Michelle McLean's Blog, page 13

Friday Funnies

Here's a little funny for your Friday :) And don't forget! Today is the last day to enter the Get Entangled Under the Mistletoe blog hop! TONS of awesome authors giving away an amazing amount of stuff :D Go to Entangled's blog for the full list of participating authors (and scroll down to enter mine!)

Blog Chain - Do You Like the Dark Side?

You know, it's really embarrassing that I've now missed two blog chain posts in a row seeing as how I'm the person who makes the schedule *facepalm* I blame the deadline :D Anyhow, won't happen again, promise!

This round's topic was chosen by our lovely Christine who says:

I've been described as a writer of highly emotional and dark stories. So much so, that some could not read Transcend saying that while it was "beautifully crafted and written", the story was just too dark. So I ask you...How dark is too dark for your asthetic? And is writing "dark" and "emotional" a "bad" thing?
For me personally, I tend to lean toward romances and comedy. I also really enjoy mysteries, but I like them to have a good spark of humor. I do occasionally go for dark (depends on my mood) but it also depends on what kind of dark you are talking. Transcend didn't bother me. I enjoyed it, very much. For me, it's sort of a case-by-case scenario.

I don't think writing dark and emotional is at all a bad thing. However, there are a lot of people out there who won't want to read it, just because that is their personal preference, as it is usually mine to stay more toward the light-hearted end of the spectrum.

For me, personally, I read or watch movies to escape and relax - and delving into dark worlds doesn't usually allow me to do that. Again, I have my moments and there are some dark books and movies I simply love. But for the most part, when I can carve out a few moments, I want to laugh and fall in love. :)

How about you? Do you enjoy the dark? How dark is too dark for you?

Be sure to check out Lisa's and Alyson's posts and if you want to follow this chain from the beginning, head over to visit Kate :)

Happy Birthday to the Amazing Elana Johnson!!

Today is the birthday of the absolutely fabulous Elana Johnson. And that simply must be celebrated :) The equally fabulous Christine Fonseca and Ali Cross have put together a party of epic proportions. They are giving away a complete set of Elana's books in print, in ebook, and there are a few other fun things as well. All you have to do it wish her a happy birthday and fill out the rafflecopter form below or on Christine's blog!!

What exactly can you win? Glad you asked :)
A complete print set of Elana's books (Possession, Surrender, and Abandon (which will ship when it releases))An ebook set of the above books AND a copy of the Possession short, RegretA paperback copy of Winter Wonders, the anthology to support Literacy, IncA print copy of Bethany Wiggins' awesome book ShiftingA complete set of Ali Cross' Desolation seriesand a special edition SIGNED hardback copy of Christine's TranscendThere are also links for the Holiday Hullabaloo giveaways which you don't want to miss.
Oh yeah, and a grand prize of a $200 GIFT CARD!!!! 
This is one birthday celebration you don't want to miss! :)
Elana, I hope you have an absolutely amazing birthday. It has been my pleasure to be your friend and I hope this year brings you everything you may wish for :) HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Reveal! DOMINUS by Christine Fonseca

I am thrilled to help reveal the cover for Christine's newest book in the Requiem series!!!

Short Blurb for DOMINUS“It’s been six months since my memories returned. Six months since Aydan was again ripped away from me. Six months since I broke a piece of my best friend’s soul.Six months...”
Nesy has found her memories, her life. Now all she wants is to forget and be human. Only human. But fate holds a different destiny. Forced into a war she wants no part of, Nesy is put to the test in ways she never thought possible as she seeks to fix the mistakes she has made. And the mistakes of her former master, Mikayel. Will she be the Sentinal she was destined to be and put an end to the fighting once and for all? Or will she fail and send humanity into slavery?

The future of three worlds depends on the choices, and sacrifices, she must make in this final installment of the Requiem Series.


Availability:
Publisher: COMPASS PRESS
Goodreads
Buy information will not be available until October, but it will be available through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other fine retailers.

Additional Titles in the series include:
• DIES IRAE (a Requiem Novella),
• LACRIMOSA (Requiem Series #1)
• MEA CULPA (a Requiem Novella)
• LIBERA ME (Requiem Series #2)



About Christine Fonseca
Critically acclaimed nonfiction and YA author Christine Fonseca is dedicated to helping children of all ages find their voice in the world. Drawing on her expertise as an educational psychologist, her nonfiction titles address issues of emotional intensity, resiliency and giftedness. In fiction, she explores the darker aspects of humanity and delivers gothic thrillers that take you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions. In life, she teaches her own children to embrace their unique talents and find their voice by being a force of positive change in the world.

When she’s not writing or developing programs to support children with exceptional needs, she can be found spending time with her family, sipping too many skinny vanilla lattes at her favorite coffee house or playing around on Facebook and Twitter. For more information about Christine Fonseca or her books, visit her website 

Get Entangled Under the Mistletoe Blog Hop!!

As an awesome jump off to the holiday season, I'm participating in a couple blog hops. The first of which is Entangled's Under the Mistletoe blog hop! An amazing group of Entangled authors has decided to get together and spread a little holiday cheer :)

What will I being giving away?

A copy of my soon-to-be-released historical romance Treasured Lies!
(note: Treasured Lies doesn't come out until Jan so the winner will receive their copy as soon as the book releases)

Just leave a comment below if you'd like to be entered in the drawing. Winner will be announced on Dec 15th!

Don’t forget to check out what the other authors participating in the hop are giving away!

Fun Stuff on the Way!

For starters, I'm participating in two blog hops. The first one will go up tomorrow so come back and check it out. And my post for the second one will go live on the 24th, but it's all ready going on and there is so much awesomeness happening you really don't want to miss it!

Check out Kate Evangelista's 

Every day from the 1st through the 24th, Kate is featuring a different author on her blog. Everyone is sharing lots of holiday fun AND giving away tons of great stuff. So head to Kate's blog and check it out!!

Revision Help is on the Way!!!

Finishing up this manuscript (that was due last week *ahem*) so this will be short and sweet. Just wanted to remind everyone that Operation Awesome's New Years Revisions Conference is coming up in just a few short weeks!!!

Here is the original post if you missed it.

So if you have brand new NaNo books waiting to be edited (and even if you don't) you definitely don't want to miss this!!



Also, Entangled's Scandalous line launched yesterday!!! As this is my imprint, I am just ridiculously giddy to see it finally out there :)

The first two books released are Robyn DeHar'ts A Little Bit Wicked and Catherine Hemmerling's Taming Her Forbidden Earl. Check them out!!! My Treasured Lies will be releasing next month so stay tuned for some fun celebrations!!

Hey all :) I'm participating in a fun event for Christmas...

Hey all :) I'm participating in a fun event for Christmas - 24 Days of Guest Posts and Giveaways. Every day through Christmas Eve, a different author will be featured on Kate Evangelista's blog. So don't miss out on any of the awesome posts and giveaways! And take a look at the FB page for more info :)

And head to Kate's blog for all the deets, posts, and prizes!!

Friday Funnies - Cat Friend vs Dog Friend

Blog Chain - What Settings Do You Love?

Okay, so I completely spaced my blog chain post that was supposed to go up yesterday. I blame the terrifyingly looming deadline I'm facing at the end of the week and the fact that my kids have been home since last Tuesday. This little writer needs a good vacation LOL And nuts, I also just realized I missed another post I was supposed to do yesterday *sigh*

Anyhow, our topic for this chain was chosen by the wonderful Alyson, who asked:

How important is setting when crafting a story? How do you choose where your stories take place? How do you research setting? Do you have to have been somewhere in order to write about it? What are some memorable settings from books you've read?

Being a mostly historical writer, setting is extremely important for me. It's a huge part of the story. It dictates how my characters act, how they think, their motivations. In short, the setting often influences almost every aspect of their lives.

I usually choose to write about places I would love to go. It gives me a chance to live vicariously through my characters for a little while :) This means, since I usually haven't been to these places, that a lot of research is involved. Luckily, I love me a little research :)

Some of  my favorite settings, both those I've written and those I've read, include, ancient Egypt and Greece, England, Scotland, Ireland, and Italy.

My first novel (releasing in just a few short weeks!!) is set in Victorian England. My current WIP (the first book in the Blood Blade Sisters trilogy) is set in post-Gold Rush California. Having grown up in California, this is actually a setting I'm familiar with. We used to take family trips to Sutters Fort and see the old Gold Rush towns. However, I think to date this is the only book I've written set in a setting where I've actually been :)

Be sure to stop by Alyson's blog today and see how important settings are to her and check out Lisa's post from Friday!

How important is setting to you? What settings do you love to read about?