I am very excited and can’t wait to share this free read with you all! Believe it should be up aeound noon PST. Just click on the image below to head over to The Samhellion where you can read a copy of Winter Kissed, my holiday free-read. Thanks again to Silke Juppenlatz for the fabulous cover art and to Nina Croft for her editing skills. I hope you all enjoy!
Or at least I like to think I do. I am embarking on yet another new adventure. A group blog with some fellow authors, both published and aspiring. Should be fun. I suggest you make it a point to stop by and visit over at The Sweet, the Bad, ‘n the Wicked. Trust me, I think you will enjoy sharing and conversing with authors of the varied sub-genres within the realm of romance.
Meanwhile, a little update on yours truly. I am working on a holiday free read. It has been an exciting journey. One that has also turned into a learning experience. This is true of most things I have attempted in my writing career. When the story is ready, trust me you will be the first to know. Time for me to get back to work. I have a full manuscript to tighten up and draft my query letters for, a free read to send off, and new stories to pen. I will touch base with you all again soon.
Dear Muse,
We do this often you and I. You tempt me with your story ideas–a melody I cannot resist. The keyboard is ready for us to indulge in the movements we are so familiar with. My fingers are hovering over the keys…waiting. A whispered word. Vampire. I think–overdone. Something new. Again you whisper the same word. I give in.
The words begin to form a scene that is all mine. The excitement builds. Passion for the art I so dearly love is reignited. Then you step away and take those little temptations that spark life into my work with you. I search for you and discover that my partner has left me alone to dance in the dark.
You may think this will stop me. That I will leave the dance floor. Spirit broken. But you lured me out and the song is not finished. I will continue dancing. Alone if I must. For I have not yet mastered this dance. Little do you know that my determination runs deep. So to you my dear muse, I have only this to say-
Would you like to join me? With or without you, I will continue this dance. Even in the dark if I must. Though, I do prefer to have a little company from my partner in crime. Take time and think about it. I will be here, fingers dancing on the keys.
Yours Truly,
Moira
Oh there is nothing like a rainy day to fill me with the desire to write. To sit down with my laptop, open the patio door, and let the sounds provide the background music as my fingers fly over the keys.
Something about the rain that wakes my inner muse. Today is such a day. Let’s see what my muse does!
I have talked to several of my fellow authors and the consensus seems to be the same. We all loathe writing the much needed query letter. Have you ever tried to sum up a 90k story into say…. one to two pages? So not an easy task.
They are a necessary evil and I can appreciate the value in a well written query. It is very much like pitching your awe inspiring epic urban fantasy novel to an agent you met in an elevator and have 30 seconds to capture the awesomeness that is your book and sell it. Those authors out there who can do just that without struggling or sounding like an arse… I admire you.
I will master the query letter. I am determined to make it bend to my will. Ok, possibly not, but with each letter I write it has to get easier right? No doubt it is a learning process much like every other aspect of writing. So regardless of how difficult and daunting the task seems… I will keep on keepin’ on as my dear friend Molly McClain said (though on a totally non query letter topic. 
)
Those very lovely words were recently typed as I reached the end of book one in my wolf/fae trilogy (or as some people like to call it… the No Furry Faeries Trilogy). This book has been two years in the making and even though I am now working with my internal editor and preparing myself for some feedback from various sources, I am feeling very pleased with myself.
I think each book is an accomplishment, but I’ll let you in on a little secret. I am very hard on myself when it comes to most things. Paranormal stuff… forget it, I am like a damn lunatic. I have very high standards for myself when I write in this genre because I read it myself in my limited spare time. Since it is my favorite to read, I am obsessively critical of my paranormal stuff.
This is probably true of all of us. Surely we each have little areas where we are more critical of our work or performance in than others. Care to share so I can stop looking over my shoulder for the men in white lab coats?
While I anxiously await your answers, here is a sampling from the unedited version of my book, whose title is remaining under tight wraps for now. It is one among many moments I have a fondness for. This moment takes place after my heroine, Kiara, has a wee bit of a rough day. ~
A drink and the normalcy of humans should have been enough to calm my nerves, or so I tried to convince myself when I pulled the H3 into the parking spot and entered the dimly lit Irish pub. I should have stayed home, but instead I perched myself on a stool at the bar. So much for my date with Ben and Jerry.
Sláinte!
With that deviant behavior! One of the best lines from the movie Empire Records.
Okay, really there is reason behind why I even mention that line. As in most cities, you can drive around and see a multitude of fashion statements out there. Piercings decorating the teens at the bus stop or the people at work. (I kid you not) See the bump on girls courtesy of Snookie from Jersey Shore fame, some people can rock it, some can’t. Not everyone is meant to be a Guidette, sorry. Emo fashion in full swing with the dark clothes and skinny jeans (which I don’t get as a fashion statement for guys). It makes me think back to the days when I loved Skater Boys. Oh I was a sucker for almost any guy who hung out at the local skate shop. Oh the point? Right.
So really, I was just thinking about how such behavior and fashion statements make their mark on the books we read and write. I mean, I have a picture of a Emo girl that is destined to star in my first young adult book. So lay it on me people! What deviant types did you lust after? Or do you imagine yourself writing about?Give me all the dirty details.
Okay, time for another installment of HDH. This week I have been thinking a lot about heroes and what we find appealing in them. For the most part we know it goes deeper than looks. So many characters in movies are worthy of their hero status but today’s HDH takes the cake on many levels. Whether he is a downright hot Wolverine, a period character swept into present times, or…well hell I just like him and his acting. So when you are done drooling, tell me some of your fav heroes.
And I said so, that’s why! (Sorry does that take you back to childhood or what? )
There are times when the urge to whip and/or beat my characters into submission takes over. Why you ask? When I sit down to write I usually try to have a well thought out plan of attack for a story (no, not plotted out as I am a true pantster at heart) and character details worked out all the way down to the color of toe nail polish. Sometimes the direction I want to take my characters in isn’t always where they want to go. It can be fairly devastating to realize that they can be just as stubborn and pigheaded as their creator, not a trait that lends itself well to productivity. Can you believe the audacity of some characters? I mean really, you do your best to bring them to life on paper and then they turn around and get snarky with you. Sheesh!
I struggle with trying to keep the flow of my story going where I think it should, but some times that is impossible. When my characters dig their heels in about something, I find there is little I can do but listen to what they have to say. After all, it is their story I am trying to tell. Doesn’t make too much sense to argue with them does it?
So after a beer or two and a few heartfelt conversations, I think we have finally reached an agreement. A little give and a little take on both sides. Okay, admittedly a little more give and take on my side … did I mention they were really, really stubborn?
If you are a fellow writer, please share your character’s stubbornness… come on you know you want to. If you tell me that they obediently roll over like a dog and do all that you ask I am truly going scream, so be honest. No character is perfect.
Sláinte!
Of course I have to promote this… after all, my publisher does put out some awesome titles. So go forth and vote for your favorites among my fellow authors! Details are below.
Sammie’s knockin’! Will you answer?
Smokin’ hot heroes, and the heroines who tame them. Melt-the-pages ménage. Ground-breaking gay romances. And cover art suitable for framing!
Bringing them to you was easy. Now comes the hard part—choosing your favorites!
Click here to vote for your top three picks in eight categories spanning Samhain’s 2009 ebook and print releases.
