Roll out the red carpet!
Open the champagne!
It’s time to enter the Hall of Fame!

Whoop! It’s launch day over at Sapphire Star Publishing, and today we are celebrating the launch of When We Collide by A.L. Jackson!

A.L. has popped over all the way from across the pond to share with us some her writing essentials and introduce When We Collide! Give it up for… A.L. Jackson!

Thank you so much to my Sapphire Star Sister, Nicky Wells, for inviting me to be a part of her blog today in celebration of the release of When We Collide! I’m very excited to be here today.

When We Collide took me almost exactly one year to write. . .to the date.  A year is a long time to put into a project, and when I spend so much time working on something, there are a few things that really help me to get that job done.

So here they are ~ My must haves for writing!

First and foremost, I need my laptop! I have a docking station since most of my writing is done in my office, but I love that I can pop my laptop off and take it with me wherever I want to go. You can find me writing in bed, on the couch, and sometimes working while I watch my boys at the skate park.

A notebook is a must for me when I’m writing. Even though my books are written on the computer, most of my thoughts and ideas start here.  I find handwriting really helps to get my creative side stimulated and working.  I have notebook after notebook of scribbled words and lines that don’t make a whole lot of sense, but that’s okay, because I really can’t read my handwriting anyway.

Don’t forget the music.  Sometimes I just close my eyes and sit back and listen to the music and lyrics while I watch my characters in my mind’s eye.

Tablet! I keep my tablet close by my side when I’m writing.  I’m a firm believer in reading being one of the key elements in an author’s writing life.  If I’m feeling stuck, I go directly to my Kindle reader and. . .read.  It usually only takes a half an hour or so for those words to break up the monotony in my mind and get me in the writing mood.

Okay, so maybe this one isn’t a must, but who doesn’t love a bunch of colorful pens to brighten up the office? I do!

Coffee! I believe this one is self-explanatory.

Diet Coke.  Yeah.

And Monster. Anyone else sensing a trend here?

So what are your writing must haves?

Happy writing!

Thank you so much for this fabulous post, A.L.! I’m with you on the laptop, music, coffee (well, tea in my case) and Diet Coke. I might add chocolate and a blanket to my ‘must haves’. 🙂 Now tell us about When We Collide…

When We Collide

William has spent six years running from his past and the last eight months trying to rid his mind of the dreams that increasingly haunt his nights. Trapped in a world of false ambitions and feigned affections, William knows he’s reached a breaking point and something’s going to give.

Maggie had lived her entire life without hope until one man showed her what it meant to be loved. He’d been her light in a lifetime of darkness. Six years ago, that darkness stole him away. Without him, she’s surrendered herself to an existence she doesn’t know how to escape.

When the family William left behind is struck by tragedy, he is called back to the one place he’s sworn to never return to again. In a moment that will change his life forever, William comes face to face with the girl who, with one look, captured his heart. He is unable to ignore the buried desires and the hope for the future they’d once believed they’d have.

Now William is ready to fight to take back what had been stolen from him six years before.

But he never imagined what that fight might cost him.

A.L. Jackson gives you an intimate look into the lives of a family bound by an unseen connection in this romantic thriller with a supernatural twist.

Wow! I am hooked! I’ve got When We Collide on my Kindle and you can get it here: Amazon.com Paperback; Amazon.com Kindle; Amazon.co.uk Kindle. A.L.’s book will also be available from Barnes & Noble, Smashwords and other e-book providers.

About A.L. Jackson

A.L. Jackson first found a love for writing during her days as a young mother and college student.  She filled the journals she carried with short stories and poems used as an emotional outlet for the difficulties and joys she found in day-to-day life.

Years later, she shared a short story she had been working on with her two closest friends and, with their encouragement, this story became her first full length novel. A.L. now spends her days writing in Southern Arizona where she lives with her husband and three beautiful children. Her favorite pastime is spending time with the ones she loves.

Find out more about A.L. Jackson at her author page at Sapphire Star Publishing or on her blog.  You can also follow A.L. on  Twitter or find her on Facebook and Goodreads.

Happy Book Birthday, A.L. and I hope the launch goes terrifically well… Rock on! 🙂