Saturday 28 March 2015

HYBRID has been published for 3 years! Happy Anniversary!

I find it hard to believe hat 3 years ago, on the 27th March I published HYBRID via smashwords.

It does not seem that long ago and yet I can't imagine my life without my books now. The years feel like a blur, the writing even more so. I have no idea how I wrote so much. Where did I find the time and energy? It's all a mystery to me to be honest.

I have made a new updated video to celebrate!


Also, here is HYBRID in pictures... what an evolution!

Have a fabulous Easter everyone

Vanessa :)

First version of Hybrid... March 2012. It was going to be a 5 book series then!


Second version... 2013 - 2014

Third version... 2014-2015

A new look for 2015... my existing readers seem to like it!


Friday 13 March 2015

What a day!

Another amazing day for feedback...

My Author Interview with BollyDophie gets published and then she writes the most amazing Review for HYBRID!

I admit that tears sprang to my eyes.

My husband is always telling me that I should not care about what people think, but I do. It does affect me and it's such a great feeling to be acknowledged for something other than being my children's mum, wife, or general dogsbody!

I have been adamant to not give up on my trilogy, to keep plodding away (even when I should be writing), and finally it is paying off.

I read a tweet today by someone who said they had finished three books after 7 years, coming in at just over 150,000 words! Well, my trilogy and prequel amount to just under 350,000 words. Written over a period of about 2-3 years!

I think I have a lot to be proud of.

I gave up my teaching career to look after my kids and now I have to ration my time between my kids, housekeeping, tutoring (I still teach mathematics at home), a part-time lunchtime job, and volunteering at school and the local FOODBANK. Becoming a writer is the icing on the cake!

I LOVE IT and hope you all can see what motivates me and enjoy what I write.

In life, we all have to find something to keep us going, to make us have that space we call our own. I am so grateful I decided to unleash my thoughts in novel writing and thank Stephenie Meyer for her inspirational words back in 2010 on the DVD I watched!

I am blessed and lucky indeed.

Thank you to all,
Vanessa :)


Wednesday 11 March 2015

Never give up!

I have had a very interesting week which has made me realise that I am glad I did not give up sooner.

Lots of you lovely readers have been getting in touch and telling me how much you have loved my trilogy!

Thank you SO much. It has really lifted my spirits and inspired me to continue my current novel. I have now gone over the 50,000 word mark! Woo hoo...

The response to my new covers has also been fantastic. Thank you for all the likes on Facebook!

My books have also been selling every day which is a bit of a novelty! I think I have my promotions on FreeBooksy to thank for that.

So, here's me sharing the love. Enjoy reading :)

Vanessa

These are my latest reviews...


HYBRID

"Vanessa Wester's vampires are unlike the familiar fanged protagonists of other paranormal capers. Their humanity is at odds with their physical requirements and the lengths they go to to contain their needs lend the novel a realism not usually found in the genre. Hybrid is an enjoyable read with just enough mystery, romance and suspense."

COMPLICATIONS

"Vanessa Wester has done a fantastic job with this and I enjoyed every bit of it. The story flowed well and with a few twists in the story, Vanessa keeps you on edge! I loved the characters, especially the mc Steven.

Steven has had a horrible year to say the least. Finding out he wasn't exactly human, his life completely taken away from him and his girlfriend Caitlin is made to forget he ever existed. On top of all that, he is forced to live in the Amazon with people of his own kind.

After an accident happens , Steven is allowed to return home to get the help he needs. He also wants his life back and needs to be able to prove to the others that he control himself with humans and live a normal life.
Will Steven get his wish and remain amongst the humans? Will he be able to win back Caitlin and make her remember what they had? Or will the urge for blood be to overpowering for him to control?

A well deserved 5 stars and I cannot wait to read the last book in this brilliant trilogy."


"A fascinating sequel to Hybrid. I read Hybrid, book one of The Evolution Trilogy, last year when on holiday and although it was not the type of book I usually read I loved it. The style of writing suited me and I found the story and the characters gripping. I knew I had to read the other books in the series. Complications, book two, continues on nicely with the tale and the plot develops satisfactorily. Both of these books are a recommended read and I can’t wait to read Return, the third part in the series."

RETURN

"This is the 3rd book in the Evolution Trilogy and was absolutely fantastic!

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the story of Steven Thorn and his journey of finding out he is a hybrid and how he has handled his new life.

Return, see's Steven and his girlfriend Caitlin (who he changed in book 2) return to the colony. As the colony do some tests on Caitlin they realise her blood maybe the ingredient the colony needs to be able to produce their own blood source without the need to kill. This puts doubts within the colony as to whether they actually need to be segregated away from humans. The Colony is slowly showing cracks and suggestions are made to find a new colony elsewhere and split the group up and start over.

Steven isn’t happy about all the changes that are happening and feels guilty for what he has put Caitlin through by changing her. He cannot change the past and must learn to live with the consequences of his actions. Will Steven & Caitlin be able to get through what is thrown at them or will some little things come along and change both of their future's forever.
A superb finale in the trilogy and an ending I never guessed.

Well done Vanessa for a wonderful series and I'm looking forwarding to what you have for us next. ;-)"


"Yes. The conclusion to this trilogy was so good. I never expected the turn of events. I'm glad Caitlin found her way. Sometimes, you need that space to realise what you had all along was the real deal. Loved the story and wish I could have read more about their reunion."

EMILY

"Emily is one of the main supporting characters in The Evolution Trilogy which is one of the few trilogies that I can truly say I couldn't wait to finish and hated finishing all at once. I knew I wanted the entire trilogy by the time I wasn't even half way through book one, Hybrid. I was lucky enough to be a beta reader of this novella, and the minute it went live on Amazon I also pre-ordered the book. For less than the cost of a coffee at Starbucks you can read a story that will keep you laughing, crying and turning the pages to the very last!

The entire series, including this novella, the realistic and relate-able characters, the rich environments and the variety of real life scenarios interwoven with the outrageous and the paranormal made these books a series on my LOVE to read list that I will always support and recommend to others.

Without adding spoilers, this prequel novella can work as a stand alone read, or in addition to the trilogy and you understand Emily so much better and why her actions and attitude seem to change with a "whim".

Similar to the scenario of Steven in Hybrid, Emily was a young woman who was set up to have it all, she wanted a life, a marriage and children, what many women hope for in their lives. That is, until a freak accident happens and causes her to not only become immortal, but requires her to consume human blood to live. Without anyone there to guide her and being one of the first of her kind they had no knowledge of the changes she was going through and no idea how to manage them. Over time this changes, but she's never the same.

Hidden away in a utopia created by her family to learn about the changes and how to control it Emily thinks about everything she can't have, and what little she does have in comparison to what she wanted in life. The utopia isn't a paradise, it's a prison.

What would you do if a change beyond your control took everything away from you and then you were taken away from everything you knew and loved? No one knows until they are in that situation. After years Emily is finally allowed to return to the place she loved, but so much time has passed and so many things have changed that it's all new.

Emily decides to feed her urges until life throws her yet another curve ball, in the form of everything she ever wanted and never thought she could have and life becomes "normal" and the urges fade. Content to finally feel like she has everything she always wanted and determined to make it work no matter what, her needs return and she's forced to make one of the hardest decisions a woman may ever have to make in her life.

Would you do anything for love, at any cost? That's just what she does and it costs her everything she ever wanted.


The story is heart wrenching and beautiful all at once. Another solid story from the amazing mind of Vanessa Wester!"

Monday 2 March 2015

NEW Covers

Exciting news... I have designed new covers for the entire trilogy!


I am also in the process of updating all the paperbacks & you will now be able to buy the Trilogy & Emily in one!

Even if you don't like them, please say you do! This has taken me HOURS!

I hope this more modern & fresh look will appeal to you all. The covers were the only thing that I felt were not selling the trilogy - let's see if I'm right or not.

Thank you for your continuous support.

Vanessa :)