Michell Plested's Blog, page 19

Prevailing against Expectations

I’ve been guilty of setting high expectations for myself throughout my life. Things like, if I work my butt off this year, I will show my boss I deserve that raise. Then, when I do my part and the other party doesn’t quite live up to their end of the bargain, I’m disappointed and frustrated. Usually when that happened (in the past) I started looking elsewhere. Let me tell you, moving jobs really sucks, even when you only do it every four or five years. The same has been true of my writing journey. If I write good stuff, am friendly, promote others and help out where and when I can, surely good things will happen, won’t they? Except, I’m […]

Putting your Work into the Wild

I remember when I first told someone I was writing a book. His response? “I can’t wait to read it so I can get into your head.” I won’t lie, his answer freaked me out more than a little. I’ve also experienced the fear that my work won’t be good enough. The question, “What if people hate it,” has run its course through my head more times than I would care to admit. When one of my novels was picked up for publication, I put some of those fears aside. I mean, surely someone wouldn’t publish the book if it was complete rubbish, right? Also, I would have a professional editor to help me polish it to a brilliant shine. […]

Going to When Words Collide

Today I go to When Words Collide 2016 where I will be representing my author-self and Evil Alter Ego Press. Two hats, one large head. Over the course of the weekend, I will be hosting a book social (Friday at 5 PM), sitting a panel, holding several pitch sessions and doing a signing. Those are the official tasks. Unofficially, I hope to reconnect with many of the writer friends I have out there and get new ideas for the press. Maybe even find a book or two. It will be busy, but fun, I think. I will be bringing plenty of books to sell and sign not to mention business cards to hand out. If you are going, please come […]

The Day Has Finally Arrived

Huzzah! Today, August 1st, 2016, my newest book, Mik Murdoch: Crisis of Conscience is finally available. This book represents so many different things for me. It is the third book in my Mik Murdoch, Boy Superhero series. It is my first new book since the series was acquired by Evil Alter Ego Press AND it is my fifth novel! I’ve heard enough people say the third in the series and the fifth book are both turning points for an author. I’m eager to see if that’s true or not.

Mik Murdoch: Crisis of Conscience

  Mik Murdoch has done a lot in his short career as a superhero. He’s discovered the Cave of Wonders, battled giant glowing turkeys, and rescued a legendary creature. So when mysterious snow circles start appearing in the fields around Cranberry Flats, it looks like it’ll be business as usual. Except, a voice in his dreams is warning him to ignore the circles. And when disaster strikes, Mik is faced with a number of tough choices – choices that make him begin to doubt himself and his decisions. Is he making things better or worse for his town? Is he solving the mysteries around him, or is he simply running around putting everyone at risk? Will the voices end up […]

Pins and Needles

I am sitting on pins and needles right now and for good (I think) reason. Book 3 in my Mik Murdoch series (Mik Murdoch, Crisis of Conscience) is about to launch and like many authors about to launch a book, I don’t know if people will love or hate it. Just for the record, I hope it is universally loved. Shocking revelation, I know.

Cover reveal – Mik Murdoch: Crisis of Conscience

The new book is almost available. No re-release here. Brand spanking new! Very happy to finally be able to bring you the third book in the series in August. The new cover keeps the Mik Murdoch brand alive and well. Let me know what you think.

6 Lessons I Learned While Writing a Book Series

You have been seeing me talk a lot about the relaunch of my Mik Murdoch series. Book 1 (Mik Murdoch, Boy Superhero) was released June 1st (2016), book 2 (Mik Murdoch: The Power Within) will be released July 1st (2016 – only a few days from now) and the brand new, Mik Murdoch: Crisis of Conscience is coming August 1st (also 2016). As I’ve been working to get them ready to publish I’ve had the opportunity to reread every one of the books and see the progression of the story and the character. Along the way, I’ve learned a few lessons about series writing that I want to share with you here. Lesson 1 – Have a High-level Idea How […]

The Mik Murdoch train keeps chugging along

When Evil Alter Ego Press acquired the rights for my Mik Murdoch, Boy Superhero series, it was always the plan to re-release the books quickly. I had even (in a moment of insanity) proposed we bring the first two books out the same time. Of course, there is always more that can be done to a book; in the case of Mik Murdoch, Boy Superhero and Mik Murdoch: The Power Within the cover was being reworked and the known typos could be fixed. That took time. EAEP decided to bring Mik Murdoch, Boy Superhero out June 1st and Mik Murdoch: The Power Within out July 1st. I am delighted to say, both have/will meet those release dates. Mik Murdoch, Boy […]

Guest Blog – VG Ford – Winter Secrets

How did the book come out? First of all, thank you, Michell, for letting me come on to your blog and talk about my new book, Winter’s Secrets. This is a project that has been near and dear to my heart for the last several years, and finally seeing it in published form has been awesome. It’s been a long ride, though. Molly, Schrodinger and Carter’s Cove came into being as part of an Advent story that I first created back in 2010 as a present for my fans. I’ve always loved Advent calendars: we had a large paper calendar when I was a child, a Victorian house decorated for Christmas. Every day, Santa would move one room closer to […]