Hello, Thursday

January 27, 2011 by

Man, this week is dragging.

Hey, I’m over at The Romance Studio’s blog today chatting about my coffee house series if you wish to stop by. ;) Click here.

I had a lot of crap to catch up on yesterday. Lots of emails to answer and paperwork to take care of. It took me over an hour to get it all done before I could start writing. I hit the keyboard and wrote for 45 minutes and got in 1600 words. I busted the 58k mark. Yay, me!

My son left his homework at school on Tuesday, so we had to pull double duty last night. I made him start on it the second we hit the door. Luckily, he only had some math and a writing exercise. The teacher made then write a vignette with multiplication problems. It’s a good damn thing I’m a writer. We wrote about rockets blowing up. It was great.

Since Best Buy didn’t have the keyboard I wanted, I decided to order online. They STILL didn’t have the one I wanted on their website so I went to Amazon. Guess what? They had the Microsoft 6000 for $30! I was so excited. I ordered it last night so it’ll be here in a few days. I will finally have  keyboard without missing letters. :) I’m sure typing on a new keyboard will take some getting used to, but I’m looking forward to getting it.

What’s new with you?

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Inkwell Guest: Misty Evans

December 15, 2010 by

It’s Wednesday! In case you’re wondering how my vacation is going - today is my wedding day! With just over a week to go until Christmas, Misty Evans is here to talk about her paranormal release, Jingle Hells. Just in time for the holidays!

Do you love holiday stories? I do. When we read about a character’s crazy holiday shenanigans, we can relate. We connect with them. The stress and craziness of the holidays in real life is humorous and engaging in fiction.

While writing JINGLE HELLS, the sequel to WITCHES ANONYMOUS, my light paranormal romance about a bad witch trying to go good, the timeline fell over Christmas. I don’t usually incorporate holidays into my stories, but this time, I couldn’t resist.

Amy, my main character has never celebrated Christmas, but this year, her boyfriend Adam, who just happens to be THE Adam (as in the original Adam who’s back on Earth for a redo) does. So on top of trying to complete Step 2 of WA, solving her latest biblical mystery, and running her ice cream shop, she has to become Santa to Adam. The tagline for the book is: “Christmas is going to be hell this year” and that sums it up exactly!

I had a lot of fun writing this sequel, the holiday element adding a nice bonus to the story and an extra layer of fun for me. For today’s blog, I’m including an excerpt and giving away a copy of JINGLE HELLS to one lucky commenter. Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

Get JINGLE HELLS at Amazon for Kindle! Click here.

***

JINGLE HELLS by Misty Evans

Excerpt — On the First Day of Christmas

My name is Amy Atwood and I slept with the Devil.

Literally.

Two days before winter solstice, Christmas lights blinked red and green on the snow-covered sidewalks of my hometown of Eden. Bing Crosby’s voice assured us he’d be home for Christmas. The air was brimming with anticipation.

Anticipation and, at least for me, lust. Deep yearning drove me to stare into the brooding, sexy-as-hell eyes of the Devil through the plate glass door of my ice cream shop. His evil energy beckoned to me like the Dove chocolate stored in the pocket of my orange and black, anti-Christmas apron. Blazing heat rose in my cheeks and spread through my veins, rich, tantalizing and blissfully delicious. A tiny wisp of magic unfurled in my chest, reaching for him.

Lucifer’s magic seized on it. One corner of his mouth rose in a familiar, cocky grin. “Let me in, witch.”

With every ounce of willpower I could summon, I shook my head. “I’m not a witch anymore. And we’re closed.”

“It’s seven o’clock. You don’t close ’til ten.”

“Witches Anonymous meeting here tonight.” I flipped the sign on the door and tapped it for good measure. “Now go away.”

Drawing back my disobedient magic, I forced my hand to turn the key in the lock. The sound of the deadbolt snapping into place broke the enchantment Luc had on me. My body moaned in response. It wasn’t going to rock around the Christmas tree with him that night.

One thing about the Devil, he’s persistent. Luc could have shattered the glass or flipped the lock open without moving a muscle. Instead, as I turned my back on him, he invaded my personal space in a much less direct but equally strategic way. His voice now registered in my head, tingling the nerves at the base of my skull as if he were breathing on my bare neck. I know Adam left you.

“He didn’t leave…” I stopped myself from finishing. Adam, my hunky heaven-sent boyfriend, had left me, but not the way Luc made it sound.

I glanced at Keisha, the shop’s manager and my best friend, who was leaning against the stainless steel sink behind the counter. She was there the day I met Luc in Paris, at the base of the Venus di Milo, and she knew our torrid history together. Knew how he’d broken my heart. Still, her attention was riveted on him, her mouth open and her eyes glazed with merry lust.

Another tingling sensation lifted the hairs on the back of my neck. He’s not coming back to you.

I whirled around and pinned Luc with the snake-eye look I practiced in the mirror for just such occasions. Get out of my head. Get out of my life.

For a single heartbeat he tried to enchant me again, but I can be as persistent and stubborn as he is. I braced the wall I’d built around my magic and stood my ground.

His face hardened, his eyes went cold, flat. My pulse kicked in reflexive fear, but in the next second, he shimmered out of sight without a sound.

Yep, Christmas was definitely going to be hell this year.

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Interview with Colin Galbraith

June 10, 2009 by

Hi all! My good friend and fellow writing colleague, Colin, is here to talk to us about his brand new release, Stella. Be sure and check out the official page for Stella, by click here.

Here’s a quick blurb about his upcoming book from Eternal Press, available in print and ebook now. Click here to read an excerpt and purchase your copy today!

StellaRANDOLPH LOWE is a distinguished British Secret Agent in the twilight of his career. When he is handed a mission to kill one of the world’s least accessible, yet most wanted assassins, he never expected a beautiful young woman with the alias, STELLA.

Stella leads him around the world as she picks off her marks with ease, during which time Randolph grows infatuated and falls in love. But Stella has her own dark secret. Forced into making a terrible sacrifice, she is destined to live her life as a lone killer.

The love of one man may be enough to free her, and only that man can save her now… but only if he can find her…

And now I’m pleased to have a Q&A with Colin. :)

What was the inspiration for Stella?

The idea for STELLA first came to me in 1988. I was listening to an album of the same name by Yello, and I developed a series of images to certain songs in my mind as I listened to the album. I always promised myself I would one day write these images down into a cohesive text, but it wasn’t until 2007 that I felt my writing had developed enough that I could give it a bash.

I began by writing down these images, and from that I used the music to further inspire the gaps in between. Slowly, a story began to unfold until I had a first draft. It took a lot more work to make it into what it is today and I’m delighted with how it turned out.

Why write a paranormal mystery; you’ve never written in this genre before?

It wasn’t meant to be a paranormal book. My original idea was for the book to be a spy novella, something with its roots in the mysteries of underground eastern Europe. As the ideas began to develop on paper, though, the book began to take on its own form and it made sense for a paranormal aspect to come into it. I can’t honestly see it working without it now.

Did you enjoy writing in the paranormal mystery genre?

Very much. Looking back, my writing has diversified naturally over the past couple of years. My favoured “genre” is crime, but I have found the two other most enjoyable types of writing I have indulged in has been paranormal (through STELLA), and children’s poetry, through my e-chapbook, Silly Poems for Wee People Vol.1.

At the start of 2009 I vowed I would write more about the things that made me happy, and since making that decision and sticking to it, I’ve had more success and fun with my writing than any other year.

What research went into writing Stella?

Not as much as you might think. Most research concerned the locations in the book that I hadn’t been to, but which I wanted to appear in the book. It’s fast moving story and takes the reader all around the world, so while I could write vividly about Prague, Amsterdam and London, I knew little of San Francisco, Brooklyn NY and Fes, Morocco.

There was also a bit of research into demons and black roses, but mostly it’s all made up – the kind of writing I enjoy most.

Will we see more of Stella and Randolph?

STELLA was originally meant as a personal writing experiment and I never meant, or expected it, to ever be published. However, now it has been, and having enjoyed working with Stella and Randolph so much, I want to do more with them.

Both Stella and Randolph are such strong characters and there are so many questions I have now STELLA is behind me, that I want to find out more about them. And where the author has questions, so too I expect will the readers.

I’ve already begun work on the sequel and am planning on making their story into a trilogy. The book I am writing just now – the sequel to STELLA – is called BACCARA BURNING.

Baccara Burning sounds interesting – what’s it about?

I’m not going to give a lot away – obviously – but it will take Randolph and Stella’s relationship to the extreme. It will be a real test of their love and trust, and through this we will get to know the real them. Both have lived dark and hidden lives, but in Baccara Burning the cloaks are gone and there is no hiding any longer.

The book starts in Sorrento, but ultimately I want to bring them to my home town of Edinburgh, throw in a local ghost legend or two and see what happens.

What else are you working on?

Other than the sequel to STELLA, I have various projects on the go. I have one novel and a novella both in the editing stage, and I’m working on a new chapbook of poetry to be released later in the year. I also have plans to complete writing a crime novel I began near the end of last year. What with all that and writing gig reviews for News of the World, it’s a busy time!

COLIN GALBRAITH’S popularity as a contemporary Scottish writer has grown rapidly over the past few years. He is a prolific published writer of fiction, poetry, non-fiction articles and reviews, and has been earmarked by the Scottish local Press as one to watch.

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Today’s Guest: Siddharth Dalal

April 29, 2009 by

Hey gang. Today I’m pleased to have Siddharth Dalal here to talk about a very cool thing. Check it out, won’t you?

ibookdb150x150Hi All and thanks Michelle for inviting me to guest blog for The Internet Book Database (iBookDB) and The Internet Adult Book Database (iBookDb Adult). I’m Siddharth and I run both these sites.

I am very excited to introduce yuall (that’s how it is said here in Virginia) to our sites which are one of the Internet’s largest sources of book information according to Wikipedia.

iBookDB is happy to bring together authors and readers via our forums. Michelle was one of iBookDB Adult’s first few featured authors and I will take this opportunity to thank her for that and her contributions to our giveaway. Did I say giveaway? Yes! iBookDB has a monthly giveaway at so does iBookDB Adult where we giveaway books to users of our site. And the best part is you can pick which book you would like to win so you won’t get some random book you don’t want.

You can also manage your book collection online and we do have a nice widget that you can use on your blog. If you do blog about books, contact us to get book information embedded onto your website with almost no effort! If you really like our site and want to link to us, we can provide you with special links that will generate commissions for you from Amazon!

Authors of all genres, we would like to invite you to contact us for being featured or having your book listed and featured and contributing to our giveaway and reaching out to your fans. We also offer the cheapest form of advertising directly to readers and our “Ads by iBookDB” on our site cannot be blocked by Ad Blockers!

I am happy to answer any questions you all have about iBookDB. Come join our community and let us know what you think.

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Maria Zannini: Death and Taxes

April 15, 2009 by

Today, I’m please to welcome fellow Samhain author, Maria Zannini. If you check out Maria’s website, be sure to read her bio for a giggle or two. She’s a seriously funny lady.

Here’s a really timely post about pinching pennies and, well, taxes! And now, without further adieu, I give you Maria!

If you live in the US, you know today is the day we bare our souls to Uncle Sam and hope he doesn’t squeeze us dry.

Since we seem to have little say on where our tax dollars go, the least I can do is tell you how to make the money that’s left go farther. As we all know, we writers are generally penniless rascals.

So let’s rub the few pennies we have and see what we can come up with.

  • Whenever possible, query by email. Thankfully, many agents and editors are beginning to see the light and welcome emails. But sometimes you have to dig for that address.
  • Always use both sides of your printer paper. Let’s face it, a lot of what we print is for our own benefit and not for others to see, so save a tree and use both sides of the page.
  • Get your business cards for free (or nearly free) with Vista.
  • Whether you are just starting out or have been in this business for years, you NEED an internet presence. Even if you don’t feel comfortable building a website yet, there’s no reason not to create a blog and write about your writer’s journey. It’s good practice. It puts your name out in public and best of all–it’s FREE.
  • Find yourself an honest critique group. This is probably one of the best money-saving tips I can give you. Good crit partners SAVE you money. They help you polish your book before you go and spend a ton of dough mailing your manuscript out in hopeful ignorance.
  • Don’t die. I know–that’s a no-brainer. But if you don’t take care of yourself, you won’t write that best selling novel.
  • Buy books! Books are some of the best values around. I buy them all year long and give them away as gifts for Christmas and birthdays.

As a matter of fact, it would not hurt my feelings a bit if you went out and bought my book TOUCH OF FIRE. Be a good person and buy Michelle’s latest book, too, A BREAK IN TIME. (Aw Shucks, Maria!)

And if you’d like a chance to win a serious prize package, go to my blog and check out my new contest. I’m offering a very cool prize package worth $100 to the person who blogs, tweets or reviews TOUCH OF FIRE the most using these words: The Apocalypse Is Closer Than You Think. Buy TOUCH OF FIRE by Maria Zannini by May 28, 2009.

Help me spread the word. Together, we’ll put recession back in its box.

TOUCH OF FIRE comes out in print on April 28.

Find it at:
Amazon
Barnes & Nobles
My Bookstore and More

Read an excerpt at Samhain Publishing.

Visit me at http://www.mariazannini.blogspot.com or http://www.mariazannini.com.

Thanks for letting me visit, Michelle! We’ll have to do this in person too! I just realized you’re only a couple of hours from where I live.

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Radio Silence

March 31, 2009 by

I guess I don’t have much to report today other than I’ve been working on revising my WIP. I’m about 70 pages into the revision and I really like where it’s going.

And the contest. Oh, it never ends with the contest, does it? LOL We’re this close to getting all the scores tallied. Thank goodness.

So, how about you? What’s going on in your world? Please share. Because I’m lonely over here.

(OH! And for those of you who are a fan of Devon Ellington, she’ll be guesting here tomorrow and Thurdsay with a fantastic article. Don’t forget to come by and say hi!)

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Selena Blake: Addiction to Romance

March 18, 2009 by

A few weeks ago, I blogged over at fellow Cobblestone author’s blog, Selena Blake. Today, I’m pleased to welcome her here, talking about her addiction to romance.  Check out her books at the Cobblestone Press website, won’t you?

My friend Leila Brown recently blogged about Addiction over on the BlindBet blog and it got me thinking about why I keep coming back to erotic romance. What is it that has me addicted to both the books and writing?

I mean, let’s face it. If writing wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. And if publishing wasn’t hard, everyone would be published. It’s tough to sit down every day, stare at a blank screen and make something from nothing. To write a story that readers will want to read. There is so much to consider when writing a book, from characterization to plot to theme to setting. There’s agonizing over the first line, which we’re discussing over on Double the Pleasure, to writing a blurb that concisely describes an entire book.

No, this is not an easy job.

So why am I addicted?

#1 Completion

There’s an incredible feeling once I’ve finished a book. I’ve put time, thought, dedication into it. And once a book is complete, once two lovers (or three lovers ;-) ) have “come home at last,” it’s great to feel like “I did that. I got them together. They’re together forever.”

Likewise, when I read a story, there’s a feeling that things are lined up in the universe. And I like that.

#2 Enjoyment

I enjoy telling and reading a good story.

#3 Lust, desire, passion

Who doesn’t want to enjoy those things? I certainly do. I want to feel something. I want to experience the desires that the characters experience. I want to take that sensual journey myself…and perhaps even learn something knew.

#4 Reader enjoyment

I love reader mail. I love comments on myspace, feedback on my blog. I sincerely hope readers like my books. I write for me first and my readers second. That’s a pretty close race. So yes, I want readers to enjoy the books, the love, the lust. And I definitely like hearing from them.

So what about you? What feeds your addiction? Why are you in love with romance?

Selena Blake is the bestselling author of the Stormy Weather series. She writes paranormal romance and contemporary erotic suspense. Learn more about her, her books, and her latest contests at http://selena-blake.com.

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Writing and Stuff

March 5, 2009 by

I want to thank Devon for being my guest here yesterday. I’m a huge fan of her work – and you should be, too! The winner of HEX BREAKER is Marie-Claude Bourque. Congrats!

I took the comments on switching WIPs to heart. I’ve stuck with Phoenix all week and have made it through chapter five. I’ve been trying to beef up the story and fix glaring errors. I’m thoroughly enjoying this world and I’ve grown quite fond of Elena and Cassius. I think it would do them a disservice to stop working on their story this week. Next week I’m going to try and work on Delilah’s story, though she’s really not stomping her feet and demanding it yet.

I also want to thank those who stopped by Selena Blake’s blog the other day to leave comments. It’s nice that my story about stepping outside the comfort zone rang with so many of you. There’s still time to leave a comment or two, if you want to stop by. Just click here.

I have three monthly blog posts I need to get written, one for sure this week (due Monday). I haven’t decided what the topic will be yet so I need to get on that and get it posted. I have a little bit of time left for the other two.

Found out yesterday, too, that I volunteered to judge for TWO categories of the same contest. I guess I need to keep better notes in the future on that. Now I have NINE more entries to read. Thankfully I have at least a month to read them all and get them done. I think my head needs a break from judging, so I’m allowing myself to do that over the next week or so.

Devon – regarding my son and his behavioral problems. Yes, I totally agree with you. His dad and I both think he’s bored in class because it’s all so easy for him. The teacher didn’t seem to think so. We missed the testing for the advanced classes, but we’re going to try and get him tested next year. It’s in October of the school year. We try to challenge him at home with math and reading.

Whatever his dad said to him on Monday night – and maybe what I said to him, too – seems to have worked. He’s been an angel in school this week. I have a lovely surprise for him, too. Spring Break is a little more than a week away, so I plan to go pick up my nephew who is a year older than him for a few days. It’s going to be a blast! I’m going to use that fully to my advantage – do good in school and Cousin Z gets to come. Do bad, and I call it all off.

The Well-Fed Writer should arrive today. I’m looking forward to reading that. Plus, I’ve been reading my book on query letters and it’s been insightful into freelancing for me. I’ve learned a lot and had a few light bulb moments. I love those. Don’t you? I still have a lot of researching and planning to do if I’m going to make this happen. Determination and Perseverance are two of the most important elements to get there. I know I have both of those.

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