Micalea Smeltzer's Blog, page 3
October 17, 2023
The Endurance of Wildflowers is LIVE!
When I met Thayer Holmes I had no idea how much he would single-handedly change my life.
Our journey hasn't been an easy one, but it has been ours.
We've fought through the impossible and come out stronger because of it.
But happily-ever-after isn't a destination, it's a never-ending road trip with bumps along the way.
Some bumps are bigger than others, but none of it matters as long as we have each other, right?
Download today on Amazon!
Amazon: https://bit.ly/3WuvhNr
Amazon Worldwide: https://mybook.to/TEofW
Amazon Paperback: https://mybook.to/EnduranceofWFPB
Barnes & Noble Paperback: https://bit.ly/437YwZ4
Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3Wsv0dZ
August 24, 2023
Pretty Little Mistake is LIVE!
eBook: https://www.amazon.com/Pretty-Little....
Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/Pretty-Little....
Audiobook: https://www.amazon.com/Audible-Pretty...
What happens when the one person you thought you’d never see again waltzes back into your life? One scandalizing night in an emotional novel by a USA Today bestselling author.
Lennon Wells and Beckham Sullivan should have been perfect for each other. Both vulnerable, both striving to please difficult families, and both broken by the past. Going from friends to lovers seemed inevitable. So did a bad ending. They thought—they hoped—they’d never see each other again.
Years later, bad luck or fate, Lennon and Beckham find themselves working for the same magazine. The wounds are still raw, but the chemistry is there. Then they’re forced to work together on a project. Some things never change, and all it takes is one impetuous night. One mistake. And Lennon discovers she’s pregnant.
With more in common than they ever had before, Lennon and Beckham are going to be in each other’s lives for a long time now, whether they like it or not. And they’re starting to. If only they can break from the generational traumas that hold tight and take a shot at something they never expected: a second chance.
April 21, 2023
Rising is LIVE!
I'm not the kind of guy that gets attached.
After my parents passed away, I learned nothing is forever.
Not the fame my band is gaining or the girl I might be falling for despite our "no-strings" relationship.
With so many changes in a short amount of time, I find myself spiraling further and further with no end in sight.
Except maybe rock bottom.
Then the unthinkable happens.
Kira gets pregnant and if I don't get my life together, I'm about to lose way more than I ever bargained for.
Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited
Amazon: https://bit.ly/3jWkb4F
Amazon Worldwide: https://mybook.to/ArXA
Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3VLaymA
February 16, 2023
Rising Cover Reveal
Releasing: April 20, 2023
Cover Designer: Emily Wittig Designs
Photographer: Michelle Lancaster
Model: Chad Hurst
I'm not the kind of guy that gets attached.
After my parents passed away, I learned nothing is forever.
Not the fame my band is gaining or the girl I might be falling for despite our "no-strings" relationship.
With so many changes in a short amount of time, I find myself spiraling further and further with no end in sight.
Except maybe rock bottom.
Then the unthinkable happens.
Kira gets pregnant and if I don't get my life together, I'm about to lose way more than I ever bargained for.
Pre-order your copy today!
Amazon: https://bit.ly/3jWkb4F
Amazon Worldwide: https://mybook.to/ArXA
Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3VLaymA
January 26, 2023
Wild is Live!
My newest release (a forbidden rockstar romance; she’s his producer’s daughter) is now live! Read it in Kindle Unlimited or order the paperback!
My band, The Wild, has finally had its big break. It’s what we’ve always wanted-what we have always dreamed of-and nothing will stand in the way of achieving success.
Except maybe me.
As soon as we sign with our new record label, our producer gives us one rule; stay away from his daughter.
I thought it would be easy to resist her, but Mia Hayes is under my skin. She is everything I never knew I wanted or needed.
But falling for Mia might cost us everything we’ve worked so hard for.
Do I sacrifice my band member’s dreams and chase her, or will Mia be the one thing that is more important than any stage I have ever dreamed of?
The post Wild is Live! appeared first on Author Micalea Smeltzer.
November 2, 2022
Micalea Smeltzer has revealed the gorgeous cover for Wild!
Releasing: January 26, 2023
My band, The Wild, has finally had its big break. It's what we've always wanted--what we have always dreamed of--and nothing will stand in the way of achieving success. Except maybe me. As soon as we sign with our new record label, our producer gives us one rule; stay away from his daughter. I thought it would be easy to resist her, but Mia Hayes is under my skin. She is everything I never knew I wanted or needed. But falling for Mia might cost us everything we've worked so hard for. Do I sacrifice my band member's dreams and chase her, or will Mia be the one thing that is more important than any stage I have ever dreamed of?
Pre-order your copy today!
Amazon: https://mybook.to/8EiIkrT
Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3g4sBFh
Wild Cover Reveal
Ahhhh! I’m so excited to bring you the cover reveal for Wild (Book One in The Wild series) I think Emily absolutely nailed the covers for this series!
Coming January 26th!
Cover design: Emily Wittig
Photographer: Michelle Lancaster
My band, The Wild, has finally had its big break. It’s what we’ve always wanted—what we have always dreamed of—and nothing will stand in the way of achieving success.
Except maybe me.
As soon as we sign with our new record label, our producer gives us one rule; stay away from his daughter.
I thought it would be easy to resist her, but Mia Hayes is under my skin. She is everything I never knew I wanted or needed.
But falling for Mia might cost us everything we’ve worked so hard for.
Do I sacrifice my band member’s dreams and chase her, or will Mia be the one thing that is more important than any stage I have ever dreamed of?
Add on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62956398-wild
Preorder the ebook: https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Book-1-Micalea-Smeltzer-ebook/dp/B0BHV5KLQJ
Oooh and I can’t forget the special edition cover! Both will be available in paperback and for preorder very soon!
The post Wild Cover Reveal appeared first on Author Micalea Smeltzer.
October 31, 2022
Book Deal Ahhh!
YOU GUYS. I cannot believe I’m making this post right now. AH. My “secret project” I’ve been working on is Pretty Little Mistake AND it’s been picked up by Montlake! *screaming, crying, throwing up* I have wanted to work with Montlake for literal yearsss and now I have the chance to with not one but at least two books! They’ve acquired the rights to this one and a forthcoming title as well! Ahhhh! I cannot put into words what exactly this means to me. When I think about the fact that only a few years ago I was struggling day to day with my kidney failure, dialysis, and eventual transplant all while feeling like I might never get back on track with my writing but then here we are today with a publishing deal. It’s insane and I owe it all to you guys. Seriously, I can’t thank you guys enough for loving my books, talking about them, and just being such a huge support system. This is as much my accomplishment as it is yours. Thank you for being a part of making my dreams come true. This one is for all of you.
The post Book Deal Ahhh! appeared first on Author Micalea Smeltzer.
January 1, 2022
Happy New Year! Real Players Never Lose Bonus Scene!
Ahhhh we’ve made it to 2022! Here’s a bonus scene from Teddy’s POV. A lot of you wanted to know what happened when he went to see Tristan so here it is! Spoilers (mostly you’ll just be confused, lol) if you haven’t read Real Players Never Lose.
TEDDY POV
“This is it.” I point at the house with a yellow front door.
Fucking yellow.
Like the people who live there are cheery or something and not the complete pathetic fucks they have to be to have tortured Vanessa in the cruel way they did.
When I think about that bastard, how he not only tricked her into thinking he was her boyfriend, but then took her virginity on top of it—I see red. I want to murder him. Slip my hands around his throat and squeeze until his eyes bug out. I won’t go that far. My dad’s money only does me so good and not even he can get me off on murder charges.
But that doesn’t mean I can’t rough him up a bit.
It makes me even more livid that her sister, her fucking sister, put him up to most of it, was the brains behind it. Talk about cruel. I might not have siblings, but I can’t imagine ever wanting to hurt them like that. It screams psychopath.
Mascen parks alongside the curb.
“We’re not killing the guy.” He feels the need to remind me.
I shoot my furrowed brow gaze his way. “Of course not.” I pause, grinning. “Doesn’t mean I’m not going to make him shit his pants though.”
“What’s the game plan?” Jude asks from the back. “Are we roughing him up to? Back up? You’ve been close-mouthed and I need some details.”
I glance at my roommate in the back of the SUV. “Y’all are there as witnesses.”
He pales. “I thought we said no murder and if I witness you kill him then I can’t plead your innocence. I’m not sure you’ve thought this through.”
“You two are there as witnesses,” I repeat, “in case these fuckers try something later.” If they find out my family is rich I don’t put it past the opportunists to ask for hush money. “And to pull me off before I kill the guy,” I admit.
And don’t hit a woman.
I won’t do that. I won’t lay a hand on her. But she’s going to hear some choice fucking words from me.
“If you want to get in your own hit on this fucker, I won’t stop you,” I add.
They know all the gory details on one Tristan Samuels. Normally I wouldn’t spill someone else’s secret to my friends, but in this case, I had to, and they’re equally as horrified.
“Can I get out now?” I mean, I could if I wanted to, but their hesitation is making me hesitate.
Mascen glances in the back at Jude and turns off his car, sliding the keyfob in his pocket. “Let’s get this over with.”
I’m out of the car in less than a second.
Out of my friends, I’m not the hot head. I’m the level headed funny guy who goofs off. I don’t get into needless fights and I never throw punches. That changes now.
Though, I would argue this isn’t needless.
At the time, Vanessa’s self-confidence was shattered and she couldn’t stick up for herself. Then, she’s had to deal with her sister whom obviously she can’t get rid of, and this idiot still being in her life.
Not cool, not cool at all.
I’ve never met these people or her parents, but I already dislike them.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that Vanessa is good people. I can’t stand the thought of anyone treating her badly. She deserves more than that. I mean, after all, she’s helping my sorry ass. If that doesn’t show what a good heart she has then I don’t know what does.
I stride up to the house.
Don’t kill the fucker.
Don’t fucking kill him.
He’s not worth it.
I press my finger angrily into the doorbell before pounding on the door.
It’s after seven in the evening. They might be eating dinner. Or watching a movie.
But I don’t fucking care—just like they didn’t care when they hurt Vanessa.
The door opens. “What the hell? Who are you?” The dude answers.
God, he still looks like the same douchebag he was in his yearbook photo.
“I’m Teddy,” I say, purposely not giving him my last name.
“Okay?” His brows knit together. “I don’t know you. What are you doing here?”
“Babe, who is it?” And then Vanessa’s sister appears behind Tristan. She looks a lot like Vanessa, but there’s a hardness to her, where Van is all soft beauty and stunningly gorgeous. Her sister looks older than she should. Maybe it’s all that hate inside her that’s made her age faster. And then I notice that she’s pregnant. It’s a small bump, but it’s there.
Of course, the two demons procreated to make a spawn.
I don’t know what makes me say it, but the words come out of me on their own accord. “I’m the man who’s going to marry your sister one day, and I’m going to make sure you two pay for what you did to her.” To Tristan I point a finger at him. “Get outside.”
“What?” He laughs incredulously. “Are you serious? I’m not fighting you.”
“Get. Out. Now.”
“I’d listen to him, man,” Jude pipes up in the back.
“You both,” my eyes go to her sister, “are fucking bullies. You tortured your own sister, your flesh and blood,” I admonish, and at least she has the decency to lower her gaze with a tiny bit of shame. “And you,” anger sends spit flying from my mouth as I turn to Tristan, “not only tricked her into dating you and thinking you liked her, you stole her virginity.”
“What?!” Her sister shrieks over my shoulder.
“You get one free hit,” I tell Tristan. “Offer expires in 3, 2—”
Fucker decks me right in the eye. It’s a pussy move, but I’m glad he did it, because it means I’m free to unleash all my anger on him and I do.
For a moment, I feel like my father and that scares the shit out of me.
I don’t want to be him.
I’m not him.
I hit him and hit him and hit him, all the while reminding myself that I might be beating this guy but I’m not my father.
Tristan rolls over, coughing. There’s blood streaked on his teeth, but he’s laughing.
“Is that what she told you?” He laughs and laughs and laughs like a psycho, like this whole thing is so fucking amusing. “I didn’t take anything from her she wasn’t willing to give. The fat bitch wanted it.”
And.
I.
See.
Fucking.
Red.
I lose it. Completely explode.
It takes both Jude and Mascen to pull me off the guy.
“You’re a sick fuck,” Mascen tells him, always wanting the last word. “You too.” He eyes Van’s sister standing on the front porch stoop with her hand to her mouth. “People like you shouldn’t be allowed to procreate. Sick fucks.”
I don’t point out that Mascen’s a sick fuck too. He knows it. But he’s better since Rory came into his life. Or back into his life I should say.
They shove me into the car and pull away fast.
“Dude has to have a couple broken ribs,” Jude says from the back.
“Good.” I rub my split lip. “He should hurt like he hurt her.” I stew in silence. I thought I’d feel better, and I do, a little bit, but not as much as I expected.
It doesn’t matter, though. I did what I set out to do. I defended Vanessa. That’s what she deserves. No one’s ever stood up for her, protected her, but she has me now whether she wants me or not.
“So,” Mascen speaks up after it’s been quiet in the car for a while. I’m surprised he’s the one breaking the silence. You normally can’t get the dude to talk. “You’re pretty into this girl, huh? I mean, to do all that … say you’re going to marry her…” He trails off. “I thought you hadn’t known her long?”
“Shut up,” I growl, looking down at my raw knuckles.
Jude smacks my shoulder from the backseat and I glance at him. “Since we did all this does that mean we’re tied for best man? I’m prepared to start building my case on why I deserve the title.”
I snort, wiping my nose. The blood is beginning to dry. “There’s no competition folks, we all know who the best man will be.” They’re quiet, waiting. I look at them like they’re crazy that they even want an answer. “Cole, duh.”
The post Happy New Year! Real Players Never Lose Bonus Scene! appeared first on Author Micalea Smeltzer.
August 18, 2020
2 Year Transplantaversary
Wow. 2 years. 2 whole years. I’ve had a kidney now for longer than I was on dialysis which I know isn’t true for a lot of people and I’m lucky I waited so little time, but man, in the moment it felt like forever.
I have a lot to say, so I decided a post on here would be easier than anywhere else.
I’ve been very open my entire kidney failure journey, but the past year I’ve stayed relatively silent besides saying, “Yeah, I’m good, kidney’s great” when anyone’s asked. And yes, while the kidney has been doing excellent I … I haven’t been and I hid that a lot.
If you’re new to me and my journey, um hi. *waves awkwardly* I’m Micalea. (Ma-Call-E-Uh) I’ll give a quick recap for anyone new reading this before I dive into the last year.
In May 2017 I walked into the emergency room. I’d been feeling rough for months. My feet were in constant pain (felt like I was walking on needles) I was having trouble getting enough air, my body HURT, I was sleeping all the time, and I was constantly throwing up. I couldn’t keep hardly any food down and I was getting weaker and weaker. I should add, that I’d been to Urgent Care NUMEROUS times before this and finally they were like, “If you still feel and think you’re sick go to the ER. We can’t help you.” (Cue my now horrified expression knowing what comes next)
Instead of getting a basic, easy to fix diagnosis in the ER, I was told my kidneys had failed.
I didn’t even know what that meant then. I was 23 and naive and scared and frankly too sick to even comprehend but I remember distinctly thinking, “OH MY GOD does this mean I have to have a bag collect my pee?! I can’t do this!”
Yeah, honestly that would’ve probably been a piece of cake compared to dialysis, lol.
Over the next year and three months I had to have numerous surgeries and procedures (more than the normal person would have to have with dialysis because my body likes to be a pain in my ass, haha) I started in-center hemodialysis, then moved to training for home hemodialysis, decided that wasn’t for me, then back to in-center I went, before in March 2018 deciding I had to do something different and went with my only other option of home peritoneal dialysis which is a tube in your stomach and you hook up to a machine at night.
But let’s be clear, no form of dialysis is a great substitute for a real working kidney. On hemodialysis I was tired all the time, sluggish, and miserable. On peritoneal dialysis I had a little more energy and I loved having the control of doing my dialysis myself while I slept, but the fluid that was left in my perineum lining (the lining that holds your organs in like your stomach, etc) made me look pregnant and it was just so heavy to carry around all that fluid weight. I was puffier than ever in my face from the dialysis and still wasn’t happy.
The last pic of my “fluid baby” as I called it. I seriously looked like I had a baby bump.If anyone reading this has been on dialysis for years, I commend you. God, big hug for you. I did a year and three months and wanted to throw in the towel. If I hadn’t gotten a kidney when I did I feel it’s safe to say I would’ve refused dialysis soon and been gone 4-6 weeks after stopping. Dialysis is HARD and anyone who thinks it’s not is stupid. Your body isn’t designed for dialysis, it’s designed for working organs. I knew nothing about dialysis/transplant before this and it’s so enlightening. The media (news, television, movies) likes to portray it like it’s so easy. They make you think you need an organ and get one a day later. Oh, boy it’s not like that at all.
Anyway, my aunt, my lovely beautiful selfless aunt, gave me her kidney.
Fuck, I’m going to cry just writing this, haha.
She gave me so much more than her kidney though. She gave me a second chance at life, a life I was questioning if I even wanted to live if all it was going to be was machines and doctor appts.
I can’t believe I’m sharing this picture because I look like absolute trash haha. This was the day my aunt (beside me) and I were released from the hospital. 2 days after surgery. I was supposed to stay longer but was doing so well that I jokingly asked if I could go home and they said yes to my surprise. So yeah, in this pic I’m pumped full of steroids and fluids. I think I gained something like 20 pounds over these two days and freaked out but it’s normal with all the meds and I lost that weight over the next month as my body acclimated. 
I said if I had to go through surgery for a transplant I better get a kidney pillow (some hospitals give organ pillows for transplants) I actually have two–one has the signatures and messages from the nurses and my doctors and I honestly treasure it so much. I also have two pictures of my aunt’s actual kidney inside of me because I asked my surgeon if he’d do that for me. He thought I was joking at first but I was serious and explained that I wanted to see what was saving my life. 
The first year after transplant was filled with lots more doctor appointments (lol), but you have to make sure that kidney is working like it’s supposed to, so things really didn’t settle down until after I passed the first year.
And for me, that’s when the depression hit and it hit HARD. No one warned me that it was normal and expected, though maybe I should’ve been smart enough to anticipate it.
About a month after celebrating the one year mark I spiraled into a really bad depression I’ve never spoken publicly about. I’m a pretty private person, but I was always vocal about what I was going through with my kidney failure/dialysis/transplant because a lot of patients refuse to speak about it and if I could educate people in any way on what it’s really like, I wanted to do that, but when it came to my depression I stayed silent because I was ashamed. I felt like people would judge me because after everything, I finally had a kidney and was healthy so shouldn’t everything be rainbows and sunshine? Why was I sad? Why was I angry?
I want to make it clear I was never not grateful to have a kidney and to be healthy. But I won’t lie and say that there weren’t moments where I questioned whether I was supposed to be living. I don’t want to say I was suicidal, because I didn’t necessarily think about killing myself, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to live either. I felt very lost, very sad, angry, and so confused.
I wish I could say falling to the floor sobbing about how much I hated my body because it gave up on me was my breaking point to try to get better, but it wasn’t.
I felt broken and worthless because my body wasn’t whole. I have a kidney now, and I’m healthy, but this never stops. I have to take pills morning and evening to ensure my body doesn’t reject the organ but getting a transplant isn’t a cure. When you need an organ you have it drilled into your head that transplant is another treatment, not a cure, and you will need another one some day. (But I’ll be damned if I don’t try my absolute hardest to make sure this one lasts forever)
Because of my depression I was incredibly anxious and not myself at all.
I think anyone who knows me personally knows that I’m naturally a go with the flow person. I can be shy but if you know me well I’m a goofball. I’m even tempered. I’ve learned to let things roll off my shoulders. But during those months I was none of that and things kept piling up, the anxiousness, panic, and depression growing worse.
Goofball exhibit A. Aka when you were supposed to go to a 5 Seconds of Summer concert for your transplantaversary and then the whole world got canceled so you improvise and throw your own. Because this is what it means to be an adult.
