Yule Blog Hop via The Pagan Writer's Community!

Yule Time Thoughts

 

 

Welcome to another blog post hosted by The Pagan Writer's Community!  ::cheers::

 

I'm gonna make this short and sweet for you all, because I know you have loads more posts to read. ;-)  I've recently released my debut novel, EARTH'S MAGICK.  There will be five books in the series with four short novellas between novels.  It has been an exciting time, for sure!

 

Mela Malone is the main character and she finds herself faced with the darker side of the "other world" and chooses to explore Magick to protect herself.  She becomes one of the warrior witches called The Elementai.  The first book takes place in the summer, book two in the fall and the third...in winter.  That's what I'm writing right now.

 

Winter is bleak, void of leaves on the trees, or the warm sun on your skin.  But it isn't necessarily without its own beauty. If you look close enough, ice sparkles in the pale sunlight.  That's what I try to do for Mela, make her world sparkle amidst a terrible time. 

 

 Winter brings the seasonal death of all that is usually green and alive. However, most simply lie dormant, waiting for the warmth of the sun to return.  Those who are able, look for beauty in the leafless trees.  They see the dark, gray sky as a blanket, pulled over the Earth while it sleeps. They see the sparkle in the ice and enjoy the colorful prism.  Mela must find warmth, hope and reason in the dark days of winter. Despite being removed from many things she loves.

 

All things must obey Old Man Winter and sleep. Only to be revived by the sun's kiss. It's a part of life, the up and down, the dark and the light. 

 

Mela must weather the winter and try to come out of it both alive and strong. She must learn to see the beauty in the darker times. 

 

Do you want to get a copy of EARTH'S MAGICK and follow Mela's story? To win a copy, all you have to do is comment on this blog post what you consider the most beautiful part of winter. A winner will be randomly chosen and emailed an E-book version of EARTH'S MAGICK.

 

Happy Blog Post hopping to all of you!  Follow the links to my FB page & Twitter if you want to be a part of giveaways, news on the EARTH'S MAGICK books and fun conversations!  If you don't want to wait for the blog hop to end, links to my books are below. ;-)

 

Otherwise, click HERE to go to the next blog post! (After you comment!)

 

Smooches,

 

Mel Massey

 

Come Visit on Facebook!                           Earth's Magick, Book 1 ~Earth~ on Amazon

Come Visit on Twitter                                 GETAWAY - Horror Short Story

 





SON OF CORSE blog tour!

Hey guys, take a look! I'm gonna be a big tease today. :-)

Information on fellow Solstice Publishing author, KateMarie Collins's new book, SON OF CORSE is here! Here's the blurb:

It’s been almost two years since Arwenna banished the Demon Corse from her world. Life has been good. Idyllic, almost.

The illusion is shattered in a heartbeat during her sister’s wedding. Not only are once-dead enemies back, but they’ve stolen Arwenna’s only child, Sera.

The price Arwenna will have to pay to save her daughter is high. Can she muster the strength to make a pact that jeopardizes not just her own soul, but that of an entire world?

As an added bonus to this blog tour, KateMarie is releasing a snippet of her book on each post.  So, if you've been following her around the internet, anxiously awaiting the next installment, here it is:

Corse’s melodic laugh echoed in the chamber.  “You prefer the name given to you by some elven whore?  You surprise me.  I would have thought you’d want nothing to connect you to Arwenna anymore.”  She turned and walked slowly over to a divan against a wall.  “If it makes you more comfortable, however, Senyan it shall be.”  She raised the glass to her lips, never taking her eyes off of him.  

    Senyan walked over and seated himself near her on the divan, glad for the momentary pause to gather his thoughts. That Corse knew who he’d been in the past didn’t surprise him. “Lu’Thare was a boy, scared of his own shadow.  I’m hardly that.”  His voice was slightly less edgy, but still forceful.  “I will need you to bring back an old friend if things are to work to our advantage.”  He sipped his wine.

::applause::

Sounds fantastic!  If you're interested in reading SON OF CORSE ( I am), here is where you can get your very own copy:

Solstice:  http://store.solsticepublishing.com/katemarie-collins/

Solstice – MOTS: http://store.solsticepublishing.com/mark-of-the-successor/

Amazon – Kindle/DoH:  http://www.amazon.com/Daughter-Hauk-Raven-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B007KDWYP4/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1331798695&sr=1-1

Amazon – Kindle/MOTS: http://www.amazon.com/Mark-of-the-Successor-ebook/dp/B00CSW21ZA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1368648504&sr=8-3&keywords=Mark+of+the+Successor

Amazon – Kindle/Kick the Can: http://www.amazon.com/Kick-the-Can-ebook/dp/B00DQVXV4C/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1373215489&sr=1-2&keywords=Kick+the+Can

Amazon – Paperback/DoH:  http://www.amazon.com/Daughter-Of-Hauk-KateMarie-Collins/dp/1475230338/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335468615&sr=8-1

Well done, KateMarie!  Happy reading to all of you, my lovelies!  Go grab your very own copy of SON OF CORSE, a glass of wine/coffee and enjoy a relaxing weekend with a good book. Congratulations, KateMarie Collins, we look forward to reading more from you!

Born in the late 60's, KateMarie has lived most of her life in the Pacific NW. While she's always been creative, she didn't turn towards writing until 2008. She found a love for the craft. With the encouragement of her husband and two daughters, she started submitting her work to publishers. When she's not taking care of her family, KateMarie enjoys attending events for the Society for Creative Anachronism. The SCA has allowed her to combine both a creative nature and love of history. She currently resides with her family and three cats in what she likes to refer to as "Seattle Suburbia".

 

 

Twitter:  @DaughterHauk

FB:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/KateMarie-Collins/217255151699492

 

Blog:  http://www.katemariecollins.wordpress.com

I’ve been a bit quiet lately.  I’ve had tons of things, both personal and professional, happening.  The biggest and best blessing has been seeing the cover art for EARTH’S MAGICK coming to life.

 The artist, Kelly, did an amazing job. She captured the mood, the tone, and the magick of the book.  She also showed an incredible amount of patience with me. I have been so lucky!

 

Here it is……

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s the book blurb:

Life in Trinity Hills, Texas goes from normal to deadly for Mela Malone. Whenever Mela falls asleep, a mysterious creature, called The Hag, tries to kill her. What begins as dabbling in protective spells from an ancient Grimoire, leads to her initiation into an ancient order of warrior witches known as the Elementai.

Mela learns war is coming with The Darkness and the Hag is only one of the evil creatures in its service. As an Elementai, Mela learns it’s her duty to find four part-human sisters who can help defeat the evil that threatens to return to the world.  With every new discovery, Mela uncovers ancient secrets that complicate her quest further. 

As war approaches, everyone must make a choice - fight with the Elementai for all life on Earth, or fight for The Darkness…

 

  

Here I sit, staring at this beautiful picture that will grace the cover of MY book (and it’s the background on my phone, but whatever) and I can’t help but be thankful over and over again.  I can’t wait to get a release date and share Mela and her friends with all of you beautiful souls.

I said yes...

It has been a little while since I posted. So, what’s happened? Well, here it is….

 

EARTH’S MAGICK WILL BE PUBLISHED!!

 

:-D <--- My face all the time now! 

I’ve gotten all the awkward dancing and frantic phone calls to friends & family.  Now, I’m faced with the actual work side of it all. However, before I go into all that, let me tell you a bit about how I got to this point because the last time I posted, I wasn’t “committing” to anything yet. 

I was getting rejections. A lot of them. These were from literary agents, not publishers. I got great feedback like, “Although I think this has potential, I do not think I am the right advocate for your work.”  Followed by the usual, “this is a subjective business, blah, blah, blah…” 

Here’s the thing though, I never knew if I wanted an agent or not. I’ve followed some agents on Twitter and found out which agents I would love, and which ones I would run screaming from. When I realized I was wasting time on winning over an agent I figured…meh…Okay. What does that mean for me? 

It means I might have to hire a lawyer on occasion to negotiate contracts.  It means I don’t have someone being my cheerleader. Both of those things I can deal with.  Will I get the same opportunities agent-less as with one? Probably not.  I accept that.

I ran across a publishing company that was looking for stories about witches, angels, demons, etc. Holy shit! I submitted to them right away because, you know, why not?  

Then it happened…I got an offer.  I thought about it. I researched and double checked and came to the conclusion that I was given a gift. The week of the summer solstice, I signed a contract to publish EARTH MAGICK with Solstice Publishing. I got an editor who is probably busy snipping and chopping my book as you read this.  Then I got to go over cover artwork.  I got welcomed into the folds of the Solstice Publishing family. *le sigh*

This wasn’t exactly what I thought would happen but…It’s what was right for me and for EARTH’S MAGICK. I get the warm fuzzys when I receive emails from them and I thank the Gods/Goddess I didn’t keep plugging away at chasing an agent because I thought I had to. I did what felt right and it worked.

So, I’ve settled down now with my publisher and we are taking the big step together.  I will be blogging a lot more with EARTH’S MAGICK updates and the cover reveal when that happens.  I will also be interviewing/hosting other authors here as well.  Authors I know and authors published with Solstice. Sharing some love, you know?  Until then, find me on Twitter and tweet me some random nonsense because I like that. (@melmmassey)  On the other hand, you can find me on FB and leave me a message longer than 140 characters. (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mel-Massey/428771050563839?ref=hl)  

Look for more on Book 2 musings as I write it and updates on Book 1 pre-production.  In addition…A short story of mine will be included in an anthology for New Adult stories.  It’s an exciting time to be in on the New Adult genre and we are coming together to celebrate the 20-somethings everywhere!  

BB My Lovelies. )O(

Pick the right Wing-Man (Secondary character)

You need a good wing-man...

Sticking to the theory that writing is like dating, I'm thinking about having a kick-ass "wing-man".  What's a wing-man?  Traditionally, a single guy/girl goes in search of potential dates...but never alone.  That would be boring!(and dangerous)

A solid wing-man(wing-woman?) pumps you up and helps you maintain an even balance throughout the night.  They offer up levity, when necessary.  They offer advice (good or bad - depends) when advice is needed.  If they are a good wing-man, they will redirect you if you steer off course.  Ultimately, they assist in reaching the night's goal. (Whatever that might be)

This is true for secondary characters in your novel.  Take Mela's best friend and "wing-man", Wyatt.  Yes, her best friend is male and that says a lot about her.  However, he is gay, so there are no romantic entanglements to worry about. The fact that he is gay serves a purpose for both the story and for Mela.  1.) The aforementioned romantic complications are not there.  He can advise her and be there for her without the reader blurring the relationship in their mind. 2.) He is objective and can identify with her, personally, but is a strong man in his own right.

 Wyatt lays out the truth for Mela - because let's face it - Mela is flawed. Like, really flawed.  She has her reasons, and they're good ones. However, Wyatt can see where she has allowed her flaws to become a crippling weakness. A weakness that the protagonist could exploit.

In another novel, Wyatt could stand on his own.  He is not there just to drop information or for comedic relief.  He is, at the beginning of the series, more together than Mela is! Emotionally that is.  He has a rich past and opinions/hangups of his own.  Yes, he's hilarious at times.  But he's an anchor too. He is essential!  He is the perfect wing-man for Mela.

A sloppy wing-man can get you into trouble.  When choosing your wing-man (secondary character) really, really consider what he/she has to offer.  Is it just to be silly and get laughs?  The goofy wing-man attracts more attention, yes, but everyone is looking at him and not you.

A boring wing-man can have the same, if not worse, effect. If he/she just lurks in the background - totally useless - Why bring them out with you?  Your energy will be brought down by the boring wing-man and then all you'll attract are the drunk and desperate. (Bleh)

Having you and your wing-man in sync is essential. (Your main character and the secondary character(s))  What's the night's plan?  Does he have your back?  Do you have his? Are you a team? Asking myself this about Wyatt, I was forced to answer the question-  Is there a purpose for him in the story other than laughs/info dumps/eye candy?

Yes.  As I said, he can stand on his own in another story. But the relationship between he and Mela is also essential. A win all the way around.  He is smart, funny and caring.  He props her up where she lacks - she needs him. Wyatt aids her in her foray into the world of witchcraft and danger. Sometimes he gives information, sometimes he gives a supportive hug, sometimes he calls her out on her B.S. Sometimes, he is the one that needs the hug. I am able to show her vulnerable side through him as well as her strengths.

Could I tell the story without him?  Maybe.  But it wouldn't be as much fun for me, or for Mela.  They are a great team. He is her wing-man through all five books. Their relationship gets tested at times and he needs saving occasionally, but overall...he was the BEST choice for her.  Not the only one, but the best one.

Writing is a lot like dating

In order to keep myself grounded as an aspiring writer I had to remove the thoughts of million dollar book deals, movie openings and crowded book signings from my mind.  The truth is, that will likely never happen. 

Much in the same way one approaches the uncertain world of  dating,  it is time to remove the rose colored glasses.  Are happily ever afters real? No.  Love takes work and should be approached with both heart and mind. It may take some of the magic and surprise out of the process but, honestly, it's a way more pragmatic way to go about it.

First off I needed to erase the image in my mind of what my "ideal" mate should look like.  The truth is we often find love in the most random of places, with the most random people.  He/she might not look the part but in the end - that person was the best addition to our lives.  Removing the expectations of an "ideal" book deal has allowed me to be more open to all of the possibilities that are out there.  Traditional publishing might work for me. (Like the classic love story of two people falling in love at first sight.)  Or perhaps, I could find an Indie publishing company that really understood my book series and helped me a bit to get noticed. (That dark and mysterious biker dude who is also sensitive and loves puppies.)  Or maybe...just maybe I should self publish online and let the universe control who stumbles across my masterpiece. (The guy who was "just a friend" and then one day you see him totally different and start getting all lusty after him.) Any of those men could fulfill my needs. Just as any of the publishing opportunities could fulfill my book needs.

  However, like dating, writers often face a lot of decisions and rejection. It's hard to find our way through the process with stars in our eyes!

Oh, the heartbreak of really, really digging the handsome man who picked up the book I dropped, but then seeing his adorable wife right beside him.  There truly was a spark there, I was sure of it!  But alas, it will never be.  Sometimes "love at first sight" just isn't in the cards.  What to do?  I could lay on the floor in the fetal position crying myself to sleep or I could watch him walk away (Admiring the view) and pat myself on the back for not making an ass of myself.  Meh...maybe he's a whiner. (I can't stand whiners)  Maybe he likes kinky stuff that i'm not into. (Whips and chains - no thanks)  Whatever the reasons are for the lack of sparks, they were simply not there.

Then there is that dark and mysterious man sitting astride his motorcycle, quietly undressing me with his eyes.  (Fans self)  Oh the fun we could have together!  Anything goes with this kind of man.  A lover and a fighter, he seems to encompass the whole package.  There is a certain freedom that comes from such a drifter.  However, there is the possibility that my heart will get toyed with for a moment - then left in the dust cloud from his bike when he moved on.  I could cry and pine away for the love that was almost mine.  Love was just within my reach but somewhere either I, or he, did something wrong.  As he leaves I would be faced with the reality that there would be no closure to our tryst.  That's a risky move.

Maybe for safety or maybe even from a revelation I could change the nature of my relationship with my man-friend.  Hell, we already know everything about each other. (He held back my hair when I puked, saw me with no makeup on and all of our faults have been exposed already.)  He is safe.  I am comfortable with him.  There may not be sparks or a smoldering passion but there is a quiet acceptance.  Everything that was between us will continue to be there only with a bit more kissing and some exciting moments in the dark.  If I do this, am I risking a good friend just to fill a void?

Accepting these scenarios as true (there are more I just picked three of my favorites) means it is time to date. (Time to shop your manuscript)  Which kind of man is right for me? (Which publishing route do I choose?)  It's time to put on the pretty underwear and lip gloss because it's happy hour.

 Don't look at dating from a desperate position.  Men can smell your desperation quickly and it stinks more than their own farts. Enjoy the process and learn what you can from each one. Test out the spark you think might be there with the cutie pie from the grocery store.  Flirt alittle with the hunk of man on his motorcycle.  Get to know him before jumping on and going for a ride.  Daydream about your man-friend and see if it would really go anywhere if you crossed that line.

In other words - I plan on playing the field.  I won't commit right away to any of the options out there.  My preconceived idea of "Mr. Right" is now thrown to the wind.  I am open to any possibilities and I will only be able to be happy if I take the time to consider all of my options.   Regardless of which path I choose I will do it with knowledge, self acceptance and with good humor.  Hey, men love a woman who can laugh at herself!

Why our past really does matter...

In an effort to continue the world of blogging I am faced now with the above thought.  The past really does matter.  Too many times I have heard the glass-is-half-full people say that the past doesn't matter. 

But it does!

That's not to say you should hang onto poisonous feelings from the past but you should carry the past with you always.  Why?  The past teaches you about people, about yourself and about what you truly want.

Important lessons were taught to me from my past.  Mistakes I made taught me to be strong.  They taught me what I don't want.  Mean and hurtful people from my past taught me about life and how unfair it can be.  Their words and actions fitted me with armor for the future.

In the first book of the Earth's Magick series, Mela learns a lot of history. Events that happened before a time we can remember rippled through history until the wave of reality hit her square in the face.  Everything that happens, be it good or bad, can be a tool if we shape it the right way.  We can pick it up and throw it far away from us wanting nothing more from it.  Or, we can take out our blades and sharpen it to a point.  Keeping it as our weapon for the future.

Accept what is in the moment.  You are given a choice in all things and the events of the past are not immune to that.  You can choose to learn the lesson you were meant to learn and be better prepared for what is to come.  Or not. However, staying up all night worrying and draining your energy is fruitless I have learned.

Like Mela does, gather the story, ask questions and learn to realize when you need to fight or when you simply need to rest. Either way you will continue on into battle eventually - you might as well have a good armor and lots of sleep when you do.