I should be writing

Posted on May 22, 2012 by Melanie

Instead, I’m contemplating book deliciousness to reward all you readers out there…and trying to figure out exactly how to fix WIP 1′s opening versus starting a new project that I also want to write. Decisions, decisions!

1. Okay, so the release party for Forever Dark is set to take place during UtopYAcon this summer. I’ve ordered bookmarks and postcards printed up as part of the swag giveaways. I’m also planning to bring “Starfire” crystals — aqua aura natural quartz crystal points. Books are a given ;) I may add more as plans get underway.

2. I’ll be doing another Goodreads giveaway for Tiger Born. After paying for airmail to a few winners in the last giveaway, I think I’m sticking to the U.S. and Canada from now on. I apologize for overseas readers this leaves out, but the expense is several times over sending one book within the U.S. And then there’s the international forms to complete too.

3. I currently have a giveaway going for 9 more days on Goodreads for Metamophosis. If you want a signed copy of my novella anthology, enter today.

4. The latest round of edits are done on Forever Dark, but I have one more editor I want to employ for a final verdict. About five more weeks to polish that and it will be ready for its debut. I’ll be doing another giveaway on Goodreads in celebration, so stay tuned for info on how to enter that. I’ll make that one a complete series giveaway of five books–Starfire Angels, Broken Wings, Crystal Tomb, Origins of Dark Angel, and Forever Dark.

That’s it for now. Subscribe to this blog so you don’t miss a thing or follow me on Facebook for all the little tidbits!

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updates

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Melanie

A few things today…

1. The official release date for Forever Dark will be July 1. Mark that down!

2. I will be at UtopYAcon, which takes place July 6-8, 2012, in Nashville. Yes, that Nashville, as in the Grand Ol’ Opry Nashville. I was invited by the organizers a few months ago but thought I might have other activities close to home, which ended up being scheduled for a different weekend. After some consideration, I decided to put aside my dislike of travel and make the trip. I hope to meet some of my fans there. It’s one of the few places you’ll ever have the chance to see me. I love meeting people, but I prefer to stay closer to home, so this is one of the few times you’ll find me somewhere else.

3. Related to #2, I will be hosting an exclusive Forever Dark Release Party during UtopYAcon. Books, swag, giveaways, etc.! Let’s have fun!

4. Editing of Forever Dark is underway. Woohoo! I finally got comments back from my young reader, who liked it very much. I’m putting the story through the mill right now and hope to have one more set of eyes on it before it goes out.

5. Writing on secret project 1 aka WIP1 or SP1 is postponed until I get this round of editing finished on FD. At my last writing session, I had passed 34,000 words on it, so the story is well underway. However, I may condense some of that last chapter as it dragged out a little, so some wordage may get cut. The story is going well, a good place to pause. I posted an excerpt a few weeks ago and wonder if anyone has guessed anything about it yet.

6. Another new project has jumped into my head. Bad timing, what with all the other work I need to finish, but it’s been brewing for over a year. I just didn’t feel comfortable with the limited ideas that came at the time. Inspiration comes when the time is right and walking always does that for me. Something loosened and started fitting pieces together that feel right for me. I’m making notes for now and hope that it doesn’t interrupt my editing too much, because I need to get FD done. However, I’ve learned to take what my muse gives me and run with it as long as I can. The other project I had mentioned on Facebook was a good idea but wasn’t really clicking for me. It was a means to keep myself writing mostly, and it may be right for a different time, but this new old idea is right for me now.

7. Little Azula is growing fast. She’s been on Interferon Alpha for a week and a half and antibiotics for a week. The antibiotics did the most for her goopy eyes and sneezing, I think. Within twelve hours of starting it last week, her blue eyes were clear and bright and the membranes weren’t as swollen as they had be since we brought her home. And my baby boy, Dargo, who hated her the most the first couple of days Azula was set free in the house has claimed her as his toy. He’s like a big brother kitty to her–patiently tolerating her every attack and playing with her, cleaning her, and even snuggling with her. I would never have expected such behavior from a neutered male cat, but this has worked out perfectly for the household. Since he has a playmate that can keep up with him, he’s attacking our older two kitties less. He still does sometimes, because they’re big enough to be rough with and he is gentler on little Azula. She’s living up to her namesake, a little spitfire furrball zipping through the house, but thank goodness cats don’t fire bend!

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8. Last of all, my horse. I had a riding lesson on Monday and was able to refine so many parts of my riding. My instructor helped confirm what I was feeling under saddle and to recognize it more clearly so I can help my horse to carry himself better while staying forward and straight and balanced. There lie the biggest keys to success in dressage. He can do anything when all the pieces are in place.

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Purrfectly Adorable

Posted on May 10, 2012 by Melanie

It’s been a long week for me. Last Friday, we brought home a new kitten with the intention of having a playmate for our younget kitty, a purebred Siamese we named Dargo. Dargo is very active and playful and has always terrorized our older two kitties. He’s a year and a half and still acts like a kitten. We tried contacting the breeder from whom we’d bought him, but she had to give up her business. Because we are such fans of the breed, we looked for another in the area and found a couple of young kittens in a small town. Within a few hours roundtrip, we had our new kitty home.

Since all our kitties are named from characters in shows we like, we had discussed possibilities for male and female names on the way to and from the place where we found the kitten. After some discussion, we came up with the name Azula, as in the lightning, blue-fire throwing evil sister of Zuko in Avatar: The Last Airbender. She lives up to the name only in the fact that she’s ambitious. Otherwise, she is the sweetest kitten.

Our Azula has had a rough start since she was sick when we brought her home. Luckily, our other cats are kept up to date on all shots. I was able to get Azula into the vet, where they confirmed what I saw–that she was indeed a girl–and gave her the first set of shots and some medicine to help her immune system fight the infection. She had slightly goopy, weepy eyes and was sneezing. I’d seen it in barn cats so severe that they eventually died. Ick! Azula’s upper respiratory infection wasn’t so bad she wouldn’t eat, but we gave her some canned food because we didn’t have anything else appropriate.

The next day, I bought some kitten food, but she still wouldn’t eat, probably because she couldn’t smell with her nose stuffed.  We put some canned food on top of the hard food, which seemed to encourage her to eat some of the hard food. Of course, she had to stay separate from the other kitties.

Sunday, we let her out of the bathroom into our bedroom and she played hard. She was using the litterbox and eating well. She gave us a pleasant surprise by demonstrating that she’s a snuggler. That night, she crawled under the covers with my husband and I. She’s done it every night since then.

Monday, I let her out into the main part of the house to meet the other cats and explore. She was all over the place! The other cats didn’t like the new intruder, but the older two didn’t mind. Only Dargo was wary and upset at the little intruder. It’s now Thursday and he’s coming around. He’s been watching her and following her when she plays and this morning actually started to play with her.

Back to her health, though. Azula’s eyes were sticking shut and actually seemed to be getting worse again. I called the vet and they prescribed Amoxycillin twice a day for two weeks. Less than half a day after the first dose, her eyes were clearer and brighter and her nose was cleaner. She’d been sleeping a lot and shivering, but after starting the antibiotic, that quit. She still sleeps a lot–she’s a kitten–but she plays much harder and longer. She’s drinking out of the big cat waterer and I think she’s using the big cat’s litterboxes downstairs.

Azula is going to fit in purrfectly! I think she’s going to be a great companion for us humans and a playmate for Dargo, which is all we wanted.

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Snuggled next to me two days ago. She’ll claim my lap when she’s tired.

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Metamorphosis anthology

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Melanie

I have a special deal for my loyal readers. Now you can purchase At The Water’s Edge, A Turn of Curses, and When Angels Cry for one low price of $2.99 as an ebook. For a limited time, you’ll be able to purchase a paperback from Amazon for the low price of only $6.99.

Three science fiction and fantasy novellas in one collection now in ebook and paperback.

When Angels Cry:

Bound in a symbiosis to the entities of the Starfire crystal, Shartrael Padina is one of four Keepers protecting their power. When the Shirukan, elite soldiers of the Shirat Empire, attack, her mate is killed protecting her escape through a portal to Earth. There she must stay to protect her unborn child and the Starfire, but she hasn’t escaped the Shirukan.

A Turn of Curses:
Nineteen year old Selina has a life many would love–praised, served, and spoiled. The only problem is she didn’t choose that life, because it comes with a heavy price. She will soon die, like all Healers, when the mark of Y’dom completes its pattern around her neck, and hers is nearly complete. She has one chance for adventure, one that could save her life.

At The Water’s Edge:
After falling overboard from her tour boat during a squall, Sara Adams wakes up on a deserted island in the Bermuda Triangle. However, the island isn’t as deserted as she first thinks. A handsome stranger brings her food that couldn’t possibly grow there; but he always disappears at night and when it rains. Ancient forces and her fear of the ocean stand in the way of satisfying her heart.

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Secret Project hint

Posted on April 29, 2012 by Melanie

Here’s a rough draft sample from today’s writing session of Secret Project 1 (aka WIP 1):

On the quiet road to the freeway, he turned his head aside and yelled over the rush of wind, “Where to?”

“The saint’s island.”

Only one city he knew of fit that description—San Francisco, named after Saint Francis of Assisi, the first person ever recorded to bear the stigmata, the marks mimicking the wounds of Christ’s Passion.

Gavin grinned and accelerated his bike towards the freeway. The connection of the origins of the city across the bay to him and Kaira was more than coincidence.

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Forever Dark Excerpt

Posted on April 24, 2012 by Melanie

If anyone is wondering, I’m still here, just preoccupied. In the midst of working on a new project, waiting for feedback on Forever Dark, and health issues with my horse on top of being a mother and wife, I have a lot to think about. Blogging tends to go by the wayside until inspiration hits.

However, I’d like to provide another teaser of Forever Dark while you’re all waiting for the next five weeks to pass…

After pushing aside her thoughts, Raea found the resonance, the perfect pitch of the Starfire in her body. It connected her to the entities of her shard. They opened her to their dimension, which connected to everything of her universe. It overwhelmed her in its enormity, swelling like a tidal wave of imagery and sensations passing in a blink, until she found the connection to the area of Starfire Tower. The air stirred before her and the black ball formed and grew, energy crackling around it.

The connection to Starfire Tower came through strong and clear as it had since her early portals.

The black ball grew to two feet in diameter and exploded into a vortex. She added power, enlarging the portal until it reached about five feet in diameter.

["It's done!"] Her words called through the whipping wind generated by the portal in the small room.

["Are you for real?"] Ranel blinked from the other side.

The irony of someone with wings asking if she was for real almost made her laugh, but the focus on the portal smothered that. ["Go! I can't hold it forever."]

Hesitantly, several of Ranel’s group approached.

["Where will we end up?"] A blonde-woman asked.

["In the sky near Starfire Tower. Hurry!"]

Several of the so-called rebels stepped through and disappeared.

From somewhere nearby, an alarm rang out.

["You triggered something,"] Elis said.

Crap. They’d better hurry and get through. She’d have to be the last to go, since she held the portal open.

One-by-one, since that’s all the room they had, the rebels stepped through. The room emptied, except for Elis and the rest of them in Shirukan uniforms. What were they waiting for?

["Go!"] She was draining from holding it open. Crystal fire! Although keeping it open took less concentration, she couldn’t stand there forever.

Leksel stood, opening and closing his wings slightly.

His wings. His deformed wing. Oh, hell.

["He can't fly."] Elis’s somber words hammered the reality in.

["Now what?"] She couldn’t leave him, but she didn’t have the control the portal that exactly to form at one of the landing platforms of the complex.

The other two women slipped away and disappeared around the pipes.

Seconds later, they raced back and skidded around the corner to take up positions with their weapons ready.

["Trouble's coming!"] The darker-winged woman fired her weapon back the way they had come.

["A whole squad of trouble,"] the blonde woman added.

Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. What to do!

Let the countdown to the book’s release begin!

ps–this scene is still subject to editing.

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good news for my horse

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Melanie

Beau’s gutteral pouches are clean, but the veterinarian flushed them anyway. However, while his white blood cell count was in the normal range, apparently it was borderline to having an infection. Because of that, he will be on Uniprim (antibiotic) another week. The vet who examined him figures that he DID have an infection in his sinuses but that my treatment with the Uniprim, which ended a week ago, probably cleared it up. He wants to be sure it isn’t still hanging on, though, which is why he recommended another week of the Uniprim. I’ll bring Beau home tomorrow with a clean bill of health and I’m praying I don’t hear anymore of that horrible hacking cough or anything but his normal occasional cough.

Yay!

Thank you for all the prayers and thoughts for my horse. The real test will come over the next week or two as we get back into our work routine and see how his breathing is.

Now, maybe I can finally focus on writing.

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my heart and soul

Posted on April 10, 2012 by Melanie

Before I started seriously writing (not counting that first attempt in third grade), I fell in love with horses. Even my husband was made to understand early in our relationship that…well…my horse would always be on equal footing. I’ve had horses since my mother remarried when I was almost nine. Back then, I started riding whatever easy-going roping horse the neighbors would bring to wherever we were working cattle, or friends’ horses. I was about thirteen or fourteen when I was given my first horse, although he wasn’t completely mine.

Through the years, I’ve had many horses, all but that first one trained by me. Now, I have Beau, my American Warmblood gelding, my first ever warmblood and I’m hooked on the type. In college I switched from all that western riding to english riding and, after my second child was born, I rewarded myself by selling my Paint mare to buy Beau, who was a long yearling (late in his yearling year). My interests had changed and my mare just wasn’t the right horse for me anymore, although I had been safe to ride her halfway through both pregnancies.

Beau has taught me more than all the horses who came before, yet he benefits by the knowledge I gained before him. Whenever I’ve had something go wrong with him, I’ve jumped to the internet for answers before I saw the vet (it can take a week or more to get an appointment, except for emergencies). I think I am the local expert on horse allergies :P

I don’t have a lot of money, certainly not enough at this point in time to replace my beloved Beau, the most beautiful, athletic, and rambunctious horse I’ve ever had. He’s the also tallest horse I’ve ever owned at a smidgeon over 16 hands (1 hand = 4 inches). I’ve had to step up my game to push him to achieve wonderful things, but what I ask comes quite easily for him.

Unfortunately, as I said, I think I’ve become the local expert on equine allergies; not because I wanted to, but because I had to. Beau is allergic to almost everything, or so it seems. His allergies aren’t mild either. He has severe respiratory problems from exposure to a long list of allergens. He gets monthly shots, daily supplements, and since moving to a better barn last fall, the best care anyone could give him. Every time he has problems, it can be a bother to track down the culprit. Over the last few years, especially after he was lame much of last year on top of everything, I’ve struggled to keep myself going. It’s disheartening to see how much it takes out of him, but with the right management, we can limit his reactions and continue our training.

Beau is my heart and soul. He is my dream horse and I’ve sworn that I will do everything for him. Like with my stories and my own children, he can break my heart or make it soar. His personality is charming, although he has his quirks.  My dream is to train him to the Grand Prix level of dressage. Currently we’re schooling second level, but if his allergies ever overwhelm him, that’s all shattered. I worry about that often. He is the reason I do what I do–to pay to keep him and live a childhood dream, back when I could only chase cows and show once a year in 4-H but wanted to learn to dance like the fancy riders in my magazines.

This is my heart and soul, my horse. Without him, I wouldn’t be me. I pray every day for his health and soundness and wish I could do more. Last of all, I pray that if the day ever comes when I can do nothing, that I have the strength to let him rest as he will deserve. I will never trust another to give him the level of attention and care that I’ve been fortunate to provide and thank God every day that He has given me the means–financially (barely) and mentally–to cope with whatever challenge we face. For nearly thirty years, horses have been a big part of my life. I won’t let it end with Beau, but I pray that our partnership continues for many years to come, to greater and bigger things, to dance together as one heart and soul.

He’s been having problems lately, and thinking about the possibilities has had me depressed. I had to get this out while the emotions were strong. I don’t know if I have found the resolution to his latest problem–I hope I have–and I’m praying hard that the vet can give us an answer at our appointment next week.

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why I write the way I do

Posted on April 6, 2012 by Melanie

Some of you may be interested in a history of my writing, so here it is…

I started in third grade because of a teacher who asked us to write stories for school. Of course, when writers start out, they more often than not start with familiar themes, character types, plot, setting, etc. Mine was just a twist on Thumbelina. I was nine, all right?

The next time I wrote something memorable, it was similar to a story I liked about a unicorn or pegasus, but again with my own twist. That was in sixth grade.

By my high school years, I had read all the horse books in our small town school library and the bookmobile that came from the bigger town. I had always loved science fiction and fantasy, but had never read any. That was about to change with some books that I tried, and then as a Doctor Who fan, I was pleased to find a couple of DW books in the high school library and read those. I also experimented with writing poetry.

By college, I was on to the new Star Wars extended universe books that started with the first Thrawn trilogy by Timothy Zahn, and I was totally smitten with them. I still adore those books. The characters were brilliantly crafted, imho, and so different from anything else I’d seen in movies and television shows, even counting Star Trek and DW, which I watched loyally since they came in among the four channels we had access to on the farm (the days when satellite service meant a dish the size of a swimming pool and $$$, which my family didn’t have). Every Friday and Saturday night, I had my one or two science fiction shows that I couldn’t miss, but those books inspired me to write, and the first couple of stories were heavily influenced by them but more in the spectrum of romantic science fiction. In looking back, I would have to say that at that point, the start of my long journey to being a true writer, I was already leaning toward romantic relationships in my writing, along with plenty of action. (As a side note–I remember gobbling up Jurassic Park on one Saturday or Sunday, which my mother allowed me to do instead of cleaning house with her.)

I kept going, thinking my first story was wonderful, and racking up rejections (and shudder when I see how bad my writing was back then). Then the internet grew beyond IRC and windows 95 came about, and I bought my first computer so that I didn’t have to type and print out manuscripts on school computers any more. (I know, I’m dating myself here. *sigh* I’m old, according to some people.) That changed a lot of things, especially my access to writing help. I found chat rooms to discuss the shows I liked and sites where I could find writing guidance. What a difference those early workshops made! In time, I also found a “professional” editor and paid her to edit a short story of mine. Her advice was golden and completely turned my writing around more in one story than I had learned on my own for the years before it. I’ve grown as a writer even more since then, but some of her tips have stuck with me to this day.

I still find weaknesses in my writing and do my best to make them stronger. I still watch science fiction and fantasy, although now I actually only read SFF and anything related to horses is either because it’s SFF or nonfiction. All those Black Stallion, Misty of Chincoteague, etc. are still part of me, but I don’t go out looking for horse fiction any more.

These all have influenced my storytelling. Everything we are goes into our writing, either in structure or story. I have pushed myself beyond my comfort zone over the years, gradually expanding my abilities, and my preferences have changed slightly. Now, if I write something heavily romantic, I find that I need to step away with the next story and focus on action and adventure, often without romance (such as what led to my writing Tiger Born). Then somewhere along the journey, I end up drifting back to the usual romantic type story. I prefer plenty of action rather than drama, but each story is different. Still each is influenced by my experiences of the past and present.

This is why I write the way I do, because it’s who I am.

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not what I expected

Posted on March 27, 2012 by Melanie

So, in the last week, I started writing something new. Not unusual. However, it’s not what I had previously mentioned that I was going to start writing. I’m sorry I can’t say more, but every time I start talking about a project early on, it puts some lock on my creativity and I stumble and stagger through the first draft rather than sailing on calm waters with the wind at my back.

So, while I can’t say anything about this draft, I will say it wasn’t the story I thought I was going to write. Rather, it’s the story my muse decided I should write. When I listen to my muse, the plot bunnies cooperate.

Also, after finishing At the Water’s Edge, I had to get away from romantic inclinations for a while. The same thing happened that led me to writing Tiger Born, which I count as among my best writing, if I do say so myself.

Speaking of Tiger Born, it is now available as a paperback for only $12.99 and looks fantastic but Peter Ortiz designed a great new cover image :) . I’m giving away ten copies on Goodreads, which you can enter here.

Coming up, I’ll be on theromancestudio.com on 4/12 at the release party for At The Water’s Edge too. Stop by and say hi!

So, I’m still around and busy but not always writing. I’ve discovered that I am not one of those writers who can sit down for hours on end and punch out a novel in a month or even two months. I can only actually write for about a half hour to an hour at a time for about 2-4 segments a day, and need to clear my head in between writing segments and apply my thinking to something else, like reading fiction or my dressage books. This is why it takes me a good 3-6 months per novel. If I push to write too much at a time, the writing suffers and I end up burning myself out. So, I’m taking my time and doing things right for me.

Here I am, on my next adventure of a first draft of a new book with new characters. I’ll share more in a few months, when I’m further along and comfortable with the progress.

Thanks for reading!

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