M.R. Merrick's Blog, page 5

A Child’s Mind

Life is a strange thing. We all have ups and downs and at times, it seems like there are more downs than ups. Sometimes we question why things have to happen to us. We wonder why other people get it so easy, even though we have no true insight into what their lives are like. We judge, we assume, and make unfair assessments of our situation versus other’s, completely forgetting how difficult life can be for the starving child, the homeless family, or the bullied student.

There have been a lot of times over the past four months where I’ve had difficulty sitting down to write. Actually, there have been times I’ve had difficulty getting out of bed. There have been times I’ve thought of giving up on writing all together, feeling like the creativity and passion that once burned inside me had been extinguished, and the wick could not be found to reignite the flame. Life’s been tough. I’ve made statements of trying to come back more regularly, only to let that drift away with the smoke of passion. So rather than make any such bold statement now, I’m content to say I’m trying. In fact, I’ve been down at the computer two days in a row, and the creative cogs are turning inside a mind lurking with monsters.

Today, after having a bit of a troublesome moment, I remembered something that occurred earlier this year. It really made the desire to tell stories come back in an unrelenting force, and it inspired me to “suck it up,” as they say. A reader contacted me to let me know their signed copy of Exiled had gone missing from their bookshelf. When they found out where it had gone, it was somewhat of an inspiring moment. A young teenage boy with no desire to read whatsoever, had taken the book and read it on his own. Not only did he read the book, he wrote a report on it for school, and has since discovered an urge to read more.

You know what’s greater than having your book high on the ranking charts, or a big pay check, or getting paid to write at all? That. Knowing that you inspired just one person to pick up another book and give this reading thing a go. If I had found the right book as a child, I could’ve discovered a love for reading at a young age. Instead, I didn’t really start reading until my early to mid twenties. That’s when I found a  book that captured my attention. Needless to say, I’m not nearly as well read as I should be, and I’m far behind most of the other people in my profession, but hey, I enjoy writing so here I am. And now, thanks to something I wrote, some child (maybe more that I don’t even know of) has discovered a book they enjoyed. A book that made them say, “Hey, maybe this reading thing can be okay.” When I first wrote Exiled, that was my goal. I wanted to give young teenagers a book that might capture them. If it’s not me, I do hope it’s someone else, but I knew I could write a book that could inspire the insight that reading can be awesome to at least one person. Of course, I hope there are so many more, but if I caught one young potential reader, that was a job well done.

I forgot all about that until today, and it reminded me why I published in the first place. Of course I wanted to write full-time, and I wanted to make good money doing it, but more important than that was being able to open the world of books to someone. At the time of writing Exiled, I had a young teenage boy in mind. Much like the the teenage boy I once was. I wanted a book with action, adventure, magic, monsters, the whole works. I wanted to delve into a child’s mind and  open the floodgates from page one, refusing to let go until the end. I was able to achieve that, and although my writing has grown leaps and bounds in the past two years, that first book did that for somebody. Then I wanted to take that book and make it appeal to adults too, and now I’ve developed a fan base to be reckoned with. Readers that will buy whatever I write, people who e-mail me and message me demanding more. Those are the people I want to write for now too. Receiving an e-mail from a reader that tells me my books were a much needed escape from work, or life in general, is a reward much larger than any pay check or bestseller list. It’s a reward from one heart to another. I gave them a book from my heart and soul, and in return they gave me their time and the fuel to write more.

So although I would like to apologize for my absence, and the fact that I’m not as far a long in my next publication as I’d like to be, this is more or less just a thank you note to all those who stand behind me. To all those that picked up my book and gave an unknown self-published author a chance. Your time is valuable to me, and the fact that you ever considered spending it on me is a blessing. Although it may not come as quickly as either of us would like, I hope to give you something new for your time very soon. And if things come along as wonderfully as they have been the last few days, maybe it will be sooner than either of us think!

 

Poo Karma

In light of yesterday’s post that sometimes you have to just get some rambling out of your mind and onto the digital white screen, today’s post is brought to you by a random life event.

With life being a mess thus far this year, I find getting back into writing isn’t as difficult as it seems, unless you have a purpose. If I sit down to just write fictionally, my focus is regularly interrupted by  ridiculousness that doesn’t need to be acknowledged. However, I’m all about getting back into routine in any manner that works, so today we’re talking poop. Yes, you read that correctly.

One of the best ways I let my imagination go is to be busy. I don’t sit around and day dream all day, but rather day dream while I’m doing things. Today I took the house by storm, laundry, vacuuming, dishes, etc. When that was all caught up, I still had most of the day in front of me (I’m kind of a house cleaning ninja), so I decided to take the dogs and kids for a walk. I hadn’t realized when I made this decision that the usual walking stroller was in the vehicle my wife had taken to work, and so I was left with a smaller, more of an ‘in case of emergency’ stroller. That’s fine, I can make do. What I didn’t realize was that I hadn’t stocked this stroller up with bags to clean up after my dogs. So halfway through our walk when my sheltie decided to stop and do his business, I had nothing to clean it up with. So naturally, I did what any conscious-of-other-people person would do—I dragged him along on the leash and cut him off. Mostly because this was on somebody else’s front lawn. I felt horrible for having to cut the poor boy off, but I didn’t want to be the reason somebody has to clean up dog crap from their front lawn. I’ll leave that to some other asshat. Naturally, when we got home, Asher has some finishing to do, and while I tidied up the yard, my two-year-old daughter, Elena, came up calling my name.

“What is it baby?” I asked.

“Ew, ew, ew!” She shouts, holding out her hand. I see some grass clippings on it, no big deal, I just mowed the lawn.

“It’s just grass baby.”

She looks down at her hand, back at me, and through her soother shouts “Yucky poo!”

I look again and find some smears of brown on her hand. Oh…that’s not grass. Then she proceeded to spread her fingers apart, showing more than just a few smears. Awesome.

So daddy-nina-style, I pick her up with one hand, holding her other hand out in front of her so she can’t touch me or anything else. The bathroom counter down here isn’t very large, so I take her to the kitchen sink. I place her in and begin to sanitize the hell out of her. I think I’m done, only to look down and realize it’s all over her foot. Son of a bitch. She didn’t just reach down and grab the poop (which she’s been known to do from time to time), she stepped in it, and tried to use her hand to wipe it off. Now it’s on her hand, her sandal, and in between her toes. Man, this day just keeps getting better and better.

Once I finish de-pooping, sanitizing, cleaning, drying, and calming the upset demon child down, I have to go back to work on the kitchen sink, do the same to it, and then go outside and clean all the ‘I just stepped in poop and I’m going to walk all over the patio’ foot prints off outside.

Phew! Now we’re ready to put the baby down for a nap and relax.

What’s the moral of the story? If you’re unprepared to pick up your dog’s poop while on a walk, don’t cut him off. Just accept responsibility that you were unprepared, apologize to the higher powers, and acknowledge that you were, for just one moment, a dick. Why? Because that poor person still has half a log of dog poop to pick up off their lawn anyway, and even though it’s less than it would have been and I was trying not to be an asshat, I was an asshat for being unprepared and leaving half a log of crap on their yard. My punishment? Almost instant payback via poo karma.

Well, now that it’s just after lunch, I can only imagine what the rest of this day will bring. With my luck, the cat’s going to do some kind of jumping ninja attack and pee all over my face mid-air.

New Work Crossroads

I’m having a bit of a trouble lately. I came back from holidays on Monday, after a very long hiatus from the blog, social media, and writing in general. Life got crazy and so I took a break from everything. Now I’m slowly getting back into things, and it’s a lot more difficult than I imagined. The social media aspect of things isn’t so much of an issue, but what to write is. Prior to my break, I’d been working on the first book in The Nova Chronicles. Since then though, I haven’t had the direction and focus to keep working on the piece, so I’ve set it aside for now. I jump back into it and work on some of the chapters I’ve already written from time to time, but I haven’t added any new content. Instead, I’ve been working on new projects…err, kind of.

The thing is, my focus is non-existent right now. My mind wanders, imagination takes random leaps, and I seem to be having trouble moving forward with anything. I’ve written close to 5k words this week, but it’s been spread out between three or more projects, all of which I’ve started and stopped with the exception of one. That one seems to be the one that has captured my attention the most, and so I’m trying to work with it, but that is proving difficult too. With life having been turned upside down, I know my focus is elsewhere and it will take some time to get it back, but it’s not easy to accept. I’m trying very hard, as I want to have my next book out this Fall, but so far I’m moving one step forward, half a step back. In other words, things are moving slowly. This is all to say that there is a new book coming, I’m just not certain which book that will be. All the projects that I’m currently starting and stopping all work within the Fantasy genre, as that’s the slice of pie I love the most, I just haven’t been able to determine which one will make it out alive. Nova, or one of these new  stories being put together.

Since I promised to be updating the blog more regularly, but haven’t managed to do that, I thought I’d give you an update on what’s been going on. I try not to blog unless I have something to say, but sometimes I think you just need to write out what’s going on in your head in order to help remove the obstacles. Whether anyone reads that jumble of words is neither here nor their, but at least it’s out of your mind and somewhere else. I did manage over 2k words yesterday so that was a positive step forward, but today is proving to be less of a success. The good news is, there is plenty of day left to accomplish something.

Here’s to hoping you’ve had a great week, and to a fantastic upcoming weekend!

Updates

It’s been a while, I know, and I keep saying I’ll be back soon, but the time is actually getting close! It’s been touch and go for me for a few months, things have been very tough, but now that everything seems to be winding down, I’m prepping to get my focus back in place. I’m going on holidays this coming weekend and I’ll be gone for a week. When I come home, I’m back to work on a new project, and I’ll have some great posts coming for you. They’ll be a few wicked Story Time posts, and some updates on new projects. Life sometimes gets a little crazy, and unfortunately it’s effected my writing time in a massive way.

While you wait, you need to check out the Endure Blog Tour hosted by Stuck in Books. There is a great prize pack up for grabs, including a copy of the entire Protector series, signed by me, and a $50 Amazon gift card! Check it out, collect all the letters, and read some awesome reviews of Endure. Everyone who is taking part in the tour is a must follow book blog, and they’re wicked awesome people!

So in a few weeks time, we’re going to have some fun together and I’m going to get you some more books!

You Tell Me: What’s Your Current Genre Obsession?

There’s so much changing in the world every day. When you break it all down, you can see the massive changes happening in different divisions of it: politics, your own personal life, movies, books, technology, etc. Since we’re about wordage and make-believe here, lets talk books. New Adult was something that started to really come into its own last year, and the push hasn’t seemed to slow down, but that doesn’t mean that’s the only thing trending for you at the moment. A lot of readers are finding a new genre of book that they’re falling in love with, all because of a recommendation, or because they yearned for something a little different. Each of us go through our own phases of reading preferences, so today I want to open up the discussion to you.

For me, Fantasy always is at the top of my list. I’m a big fan of Urban Fantasy, and for years that hasn’t changed. The Maze Runner was the most recent series to take me by surprise, and that’s not really Fantasy. I mean it is, but it’s more Sci-Fi than anything else, I think. I’m not sure. Genre’s have always kind of messed me up. Regardless, I really enjoyed it, and that has made me want to try out more Sci-Fi since I’m seriously under-read in that category. In general, I seem to prefer Young Adult Fantasy to anything else. There’s something about taking the world we live in, and adding in magic and monsters that never seems to get old to me, but I’m always willing to try new things.

Today I want to hear from you. I want to know what your current obsession is? Is it Fantasy, New Adult Romances, Romance in general, Mystery, Thriller? Anything. What is your bookish guilty pleasure right now, and to support the authors you love, tell us about a book you’ve read recently that helped push this new obsession along, or the book that started it all for you.

Vote Chase – Ya Sisterhood Crush Tourney

Today’s the day everybody, and we really, really need your help. Chase is up against Tristan in the YA Crush Tourney, and he needs your votes. Check out the post, read the excerpts, or if you don’t have time, just go vote. It’s one click, and we need to make sure Chase makes it to the next round of the tourney. Not only is this a blast, it’s a great opportunity to spread the word about Chase Williams and the world of The Protector. Val from Stuck in Books is representing him this year, and she has put together videos, photos, and a great post on why Chase deserves to win. So head over to the YA Sisterhoods blog, and give our boy Chase a vote! 

Dancing with Fear

Coming back from a hiatus of any kind is never easy. My life has kind of been in a whirlwind the past month and some days I’m not even sure which way is up. Now that I’m trying to get back in the groove, I realize just how hard it is. This applies to anything you’re doing. Any time you take a break from something you do every day, it’s difficult to just jump right back into it. Sometimes you need to reincorporate it into your life in small pieces, other times, throwing yourself into the thick of it is the way to go. I’m not sure which way will work best for me right now, so I’m starting off just trying to get back into things slowly. Which is to tell you that this post has very little to do with anything but how I feel right now and what’s going on in my head. There is no other point to this than to take one small step forward.

I wanted to start by getting back into blogging a few times a week, and attending to my social media accounts more often. As well, I wanted to go back and start checking on my books. I have this problem that a lot of artists have, and that’s reading reviews of your work. I try to keep a “never read reviews” attitude, but I have yet to have any success with that. And one of the things that really continues to surprise me is the mixed reactions I’ve received from Release. I know taste is subjective, and so what I love or someone else loves, others may hate, but I guess the reason I feel surprised is because I was really proud of Release. 

The third installment in The Protector was an emotional book for me. And for those of you who have read it, it isn’t just because of one major event that occurs. The whole story means something to me. It means letting go, it means change, it means self-discovery, it means starting over with new ideals and realizations that perhaps you fought with for longer than you should have. Chase has those realizations throughout the book, and he really tries to change. In fact, he changes a lot. He learns, he starts to think before he acts, he overcomes things that he never thought he could. The book was such a hurricane of feelings for me that I was excited and proud to publish it. Yet thus far, it’s the book with the most mixed reactions. Just my e-mail inbox alone can tell me that without ever reading a single review. For those that didn’t like it, it seemed boring, the pacing wasn’t right, or a number of other fairly consistent responses, but when I look back through the story, I just can’t help but feel proud of it. At the time, it was my favorite book in the series, and even still, it’s near the top. Now, Endure has captured that title and means something even more, but each installment in this series has had that effect on me. They’re each special in their own way, and individually they each represent something completely different. I have all four books on my mantle right now and when I see them, I can feel each of those things as my eyes pan from cover to cover. But Release was different. I felt exposed while writing and publishing that book, but I was too proud to feel fear that others wouldn’t feel that too. When you pour yourself so desperately into something, and it isn’t met the way you wanted it to be, it takes the wind out of your sail. Of course, that’s because you let it, but such is the weakness of man. But the point isn’t that I’m sad Release isn’t everyone’s favorite book, the point is that it all happens so fast, and it reminds you just how powerful words can be, and that’s why I write.

To experience things that only my imagination can fabricate is an experience that seems surreal. But to put yourself in someone else’s shoes and take on an adventure that leads to sadness, hardships, victories, and failures, is hard on your system. You don’t just make things up and smile because you think you wrote a good scene. You begin to create something completely different to yourself, and then before you know it you are there. You’re in the thick of it all, feeling the fire burn, tasting the tears as they roll over your cheeks and touch your lips, and you feel proud as an accomplishment is made, or an enemy is defeated. The Protector series was my life for years. Seeing it all come together in the end has left me with a sadness I honestly didn’t expect to feel. When I wrote the words The End, I was happy. Happy to move onto something new, proud of what I had accomplished, and satisfied with the way it all happened. However, now that I’m trying to get back into things, I’m not so happy. I’m still proud of what I accomplished and satisfied with the way it happened, but that story, those people, this journey…it’s gone now. Over. People will love it, people will hate it, some people won’t care either way. But it’s like…in the midst of real life and all that is happening in it, that one thing that was such a part of it is gone now. It’s on the page and no longer inside me. And perhaps I’m taking all that way more personally than I should be. Then again, those books, those imaginary people, that adventure, it changed me. It changed me as a person, it changed what happened in my life, it changed everything—some things for better, others for worse. Depending what day it is and what I’m thinking about, some times I wonder where I’d be had I never wrote a word of it. When you’re at that point in your life that leaves you open and vulnerable to anything, everything seems like a much bigger deal than it is. You know that, and you can’t help but give into it anyways. Sometimes you never realized how much something meant to you until it’s over. Now that The Protector is over, it means something totally different to me than it did. It’s a strange feeling I have yet to deal with.

Now, I read my chapters of The Nova Chronicles and they excite me. They make me fascinated at where these characters might be in two years, but on the other side of the sword is fear. Fear of what I might put those characters through, fear of what I’ll put myself through, fear it will be hated, fear that it will change everything again and I won’t know how—for better or for worse—and fear of fear itself. But here I am, staring at the keyboard and a blank screen that begs me to write. Why? Maybe for love. Love of the written word, love of emotion, love of experience, love of risk, love of reward, love of success.

Love.

This seems as good a place as any to end this post. In the end, love trumps fear. It propels you forward, it gives you the ability to leap obstacles that would crumble the strongest of men. It grants you the strength to destroy that which might destroy you. And it gives you the power to step out of the darkness, even when you’re afraid, and look fear in the eye. Once you’ve done that, you can put up your middle finger, smile, and say “screw you.” Because the only way you can truly lose, is if you let something stop you from trying.

Endure Release Day

It’s finally here. Endure is now available!

Today is an strange day. You’d think there would be nothing but pure excitement on my end, and in all honesty, that excitement is right here with me, but it’s also surrounded by fear and sadness. Fear because every time I release a new book it’s scary. Sadness because this means the series really is over. I know I’ve spoken about working within the same world again, and even with some of the same characters, but it’ll never be as it is now. It’ll be something new! That doesn’t change the fact that I’m excited to put all my focus into The Nova Chronicles, which has been sitting dust-ridden inside my computer, but it’s the end of something special for me. My first-ever published series.

If you read the acknowledgements, you’ll see a big thank you to my readers for all their support, so I won’t go into rehashing all that here, but please know that it means the world to me. I’d be nowhere without my readers. You all mean so much to me. Today is a very special day, and you helped make it what it is. Thank you for that.

Now, onto what you want to know. Where can I buy it?

You can find purchase links on the Books page for Endure, but you’ll find not all the links are available yet. The reason being is that I’m still waiting for some of the sites to load the book. Barnes & Noble is always troublesome for me. In some cases it’s up in a week, while others it takes as long as six weeks. The good news is that the book is available at Amazon and Smashwords. If you don’t have a Kindle, you can download the book in any format from Smashwords and load it onto your eReader of choice. As for the paperback, I’m awaiting the proof copy to be delivered (hopefully by Friday) and as long as everything looks good, it will be available as early as next week. Again, it’ll take time to get it up on B&N, but it should be available on Createspace and Amazon sometime next week. If there are any issues with the proof, I’ll be sure to keep you updated.

Other than that, I know I’ve been very MIA lately and I apologize, but sometimes life throws you a curveball and you need to step away from everything else to make sure it doesn’t take your head off! I’m trying to get my focus back into everything else, and I appreciate all the support and concern some of you have shown me, but I am alive and well, I promise! I’ll be getting back into work slowly, and hopefully by Fall, you’ll be ready to join me on my new adventure known as The Nova Chronicles!

Thanks to everyone for making this such an amazing day and overall experience. I truly hope from the bottom of my heart that you enjoy reading Endure as much as I did writing it.

Author Alert – Angela Orlowski-Peart

It’s a new month, which means we’re back with a brand new Author Alert for May. Today I’m happy to bring you, Angela Orlowski-Peart, a Polish-born author, who at the age of seven, learned English to translate her favorite fairytales. Now residing in Seattle, Angela has published the first book in her Young Adult Paranormal series, Forged by Greed. With the sequel and a few other publications due out later this year, I wanted to bring Angela on the blog and see if she can handle 11 questions of DOOM! It is my prediction that she will survive the interview, but she will not leave unscathed!

 

The Interview

 

1.  Let’s start out easy. Tell us about Forged by Greed. What inspired the series, and what’s at the core of it? What’s FBG all about?

Ah, the Forged Series characters and I have been living in this imaginary world for a while now. They have started to talk to me a few years ago, first posing as different characters, and then finally revealing their true personalities. Forged by Greed has started as a Middle Grade novel, but that was a short-lived attempt. Two protagonists—Jatred and Jasmira—decided they are much more mature than the eleven-year-olds would be.

The story takes place in present day Seattle, where two Shape Shifters Races, the Winter wolves and the Summer leopards, live well-hidden among humans, perfectly fitting into modern life. Both Races are organized into secret societies, governed with the help of their own laws, rules, and traditions clearly outlined in each Race’s Accords.

Two powerful, ancient deities—the Winter Goddess, Crystal and the Summer Goddess, Amber—lead and watch over their respective Races.

And there is this extremely powerful Amulet, which existence and magical abilities are known only to a very few. It remains concealed by the means of the latest technology. Jatred, the guardian of the Amulet becomes key to the Goddesses’ conflict.

The Universe is… delicately speaking, finicky, and so every ten thousand years the Human World suffers the effects of the Universe belching out its powers. When the forces of nature are disrupted, earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions rake the world.  The Goddesses go to war and summon all their Shifters to join in the conflict.

What happens next? Two protagonists, Jatred and Jasmira of course have to step in and fight for their love and to protect the future of both Races and humankind.

2. You’re website’s author bio states you’re passionate about fashion, specifically when it comes to stilettos. My wife has a similar shoe obsession, and I just don’t understand it. Can you enlighten me a little? What is it about shoes that get women so excited?

Let me use an example. Imagine a pair of sexy stilettos on your wife’s feet. Now imagine her wearing a pair of clunky, old flats. In both scenarios, she’s slowly circling around you, her hands on her hips, a small smile playing on her lips. Which pair of shoes evokes hotness? Okay, so you don’t have to answer this, unless you want to, hehe.

3.  Let’s do a little get to know you session here. Tell us five things about you that we won’t find on your website’s “About” page, or in your author bio.

Sure. One: I love spending time in the nature. This is where the best ideas for my writing are born.

Two: I hate rain. Yep, I know this might sound weird, considering I’ve been living in the Seattle area for 21 years. Well, one day I will buy a house on a tropical beach (*grins*).

Three: My latest passion is archery. I hope to beat Katniss in a near future.

Four: I am addicted to downhill skiing.

Five: My mom taught me knitting when I was seven. I still knit sweaters and stuff.

4.  Hypothetical #1 – On a rainy day in Seattle (ha!) you find yourself cooped up in your writing cave. The creative vibes are rocking through the room when a disturbance falls upon you. You find your office fading away like an old photo, and leaving you to face your greatest fear. Armed with a magical paintbrush, you can paint and bring to life three items to help you conquer it. What is your fear, and what do you use to overcome it?

I’ve always wanted to try something like this! I grew up with this awesome animated TV show for kids in Poland. A little boy had an enchanted crayon and could draw anything with it. So yeah, thank you for letting me dream! I don’t have any significant fears like Ron Weasley’s trepidation toward spiders. But facing a vampire would definitely spike up my heartbeat and not in a good way. I’m not talking about sparkling vampires from Twilight, or any other swoon-worthy creatures, but the real deal—Bram Stoker’s vampire type (*shudders*).

I get my magical paintbrush and, with one flick of my wrist, produce a magic powder, as potent as the fairy dust. It sparkles on my palm like thousands of miniature jewels, but I know what this innocent-looking thing can do. Without hesitation I gently blow, and the powder hits the vamp’s eyes. He screeches in pain, writhing on the ground, and clawing at his eyes. And then he crumbles down, and the wind picks up what’s left of him—tiny flecks of black dust. Phew, that was close.

  5.  Tell us about your favorite Polish fairytale as a child. What is it about, and what makes it your favorite?

The truth is I don’t have anything favorite. Not one thing. Same with the fairytales. But one of the most loved stories from my childhood is about an old fisherman and a golden fish. The fisherman is terribly poor and unhappy. One day he catches a tiny golden fish, and she pleads in human voice to be set free. In exchange, she promises to fulfill one wish. So he lets her go and upon returning home tells his wife. The wife is mean and greedy. She yells at the husband and tells him to go back and get a new feeding trough for their pigs, because the old one is broken. Reluctantly, he goes back and asks the golden fish for the trough. She advises him to go back home. When he returns, the brand new trough is already in place. The covetous wife wants the fisherman to get even more stuff. She wants a brand new house and a large land. The husband goes back, stands by the water, but is ashamed to ask for more. Finally the fish swims up to him, inquires what else she can do, and promises to deliver once more. But of course that’s not enough for the old hag. After a week or so she demands to get a palace and an army of servants. Again, the man asks the fish, and the fish grants the wish. When the fisherman returns home, there is a grand palace, and many servants. The servants ask who is he and what does he want there. When he tells them, they check with the wife, but she only laughs and instructs them to set dogs on him. He tries and tries again, with no avail. After a week the wife sends her maid to the fisherman, commanding him to go to the lake and tell the fish to become her servant.

When the fish hears this absurd request, she only flicks her tail and disappears in the water. The man goes back home and what does he see? No palace, no servants, no signs of the previous wealth. There is only his old, small house by the woods, and his wife, who sits on the stairs and repairs his tattered fishing nets.

  6.  Forged by Greed has been said to have “an excellent new take on shifters that will leave you wanting more.” What is it about your shifters that make them stand out from others in the genre?

I’m sure every reader has his or her own opinion about this. And yes, many readers have told me how much they’ve enjoyed these particular Shifters. I think it’s a combination of many aspects: two rivaling Races lead by two mythological deities; the Races are organized into these secretive societies, with their own rules and traditions; the Universe’s powers highly affect the stability in the world, and it is up to the Shifters to stand united and against it; there are monsters, the Spirits of the Realms, and the Goddesses—and all of them play significant roles in the plot, either helping or interfering in the protagonists’ quest.

7.  Hypothetical #2 – You’re on a late night stroll in a forest. During your starlit walk, you find a gorgeous lake surrounded by tall pine trees. The lake is still, reflecting the moon and the stars that flicker above. When you stop to admire the scene, something silent and deadly stalks up behind you. It’s…it’s…a Bukavac!!! (I did my research into Slavic-based monsters). The creature creeps forwards on all six legs, horns curling out of his body and face. He leaps onto your back with a ferocious roar, and tries to strangle you. Using only your ingenuity and the forest around you, how do you escape the beast’s wrath?

What the heck is a Bukavac? Thank God for Wikipedia (*chuckles*). Sooooo, the Serbian demon. Eh, piece of cake. I still have the magic powder on the palm of my hand (don’t tell my kids! I’m a stickler for washing hands). I rub it on its forehead, right between its horns. The beast prances out of the way, sits down on its haunches, and its head swivels from side to side. A low gurgling sound comes out of its throat, and its eyes cross and water. It snaps its jaws but rather lazily; or maybe it can’t focus. I pat it on the top of its head, turn around, and walk deeper into the forest, hoping for a better challenge.

  8.  If you’re still here for this question, I assume you’ve survived the beast. So take a second to catch your breath, then tell us about something you enjoy doing in your spare time that has nothing to do with books.

 You mean that Bukavac? Pfffftt.

I normally don’t have “spare time”, being an author, a wife, and a mom of two kiddos. But from time to time I try really hard to do some rock climbing, walk or run outdoors, ski (when the season permits), and bike. I really like rollerblading too, but haven’t done it for a while. I also draw and paint in watercolor, make jewelry, knit, and even sew a bit.

9.  The publishing path can be one of many ups and downs. What advice could you give someone considering going the self-publishing path? Anything you wish you’d known before you started?  

Be mentally and time-wise prepared for A LOT of work. Talk with the other indie authors, join author and reader groups, get involved with the book bloggers, learn how to navigate the deep waters of social media and, most importantly, how to stay on track. Fit writing time into your daily schedule, and don’t waste time, endlessly browsing through that Facebook or Twitter.

10. Did you always know you wanted to be a writer, and was self-publishing your initial option, or did you try to query and take the traditional path first? What made you decide to go at it on your own?

Since my childhood books have been a major part of my life. I’ve enjoyed reading and writing as a child and a teen. But when I graduated from college with a degree that had nothing to do with writing, journalism, or publishing, my path became more of a reader and not much of a writer. That has changed when my first child was born. He loved when I told him stories and demanded so many of them that I had to start making them up, including Star Wars improvisations. That’s how I’ve returned to writing.

As for the publishing, at first I’ve definitely considered going the traditional path. But when I got involved with a couple of indie author groups, I have realized that the self-publishing option appeals much more to me. So I’ve never sent that first query letter and, instead, I spent a lot of time researching and learning the indie ways.

11. Before we get to the quickie questions, describe the Forged by Greed series in seven words or less.

Cool urban fantasy thriller with mythology elements.

 

What’s your preference?

 

Writing With or Without Music:  Both, but I love writing with music. Especially when it comes to the action scenes. I’ve written the entire final battle in Forged by Greed while listening to the Lord of The Rings soundtrack.

Dream Vacation or Dream Car: Can I have both? Somewhere in the tropics. Limited edition Lamborghini.

Cats or Dogs: Both.

Spiders or Snakes: Can you be more specific? To eat, play, or scream in terror? Neither.

Chocolate or Caramel:  Yum. Both!

 

 

5 Favorites

 

Food: So, seriously—I don’t have anything favorite. But Tex-Mex would be the closest.

Cereal: Gluten-free granola.

Color: Nope. I definitely like most of them.

80’s Movie: Desperately Seeking Susan.

Smell: The smell of clean wind.

 

Thank you, Matt. This was very entertaining!

 

Special thanks to Angela for stopping by today. If you want to find out more about her, find her here:

Website
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Blogger Alert – Ash @ Smash Attack Reads

I’m a pretty straight shooter and I’m not going to lie, I did some fan-girling when Ash agreed to come on the blog. I know it really should be fan-maning, but that just doesn’t have the same ring to it. I assure you though, it was totally manly…but I digress. 

                                                                           Ash over at Smash Attack Readers is one of my                                                                                         favorite bloggers. And one of my favorite things about her blog is the World Building Wednesdays, where she invites authors to talk about World Building (one of her favorite aspects of a novel). She always has a full line-up of posts on her blog, and has become so busy she now works with a team of reviewers on her site. So now that she’s agreed to be my Blogger Alert for the month of May, I get to do one of my favorite things, and turn the interview spotlight on a blogger. Let the DOOM begin!

 

The Interview

 

1. For the sake of starting out simple, tell us how you got involved with blogging, and what made you decide to start your own site?

I’ve actually been blogging for about 15 years. I started out a personal journal on LiveJournal and moved to Blogger. My friend back home, Brooke, was really involved in blogging and reviewing books about 5 years ago. I’ve always had a love for reading so I became really interested in this new world she introduced to me. I noticed my personal blog started to become overrun with bookish posts, so I decided to take the plunge in 2010. I can’t believe I’ve been doing this for almost 3 years. I sometimes feel like I just started.

2. As a busy blogger, sometimes you lose the opportunity to read what you want, when you want. You have a stack of books to be reviewed that is constantly staring back at you, and you have commitments that you’ve made to them. Now, sometimes we pick up a book that sounds interesting, but later we put on our shelves because we’re not in the mood for it. I imagine this is the same thing that happens with review books, only you don’t always have the opportunity to put them aside. So tell me, are there any books you had to read because of a review deadline that ended up taking you by surprise and completely captivating you?

Um, YOUR books. All of them, but I think I loved Shift the best. That was the book where I noticed growth in your writing. Not to say you don’t grow with each book, but that book left me hella impressed. And no, I’m not kissing your bum. You already know this, maaaaaan.

Obviously, Ash gets me.  

3. Smash Attack Reads started with just you, but as you became overloaded with requests, you took on some associate reviewers. But even now, you’re so busy that you don’t take unsolicited review requests. There are a lot of bloggers out there that have come to this point, and I think it’s a sign of great success for what you’ve done. But for an author you’ve never worked with before, it might be disheartening. If there are any new or aspiring authors out there, is there any advice you could give them on how to break in and get your attention? 

Personally, I think there are plenty of blogs out there that still take review requests. Also, get on Twitter and promote your arse off. I discovered most of the authors I have relationships with now that way. After I’ve gotten to know authors on Twitter, I’ve reviewed their work even though I’m not taking requests. I think Twitter is where you need to be. Also, I stopped taking review requests because I found myself not wanting to read the books I accepted. I think this is purely psychological, like when kids don’t do what their told because you told them. I know there are other bloggers out there with this very problem, but there are plenty who still want to review. And as far as indie authors go, I feel like there is a solid network of bloggers who support you guys. I didn’t think I would read as much indie work as I have, and I’m glad that I took the plunge. Some of my favorite authors are indies.

4.  Tell us three things that you love about blogging, and three things you hate about it.

Since I’m a total Type A personality, I love the scheduling, organization, planning piece. A lot. It’s kinda like how I would rather reorganize my bookshelves or my scrapbooking stuff than do the actual hobbies. Thankfully, I can push that impulse down into the darkest depths. I also LOVE the camaraderie and community. Book bloggers are the nicest, most generous people, not to mention ridiculously fun and entertaining. This is the highlight of it all, for me. I love discovering new reads! Of course, my wallet nor my husband appreciate this too much. I just read an epic YA high fantasy series that I had never heard of until ladies in my book club started talking about it. I don’t have bookish people around in real life often, so I just love being able to interact with other book whores.

What I dislike is the drama that seems to ebb and flow. I’ve learned to stay out of it and if it involves me, deal with it offline. I try my hardest to stay out of that mess though. I get enough drama with the middle schoolers at work. My drama quota floweth over. I also dislike not having the right type of thinking to come up with awesome discussion posts on the regular. I am envious of blogs who do this well, because discussion posts are my favorite type of post to read. I also dislike the amount of books there are to choose from. Not to say I want there to be less people writing, but holy crap. I have almost 600 books in my home or on my Kindle that I have not read, and that is after 3 years of blogging. If I stay at it, my arse will be broke (or kicked out). They only highlight to this is I will be able to build a home out of the books!

5. Hypothetical #1 – You’re trapped in a basement with three characters from three different books. One is a secondary character, one is a protagonist, and one is an antagonist. They’re all ready to profess their undying love for you. The problem is, if you don’t get them back in their books, those stories will be unwritten, tearing the fabric of our reality, and our world could be destroyed.  Who are the characters, what books are they from, and how do you break their hearts and still convince them to get back onto the pages?

Holy awesome question, Batman! I think the protagonist will have to be Adam from Where She Went by Gayle Forman. He is a broken soul in this book and I would love to heal his heart. Of course, he only has eyes for Mia, so I guess I would convince her to do her magic to lure him back to his destiny. Besides, I wouldn’t want to break up a happy home. The antagonist will definitely be The Darkling from the Grisha series by Leigh Bardugo. I simultaneously love and loathe this character. He intrigues the crap out of me. He is a charmer so I would just need to flip the script and throw some of my charm his way. *snicker* My secondary character will NO DOUBT be Roar from Veronica Rossi’s Under The Never Sky series. I have put that guy on a pedestal that he will never, ever come down from. Ever. His perfection is in his imperfection. One of the most real characters I’ve come across. Unfortunately for me, Liv is his true love so I think it’s my heart that will be broken.

 6.  For any avid readers out there who might consider getting involved in blogging, what kind of advice could you give them for starting out?

BE YOURSELF, and they will come.
Do not take more requests than you can handle. I repeat, do not take more requests than you can handle.
Be clear about the genres you review, not only for your followers, but for yourself, too. But also don’t be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone and try new genres. I’ve discovered amazing books that way!
I 100% support self-hosting. It takes some knowledge, so read up and choose a good blogging platform. I recommend WordPress. They have plugins out the wazoo to help streamline the process for you. Plus, you can buy Ashley’s Ultimate Book Blogging Plugin, which is the BOMB.
Go to author events in your area. Not only because meeting authors is SO FUN, but it’s prime time to network.
Buy Amanda’s Blog Smarter tool.
Lastly, don’t let the pressure get to you. Set a schedule that is comfortable and doable for you. If you only post 2 times a week to start, that is fine! I think quality is definitely more important than quantity.

7. What kind of things do you enjoy doing when you’re not reading? 

I love to scrapbook. That comes in waves because it is just as time consuming and expensive as being a book review blogger, but it is the one area I can be creatively successful, in my mind. Plus, I get to use my hands and be a kid again. I also scrap with another book lover and blogger, Mandee, and I think I love that girly time with another crafter. It can get pretty boring doing it all by your onesies.

8. Hypothetical #2 – You come home from a hard day at work, and find your house ransacked. There is a small goblin lying sprawled out on your floor. His belly is swollen, his feet are warty and blistered, with long nails curling under his toes and skin flaking onto your floor. He has a half-eaten book cover hanging out of his mouth. You realize he’s eaten every book in your home, and your heart breaks. With a swift kick to his belly, he wakes up and offers to use his goblin magic and bring back three of your books. What books are they?

This goblin reminds me of Grizlemor from J.L. Bryan’s Songs of Magic series. LOL. It seems like something that sneaky goblin would do. This question is so difficult and would likely change with my mood. Right now, I would ask for Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor and Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White.

  9.    You host World Building Wednesdays on your blog, giving authors the chance to talk about your favorite aspect of a book. What is it about world building that makes it your favorite, and can you share with my readers one book that has done it so well, it blows you away?

Well, world building definitely stands out more in the fantasy and paranormal novels, to me. It’s the creation of the world, from the culture, setting, government or kingdom, supernatural aspects, etc, that just blows me away from a creative standpoint. World building is a major reason I love the dystopian genre so much. We get a power-hungry, immoral power entity, a harsh situation, people struggling to survive and losing their humanity. I love the fantasy world because the authors create such vivid and imaginative other-worlds. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor is one of the best fantasy world-building I’ve come across in all my reading days. I am also high impressed with Thea Harrison’s world-building in her Elder Races series.

 10.  You’re open to reading a lot of different genres. Is there any genre(s) that you just can’t for the life you pick up and read? Why?

Western Fiction, Religious fiction, Chick lit, Literary Fiction (save a few), Poetry, Self-Help, and most contemporary fiction/romance, though I’ve started reading more YA contemporary, which I am enjoying.

11. Owls are your things in a big way. Can you explain what started that obsession and what it is about them that you love?

We can all blame that on scrapbooking. Some years back, they started creating wicked cute owl embellishments and stuff. It spiraled quickly form there. I LOVE how so many people I come into contact with via blogging tell me they think of me when they see anything owl related. I’ve also gotten owl gifts from bloggers!! I’ll be honest and tell you I have no clue why I love them so much. They are just cute and it’s that one thing I get giddy about.

Okay, before we get to the quickie questions. Ash showed me an owl video, and it’s CRAZY. Check out this owl which can transform itself into a menacing-looking owl. Hilarious. That video is messed up, am I right? That owl is creepy. For the record, I’m all about birds of prey. I love falcons, but for me, eagles are where it’s at. I have a bit of an obsession for them.

What’s your preference?

 

Paperback, Hardcover, or eBook: ALL. Honestly, I only buy hardcovers if I love the cover. I LOVE to display covers on my shelves. Most of the PNR and UF books come in mass market paperback form, which is ok, but I’m not a fan of how it looks on the shelf. And well, eBooks are just wicked convenient.

Dream Vacation or Dream Car:  Vacation, all the way. I want to travel the world. I am so very interested in learning about other cultures and ways of life.

Cats or Dogs: Well, this is hard. Right now, I’m going with cats since I have 3 of them and I adore them to cuddly bits. I did have a chow chow for 15 years, however, and I look forward to having one again one day. Hopefully, a shiba inu.

Spiders or Snakes: SNAKES. I like reptiles. I’m in Georgia, where spiders like to visit me intimately in the summer. Thank the lawd for my cats!

Chocolate or Caramel: Toffee??

 

5 Favorites

 

Food: PEANUT BUTTER. I think. J

Color: Orange and Hot Pink

80s Movie: *flails* This is an unfair question! I might have to go with Labyrinth. Or The Neverending Story. Or Cant Buy Me Love. Or The Breakfast Club. Or Footloose.

Smell: COFFEE.

Reading spot: My bed. It’s about the only spot I gots.

 

Thanks for shining your awesome spotlight on me, Matty!! ♥

 

Okay I’ve got some things to add. First, Shiba Inu is a wicked breed of dog and I can’t wait to have one. Second, the fact that you have spiders getting up close and personal with you makes me never want to visit. And lastly, this was a great interview. Thank you to Ash for stopping by and giving us some insight into the awesomeness that is her! 

If you want more of ash (who am kidding, of course you do), find her EVERYWHERE:

 

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