08.30.10
Posted in My Personal Thoughts, Writing at 8:30 AM by Administrator
I know it’s been quiet here. I haven’t been posting much lately because I’ve been cutting back my computer time to what it’s meant for–writing. Creativity had been declining for me, and I realized it was because I waste too much time online doing less important things–fun, but less important. I enjoy the forums I frequent, but I’ve cut back on that time.
Writing SA3 has been a struggle, but it shouldn’t be. Part of that was trouble sleeping last week, but a lot of that was the time online. It’s hard to cut back, but if i want to write–and I certainly do–I have to make sacrifices. It’s the major reason I haven’t been posting as much. It’s not the time but the focus. I need to keep my focus sharp on the story. It’s what I love to do and the reason I’m here.
I’ve also realized that my best writing has lessons in it, which is the best gift I can contribute through my writing. Readers may or may not pick up on it, but there are moral lessons and spirituality in all my stories. I don’t write blatant in-your-face beliefs but present lessons for my characters to explore and discover for themselves. That’s where my writing is strongest because it’s who I am.
And now, the STARFIRE ANGELS book club is in swing on nookboards.com/forum. If you like the book, come on over and participate in the discussions. The more the merrier 
Permalink
08.24.10
Posted in Uncategorized at 1:39 PM by Administrator
The time for Cybils nominations is nearly upon us.
What are the Cybils? It’s a contest in which all published juvenile fiction in the English language is considered. From their About page, their purpose is to “Reward the children’s and young adult authors (and illustrators, let’s not forget them) whose books combine the highest literary merit and “kid appeal.” ”
Hint: BROKEN WINGS will be eligible for nomination. They’re usually open Oct 1-15 only, so watch for more information to nominate your favorite middle grade or young adult books. (BW is science fiction 
)
For more information, stay tuned here:
Click on the banner to go to the blog for the Cybils.
Permalink
08.23.10
Posted in Angels, My Books at 1:30 PM by Administrator
SPOILER WARNING!
>
>
>
>
I was working on a scene for the latest in the series and realized something. Not only is the series unique because the angels are actually visitors from another world, but these books have stories within the stories.
The visions Raea sees from the Starfire crystal provide stories within the action of the main story, but are tied to it also. They are short stories within the longer story that affect the action of the present.
In STARFIRE ANGELS, the visions provided Raea with knowledge she lacked about who and what she really was. These guided her to Elis and warned her about Pallin.
In BROKEN WINGS, the visions play out as a story in parts. There, the Starfire entities kept their secret until they felt Raea would escape Shirukan hands. But it wasn’t just the revelation of the shards that they conveyed. Rather, in BW, the entities also showed Raea some of the history of her own species’s visits to Earth and something about one of the previous Crystal Keepers, or two.
In the latest story, I had planned for yet another mini-story within the story, but it’s going deeper. The visions will be something more. I won’t say what that is, but I will say that we’ll see something new and exciting.
I hope these mini-stories within the larger story are as exciting to read as they are to write. For me, they keep the characters and setting fresh and interesting. They also show a different side of the Starfire’s history and how it’s affected the Inari and their connection to Earth.
The Starfire entities didn’t come into the universe we know for power, although they are pure energy. They came instead to learn first hand about our universe. They simply happened to also affect the development of this universe and its various life forms.
Permalink
08.20.10
Posted in Writing at 10:48 PM by Administrator
I question my sanity sometimes that I want to extend a series or start a new one when I know what’ll happen. This is the hardest part of writing while being the most rewarding. Readers want more, so you want to give them more of what you love to write. Great, except for one small problem–how do you keep a series fresh and exciting yet give readers more of what they’ve loved?
That’s been the problem plaguing me with SA3. Each book is a standalone yet part of a coordinated whole that I had envisioned (unlike LEGEND OF THE WHITE DRAGON, which is one big book broken up into parts). You can step in anywhere and not really miss what came before. You can read BROKEN WINGS without having read STARFIRE ANGELS and not miss anything, or at least not miss much. I’m trying to do that with SA3.
Keeping the characters as they should be even while they’re changing is the most difficult challenge. Part of the challenge comes from the plot. The characters need to stay true to themselves for the plot to flow. But the plot can’t involve too much or it becomes convoluted and senseless. I mentioned before that I had stripped out most of what I had written for SA3, but I’m still struggling a little with it. I needed a new bad guy, but this one is a bit of a gray character. It should add a layer of suspense to the story, but it isn’t as much fun as Nina or Valdas, both of whom I loved writing because they were clearly against Raea and Elis. Or maybe I loved writing them because they were narrowly focused on their goals. This new POV character is focused on his goals, but he just doesn’t have the edge that the women had. Maybe I just like writing b**chy women for antagonists >:) I don’t know.
In any case, this new character can work, but it will take a lot of consideration to make the most of what he has to offer. I know the plot I want now. It’s just making it all come together that’s the difficult part. I’ll make it work, one way or another. I did it with BROKEN WINGS, which had given me some trouble too; I can do it with this.
Permalink
08.15.10
Posted in Equine Affairs, My Books, Updates, contests at 2:06 PM by Administrator
I’ve been soooo busy lately.
First, there’s Beau. My beloved horse has had a few issues with his back and weight and behavior…gah! It’s enough to worry about than to have everything else in life.
Luckily, I think I have things figured out. Big relief there. 1) He needs more hay than what the other horses get, because he works a whole hell of a lot harder than any other horse where I board, and he’s still growing besides. I think I have the barn owner convinced that he just needs more, because he’s been getting a little more and is looking much better; but I’d like to see even more weight on him. (She likes to keep things minimal for cost savings, understandably, but some horses need more.) 2) I needed to change my saddle pad. I swapped out the riser insert pad I was using all this time for a normal saddle pad with my gel pad on top of that. Wow! No back issues whatsoever (a pro massage a couple weeks ago helped too). 3) He needs regular massaging after our work. I’ve been using a special grooming curry called a Unigroom that I’ve had for years that gives a deep massage, and he loooves it (my mare never liked it much). It’s great to see him enjoy having his back curried again. 4) If I sit the trot picking it up and for the first few strides, I do what the judge said to me in equitation at our first show a month ago and sit up right to be more effective with my back. Beau then has less “noise” and my half-halts are clearer. I also need to ask for more forward at the trot. The result was that he was awesome Friday night and his canter was balanced all the way too. So, a lot of discovery lately with my horse.
In a week and a half, I have another lesson with my insructor.
Second, I’ve been working my a@@ off trying to figure out what Starfire Angels book 3 is supposed to be. After 42K on the latest draft, I scrapped most of that and wrote a whole new synopsis. This time, I actually know the ending and the characters feel like their old selves again. I have a hard time writing when I don’t know the ending. And by ending, I mean the climax action specifically and the threads that need to be wrapped up. I didn’t have that before. Nothing was clear, so I was kind of jumping all over. Now, I feel like the story is there just waiting for me to transcribe it. That’s a great feeling.
Third, I put out two books within a two-week period. A LOT of work went into both. I had fans eager for BW’s release, and I was able to get it out a month earlier than planned.
Fourth, I’ve been co-hosting a discussion of WHEN ANGELS CRY on nookboards.com/forum. It was primarily hosted by a new fan of the series who loved STARFIRE ANGELS so much she wanted to host a book club for the prequel. It’s a lot of fun talking about my book with readers and discussing the different aspects. I especially like to read their interpretation of events and characters. It’s amazing and gratifying, even if we don’t always agree. I can’t wait for the September book club to start for STARFIRE ANGELS. Everyone interested in reading and discussing SA is welcome, and I’m supplying free ebooks to all who wish to participate. Instructions are in the thread for the book club.
Fifth, I still have my contest going for blogging/tweeting mention of BROKEN WINGS being available. It doesn’t require a review, just basic book info for readers to find it. Send me the link to your blog post/tweet and I’ll enter you in a drawing for a $20 gift card for Amazon or Barnes and Noble. It’s that simple, really. Details are on my website.
Last of all, I’m also trying to edit DESTINY for November release and trying to squeeze in reading other stories in the meantime, be a mother, keep the house clean, and get oldest off to first grade in less than two weeks.
It’s a busy life.
Permalink
08.10.10
Posted in Angels, My Books at 1:24 PM by Administrator
BROKEN WINGS (Starfire Angels Book 2) is officially available! For all who have been eagerly awaiting the sequel to STARFIRE ANGELS, your wait is over.
You can find BROKEN WINGS at smashwords in multiple ebook formats and at Amazon in paperback and Kindle ebook. Within a couple months, it will be available through other retailers and your local book store.
One Shirukan, an elite soldier of the Shirat Empire, came to Earth for Raea’s Starfire shard and failed.
Aware of the possibility of another attack, Raea trains to use the shard’s power to protect it while preparing to graduate from high school. But she discovers that the Keeper training her has betrayed her trust and now she must decide where her heart belongs. She never imagined that distance from him would mean a universe apart.
After the Shirukan attack, she wakes up on the Inari homeworld among those whose loyalties she questions. To return home, she must reach the Crystal Keeper known as Saffir. First, she must elude the thousands of Shirukan between her and freedom.
For more information, please visit melanienilles.com/books.htm.
Permalink
08.03.10
Posted in My Books at 10:35 PM by Administrator
To Nookboards! All the month of September we’re discussing my book, STARFIRE ANGELS, with some exciting extras and surprises.
It doesn’t matter what your reading format preference is. Join us in reading the book and discussing the characters and events that make it what it is. Participate with fellow readers and interact with the author, Melanie Nilles (yes, that’s me 
). Here’s your chance to talk with me one on one publicly. I don’t bite; I promise. If you’ve been shy about talking about it, don’t be.
Come on in to the Book Club on Nookboards and have a virtual tea or kool-aid, or whatever your drink of choice.
This month, one of our members is hosting a discussion of the prequel, WHEN ANGELS CRY, a novella available only in ebook for the low price of $0.99.
STARFIRE ANGELS is available in multiple ebook formats for only $1.99 from smashwords.com or from various ebook retailers. It’s also available in paperback for $8.99. It doesn’t matter how you like your book. It’s what you read that counts!
If you would like to share this on your website or blog, copy and paste the following:
I look forward to seeing you there!
Permalink
08.01.10
Posted in My Books, Publishing, Updates, Writing at 12:58 PM by Administrator
Wow! Time escapes me. I can’t believe it’s been a week since I updated here. I’ve been so busy writing SA3 (still untitled but ideas are coming) that I just don’t think of what to blog about. All my critical thinking is pouring into the story rather than other projects, which is a good thing. You want good stories, so when I put my best work into them, that benefits everyone. Unfortunately, it leaves me going “uh…” when it comes to what to say here. My mind is circling the present WIP rather than any advice or discoveries.
Along those lines, I am up to 41,000 words on SA3 and am thinking this story will be somewhere between 80-100K words total, or the standard length for adult SFF. And this book in the series is far more complicated than the previous parts, so it is more adult in nature. It started out as a question of “how do I top the last book in the series?” and ended up with “that’s cool and that’s cool” and “how bout a little of that?” and now it’s “OMG! How do I pull this all off and close it satisfactorily?!” Not to worry. It’ll all come together. That’s why this one is writing itself more slowly. Somewhere in the back of my mind, ideas are stewing while I season the pot with each scene. The ending will come when it’s cooked just right. I have a hint of those already, but they keep morphing as I proceed.
Sorry to talk about it in analogies and generalities. I can’t give away spoilers at this point. I just know my writing process, which means that I’m at a point where I have everything established in the story and now it’s just a matter of all the characters struggling to resolve the issues presented to them while I carefully guide the events to a climax that will satisfy everything pertinent to this book of the series…while leaving some things hanging for the overarching plot.
You’ll learn more from BROKEN WINGS when that comes out later this month. Yes, this month. All is ahead of schedule with the publication of book 2 of the STARFIRE ANGELS series, so you’ll have the opportunity to dive into the pages of it before September.
Along those lines, here is an updated schedule of what I have coming out in the next year:
August 2010: BROKEN WINGS (Starfire Angels Book 2) ebook and paperback
November 2010: LEGEND OF THE WHITE DRAGON: DESTINY ebook and LEGEND OF THE WHITE DRAGON: LEGENDS, LEGACIES, DESTINY (three complete novels) ebook and paperback
April 2011: FIREBLOOD (a Legend of the White Dragon novel) ebook
late summer 2011: Book 3 of Starfire Angels ebook and paperback (the one I’m currently writing)
2012: Book 4 of Starfire Angels
My goal is to release one book of the Starfire Angels series each year until the series is done. I could put them out sooner, but I need time to write and edit and make sure each book is the best it can be. If I can release one sooner than every summer, I will announce it here. Otherwise, I’m also working on various science fiction and fantasy projects in between. I’ll never quit writing, and I will strive to make each book better than the last.
Permalink
07.27.10
Posted in My Books at 7:23 AM by Administrator
A little more from the upcoming BROKEN WINGS:
["That is unfortunate. It seems we both have to clean up after his mistakes."] In her case, she would have to send in a team to retrieve the Crystal Keeper, since Pallin had failed.
["Yes. This world is far more complex than it once was. Their technology is advancing at an unprecedented rate. It complicates matters for me."] Tarolis folded his arms. ["It's all in my reports. I trust you've read them."]
["I have. What of the atmospheric distortions of the portal?"]
["The scientific communities are speculating on the phenomena, but religions are predicting the end of their world by that and the appearances of angels."]
Valdas smirked. Angels, indeed. So far advanced yet still so very superstitious these humans, but they could use it to their advantage, as the Keepers had.
["And,"] Tarolis added while handling a small device, ["others are connecting the dots, as they say here, on their internet. I suggest any move you make is done and over while a portal can be maintained. I'm sending an aerial image from one of their satellites. Commander Montran supplied me with the location of the Crystal Keeper's residence while he was here."]
Her tri-comm beeped. ["Received."]
["They make our job too easy in many ways."]
["But difficult in others?"]
Tarolis smiled. ["Do not underestimate these humans, Prime Commander Alshouan."]
["No. We won't make that mistake again."]
He tapped a strap on his wrist. ["I have to be somewhere soon. Is there anything else you need from me?"]
["Nothing more."]
["Prime Commander Loran out."] He disappeared from the room. But he had never been there, simply an image in her mind.
Valdas pulled the tri-comm off and placed it in a slot at her console. With a few keystrokes, an aerial image projected in a flat two-dimensional holograph before her. A white line circled one of the structures amid a grid of lines framing several structures in each square. This one lay at the far edge of that grid with open land beyond.
She would not fail. In fact, she would personally lead the team to extricate the Crystal Keeper.
Read more this September! To learn more, go to www.melanienilles.com.
["That is unfortunate. It seems we both have to clean up after his mistakes."] In her case, she would have to send in a team to retrieve the Crystal Keeper, since Pallin had failed.
["Yes. This world is far more complex than it once was. Their technology is advancing at an unprecedented rate. It complicates matters for me."] Tarolis folded his arms. ["It's all in my reports. I trust you've read them."]
["I have. What of the atmospheric distortions of the portal?"]
["The scientific communities are speculating on the phenomena, but religions are predicting the end of their world by that and the appearances of angels."]
Valdas smirked. Angels, indeed. So far advanced yet still so very superstitious these humans, but they could use it to their advantage, as the Keepers had.
["And,"] Tarolis added while handling a small device, ["others are connecting the dots, as they say here, on their internet. I suggest any move you make is done and over while a portal can be maintained. I'm sending an aerial image from one of their satellites. Commander Montran supplied me with the location of the Crystal Keeper's residence while he was here."]
Her tri-comm beeped. ["Received."]
["They make our job too easy in many ways."]
["But difficult in others?"]
Tarolis smiled. ["Do not underestimate these humans, Prime Commander Alshouan."]
["No. We won't make that mistake again."]
He tapped a strap on his wrist. ["I have to be somewhere soon. Is there anything else you need from me?"]
["Nothing more."]
["Prime Commander Loran out."] He disappeared from the room. But he had never been there, simply an image in her mind.
Valdas pulled the tri-comm off and placed it in a slot at her console. With a few keystrokes, an aerial image projected in a flat two-dimensional holograph before her. A white line circled one of the structures amid a grid of lines framing several structures in each square. This one lay at the far edge of that grid with open land beyond.
She would not fail. In fact, she would personally lead the team to extricate the Crystal Keeper.
Permalink
07.24.10
Posted in Dragons, My Books, fantasy at 10:17 PM by Administrator
Yes! The second part of the LEGEND OF THE WHITE DRAGON epic fantasy series is now live on smashwords for those who have been patiently waiting to purchase it as one complete ebook rather than download the free segments of the serialization on my website. The book will be live on Amazon for Kindle download by Monday sometime (I don’t recommend downloading the mobi file from smashwords…not pretty). As for other retailers, I can’t say when it will appear, since that’s determined by smashwords.
*happydance* It’s my birthday and this was a wonderful gift
Book 2 of 3
The servants of Darkness amass after thousands of years of waiting, ready to purge the world of life at the command of their master. Calli and Jayson must convince the First Race to unite with the Second Race and the magi they despise, or all will fall one by one. But the First Race holds dark secrets that could destroy them all.
Permalink
« Previous entries Next Page » Next Page »
