M.B. Mulhall's Blog, page 7

A Collection of Teasers

The journey from an idea to a rough draft to a finished product is a long one.  It was no different for Heavyweight.  Along the way, I’ve posted teasers in various states of completion.  I do this to get early feedback and get the buzz going, interest potential readers.  You may have read them all along the way (thank you loyal blog followers!) or you may be new to the blog.  I thought it might be nice for you guys to have all those teasers in one place…along with maybe a little something new.

As you can see in the sidebar, there are only 16 days until the book’s birthday! Let these teasers wet your whistle before the main course.  If you like what you read, you can add Heavyweight to your Goodread’s To-be-read list or even pre-order from Dreamspinner’s site. Regardless of what you do, I hope you enjoy!

Remember, some of these were posted early in the process. They have no doubt been reworked, reworded and massaged since then, but the idea and feeling behind the scenes stayed the same. No major plot points or content was added or removed during the editing process.

Chapter One

A Tuesday teaser

Tuesdays are popular for teasers…

Let’s hear it for a Thursday teaser!

How about something….a little steamy this time around?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

“What’s the issue here, Ian? If you didn’t want to share my drink, all you had to do is say so,” he jokes.

I am so not in the mood for jokes. I can’t hold it back anymore.

“What’s the issue? What’s the issue? How about you flaunting your goddamn money? I may not have a shiny new car like you, but do I look like a fucking pauper? You won’t let me pay for my ticket. I try to buy food for everyone, and you all pass. Okay, fine, you’re not hungry. Then you go behind my back and drop fifty bucks on junk for a bunch of people who aren’t even hungry. Why? So you can show off your big allowance? Or so you can force feed me because Clay told you I don’t like to eat? Do I look like a skeleton? I don’t need a sugar daddy or a nursemaid.”

Julian has visibly paled and is shaking slightly. I don’t know if it’s from anger or shock. Seeing him in such a state has my rage immediately abating, heading south for the winter. Weary, I run a hand over my face.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to snap… I just… I’m exhausted and stressed, and to be honest, I’m not used to having people do things for me.” He’s still shaking like an autumn leaf in a strong breeze. Oh God. Did I break him? I grab his hand and half drag him around to the alley between the theater and the now closed drug store.

It’s dark, and no one can see us unless they step into the alley themselves. Without stopping to think of the consequences, I pull his shaking body close to me and wrap my arms around him. He fits perfectly against me, like a matching puzzle piece. I rest my chin on top of his head and tell him again I’m sorry for my outburst.

I realize his trembling has subsided. He’s not hugging me back, but he’s not trying to break free of my embrace, either. I’ve tread into very dangerous territory here. Unsure what to do, I slowly let my arms drop and take a small step back, where I meet the cold brick again.

What else is there to do other than apologize again and hope I didn’t royally fuck things up by hugging him? Hanging my head, I let the “sorry” slip through my turned-down lips and turn to leave the alley.

Before I can leave the shadows, his spry body is up against mine, pushing with such force that I can feel the rough texture of the bricks through my clothes. His long, graceful artist’s fingers are in my hair, roughly pulling my head down to meet his. Soft, warm lips meet mine in a gentle caress, unlike the frenzied actions of the rest of his body. He’s grabbing at my hair, rubbing up against me. My mind is in a complete fog.

It’s a fantasy come true. He nips at my bottom lip, surprising me. His wet, seeking tongue coaxes my mouth open, and I sigh as he explores the formerly uncharted territory. I’m acting on instinct, sending my own tongue out on an exploratory mission—Lewis and Clark have nothing on me. I taste the sharp tang of metal as my tongue touches his lip ring. It wakes me out of my hormonal haze.

Eyes wide, I push him away from me. My head spins wildly, looking to see if anyone has caught our tentative dance. Thankfully, there is no one waiting to cast stones at us. My head keeps shaking.

I have to do something. Say something. I know it’s going to hurt him, and God, the last thing I want to do is hurt him. I want to drag him down to the dirty ground and run my hands along the expanse of his sinewy frame, telling him how beautiful he is, how his kiss set my entire body on fire. But I can’t. I can’t let the secret out. No matter how much I want this man, how much I want to confide in him and learn about him and have him teach me… I can’t. I hope he can forgive me for what I’m about to do. I have to force the words past my still tingling lips. My traitorous tongue trips me up.

“Jules, I’m not… I’m sorry… but I’m not gay.”

Cover Reveal!

I’ve been holding on to this for a couple weeks now, waiting for the right time to reveal it and the time has finally come! Without further ado, here is the gorgeous cover for my upcoming release, Heavyweight, from Harmony Ink Press.

Isn’t it gorgeous?  It was made by the fabulous Anne Cain and I love it.  She did a great job capturing Ian and the feel of the story.  I hope you guys like it as much as I do!

Secrets. Their weight can be crushing, but their release can change everything—and not necessarily for the better. Ian is no stranger to secrets. Being a gay teen in a backwater southern town, Ian must keep his orientation under wraps, especially since he spends a lot of time with his hands all over members of the same sex, pinning their sweaty, hard bodies to the wrestling mat.

When he’s trying not to stare at teammates in the locker room, he’s busy hiding another secret—that he starves himself so he doesn’t get bumped to the next weight class.

Enter Julian Yang, an Adonis with mesmerizing looks and punk rocker style. Befriending the flirtatious artist not only raises suspicion among his classmates, but leaves Ian terrified he’ll give in to the desires he’s fought to ignore.

As secrets come to light, Ian’s world crumbles. Disowned, de-friended, and deserted by nearly everyone, Ian’s one-way ticket out of town is revoked, leaving him trapped in a world he hates—and one that hates him back.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

You can add it to your “to be read” lists on Goodreads by clicking here

Ebooks can be pre-ordered here

Print books can be pre-ordered here

Twenty signed copies will be available through Dreamspinner as well.

2014 Writing Goals

It’s that time of year where people are thinking about the new year and making resolutions. For some reason, I don’t like the word resolution. I feel like resolutions are strict, that if you veer off the path once during the year, then you’ve failed. A resolution is an absolute. Goals, on the other hand, are something to strive for. You make a plan and work towards it. To me, that means there are a variety of paths you can take to reach your goals, so if something isn’t working, you can change it and still make it to the finish line. Because of this, I’m going to list my writing goals for the new year, rather than make a writing resolution, because life is crazy and gets in the way sometimes and I don’t want to feel like I’ve failed if I didn’t get to the end the way I “resolved” to.

So here goes, my goals for 2014:

1) Make more time to write. Between a new job and a new man, life has gotten busy, especially over the holidays. I feel like my time to write has dwindled and I still have projects to finish and ideas brewing!

2) Work on promo.  With Heavyweight coming out on January 23rd, I’ve got to get back to my Twitter-ing and other self promo things. I’ve started by looking into ideas like using Notegraphy and Instagram to hit a new audience.  It looks like it’s generating some interest, but who knows if it will translate into sales. Only time will tell!

3) Finish at least one outstanding project.  I have to admit, I have several unfinished projects that need finishing. Staying Alive, the sequel to Near Death is so close to being done. For some reason, I just couldn’t seem to wrap it up this year. Maybe in the coming year, or maybe the last story in the Errand Girl of the Undead series.  I’ve got options!

4) Read outside my comfort zone.  While I find it very important to read within your genre so you know what’s out there and what the trends are, I find I haven’t been expanding my horizons with new things, so I’m going to look to pick up and get through some books I wouldn’t normally gravitate to. I think I may be pleasantly surprised!

5) Get more involved.  This kind of goes hand in hand with working on promo, to get more involved with other authors, whether it’s in my writing group, participating in blog hops and contests,  doing more cover reveals and reviews for folks.  I feel like I had a bigger support system and because I got busy, some of those connections slipped through my fingers.

 

What are your writing goals for the New Year?

Happy Holidays!

I just wanted to take the time to wish all my readers, fellow authors, friends and supporters a very happy and healthy holiday season!  There’s no point in being an author if no one reads your stories, so I’m exceptionally grateful to everyone who has bought a book, shared a link, written a review, commented on the blog or given advice and encouragement.

May you get the lovely gift of literature and poetic verse, quality time with loved ones and some holiday cheer! 2014 is already looking to be a fantastic year for me and I hope it is for all of you as well!

Publication Update

Things are moving along with the publication of Heavyweight. Edits have been done and sent back in.  The blurb is perfected and the bio written.  Info has been sent to get the cover art created.

While I’m not outwardly doing the Myposian dance of joy (who remembers that?! ^_^) I’m definitely squeeing inside.  I’m super impressed with Harmony Ink and how quick, yet thorough, their process is.

No one has officially given me a publication date yet, but from little clues I’ve seen, it’s looking to be January 23, 2014. That’s so soon! I can’t believe it’s a little over a month away. It seems like there’s still a lot to do, but they are on top of it!

One of the most exciting things for me so far was when I received twenty sheets of vellum in the mail with a little note asking me to sign them so they may be put into print copies and that those will be specially sold through Dreamspinner’s website.  Not only did I sign them, but I put a little message as well so those twenty folks to buy them get an extra little treat!

Things are going great and I’m excited to see what the next step is.  I’m hoping to do a bit of a cover reveal when it’s ready. If anyone would be willing to host my reveal on their blog or author/reader facebook pages, please comment!

Thursday Teaser – Errand Girl of the Undead – Chap 4

Life is so busy folks! I hope you don’t mind another sneak peek of the project I started during NaNoWriMo, the second story in the Errand Girl of the Undead series, The Trouble with Zombies. Remember, no editing has been done, blah blah blah.

Here are previous chapters!

Chapter One: Read me first!

Chapter Two:

You Should Be Improving

A little over a year ago, I wrote a post titled The Difference Between Liking to Write & Being a Writer, outlining what I felt made a writer into a professional rather than someone who wrote for a hobby.  I want to expand on that a little and talk about how the writer should be improving.

I believe each short story and novel you write is a learning experience. You learn about your writing style, plotting, grammar, how to better describe scenery, situations and characters, etc. It’s a journey from the rough draft to the finished product, getting advice and making  corrections as you go.

When you finish your first book and put it out there, it’s your baby and you’re (typically) so proud of yourself and the amazing thing you’ve created.  When you put your second book out, you read through it and perhaps the light shining from your original baby dulls a bit.  That’s not to say that the first book won’t always have a special place in your heart, but in my opinion, your most recent work  should be the shining star.

I know a person who likes to write.  They’ve  self published a bunch of things (which, according to my previous post should make them a pro rather than a hobbyist) but their stories are extremely formulaic and the writing never improves.  The same grammatical mistakes are made in book after book. Typos, plots holes, formatting issues, etc.  Because they’re not learning from each experience is why I still consider them as someone who likes to write rather than being a writer. They even once told me they didn’t think grammar mattered! O.0

Life is a journey of experiences and we grow by learning from them.  Our writing should be no different. We should be learning from the journey and taking in the advice and suggestions as we go.  To know that there’s always room to improve is another quality of the professional. Keep striving to be better.

What do you think separates the writer from those who just like to write?

The Mistake I Purposely Made…

When I started writing seriously, I found I would stop and research certain phrases and spellings of different words.  In my Googling, I found that I had a tendency to use the UK spelling of many words, especially towards, backwards and theatre.  Well, theatre I knew, but I reserved that spelling for plays/Broadway type references and theater for the movies.

I was surprised.  Towards and backwards just sounds right to me.  It seems stilted with out the S on the end.  While I was self-publishing, I just let it ride. No one really ever called me out on it and I decided if they didn’t care, I could get away with it. I figured, unless someone was a Grammar Nazi or an Anglophile, it wouldn’t bother folks.

It was all fine and dandy until I signed with Harmony Ink Press and their editor got a hold of the manuscript.  When I got it back to accept and/or reject edits, I saw the poor editor had to change every towards to toward, dropping the S.  I was shocked to see how often I used it. It was so bad that I left a little comment apologizing for all the extra work.  It was something I could have easily corrected with the Find & Replace before querying.

It  goes to show, just because you like how the word colour looks with a U doesn’t mean you should use it if your book doesn’t take place in the UK or Canada, even then, if you have an American audience it probably wouldn’t fly.  I’m not sure if editors would let it pass in dialog from a character who hails from those areas either. Maybe…maybe not.

Will I start using the American spellings? Probably not, it’s ingrained in me now, but I will definitely try to remember to fix them before sending it out so some poor editor doesn’t have to  correct them all!

Do you use unusual spellings in your writing? Have they gotten you in trouble?

Intended Symbolism? Probably Not.

I recently came across this great article about a student back in 1963 who sent out a questionnaire to 150 well known authors, asking about symbolism in their writing.  The student, Bruce McAllister, a budding author, was debating with his English teacher who was having students dissect stories to find the author’s hidden message. McAllister argued that he believed most authors weren’t intentionally placing symbolism in their works.

McAllister received many replies ranging from the typical “Thanks for contacting us but we cannot answer your questions at this time” canned response, to several pages worth of typed answers. Many of the authors who took the time to respond backed up McAllister’s theory saying , “No, I didn’t intentionally add symbolism.” Many felt they didn’t sub-consciously add it either.

All in all, the authors said they wrote their stories as they came to them and most found  reader responses about symbols in their work as humorous or as an interesting connection to their story.

Everyone is going to have a different reaction to art, to take something different from it.  For me, that’s one of the great things about art, how it touches people in different ways.  While my stories may have themes and morals: forgiveness, tolerance, acceptance, etc. I don’t think I’ve ever intentionally wrote in any kind of symbolism.  Might a reader find something if they look hard enough? Maybe.  I think it’d be cool, but just because they find something doesn’t mean I meant it to be like that.

Just because an author has a kid kicking around a blue and green ball it doesn’t mean they wrote that to symbolism the Earth and our poor treatment of the planet we live on. It probably just means the author liked the combination of blue and green together, or they had a blue and green ball as a kid, etc.

Rather than tearing a work apart to find something the author probably didn’t intentionally write into the story, read for enjoyment. Reading for the emotional roller coaster, the laughs, the love and for the entertainment of a good story.

What’s your take on story symbolism?

Here’s the original article and many of the author responses: Click me

Ack, Four More Days!

Today’s blog is brought to you by the letters: O, M, G and the number 4  as in Oh My God there are only 4 days of NaNoWriMo left and I’ve got 13,962 words to go and I’m working every day this week except tomorrow!

It will be a struggle, but I think I can still make it. It’s been several years since I didn’t “win” and I don’t want to break my streak, therefore, this post is short, sweet and now over. I have to get back to my story!