M.A. Comley's Blog, page 13

Why I came out! :-)

This week I announced to the world that as well as writing best selling thrillers, I can now be found tapping away at my keyboard writing sexy erotic tales.


I released my first erotic tale (my best selling story) The Virgin's Tutor back in January 2012. Since then I've released seven books, one of which is a collection of three stories which I have released separately.

Why come out now? I hear you ask... Well, foolishly a part of me was a little embarrassed to admit I write such stories. But that all changed once I realised what a major success Fifty Shades of Grey has been. Who'd have thought an erotic title could linger at the top of the charts for 3-4 months?

I think, although Fifty is getting mixed reviews from readers it has proven that there is a market for erotic romances/erotica out there. Some people may slate the book/s but at the end of the day they have contributed to its success by purchasing the series.


So from now on, I intend adding my erotic website to all my thriller books. That way people can decide for themselves whether to read my sexy tales or not.


Here's the link if you'd like to take a peek.


http://tiffanytowers1.blogspot.fr/

Top legal thriller writer Melissa F Miller.

This week it's an honour and a privilege to welcome best-selling legal thriller writer Melissa F Miller to my blog.




1. When and why did you decide to become an Indie writer?

I decided to go the indie route in January 2011. At that point, I had submitted Irreparable Harm to several agents and had gotten some nibbles of interest, but no offers of representation. As you and I both know, the process of finding an agent and ultimately selecting a publisher can be a long one. If there’s one thing I lack, it’s patience! I really believed Irreparable Harm was a book that readers would enjoy, if I could get it into their hands. In addition, smartphone technology is central to the plot (a madman develops an app that can crash a plane). It occurred to be that if I spent years and years trying for a traditional publishing deal, the book might be dated before it even saw print! So, I started investigating independent publishing options, and here we are.




2. What genre do you write in and what genre do you prefer to read?
My series is a legal thriller. I have plans to write a young adult novel and a women’s literature novel, but for now my focus is on crime writing. I read widely, and there’s no genre that I won’t read. I mainly rely on recommendations from friends and family for my reading material. But, my “go-to” reading, when I want a book that’s going to hook me and keep me up all night, turning pages, is crime fiction/mystery and thriller.
3. Where do you sell most books, USA or UK, Amazon or Barnes and Noble?
Right now, my ebooks are exclusively available at Amazon. I sell the overwhelming majority of them through the Amazon USA store, although sales in the UK have picked up.

4. During your childhood who was your biggest influence?
I am sure this seems like a trite response, but it happens to be true: my parents. I’m the oldest of three children, and I have always had an academic bent (nerdy!). My parents never once suggested there was a limit to what I could do, despite being a female and coming from a very modest background. So, I naturally believed I could do anything! What I wanted to do, from a young age, was read and write. I was lucky enough to have two special teachers in high school who really helped me along that path.


5. Are you fortunate enough to write full-time?
Not exactly! I’m a practicing attorney, and my husband (who is also an attorney) and I run a two-person law firm. So, I am pretty busy with the day job. I am fortunate, however, to have a great deal of control of my schedule and a supportive family, so I can fit in my writing in a way that just wasn’t possible when I used to work at a large law firm.

6. If Hollywood came knocking who would you want to play your main character?
What a fun question! Sasha is tough as nails but tiny. Angelina Jolie pops to minds, as does Natalie Portman. (If either is reading this, give me a call!)

7. Name 6 people, dead or alive, you’d love to have as guests seated around your dinner-table.
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, best-selling novelist Lee Child, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Marie Pasteur, Jon Stewart, and the Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh. Although my house is generally a disaster, as I have three small children, so I will need at least 24 hours’ notice to clean up!

8. What one piece of advice have you found the most important in your writing career?
It’s been attributed to various people and I can’t remember where I first heard it now: “Don’t get it right; get it written.” That’s been instrumental in reminding me that I can only polish the words that actually make it to paper.

9. What are your plans for the coming year?
I just released Irretrievably Broken, the third book in my Sasha McCandless legal thriller series. I’m working on the fourth book in the series, which I plan to release this fall/winter. After that, I may take a breather from the series to turn to a young adult coming of age novel that’s been taking up a lot of brain space.


10. And finally, if you were stranded on a desert island what 3 books would you choose to have with you?
The U.S Army Survival Guide, Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants in the Wild, and The Riverside Chaucer. With luck, the first two books would ensure my survival long enough for me to make my way through the complete works of Geoffrey Chaucer!
You can buy Melissa's wonderful series here. The series is available here: http://amzn.to/Lx46qZStop by Melissa's website here. http://www.melissafmiller.com and her blog here.  http://melissafmiller.blogspot.com

Announcing new book release!

I'm pleased to announce the release of my new book Foul Justice. It's the final book in the Justice series although the main character will live on in other projects I have lined up for this year.



Here's the blurb.


Detective Inspector Lorne Simpkins is back on the force. Before she can get comfortable with her new partner, newly-promoted DS Katy Foster, the two are assigned a tragic murder case that looks like a robbery gone wrong. However, when another wealthy footballer's family meets the same deadly fate within twenty-four hours, it is clear the crimes involve something far more sinister.

Keeping her focus on unravelling the complex case isn't easy for Lorne when she learns news that throws her personal life into a spin—her fiancé, M16 agent Tony Warner, is involved in a dangerous covert operation in Afghanistan.
But innocent people are dying on her patch, and someone must catch the killers. Lorne can't allow this Foul Justice to prevail.

You can purchase the novel at
Amazon UK

Amazon US

Smashwords

I'm pleased to announce the release of my new book Foul J...

I'm pleased to announce the release of my new book Foul Justice. It's the final book in the Justice series although the main character will live on in other projects I have lined up for this year.



Here's the blurb.


Detective Inspector Lorne Simpkins is back on the force. Before she can get comfortable with her new partner, newly-promoted DS Katy Foster, the two are assigned a tragic murder case that looks like a robbery gone wrong. However, when another wealthy footballer's family meets the same deadly fate within twenty-four hours, it is clear the crimes involve something far more sinister.

Keeping her focus on unravelling the complex case isn't easy for Lorne when she learns news that throws her personal life into a spin—her fiancé, M16 agent Tony Warner, is involved in a dangerous covert operation in Afghanistan.
But innocent people are dying on her patch, and someone must catch the killers. Lorne can't allow this Foul Justice to prevail.

You can purchase the novel at
Amazon UK

Amazon US

Smashwords

Coming this week!The long awaited fourth book in the Just...

Coming this week!


The long awaited fourth book in the Justice series. Here's something to whet your appetite.

Something to whet your appetite!

Something to whet your appetite!

Melissa Smith-Wonderful Indie Chick

This week's wonderful Indie Chick is Melissa Smith! Sadly this is the final story in the Indie Chick Anthology. Hopefully you've enjoyed our inspirational stories. We've had many emails stating how our stories have given some readers the strength to change their lives for the better.



Writing Out the Grief
Melissa A. Smith
A common question people ask a writer is what made them decide to sit down and start writing in the first place. For me, it was grief. While in high school, I wrote. I had taken journalism and the teacher loved my writings. Two pieces of my work had been published in two different school publications. I was also asked to join the staff for the school paper, but declined. I just didn’t like writing the things wanted for a paper. I liked creating stories to take you places. Inventing new worlds and people to live in them. I stopped writing after getting out of school and didn’t start again for several long years.
December 2008 had started like any other December before it. I was out shopping for those perfect gifts for each member of my family, and loving every minute of it. By my side was my shopping partner. My mom. My best friend. This year was a little different, as we made our rounds trying to get most of her shopping done earlier than her normal pace of slow (she was known to be out shopping as late as Christmas Eve), because she was set to have her final knee replacement surgery on the 19th. That day was also the last day of work I had before school let out for Christmas Break.
We had almost done everything she’d wanted to have done, done. But there were still a few things to gather, like stocking stuffers and things of that nature. She went in for her surgery and everything went great! The last time she’d been in the hospital, for the first knee 6 months prior, she’d contracted hospital-acquired pneumonia. Her doctor, wanting her to be healthy for the rigorous knee therapy that follows two days after surgery, released her the following day. The 20th.
Wanting to forgo giving you all the details, I received a phone call early on the 21st. A phone call no one wants to get. My father, who’d awoken to find his partner for the past 34 years gone, couldn’t make that call. The responding police officer had to do it for him. Pneumonia had taken her from us.
So started my decent into grief.
We were supposed to do some shopping before I took her to physical therapy that day. We were supposed to do a lot of things during my break, because she too had it off for recovery.
Instead, I had to help my dad organize a funeral.
During the year and a half that followed, I read over 230 books. All while working full time and tending to a family.

It was the start of summer vacation in 2010 when I’d run out of books to read. I dove into spending time with my boys and vegging at the pool daily. I thought it had been long enough, and maybe the grief wouldn’t be so sharp. I was wrong. Without having someplace for my mind to wander, to live in, I was a mess of tears.
It was then I’d woke up in the middle of the night, leaving a dream that made my brain buzz. I tried to shake it off, leave it where I found it. In my dreams. But it wanted to be let out. So I sat down in secret and started writing. At first when my family noticed my switch from books to the computer and all my constant typing, they asked what I was doing. I lied. I told them I was writing to my sister who lives in Texas. At first they bought it, but as the typing went on, they were puzzled as to why I didn’t just call her and talk to her. Again, I lied. But this time I said she’d asked me to write down some things about our mom.
While they still were puzzled by all the clicking going on at the keyboard, they left me alone.
Three months later, I’d written and finished my first novel. Cloud Nine.  During that time I also started on another story which I finished and released four months later.  While writing started out as therapy for a grieving soul, it is now something I must do to keep all the exciting characters quiet. I love it! I only wish it could have developed without such dark beginnings, but nonetheless, my mother would be proud.
 

  


This is one story from Indie Chicks: 25 Women 25 Personal Stories available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble
for the wonderfully low price of Free! To read all of the stories, grab your copy today!
Also included are sneak peeks into 25 great novels!
My young adult paranormal romance, Cloud Nine is one of the novels featured.
  
 Find Melissa on her blog and Facebook.

This week my Indie chick guest is Michelle Muto.

This week my Indie Chick guest is the wonderful writer Michelle Muto. Here's her inspirational story.
That's what I've been calling The Book of Lost Souls, the book that started my path to publication. I’ve always loved to write. I’ve always loved the way imagination and words blend on a page, the way they transport a reader to faraway worlds, or right next door, where witches live. From the time I was very young, books were an amazing world to me. There was no greater joy than going to the library with my mother whose love of books knew no measure. When I was very young, my mother read to me every night. As I grew older, we’d talk about the books we were reading.
Even as a young child, I knew I wanted to be a writer when I grew up. But, writing wasn’t what paid the bills. I got a regular job and life went on, although I still dreamed of writing. My father always told me to believe in myself and to never give up on what I firmly believed in. A few years after his death, I took up writing again. My mother, who was now ill and who had moved in with my husband and me, was happy to read what I wrote, or to set the table in order to give me a few more minutes of writing time.  And so I wrote and edited and revised. Just before the book was ready to send to agents, my mother died. I set the book aside. Writing was too painful, too full of memories.
But, the stories in my head wouldn’t let up, and so after a few years I started writing again. This time, I wrote about a teen witch named Ivy and her life in a small town, and I quickly fell in love with the story and the eclectic group of characters. I think of it as Buffy meets Harry Potter. When I typed the last line, I actually felt a pang of sorrow—I didn't want to say goodbye. Ivy and her story became The Book of Lost Souls, and after polishing it up, I sent it off to agents. Plenty were interested and requested the full manuscript. Unfortunately, most of them thought the book was too light. Too cute. Too Disney. They offered to read whatever else I had, as long as it was darker. Darker sells! Or so they said.
So, after two revisions for two separate agents that eventually didn't pan out (they said the book still had a lighthearted feel to it that wouldn't appeal to publishing houses), I set The Book of Lost Souls aside and started working on an outline for a much darker book.
It was around this time that the economy began to collapse—hard—and I was given the pink slip on Friday the 13th, right after I had completed a project that saved the company $400,000 annually. Say goodbye to eighteen years of loyal service! Suddenly, writing a darker, more dystopian book about the afterlife on top of losing my job seemed too much to take. Still, I recalled my father’s wisdom of believing in myself even when no one else did. I wrote and finished the next book, Don’t Fear the Reaper, in about seven months.
Still unemployed despite literally hundreds of applications, I began to worry we would lose our home or deplete our savings before I found a job. My career in IT was gone—off shored as they call it. I also wondered if I’d ever see any of my books published. I was so close to getting an agent so many times. Agents wrote back: You’re a strong writer. Or, The Book of Lost Souls is a great story and is well-written, but it’s not for me.
Nearly every morning, my inbox was filled with rejection letters from jobs and agents, yet I tried to stay positive. I kept repeating my father’s words to believe, to never give up. For every rejection, I sent out twice as many applications, twice as many query letters. I just tried harder.
I had been querying Reaper for about three months when I got an editorial letter from one of New York’s biggest literary agencies who'd had The Book of Lost Souls for nearly a year. A year! But, the letter was so enthusiastic about the story and my writing that I sat down and made every last revision they suggested. I turned it in and waited. Months went by. In the end, they rejected the story—not because they didn't love it, but because in the year and change they’d had the manuscript, another client had submitted a proposal for a story about a teen witch. Conflict of interest, they called it.
And that was that. My novel, the book that was finished, was dumped for someone else’s book that hadn't yet been written. Somewhat angry and depressed, I set The Book of Lost Souls aside. Again. By now, I was at the end of my rope. I was still unemployed and out of unemployment benefits. The only work I could find was the occasional short-term computer job, some tech writing gigs, or dog-sitting. Nothing full-time, and certainly nothing we could count on.
If the near-miss with Super Agency wasn’t enough, I found myself running into similar situations with Don't Fear the Reaper. Now, agents were saying, Too dark! But, you're a talented writer and we'd love to see other work. Or, You’re capable of incredibly incisive scenes—the opener is still one of the best things I read all year. And, my personal favorite, In this economy...
It was then that I learned about self-published authors such as Karen McQuestion and Amanda Hocking. I decided to go indie as well, starting with The Book of Lost Souls. What did I have to lose? A lot if I didn’t figure out a way for our household to stop hemorrhaging money. The only problem? I had no idea where to start. I sent an email to Ms. McQuestion, in the hopes she could point me in the right direction. She was so incredibly kind! Not only did she reply, she sent me a wealth of information on self-publishing. Today, she shares all that information on her blog. I’m incredibly grateful to her.
I got a cover I could afford with the help of another indie, Sam Torode. Two editor friends went over my work. Finally, I formatted the book and the rest is history. I uploaded The Book of Lost Souls in early March, and it’s been getting consistently great reviews ever since. As for being too lighthearted? I receive emails all the time from people who love that the book is funny, upbeat, and clean.
Within my first five weeks of self-publishing, I hit three best seller lists on Amazon. Me. An indie author without a publicist or a big agency or publisher behind them. Just me, my computer, my loving husband, and the devotion of two dogs at my feet.
I’ve been asked if there will be a sequel to The Book of Lost Souls. The answer is yes. Two more books, maybe a third. I just haven't thought that far out yet.
And the other, darker book? After some revisions, Don't Fear the Reaperdebuted in late September 2011. On its first day, the book reached lucky #13 on Amazon’s Hot New Releases, Children’s Fiction, Spine-Tingling Horror. 
I’m only sorry that my parents aren’t here to see this. I took my father’s advice and my mother’s faith and reinvented myself. I still dog-sit and take on small computer jobs and tech writing gigs to help keep us afloat financially. But one day, I hope that my hard work will pay even more of the bills. Until then, I’m at peace with the way things are. 
Henry Ford once said, “If you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.” Great advice. And so, The Book of Lost Souls, the book that nearly wasn’t, became the little book that could.
I’d like to dedicate my section of this anthology to readers everywhere—words alone cannot express how much I appreciate you believing in me. You’re every bit as much a part of the magic as Ivy herself. 
So, thank you, Dear Reader. Sincerely. Because, every author with a story to tell writes with you in mind.
This is one story from Indie Chicks: 25 Women 25 Personal Stories available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. To read all of the stories, buy your copy today.Also included are sneak peeks into 25 novels!My young adult drama, Damaged: Natalie’s Story,is one of the novels featured.
AmazonApple iBooksBarnes & NobleSmashwordsCome connect with me. I’d love to hear from you:
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Where to find Michelle's books:
Amazon USAmazon UK  Barnes & Noble iTunesSmashwords  Createspace: The Book of Lost Souls Don't Fear the Reaper

Talia Jager-This week's inspirational story.

This week it's my pleasure to welcome Talia Jager who is going to share her inspirational story with you.
Paper, Pen, and Chocolate"Mom!" a voice yelled from the other room. "Make her stop!"
"I didn't do anything!" another voice yelled before I could even get up to see what was going on.
I sighed and struggled to get off the couch where I had just started writing a scene. Four months pregnant with our sixth child and the varicose veins were already causing problems for me. I wondered where my husband was hiding that he couldn't handle this.
Fortunately, the yelling quieted down. Instead of checking on them, I made an Executive Decision. I snuck into my closet, grabbed some Hershey's chocolate from my stash, and slipped into the bathroom where I ate it with the lights turned off. Nobody would find me there.
Flicking on my flashlight, I took out the notepad and pen I had stashed in the magazine rack and wrote down some thoughts on the scene I had been writing.
The quiet lasted 3.5 minutes. Then my time in the bathroom was up. I crept back out to the living room where I settled a new argument, secretly wishing I could go back to the bathroom.
Now, you may ask…Married with how many kids? And you write books? WHY? HOW? Let me tell you.
From the time I was a little girl, I have had two dreams. One: To have a large family. Two: To be an author. There was a time not long ago when it seemed neither would come true.
Maybe it was being an only child that allowed my imagination to run wild and my mind to create stories; it definitely made me wish for a big family of my own. It's lonely to grow up without a sibling.
In school, writing was my passion. I wrote constantly. I'd slip my story under a notebook in class and when I was supposed to be taking notes, I'd really be writing my story. At night when I was supposed to be asleep, I'd hide under the covers in bed with a flashlight, pen, and paper.
Time went on, and although I had many stories written, I was too chicken to do anything with them. So, they sat. When I fell in love and started a family, writing got pushed to the side. Sure, I still loved it, but I never had time. Deep down, I was mad at myself for not at least trying to do something with them. But, at the time, I felt I couldn't. Family came first.
My dream of having a large family wasn't as easy as I thought it would be, but it had begun to come true. We had two beautiful little girls and wanted more. Unfortunately, I suffered through many miscarriages over the years. After having a number of tests done, I was diagnosed with a blood disorder so complicated that I have no idea what it actually is except that it can cause miscarriages. Getting pregnant had never been an issue; staying pregnant was. When I didn't get and stay pregnant for over a year, the depression got worse.
Losing a baby is a devastating thing to go through; losing six is downright depressing. There's no amount of crying, begging, negotiating, or praying that brings them back. Believe me, I tried it all. It didn't matter how many people told me it wasn't my fault–I blamed myself anyway. Finding out that it was due to a blood disorder made my guilt that much worse. It was my fault. My body's fault anyway. Then I started asking myself: Why do some of my babies live and others don't? What did I do different? I had children before I started medication for the disorder, and I've had miscarriages since getting on the medication. None of it makes sense and it's still something I struggle to understand. I was in such a deep depression; it was like my creative button had been turned off. I had no desire to write.
When we finally "gave up" and decided that we'd be a family of six, we found out I was pregnant again with our fifth daughter.
This pregnancy was much harder on my body than the others. I found myself on the couch most of the day with my legs up. It was around this time that some online friends found out that I loved to write and encouraged me to share my stories. I did so nervously and they loved them! I reached deep down and found the courage to start submitting queries to agents. Each time my hopes were smashed to pieces.
My husband started talking about eBooks and self-publishing. I wasn't too sure about going that route. I wanted to see my books in print, so I could hold them in front of my face. I wanted to smell my book. But, as time went on, eReaders became more popular and I figured…why not?
So, here I am, with five children, trying to find the time to write, while juggling mom-duty, wife-duty, household chores, errands, and more. During the earlier part of this year, you could find me up until the wee hours of the morning writing. You see, that is the only time it's quiet enough to get anything done. Three a.m. is the time when all little girls are sleeping, the husband is snoring away, and my mind is clear. I can throw myself into a character's psyche and let my imagination flow. Everything was going perfectly. I was getting a lot of writing done and then we got a surprise. Baby #6 was on the way.
As happy as we were, this put a serious damper on staying up until three a.m. I just couldn't do it. My one-year-old is at the age where she needs to be followed around and supervised constantly. If I don't, I find my computer monitor has become a coloring book.
My four-year-old is in between the "play with me" stage and the "playing alone" stage. The older three are in school, which provides a break for me, but since my four year old adores her older sisters, it makes it hard. She's constantly whining for them to come home.
It's hard enough juggling the four younger ones, but throw in a hormonal teenager and chaos ensues. Dealing with her has made me positive that my mother cursed me for acting out as a teenager. Not a week goes by that I don't find myself in tears over something she does or says. Like the time recently when I told her I was pregnant again, she made nasty comments accusing me of ruining her life. Or the time I had to punish her for kicking her sister, and she informed us that she could run away and be adopted by her friend's parents.
I'm sure you find yourself wanting to ask how I get a minute to myself. Or how do I deal with no time alone? Or what if I get an idea during the day?
Remember that stash of chocolate in the closet? I simply get some, slip into the bathroom, and take a few minutes. Sometimes I just think. Sometimes I jot down a few ideas on that hidden notepad.
As crazy and chaotic my life is, I wouldn't change a thing. And it sure gives me plenty of things to write about.
So, when life hands you lemons…toss them out, grab your stash of chocolate, your writing materials, and head for the bathroom. You may just end up writing a book.

This is one story from Indie Chicks: 25 Women 25 Personal Stories available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. To read all of the stories, buy your copy today.Also included are sneak peeks into 25 novels!My young adult drama, Damaged: Natalie's Story,is one of the novels featured.
AmazonApple iBooksBarnes & NobleSmashwords
Find out more about Talia and her books:http://taliajager.blogspot.comhttp://www.facebook.com/taliajagerhttp://www.twitter.com/taliajagerhttp://amazon.com/author/taliajager

Win a Kindle Fire!

Free Kindle books this week at http://ebookswag.com from some of today's top thrillerwriters! Brett Battles, Alexandra Sokoloff, Zoe Sharp, J.R. Rain,Aiden James, and more.

Oh, and they're giving away three Kindle Fires and $100 in gift cards!