Michelle Scott's Blog, page 22

Autumn Beauty

When I saw how my Japanese maple tree was dressed all in scarlet for the season, I just had to share a picture!  I had to hurry to take one because once the maple drops a leaf, all the others will fall off the same day.

Straight to Hell Tour Day Five

Wow!  I’m already almost halfway done with the tour.  What a terrific trip it’s been.  Today, I’m at ……where I am discussing how to create realistic characters!  Don’t forget to sign up for the raffle!

Interview with an Incubus

It’s here!  Day four of the Straight to Hell tour.  Be sure to check me out at Chuckle’s Book Cave.  And don’t forget to register for the fabulous prize package!

Well, after much coaxing and prodding, I’ve finally gotten William Benedict himself to grant me an interview.  The picture is not of him, of course.  It’s actor Elliot Cowen, but William wasn’t interested in being photographed.  He said, and I quote, “I don’t like the way I look in photos.”  (Editor’s note: the man is vain to the core.)  Anyway, Cowen is a very close approximation of Mr. Benedict back in his human days, so I’ll go with that.

[image error]Question: You’ve lived over a hundred years.  What are some of the changes you’ve noticed in that time?

William: The obvious answers are electricity, indoor plumbing, and the Internet.  But people are different, too.  Especially women.

Q: Can you explain that?

W: Women are far more independent than they used to be.  They speak their own minds and expect men to listen.

Q: Are you thinking of Lilith Straight when you say that?

W: No comment.  *pause*  Although, yes, she is very independent.

Q:  You’ve known several of Lilith’s predecessors.  How is she different from the other women in Sarah Goodswain’s line?

W: She isn’t.  They’re all alike.  Women, I mean.  Yes, they’ve become more independent and changed a few of their attitudes, but they still all want the very same thing: security.  Usually the security brought about by pairing up with a man.  And not just any man!  They want a mewling, milquetoast who obeys their every whim and listens to every whine.  Who puts them on a pedestal while at the same time giving them freedom to do whatever the hell they want.  *he loosens tie*

Q:  Should we take a break?

W: No, I’m fine.  *he drinks some water*  Like I said, all women are basically the same.  Lilith’s ancestors all wanted me to coddle them.  Even her mother needed a shoulder to cry on.  Most of my job as an incubus is to stay quiet and let histrionic women air their complaints.

Q: That’s a rather brutish way to put it.  It makes you sound almost…

W: Misanthropic?  *shrugs*  It’s always the same thing with women.  I’ve had a lot of experience in this area.

Q: How many women have you seduced?

W: You couldn’t count that high.

Q: During all that time, have you ever found someone special.

W: Ha!  Of course not.

Q: Because it makes things complicated?

W: No, because it makes things dangerous.  For me.  My contract specifically says that I am not to fall in love.  If I want to survive another hundred years, I must make sure that doesn’t happen.  *pause*  Although, I have had a few close calls.  Lilith’s mother, Carrie, was a good friend, and I miss her.  It was difficult not to think of her as a sister or daughter.

Q: And Lilith?

W: *he sighs* Lilith is…interesting.  She has the ability to get behind my demon and bring out my humanity.  It’s the damnedest thing!

Q: So Lilith is special.

W: I believe this interview is over.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Straight to Hell Tour Day Three

It’s day three of the tour!  You can meet me this morning over at

where I’ll be talking about how some advice to writers should be avoided.

 

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Straight to Hell Tour Day Two

Today, I’m hanging with Veronica Morfi over at She’s posted an amazing review of the book (yay!) as well as a few pictures of my ‘creative space’ (i.e. my office).  There are also links to the giveaway as well.  I’m so pleased to be her guest today.  She has a fantabulous blog!

Straight To Hell Tour Stop Day Two

 

Today’s Straight to Hell tour stop is at I’ve posted a book excerpt there about how Lilith’s life went from bad to rock bottom.  As always, there is an opportunity to win a prize!  So go on over and say howdy!

Kindle Freebies via Bear Mountain Books

My fellow writer and friend, Maria Schneider, has set up a wonderful store on her website Bear Mountain Books.  Not only can you purchase her own, incredible urban fantasy novels (such as Under Witch Moon – uf with a southwest flair), you can also download a number of freebie stories – straight to you Kindle!”

The latest offering come from writer Nancy Fulda, a Hugo and Nebula nominated author.  Her short story is ‘Hexes and Tooth Decay‘, which originally appeared in Darwins Evolutions.

If you like quality fiction at a great price (free!), hurry over to get yourself a copy.

The Straight to Hell Blog Tour has Begun!

The Straight to Hell blog tour has begun!  Over the next two weeks, I’ll be traveling to fourteen different blogs!  Whew!  That’s a lot of traveling.

Still, this journey will be plenty of fun for everyone.  There will be guest posts, reviews, and excerpts from Straight to Hell.  I’ll be checking in here daily to give you the next stop on the tour.

In addition to stops, there will be three, international PRIZES!

Second runner-up will receive an e-copy of my urban fantasy, Stage Fright.

Stage Fright

First runner-up will receive an e-copy of my urban fantasy, Stage Fright and a $10.00 Amazon gift card.

The Grand prize winner will receive an e-copy of Stage Fright, a $25.00 Amazon gift card AND – since tea plays an important roll in the Lilith Straight Series – a Fall Favorites Gift Set from Harney & Sons (shipped internationally.)

To enter the contest, simply use the Rafflecopter form below.  Winners will be picked at random on Nov. 10 and notified by e-mail.  (Please see the contest rules at the end of the Rafflecopter form.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Magical Musings – Guest Post by Kerry Barrett

Today, I’m welcoming author Kerry Barrett to the Urban Fae blog.  Kerry is author of the book Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered.  Her new book is available in the Kindle Store.

Magical musings

By Kerry Barrett

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve stared in dismay at the departure board as my train showed ‘delayed’ and wished I could wiggle my nose like Samantha in Bewitched and be home in a jiffy. Or looked at the Lego strewn across my living room floor and wanted to snap my fingers like Mary Poppins and have it cleared up in a flash.

In fact, who wouldn’t love a bit of magic in their life?

And from that simple idea  – the idea that life would be a little bit easier with a sprinkling of magic – came Esme McLeod. Practical, urban, sophisticated – and a witch, Esme’s the heroine of my novel Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered. When we meet her she’s turned her back on her magic, and her witchy family, to concentrate on her successful legal career and her far less successful love life.

I loved the idea of having a bit of power at your fingertips, a way of getting out of scrapes, or simply making the bus come quicker. I wondered what it would be like to be able to manipulate situations to suit your own ends – and how often you’d use that power.

And then I wondered how you’d go about hiding it in modern Britain, because you’d have to, right? You couldn’t go around sprinkling magic on stuff without people being freaked out.

Esme’s turned her back on her family because they used magic to meddle in her love life, and is instead trying very hard to live a normal life in London. She shuns relationships and is involved with a married man – it’s easier that way. And yet, she can’t resist using a teeny bit of magic when she needs a helping hand – and I don’t blame her!

When Esme’s aunt falls ill, she’s forced to head home – back to the Scottish Highlands – and help out in the family business. And that means not only confronting the problems she has with her mum, but also relearning everything about magic that she’s tried very hard to forget.

I’m very close to my mum, and I love the idea of things being passed on from mother to daughter. But what if you don’t want the gifts that are handed down through the generations? Esme’s from a family of female witches – her mum, her aunt and her glamorous, prickly cousin, Harmony – but she’s not interested in witchcraft and that doesn’t make for a fun family life.

So from my longing for a bit of magic to make life run more smoothly, and my love of female relationships, came Esme. She’s in for a bit of a rough ride, but I think she’ll be okay in the end. Find out all about her journey in Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered – out on Halloween!

 

 

Interview with a Guru

As a lead into the Straight to Hell blog tour that will be taking place in a few days, I’m interviewing characters from the series.  Tonight, the guest is Tommy Lefevre, Lilith Straight’s friend and her stepsister’s spiritual advisor.

Q: Can you describe yourself in three words?

TL: Hmm.  I try not to define myself like that, you know?  People are too complex.  But I’ll give it a go.  How about vegan, artist, and…I can’t’ think of a third.

Q: Humanitarian?

TL: (laughs)  You think so?

Q: You helped Lilith and her niece out quite a bit.

TL: I guess.  I hate seeing people in trouble.  Besides, Lilith has done a lot of humanitarian things herself.  She’s a good person.

Q: Jasmine calls you her spiritual advisor.  What does that mean?

TL:  Well, I’m more of a spiritual tutor.  I mean, I have a passion for spirituality, and I’ve read a lot about it, so I tell her what I’ve discovered.  She’s pretty interested in finding a spiritual path of her own.

Q: Do you mean she wants to find religion?

TL: No.  Spirituality.  See, there’s a difference.  Spirituality is about reaching out for the greater meaning of life and attempting to connect with the Being who gave birth to the world.  Religion is a man-made structure.  A way to express spirituality.  I can’t tie myself to any one religion.  They all have their merits and their drawbacks.

Q: You sound like a philosopher.

TL: (laughs)  Not really.  I just think too much sometimes.

Q: Any women in your life?

TL: (actually blushes)  Not exactly.  I mean, there’s Jasmine, but she’s just a really good friend.  Right now, I’m trying to stay focused on my upcoming trip to the holy sites of the world.

Q: Any last thoughts?

TL: Just that people should keep an open mind and an open heart.  Stay in touch with the light that surrounds us all.  Namaste.

There will be more character interview to come!  You can read Lilith Straight’s character interview here.

Straight to Hell is now on sale in the Kindle Store and in the Kindle UK Store.