Started from the bottom, now we're here - Between Devils and Dragons by IVLG

BETWEEN DEVILS AND DRAGONS

by IVLG

Cover design by Sabine Pöstinger

Interior:

Artwork by illustrate_vnzl commissioned for IVLG

Interior design by IVLG

Formatting Samantha Pico

Life's funny, you know?

It's 2024, spring just arrived, and I was talking to my bookish girl gang on IG, filling them in on the meaning behind my author pseudonym IVLG. So, I went back here, after what feels like eons, to show them some post from "back in the days", and guess what caught my attention? 

1 comment on my latest post where I announced my upcoming book (don't mind the old title, a lot of stuff changed since then.)

It was from someone I'd been close with back in another life. My nosy aquarian ass could't help itself and clicked. A smile tugged on my lips the moment I read it. Long, long ago, still the past always seems to find a way into the present. Given, my book BETWEEN DEVILS AND DRAGONS is based on my early twenties and thus carries parts of me.

The first instalment of the trilogy, yes, but it's already loaded with everything I'd bottled up. The beauty of writing consists of more than lives written in words meant to suck you into an alternative reality. It gives you the opportunity to cope, to experience everything again or bend the construct of reality when you bring your "what ifs" to paper, just the way you've always wished for them to have happened.

While this might sound excessively emotional, make no mistake. My book is at home in the dark paranormal fantasy genre. We drag souls to Hell, kick ass, kill with precision, banter our way through missions, love a villain in disguise, and do our darn best to survive an ancient prophecy. And, yes, it's also hella spicy. The sex scenes are just as long and graphic as the battle scenes. We don't do vanilla in Hell, baby! This book is a dark read and meant for mature audiences only.

That being said, after a little over two years of hard work, many 7-days-a-week months, late-night hours stretching into early-morning ones—my book has been available through Amazon since November 2023. Paperback and ebook edition. The paperback is fully illustrated with 5o dark chapters, large character artwork, and dragon borders on all 596 pages. 

Life is good, you know? I was lucky enough to have ranked multiple times in the Top 10 and 30 Amazon Best Seller lists in my prospective categories. Around 64,000 pages were read within five months via the Kindle Unlimited program (think Netflix for books) and the orders keep coming in. A #1 best seller ranking in Poland I also get to call my own.

How I got that lucky? Man, no idea. But I'm proud of what I've achieved so far, and I won't back down. I have an amazing team of editors, a dedicated support team, and a whole community of book-loving girls.

Life's funny because the very reason I started to write this blog back in 2013 is one of the main inspirations for my book/trilogy. "Mr. Big" might not have played a major role in book 1, but he will in book 2 and 3. Obviously, his character name is not Mr Big haha. But those who've read my blog and remember parts of it know damn well who Mr. Big is. 

Mr. Big, if you happen to read this post—which I think is not going to happen—you were right. I wrote a book, and it's the best fucking thing I ever did on my own. Until now. You might not be the hero in my story, but truth be told, you never were. And that's something I've always been okay with. It has its pros and cons. IYKYK. No worries, our dark fantasy romance community lives for the bad guys lol but don't get your hopes up. You and I, we both know what we had was never made out of fairy tale bs but rather a pull between to souls lost in the same limbo. For better or worse. Our on-off affair was the catalyst for this sick ride called BETWEEN DEVILS AND DRAGONS.

It starts with the man who brought me to Switzerland, the man I should've loved but didn't, continues with the man I've always loved since early teenage years but shouldn't have, before we come to the man I couldn't help but love but shouldn't have either (spoiler, that's you Big), and then.... yes, then it ends with the man who showed me who's the real Daddy in the house. My ever supportive husband who had my hands shaking before he even got out of the car on our first date.

Anyhoo...

Justin, if you read this: thank you so much for your comment on my old post. It really surprised me. And, yes, it made me happy. Hope your life is just as good. You deserve it. Cheers to old times.

Jess

Back to the future - my upcoming book 'The Devil's Secretary'

 

This is the temporary book cover

It's been almost seven years since I last posted on here, tbh I thought this blog was dead. I neglected it back in 2015 and moved on but life's funny, you know?! After posting something about my old blog on my IG story, a childhood friend reached out to me asking about this blog and if I could shoot her the link.

That's when I came back here and looked for a nice catchy post that would surely make her laugh and wet her pants - I mean, c'mon... from starting 2013 when I was 23 yrs old and high on passion crack (disclaimer: not actual crack) to 2015, I was writing some funny shit! 

So, I took a trip down memory lane by typing in my blog's address and my old posts just hit me all over again! Although now I cringe here and there reading them, they were all genuinely written from my stupid naive heart and I still love them and feel like time traveling. Each and every post was fueled by passion and longing.

However - I struggled to log in again but eventually I came up with the right login and WOW! Seriously?! Last time I checked my blog - 2015 - it had around 30'000 hits and today your Invisible Lemongrass lady next door has 48'-something-000 hits although I never posted something new! That's insane! Looking up the stats it showed that people still come here everyday(!) and read my emotional diarrhoea. The helpful tutorials on how to bleach your teeth or dye your hair also play a huge part in it but still, a lot of my ladies-only or inspired posts still get attention from you guys.

I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart, to me this blog was dead and I kept it online because I'm such a nostalgic person but I'd have never imagined that people still come here and read.

It all started here and believe me when I tell you, this is not the end. In fact it's just the start - what inspired me almost ten freaking years ago to pour my emotional insides out for everyone to read and feel, now is a big part of what I'm doing now.

- Now hold my vino -

'The Devil's Secretary' is the title of my upcoming book and it's a dark & steamy fantasy romance with heavy layers of erotic to it and most importantly - this really make me proud - it's based on a true story.

My story. My life back then. My passion. My illusions. My demons that haunted me for years.

So, a few days ago, 'the reason' I initially started writing a blog celebrated his birthday (I just have a nag for reminding numbers and birthdays, that's it) and I couldn't help but smile as I remember his words from almost ten years ago. 

"You should write a book, I'll read it."

Some of you might remember my posts about that so-called Mr. Big, basically he was the inspiration behind my cheesiest and most frustrating rants on here. I mean... just look up #23 inspired post or #17 ladies only - pussy curse or one of my favorites: #13 ladies only - beware of dick confidence and also #16 inspired post just to name a few.

Sure as fuck this book is not what he had in mind back then and no, it's not payback or anything petty.

It's an homage to myself. An homage to the strength and growth it required from me to put myself back together after he put me apart like I was one of his bikes. My insane on-off hopping with Mr. Big will be part of the story although not as big as some might think - ok, I don't want to go too much into detail - you guys should find out for yourself how much this mysterious man will impact the story plot and he won't be the only love interest my main character will juggle.

I always knew I'd come up with a book one day, although I never knew what exactly it would be about but last October it just hit me. So I started writing the first chapters and it just flowed naturally, I could even say effortlessly. Writing a book is hard work - that's a fact - but to me it really does come naturally and the hours I invest feel like minutes. I'm writing 6 days a week for several hours over lunch plus in the evening when hubs is out fishing. Currently I'm both editing the first chapters and also writing the next ones.

My WIP (work in progress) has 34 chapters and a word count around 85'000 - as of today - and I only reached the middle part of the story. I have a feeling it will take another 20 to 30 chapters 'til I reach the end, which I have already envisioned to a T.

This makes me truly happy, it's fun and exciting - it's rewarding.

Most of all, I want to thank my stunner of a husband for giving me room to drown in this epic story that consumes me from head to toe. He might not be the reason I started writing my blog almost a decade ago but he's the reason why passion, excitement and longing run through my veins with my fingers itching to write it all down. 

You can find my author profile on Wattpad, there's also an app. There you'll find hundreds and hundreds of stories of all genres. Just look for the_IVLG on Wattpad (this is also my author profile on Instagram). Come follow me and soak your panties while reading. 

I hope to publish this fall/winter - either on Wattpad or Inkitt-  not 100% sure about that though but one thing's for sure - this book, my story, will take you on a wild ride. So yeh... life's funny and the turns it takes are even funnier. I never thought I'd write a book based on my life and the crazy experiences I made but this girl right here brought her past passions back from the dead for you to read and enjoy all over again.

Hunting souls isn't a walk in the park, I tell y'all!

More characters to meet

More emotional crashes

More spice to experience

More intimacy to crave

More twists & turns that surprise

More silly moments to enjoy 

More empathy to feel

More blood & tears to shed

More reasons to fall in love 

#31 inspired post

Getting to know someone new in your life is like unboxing a new pair of converse.

They excite you and the moment you slide in with one foot feels like a potencial new beginning. The beginning of new adventures, new stories that only wait to unfold themselves. You might start walking around and explore the new sensation - dating someone is just like that. Dating is kind of a "relationship try on" including the option of "return within 14 days" if it doesn't fit your needs. The one you date is like your new pair of  converse, you try them on and then you start walking. After a while you'll either  take them off because they gave you nothing but blistered, bloody heels or they feel like an old beloved friend who you've known for years as it seems.

Walking in your new converse won't give you exactly the same feeling as you have had with your good old ones - but after a while you clearly feel if they have the potencial to go from "try on" to "my new favorite". Dating should be more than just getting to know eachother on a superficial level or eat & wine the shit out of eachother. let's try on eachother for a while, let's walk through deep woods and thrilling heights. Value your feet the same way you value your mind & heart. There is no shame in looking at it as a true & fair "relationship try on including the option of return". If expectations & needs are met then why not put on the second shoe and begin walking on new paths together? The best feeling is when you like them so much that you simply can't feel uncertain about wearing them, you just do it because you know that they will carry you just like the good old ones - through thick and thin. They will get softer and softer after time, they will get a little dirty and worn - that is what I seek: something real to experience, something real to build on. Why not see dating as a trial menu? In the end we all wish for someone who feels like home to us.

my hair journey: preview - I see trees and greens - enchanted forest by Manic Panic

So it’s been a very long time since I dyed my hair the last time – I went from pitch black to dark red, then to bright poppy red and then I got bored and dyed it to a honey caramel tone. December 2013 I dyed it back to black and cut off 10 cm, since then I didn’t do anything with my hair. The black dye faded over weeks/months and it turned out quite nice, overall it was a dark brown with lighter ends. Got myself an unintentional ombre look – win! Since I didn’t put any dye on my hair since Dec 2013, I have about 17 cm of natural dark brown regrowth – my hair is now about 52 cm long whoop whoop!!

read about how I started going black to red: black to dark red
read about how I corrected patchy spots: correcting patchy spots
read about how I brightened the red: going bright red
read about how I stripped the color to go honey caramel: red to light brown
read about how I went from red to honey caramel step 2: red to light brown step 2

btw here you see how I went from red to honey

The hair journey goes on!

I was going back and forth if I should go for a lavender lilac or if I should dive into totally unknown territory and try a blueish green tone! Yes, green. After hours of research and skipping through thousands of pics I decided to go with green as my next hair color. Considering my current hair condition and color, I believe that it’s possible to pull off a nice vibrant green. It’s not that green little kids color vomit with.. it’s more like a pine green with a blueish undertone. I think it’s absolutely gorgeous!

btw these are not my pics!

After seeing Manic Panic’s “Enchanted Forest” on some nice gals on google I knew I had to order it. You can use this vegan hair dye on virgin hair but it will fade quicker than you can say “quidditch” – unprocessed hair has a smoother surface and that’s why the dye won’t stick as good as on already processed hair. That’s another reason why I also ordered Directions bleaching kit 30 vol. – with a 30 vol developer it lifts your hair color by 3 levels (+-) – so I’ll get a brighter result + it will last longer. I wouldn’t recommend using a 40 vol developer since this is already pretty harsh – as all chemicals I know – but 30 vol. is just the right thing to use if you don’t want to fry your hair.

I learned a lot from my last experience with bleach and since my hair has natural red undertones I added Directions “White” toner to my order. My hair won’t turn bright blonde after bleaching it, it will have a brassy tone and to correct that you need a toner that will help you pull out the brassiness as much as possible. The toner doesn’t damage your hair at all. It can happen that it will leave a slight purple touch to your hair if you leave it on for too long but that will fade away quickly.

When I remember my vibrant red, washing my hair head over the bathtub with cold water and stained towels, pillows and sheets come to my mind again. This won’t be any different now because I’m using semi-permanent hair dye again. And honestly I would never use anything else. Of course the hair gets somehow damaged while bleaching but still it’s better to only damage it once than damaging it twice in a row. Let me list some pros & cons of using vegan hair dye by Manic Panic

Pros

•  Not tested on animals
• No harsh chemicals that damage your hair
• You can mix colors to get your very own special tone
• You can easily pour some of the left over dye into your conditioner, that way you touch up the color with each wash
• The longer you leave on the dye the more vibrant it will turn out (depends on how light your hair was before)
•  It moisturizes your hair
• Looks frikkin awesome and comes in all kinds of colors
• Not that expensive

Cons

• If you don’t know how to properly take care of your new hair color it will fade very fast
• Stains on the skin and hands are something you should get used to -> use Vaseline and gloves while putting on dye to avoid that
• Stains on the sheets, towels etc
• To maintain a vibrant color you have to touch up quite often (I touched up my red every 3 to 4 weeks, well red is one color to fade away the quickest anyway)

Well, I’m very excited and I can’t wait for my order to arrive :) stay tuned

#dyehard

to a long lost somebody

Walking in your shoes

If I tried walking in your shoes I wouldn’t make it far, because I don’t understand what those shoes are made of. By letting you walk in my shoes aka reading my blog I tried to make you understand what my lips weren’t able to say. Some words might have been written very harsh, that’s true and I honestly never thought about the possibility of you really reading my blog. I’m unsure if you ever read most of my posts but now I reflect on that and wonder how I’d feel if I read it while walking in your shoes. Would I feel resentful, hurt or sad? I’d feel somehow frightened I guess… frightened of my own actions and how they hurt someone I thought I would never want to hurt, frightened of how future interaction will go – will I hurt somebody’s feelings again and will this manifest itself on this blog like a long echo that still can be heard long after it was yelled out?

#30 inspired post

I really want to write this post talking about my inspiration because it means the world to me.

Book keeping is my daily job & it pays my bills, I really like my job and my team is effin great!! Love em so much, makes every day a fun day. But there is another “job” I have - writing on my blog. Althought I shouldn’t call it my job because it’s nothing I “have” to do. Still… in fact I really HAVE to do it, because it’s my way of expression. It’s my way of keeping my balance, it’s my way of showing my inner world. I am not going to lie but neither I am going to put glitter on shit.

My inspiration was on a damn super high in 2013 – breathing in inspiration and breathing out amazing posts – however my inspiration went down under by end of 2013 and throughout 2014 nothing changed. I tried to start all over again but things got so difficult and it literally pissed me off to censor my shit, to give this damn blog a different?! name – holy shit please hit me with a chair the next time - and pretend that the source of this amazing blog came out of my ass nd was entertained by nothing that could compare to real passion. Back then in 2013 when I sat down and started to type, the letters were just flowing magically, sentence after sentence, there it was – big inspired posts from the heart. I loved to reread everyone of them from time to time and I still do now. It was simply my pure self that I laid down in this blog, emotional stripping.

However, I realized something in the past weeks as there was a change in my emotional life – it’s not just that I can feel inspiration running through my veins again, it shocked me even more (in a positive way) what triggers my inspiration!

Yeh of course it’s passion… but passion can be found in other souls… right? Well, guess that doesn’t count for me. 

Beautiful how the same passion from back then which inspired me to write is the same one to inspire me again to start all over again! Isn’t it ironic?

#29 inspired post

someone called me robogirl - and it was true. 

It was true because I didn't let my soul fully guide me, I always kept it in check with my huge overworking mind. Why? Well I found two things today. two things were given me today - the first thing was understanding. Understanding myself, why certain patterns in my head ruled over my heart. The second thing was freedom of my heart. Freedom I gave my heart & soul after understanding myself. The first thing was a gift I received. The second thing was a gift I made myself. Finally I feel in balance with everything that makes me the woman I truly am. It was a long journey but in the end it was worth every obstacle that crossed my path. The person which faces you with geniune understanding and a look right through you into the deepest part of you, is the one who captivates and frees your soul.