Oh. My. GOODNESS!!

IT IS FINALLY TIME! MY BOOK. IT'S OUT TODAY! 😭😭😭😱😱😱

I'm so excited to finally share my book with you, dear soul!

Today is a special day. For many reasons. Not only is my book now available to you, but I am also twenty-one today. Scary, isn't it. But, it's just another year around the sun. A beautiful year of lessons and hardship and beauty... I'm grateful for every event that has happened in this time around the sun. Yes, there were tears, there was pain, there was anxiety, there was depression... but there was also beauty, there was friendship, there were lessons I needed to learn, about toxic people and how to let go. Maybe I have yet to really grasp the letting go part, but I'm working on it.

However, you didn't come here for a birthday lesson post, though I may post a bit about that later. 😉

Today, something amazing has come to fruition and I can't help but feel so shocked and amazed. A wonderful gift is finally being able to say I'm an author. It's not a title I take lightly. It's not something that I throw around. This moment, right here, is a moment I've been working on for a very long time. And sometimes, it feels less exciting because now I'm here. This moment I've been climbing to... is over. It's achieved. I've reached the summit. But... there will always be yet another mountain trail to follow into a journey.

For now, it's time to enjoy the view of the fruits of my labor.

*claps hands together loudly*

Today, I bring to you my book, How We Rise!!!

 ~   I pull the key from my pocket, the key President Frederick Morgan gave me, along with his warning. Don't disappoint me. You have a lot to lose.

~    The sounds of screams and gunshots fills the night air. All I can do is listen. It's too close for me to sleep through, yet too far away to even begin to determine what exactly is happening. Of course, I have my theories. My imagination is wild at this time of the night. 2:43 A.M. Only the best time to be awake, I suppose.

Raegan MacArthur

Age: 16

MBTI: ISFP

Enneagram: Type 6w7

Hobbies: Reading

Appearance: Chestnut brown, blue eyes, always wearing jean shorts or pants, t-shirts, lean

Other notes: I play things safe, it's true. I don't know if my family's lives is worth all of this. I have yet to decide on that, I suppose. I know my parents say I'm meant for something great, but I'd rather keep my head down. Maybe it sounds too submissive, especially when I don't like what's going on around me. But those screams... maybe if you heard them... you'd understand my fear. 

Peter Daniels

Age: 17

MBTI: ENFJ 

Enneagram: Type 3w2

Hobbies: Running

Appearance: Dirty blond hair, steel-gray eyes, very fit, either in running gear or jeans,  there is no in-between

Other Notes: I will fight to the end of my life if it means things can be safe again. I hear the screams at night, the sound of those lonely souls who dared to speak up. I'm ready to fight for them. I want to fight for them. I want to keep my family safe, too. There is no safety if we keep our heads down. It's time to rise. 

Spencer Young

So... there were some complications with the release date of my book.

See, a lot of the complications were my fault, but the book was being sent out to people as if they had ordered instead of preordered. And that kinda... that was a fun moment. xD

After some consideration, I've decided to release my book May 19th instead. With everyone still stuck at home, a lot of you are wanting to read and let's be honest, preordering a book three months in advanced? Not fun. (Don't worry guys, next time around will not be like that.)

So, How We Rise will be available on May 19th, 2020, which is this coming Tuesday. *cough* also my birthday *cough* so if you're interested in getting the ebook for the special preorder price of $5.99 you better hurry because the price will go up on May 19th.

Now, that being said, here's the new issue. I still have to run a blog tour and on such short notice. And that means a lot of people may not be able to participate, which I totally understand.

I am leaving the form here, for you, if you're interested in signing up. And I get that the dates listed below may not work out so just make a comment on the form after you select one of the dates, letting me know that you actually need to post on a different day. I am willing to work with y'all because let's face it, this is really last minute and poor decision making on my part.

If you don't have a blog, or you'd rather post on social media, you can do that too! just make a comment on the form what your handle is if I don't follow you already, and tag me in the post because I will be shouting out everyone! (Unless you ask not to be, totally cool.)

All right, that's all for now. Thanks, everyone, for understanding. Your support means everything. And remember, indie books spread by word of mouth, so if you can request the book at your library, your local bookstore, anywhere, that would be amazing!

Thanks again!

Stay AMAZING!
~Brooke

*Don't forget about the short story contest I announced last week! You can find the link to that here if you're interested in entering. 

This blog post is a long time coming. I know y'all are here for the aesthetics, so I'll keep my intro as brief as possible. But before we jump into some aesthetics and snippets from my upcoming debut novel, How We Rise, I thought I would tell you that at the end of this post are some updates about the book and what you can expect in these coming months.

But first, let's get to the aesthetics! (You can find the Pinterest board here.)


~ She looks out the large window near the table. Beyond the backyard, she sees something I don’t. “Ten minutes from here, out towards the farmland, they built a military base about one year after you left. It houses many soldiers, but it’s more than that. It’s where they take prisoners.”

~  I grab the keys for the moving truck off the counter, and we go outside. I lift the back door to the truck, revealing a huge amount of furniture and boxes . Raegan’s jaw drops slightly.
 “Careful,” I say. “You’ll catch flies.”
 She smirks. “Funny. I guess you really had to pack your whole life into here.”
 “I think this is more stuff than when we all left for California in the first place. My mom is a hoarder.”
 “I heard that,” my mom says, approaching the truck. “Less talking, more moving.”

~  Maybe they want you to fight, to rise above all of this,” Peter says. There is a knowing look in his eyes.
   I shake my head, a shiver running down my spine at the thought. “At the expense of everyone’s lives? Is it worth it?”

~ Peter takes a step closer. “Say something. Please. Your silence is unnerving.”
  I glance at him. “I’m usually pretty quiet.”
 “Never with me.”

~ I lean against the counter and cross my arms. “You are irritatingly accurate.”
  Peter smirks. “Well, you’re frustratingly stubborn.”

~ I close my eyes. “What if we fail?”
   I feel his hand slide down my arm to my hand. He grips it between both of his, his warmth pouring into me, scaring away the chill that shouldn’t even be in my body when it’s so hot outside. “What if we don’t?”




I finished the final round of edits for How We Rise, as given to me by my wonderful editor. So, upon celebrating that victory, I gave the final draft to my critique partners for a final proofread/look through before I go into formatting, which I begin this week!

I'm hoping to have my book ready for preorder by the end of this month!!

The final publication date is still under wraps, but you will be getting all that information very, very soon.

You may also be wondering... what about a book cover?

Don't worry, there is a cover, but that reveal will be later this month as well, probably when the book is available for preorder. Trust me, the cover is AMAZING and I can't wait to share it with you!

That's about it for the updates, but this month holds a lot of fun, exciting new things for my book and my career as an author.

If you want to stay more in the know about everything going on, make sure you follow me on Instagram, which you can find the link to my page at the end of this post or on the sidebar of my blog.

Let me know in the comments below what you're working on right now. I want to hear all about your current W.I.P.

Until next time...

*Author note: Lots of squealing and flailing will be happening beyond this point. You have been warned.



Hello, everyone! I'm back!

In case you missed the last post, (which you can find here) I went on hiatus for my first time doing NaNoWriMo. I knew there would be absolutely no way I could write 50,000 words and blog posts and work a full-time job and work on some other things.

But now that NaNoWriMo has come to an end, I am back to writing blog posts.

Today, I'm going to show you some aesthetics and snippets from my NaNo project. Of course, the big issue with sharing too much is that my NaNo project is a sequel to my upcoming novel, Rise. But, I am going to give as much non-spoiler information that I can. Plus, all snippets will be out of context so that's fun for you and even more fun for me because I know the context. 😏😏

(This post was inspired by my bestie who is a NaNo QUEEN. You can find her blog here. You should follow her blog. Totally non-biased. 😂)

First things first, let me give you the stats.

I started the first full week of NaNoWriMo with a vacation from work, which gave me a huge boost on word count goals.

First half of NaNo- 34,107 words written
Second half of NaNo- 16,334

Snippets:

~ Once alone, I feel the urge to scream. I grab a pillow and throw it over my face before screaming. I can see why girls do it. Therapeutic.

~ My mom grabs me, turning me to face her. “Are you all right?”
I brush her hands off me, stepping back. “Of course, I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”

~ I lean against the pillar at the entrance of the school. My mom is running late. Again. This has happened all week, and I’m not going to bother Spencer again. But as usual, his truck pulls up in front of me. “She’s working late again?”

~ “This is some deep crap you’ve been going through. You’re fifteen, right? Why would you worry about this kind of thing?”

~  “Linley, I told you all never to enter this room.”
Her eyes dance with a spark behind them, more than that, a flame. She’s proud of her feat, sneaking in here and startling me. 

~ I sit, hugging my knees to my chest on the small cot. It’s cold in here, or maybe it’s me. I don’t know. I let the tears fall, the ones I’ve held back for days. They come easy now.

Final Word Count: 50,441

Any Days missed?

Oh yes, plenty of days. Besides the fact on some days I just didn't feel it, I also got into a car accident, which prevented me from focusing on my writing. (I wasn't hurt, I just mentally could not do it.)

But on November 25th, I hit 50,441 words and also finished my novel.

Will this be the final word count?

No.

Often times when I go in to edit the book in about four to six months, I end up with a higher word count. I'm hoping to bring it up between 65k and 70k.

This is the second novel I've ever finished in my life, Rise being the first one. Speaking of Rise, I have some fantastic updates to share with you.

All right, time for what you came for. Here are three big updates about Rise.

1. The official Title for Rise is...



AAAAAAHHHHH YOU ALL KNOW THE OFFICIAL TITLE!!!

How We Rise is going to be my debut novel in 2020. Which leads me to my next update.

2. The official release date has been selected...

AAAHHHSDFGHJJKL WHAT??

How We Rise has an official release date, but I am not sharing what that date is just yet. Don't worry, early next year, you will know more.

and finally...

3. How We Rise is with an editor...

And we aren't just talking about any editor, either. We're talking about one of the best editors in the world.

Y'all know how I am obsessed with The Blood Race and 100 Days of Sunlight. Well, the lovely editor of those two books is working on my book. As. We. Speak. AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! *flails*

(FYI, I am not bragging, I'm just so freaking pumped right now.)

All these things have me so pumped and ready to take on the world!

I can't wait to tell you more about How We Rise and give you all the details.

I will be starting a street team early next year, and the street team will be the first to know all the details as well as spread the word about my book around their social media when they have the chance. There will be a post on that in January where you will be able to sign up. There will be limited places to be a part of the street team, so make sure you sign up when you can. I can't select everyone and it's a first-come, first-serve basis. (Unless you are one of those lovely spam accounts bothering me and my friends on our blogs. If you sign up, you won't be selected.)

Now, on to the aesthetics...