s page. I do not have a release date for it yet since I’m still very early in the process, but I’m hoping to have it out by the end of next year. I know everyone is eager for the final conclusion of the series, and believe me, I am eager to finish it, but I don’t want to rush my process. Rushing will just lead to a bad book and I want to finish strong for you guys. I promise your patience will pay off.

My last update is about me personally. My mental health has taken a serious nose dive this year. I’ve been struggling with depression, anxiety, OCD, insomnia, and constant exhaustion. This year has really taken its toll on me, but I am hoping that now that the stress of law school and the bar exam is over, I can get back to a normal, less stressful life. With that being said, please continue to be patient with me. I am only human, still have my day job as a paralegal (hopefully as an associate attorney soon), and writing is a hobby I enjoy on the side. I do the absolute best I can to write what I know you guys will love, but I won’t jeopardize my passion for writing by turning it into another job to appease the impatience of others. Its got to come from my heart, so I hope you guys understand.

I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy out there. I will update this blog as more significant updates come into play. If you want to keep in touch with me you can always find me on my Facebook group where I post more updates, teasers, and games for prizes. https://www.facebook.com/groups/142059833103253

Much love!

<3 Jay Marie

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Update Coming Soon

The purpose of literature is to turn blood into ink.
— T.S. Eliot

Working out some kinks on my website to provide more updates. Stand will likely be released by the end of next year. More detailed updates soon to come.

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