Hey!

....everyone!

Check out the We'll Be Young Forever Characters Page! I just finished putting it together and I thought you might all be interested in seeing it!

Meet Eden!

Hi everyone! I have started a new story. Maybe the reason that I haven't written on my blog about writing anymore!

This story is about Eden McCallahan. At the beginning, she is a work-a-holic. She spends all her time at work. But in the first chapter, she decides to take the summer off work and go home to spend time with her family. The family that she's been neglecting since she finished college. (Only going home for her brother's, and then her sister's, weddings.)

She starts spending time with her sister, brother-in-law and their baby son, Connor. When a sudden tragedy happens and her sister is killed, and Eden has to have to start raising her nephew, she knows that she can't go back to the big city and back to her old job. She starts working for a small business in her home town.

Then the unexpected happens....

...she finds out that her ex-boyfriend, Trevor, has also moved back into town. (No cover model for him as of yet...but when I get one, you'll be the first to know!) When they FINALLY see each other, they realize that their feelings for each other haven't actually gone away.

But neither are ready for a relationship...but they need friendship.

Eden finds out what the most important things in life are. They aren't work and trying to find the perfect man to live her life with. They are family and friends that truly care about you.

But Eden does want love....

...Will she choose her brother-in-law (her sister's husband who needs help with his son), or will she choose the guy she used to date before they both went off to college and went separate ways?

I am about 45,000 words into my story and I've only started it less than 10 days ago.

Check back for more about this story in the next few weeks! :)

~Ashley

ps...thanks to my beautiful friend Ashley for letting me use her for the cover model for Eden! 

For You Hunger Games Fans

Thanks to my friend, Kylie, for sharing this with me.

Gale:  You're on the phone with your baker he's upset 
Katniss:  oh no 
Gale:  Goin' off about some cake that he burnt 
Gale:  'cause he doesn't know how to hunt like I do 
Katniss:  Gale stop 
Gale:  I'm in the woods it's a typical Sunday afternoon 
Gale:  I'm hunting the kind of squirrels he doesn't like 
Gale:  He'll never be able to hunt like I do 
Gale:  CUZ HE BAKES BREAD 
Gale:  I MAKE SNARES 
Gale:  HE EATS CUPCAKES 
Gale:  AND I HUNT BEARS 
Katniss:  Gale just stop 

Ideas For Book 2

So I've been working on ideas for book two to A World Without Sound. I had, at first, thought that the book was just going to be a stand-alone, but I always have way too many ideas for my stories that they could never fit in one book.

So I always end up with series'. I can't help it.

I wasn't sure how I was going to think up a title for book 2, because I wasn't sure that I could come up with something that was going to sound as awesome as A World Without Sound. I love the title for my book, and was really proud of myself for coming up with it. But trying to come up with another creative title for book 2, felt really hard.

Not to mention the fact that I thought maybe I'd used up all my creativity on A World Without Sound.

But thanks to my amazing friends on Facebook, I've gotten some amazing ideas for the title for book 2...and I'm going to share them now. Leave a comment below letting me know which is your favorite.

1. The Sound of Silence
2. A World Without Words
3. The Music of Silence

Proof Copy

About a week ago, I finished my book, A World Without Sound. I decided that I was going to order a proof copy of it, because I've always wanted to hold the book "in my hand", so to speak.

So the other day, I ordered 2 copies of my unedited book, A World Without Sound. The cover looks great, and it even looks great inside...but the editing definitely needs done. Since I ordered 2 copies, I'm using one as my Editing book - I write all the mistakes in pencil and I plan to fix those mistakes in draft 2.

Well, I got my proof copies in the mail today! I'm so excited. So below are a couple of pictures from when I received them this morning. :D

Just a laugh :)

Another excerpt from what I typed up today. Let me know what ya think!

The next morning I awake to Trent tapping me, quite hard by the way, on the shoulder. I open my eyes and give him an evil look that says, “Get out or I’ll hurt you.”
He continues tapping and I start tapping him on the face, his nose, cheeks, arms, chest.
“What are you doing, Shaelyn?”
“Looking for your snooze button.” I joke. Although right now, I wish he really did have one.
“Um, sorry, don’t have one of those. Get up. Now.” He grabs the covers and pulls them off of me.
Oh, no he didn’t! Nobody pulls the covers off of Shaelyn Renay Hartford without big trouble aftward. I get up and chase after the brother who so rudely tore the covers off of my body.
When I get ahold of him, he’s so gonna regret it. So!
I follow him down the long hallway, running full force, then down the winding staircase. Then to the kitchen where Mom is cooking an amazingly yummy smelling breakfast.
I stop abruptly.
Bacon.
I smell bacon.
I slid across the floor in my socked feet. “Can I have a pice?”
She hands me one and I quickly run after my brother who has gone outside to the patio. I sneak outside and look around for him, but he’s nowhere to be found.
Before I can think, hands grip my legs and I am thrown over Trent’s back. I kick and slap at him, knowing full-well what’s coming.
He throws me lke I’m nothing, into the freezing cold pool. Maybe this pool wasn’t as awesome as I once thought.
Now it’s my least favorite thing.
“Trent! Now my pajamas are wet!” I pull my soaking wet body out of the pool. Yuck.
I’m all soggy.
“Sorry, but it got you awake.”
I growl.
“And mad.” He adds.
I walk toward him. “No, I’m not mad at you. I love you. Let me give you a big hug.” I throw my arms around him and give him a big, huge hug. ‘Cause I love my big brother.
Oh, so much.
He tries to pull away but I pull him only closer.
Finally, when I think he is pretty wet, I pull back “Mess. With. Me!” I snap my fingers.

Another Excerpt

I was typing up this part up this morning and it made me smile because it's definitely shows the friendship that Cody & Shae have. :)

Yes, and speaking of which…I turn back to him. “Uh, speaking of bathrooms…”
“Aw, Shae. Seriously?” His eyes drill into me. “You just woke up and you have to go already? You women are so annoying.”
“I’ve been asleep for hours, so I should think its normal for me to have to pee.” I point to an exit sign in hopes that he will pull off. “Please? With cherries on top?”
“Fine.” He turns on the turn signal and exits the highway.
“SO where are we now?” I ask as he pulls into a McDonald’s parking lot.
“Further south than Philly. Further north than Texas.”
“Wow, profound stuff right there.” I roll my eyes. Stepping down from the Tahoe is a task in and of itself. Not only am I short, the SUV is high, so I sort-of have to jump. Which today proves to be harder than usual. I throw myself out of the door and land on the side of my right ankle.
Pain. Searing pain! Whoever I see next, I’m gonna hurt. “Cody, get over here.” I yell. ‘Cause I’m gonna hurt him, opposed to some stranger, because it seems safter.
“What?” he appears, a smirk on his face. “Oh, are you okay?”
“Would I be on the ground clutching my ankle if I were okay?” Sarcasm win – again!
“What happened?” He leans down beside me and starts touching my ankle.
I suck in a breath as he touches the part of my foot that really hurts. “I fell out of your truck.”
“Obviously we need to invest in a step-ladder for you.” He lets go of my foot. “It doesn’t seem like anything is broken. You should be fine.”
“And you became a doctor when?” I try to stand but my foot protests and I fall back onto the dirty and cold pavement.
“Today.” He rolls his eyes. “Do you want me to help you?”
“Duh.” I let him put his arm around me and help me up, then walk into the McDonald’s. When we get to the bathroom, I force a smile. “I doubt you wanna go in there, so I’ll jump.”
“Jump?” He lifts an eyebrow. “Can’t wait to see this one.”
I glare at him.
“Um, I mean, see you in a few minutes.” He grins.

~Ashley