M.S. Watson's Blog, page 3

Twenty fifteen: It's here!

Hello everyone! I trust that you all enjoyed the celebration season and are enjoying the time off on the public holiday to put your feet up with those you love and hold dear. Whether you're at home, near or far, I am here to wish you a happy new year!
So, what comes with a New Year? New Year's Resolutions of course!
I want to know what you all are planning to do for your resolutions this year. Mine are:

Meet my dad for the first time.Release a bunch more books.Finish my writing courses.Save for a holiday.Get my first tattoo.Write a diary entry every day.So what are yours? Let me know! This year is going to be a big one as far as my writing is concerned. The Clarity Duology book covers are completely edited on Photoshop so all I have to do now is to purchase the final images on Fotolia and insert them into their places on the PSD formats. I have also completed thirty pages of planning and only planned the first six chapters of the first book - WOW! Hello J.R.R. Tolkien-worthy masses of plans!

In addition, all three books of the Poseidon's Girls trilogy are available from Smashwords and all their premium retailers. I would like to take a moment to say thank you to everyone for their continued support and lovely comments from start to finish. It wouldn't have been completed without you! The writing journey continues with a set of fresh, new characters in my Clarity duology this year so keep an eye out!
Happy new year everyone! I hope that yours are all just as good as the one I had. The perfect ending to a not-so-perfect year. Finally, it is over!

Preorder Tempest Now & My First Vlog!

I have recently made Tempest available for preorder before the actual date - why wait? It is available for preorder for just $1.99 USD from Smashwords, iBookstore, Barnes and Noble Online and other premium distributors. Plus it is available for preview for the first 15% of the book! I can't wait to read what everyone thinks of the conclusion to the Poseidon's Girls trilogy! It releases on the 22nd of December, an ideal gift for anyone who loves Greek mythology and all things young adult and mer-folk!
Also introducing...This is my first vlog, to introduce you all to my youtube channel and let you know about my books, about me as a writer, Christmas in Australia and what I have planned in 2015! Like if you like my video, share and subscribe if you would like to hear more. I am intending on doing more, about my books, writing techniques, genres, studying writing, scholarships, developing writing characters/plots/ideas/etc. I am aiming mostly at those wanting to know more about writing, my books and/or some book reviews here and there. I'm aiming to start vlogging as part of my 2015 new year resolutions and will aim to do a NaNoWriMo vlogging compilation during NaNoWriMo 2015.
Without further ado, I wish you all a lovely afternoon/morning wherever you are in the world and I hope you will enjoy Tempest and my nervous, camera-shy welcome to my youtube channel!

Tis The Season

Tis The Season by missa-watson featuring a pom pom throw blanket

Sequin jumper
$29 - newlook.com

Short sleeve crew neck t shirt
$24 - newlook.com

Red Heart Snowflake Printed Christmas Lined Sweater Leggings
pinkqueen.com

UGG Australia mid-calf boots
$305 - stylebop.com

Cat jewelry
claires.com

ASOS christmas beanie hat
$16 - asos.com

Galaxy smartphone
amazon.com

Opi nail polish
$19 - nelly.com

Pom pom throw blanket
$315 - sweetpeaandwillow.com

Christmas mug
$23 - selfridges.com

I Won NaNoWriMo 2014!

I am soooo excited right now! Why?
I won NaNoWriMo 2014!This is my second year running that I have won NaNoWriMo and I am so happy, not only because I finished another novel in only a month, or the fact that I'm a winner. It's because I just finished Tempest, book #3 of the Poseidon's Girls trilogy!This is going to be a relatively short post, but I am glad that I have just finished the book - and the trilogy - and will serve as my first ever completed trilogy! This is an exciting milestone that has taken me all year to reach, and I can't wait to share Tempest with you all! Tempest will be available for pre-order on the 15th of December and officially be released on the 22nd of December, 2014. I cannot wait! I am so freaking excited and I just thought you should all no. After Tempest is released, that will be the end of the Poseidon's Girls trilogy, but I am considering other options so if you would like to see some spin-offs, short stories, bios, etc just shoot me a message. I would love to provide all of these so I might do it anyway!In the meantime, my next project will be the Clarity Duology in 2015, and while I'm tying up the ends of my writing courses, once my assignments are marked I might even share some with you all. Who knows? Keep an eye out. For now, I am going to shower seeing as I still smell like my workplace, and I am going to either look at images for the next collection of book covers, or go and hibernate for a while. I'm not sure.As for any inactivity I have on my social media outlets, it will be due to me moving out of home for the first time soon. I'm so scared, especially with my anxiety, but I am moving into a share house so I should be okay. It gives me a reason to go to the pound and get a pet kitten!On that note, goodnight all and happy end of NaNoWriMo!

My NaNoWriMo Journey 2014 & Clarity Duology News!

So it's that fabulous month of November when it gets freezing cold up in the northern hemisphere but down south here in the outback about the coldest you'll get is in front of an air conditioner set to eighteen degrees Celsius considering we're heading into summer. And with it reaching 44 degrees Celsius outside most days recently (which I believe Google says to be about 111.2 in Fahrenheit), I do believe I will melt during summer seeing as we're still in freaking spring!
Any who, recently over the past couple of days I have been a bit both lazy and distracted, gallivanting between seeing family and friends, deciding what I want to do with myself in the new year, the possibility of moving/new jobs and all those other wonderful things that life enjoys tossing in the way. (Although I LOVED Mockingjay at the movies at 9 PM last night. Seriously, go see it!)

What was I saying again...? Oh, right. NaNoWriMo!
The NaNoWriMo Journey, M.S. Watson Style!This is the year of NaNoWriMo 2014 and it's almost coming to a close with just a few days left on the calendar. But for thousands of people internationally we're racing with our fingertips to get those extra words down, and I just wanted to take a chance, a break from my busy schedule, to inform all you lovely readers on what NaNoWriMo is, how to participate and how I go about it. For those of you who don't know, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month and allows people the opportunity to come together to write a 50k word novel in the month of November annually. To become a winner, you must complete 50k words and present them in the check section of the NaNoWriMo website and then you'll be offered sponsor prizes so to speak. Some in 2013 included 50% off of Scrivener software, free eBooks and free CreateSpace copies of your novels.As a winner in 2013, I am trying to have a second consecutive win in 2014 and it's proving a lot more difficult with all of these distractions. But now that I'm home, here's my basic schedule that I try to stick with every day:Wake up early. I try and wake up each morning at around 8 AM but I am more of a night writer - as proven by the fact it's currently 12:25 AM on a Saturday morning - but I still try to wake up early if possible so I am able to wash away my sleepiness with a cool shower and have that early morning buzz. Follow it up with a Chai latte and I am set!Find a place to be alone. No distractions. I try to accomplish this each day but most days it doesn't happen and I have to force myself to work through the distractions. It's not ideal, so I rejoice whenever everyone leaves the house and I can have it all to myself! I also enjoy lighting some candles or incense, relaxing music and open the windows and curtains for some bright light, positivity and fresh air.Write when you don't even want to. Most of the time I don't really agree with this because it's quite annoying, frustrating, can cause writer's block - for me, at least - and it causes disinterest in what you're writing. However, if you're in a rut, it's best to do this and then go back later to fix it to your liking.Decide whether or not you want to skip a few chapters, or write consecutively. It's pretty self explanatory, but personally I usually choose the latter. I find that my writing consistently deviates from the plans that I write in my notebooks and I not only dislike that, but I also have to rewrite my plan, and leaves me with chapters that don't connect well. Plus I don't like tossing chapters to the side. If I write, I intend on using most or all of the words I write.Don't overdo it. Sleep when you feel the need, even if it's just before midnight and it leaves you cringing to leave that last lot of 1000 words unwritten. What's the point of writing if you're too tired to concentrate and end up writing something crappy? No, waste of time. Sleep, rest, drink plenty of water to keep hydrated and try to keep the caffeine as low key as possible. After all, the last thing you want is to have your words done in time and be in bed, only to find you've overdone it and you're bouncing off of the walls.That's about it, everyone. I can't wait to have my book Tempest complete and out in early December. I am currently writing it for NaNoWriMo, and following Tempest and its release I will be completing my studies in Romance and Creative Writing, and then taking a break from writing for about a month before focusing on my Clarity Duology in early 2015. Now before my wi-fi goes running off on me beyond my control, I would like to end on the note that I am pleased to announce I am currently working on finding the perfect covers for the Clarity Duology and hope to have something to show you all in a few blogs' time.Good morning or night, whichever part of the world you come from. I hope to talk to you all again soon!- M.S. Watson

Announcement: Progress Of Tempest, Pre-release & Frost Update

Currently working on Tempest! Over
half way through!So for those of you eagerly writing away for NaNoWriMo or just sitting back wondering in awe how people do it, you would know that it is up to day 21 and the aim is to be up to 35k words by midnight tonight. So for those of you who are eagerly awaiting the release of Tempest I have some exciting news - as far as exciting by my standards.
I am currently just shy of 30k words which I am confident that I will be able to have caught up on today, especially with the chapter I just wrote. I was so enthralled by writing it, I could feel the direct emotions of the character as I wrote about Iris and her experience, delving into something she never thought possible in her life. It's very satisfying, not only for her and her future, but also for myself.
I felt every heart beat, every pump of adrenaline through her veins - and no, it's anything but a love scene! Or maybe it is a love scene of sorts, rekindling her love of something stolen away from her by force... By any means, it is not a sexual scene in any way, shape or form.
We see the introduction of someone that no one ever considered crossing paths with the twin girls - not even I imagined this happening, until it did happen - and I feel as though I am so in tune with my Poseidon's Girls by now that I'm becoming rather attached to them. That was certainly something I never considered coming, either!

Last year's novel was Illusion,
available from Amazon.I feel as though of all three books, this will be the one everyone will remember. It is heart-wrenching and full of power, greed, love and loyalty. If anyone hated the lack of action as far as fighting and magic and fear goes in the previous two books, you should love this one for sure! I am absolutely enjoying and shocked by the shock I feel when my characters are shocked! This just never happens for me - and now that it has, it's awesome!
Drum roll please! Currently 58% through Tempest!Now that I'm well on the way to having Tempest complete, I am feeling quite determined to finish the book and have it to you all ASAP. Because of this, that is why I am setting the pre-release for December 15, 2014 as this is the final day that Smashwords premium distributors will be processing newly published eBooks before the New Year. As a result, the pre-release is set for December 15 and will be available for download approximately December 19 to allow for Christmas gift purchases.Cost: $1.99 USD
Another Christmas Surprise!In terms of Christmas tradition, I will be also creating an eBox edition of all three books in the Poseidon's Girls trilogy and will be available for pre-release on December 15 and for download on December 20, 2014 and allows all three books to be downloaded in one place for a discounted price. I may even throw in a special treat... I'm not sure... *Wink, wink.* Full version available at Smashwords
for 0.99 USD.Cost: To be revealed.
Update on FrostAllow me to first acknowledge everyone who has downloaded and/or purchased Frost or any of my books. I am so incredibly humbled by you all for supporting me and sharing your thoughts with me. Unfortunately, Frost still isn't available in full on Smashwords premium retailers due to formatting troubles that I am having so much difficulty in trying to solve! I'm considering just pulling it off the market and then republishing under a completely new MS file! I might even do that, you know!Considerations aside, apologise profusely to anyone who has bought or downloaded the incomplete version and I will be happy to provide a free code to download the full version on Smashwords if you contact me @MissaBooks with proof of purchase. I am so sad and angry that this is still happening!

Another general update! (And a FREE online copy of Orenda Magazine!)

Hello everyone! Okay so it is 2:48 AM here and I am thinking of going to bed, but then I thought, 'Hey, I really need to update my blog!'
Firstly, I would like to say that I am still having difficulties with Frost and publishing and formatting and all that lovely stuff, so until I have it worked out if you have bought a copy of Frost from any of Smashwords' Premium Retailers, please private message me on twitter @MissaBooks with a screen shot of your purchase. Smashwords has the updated full version. If you have bought the book elsewhere - anywhere except for Smashwords - I urge you to contact me with a screenshot of your purchase and I will send you a code for Smashwords that will enable you to download all available variations - e.g. ePub, PDF, etc. - on any device for free.
I apologise for this inconvenience! I really hate that it's doing this but it is something I will definitely make sure won't happen in future! Even if I have to extend the pre-release, I will.
Hopefully it will get fixed in the next 24 hours - I'm hoping for at least - and it will be updated on the premium sites within their usual time frame of updating works. The only other option I can think of is to unpublish it temporarily and make it available once I figure this glitch out. I really hope it doesn't come to that!
In other news - writing and non - I have been working on my NaNoWriMo book which conveniently works out to be Tempest, #3 of the Poseidon's Girls trilogy! And boy, is it passionate! If anyone thought that Ice was a bit lacklustre in a few places, this - I hope - will certainly blow the previous two books right out of the water!
I am also aiming for a deadline of December sometime for the release of Tempest, but we'll just see. I don't want to give out too much information and spoil it for you all! Let's just say I really enjoyed writing a few chapters in particular ... *Wink, wink...*
In addition, I'm back to being a little bit behind but after finishing probably my favourite chapter just now of the entire trilogy as far, I am in a bubbly mood!
I am currently also undergoing a search for the covers of my Clarity duology, which is proving a lot more difficult because I'm trying to find something that not only fits with the feel, characters, plot and setting, but I also want to step it up another level from the book covers of Glass Bones and the Poseidon's Girls trilogy. I'm excited though and I know I will find the perfect covers somewhere. I'm stepping up my online creativity skills too through practicing Photoshop tutorials with my copy of Photoshop 7. Even though the tutorials are obviously for the latest versions of the software, I am quite broke so I can't afford the upgrade, but even so PS 7 is still pretty good quality! I can do most of the stuff in the tutorials and make my own little tweaks where there are tools missing. I'm beginning to quite enjoy it and I even have a white frame in my room with a Sex In The City inspired modern artwork inside that I made on my own on PS 7!
In non-writing news, I have been truly enjoying reading Divergent and am glad I bought the box set - it's addictive! It's so fast paced and strong and emotional and all the things that make a great set of characters! I love the plot but I especially love the language used! I can't wait to finish reading the first one simply to go onto the next one!
I've never been one to go all 'fan girly' over a book character or even a celebrity for that matter. So it definitely surprised me when I started to absolutely swoon over the relationship between Tris and Four. I love this trilogy!
Oh! Oh! Oh!
Did I tell you guys??! (I probably did!)
I am a contributor writer to Orenda Magazine, a project edited, designed and created by a friend a met a few years back. She's incredibly talented and her graphic design work is amazing so anyone needing a designer, hit her up! We've got a Facebook at link, We're on the way to vamping out our website which will be at Orenda Website. I've been informed that it will be available soon but you can sign up at the website still for updates on it and to know when it is aired.
You can download Orenda Volume 1 at this link! Orenda is set for release in January 2015 and I have it on good authority that it will be available quarterly. Go download it, support not only me but a good friend of mine and the growth of this wonderful magazine.

Definition of Orenda Orenda: The invocation of the power of human will to change the world around us. (From the Huron language.)

It is now 3:33 AM...

Currently Reading: Divergent

Currently Reading: Divergent by missa-watson featuring summer scarves

Monochrome dress
$1,520 - thenandnowshop.com

Sole Society black boots
solesociety.com

Purple necklace
etsy.com

Canvas summer scarve
burkedecor.com

Essie nail polish
6pm.com

Frost Premium Retailer Hiccups, Writing & Study!

Please Note!For those who have bought Frost on iBookstore, Barnes and Noble Online, Sony, and other premium retailers of Smashwords there are issues with the copy you are receiving. This is due to the newest version - complete with the final nine-ten chapters of the book - not making its way through the premium service. It needs reformatting which I am currently working on, so please bear with me. If you have already bought it at one of these retailers and have the version that states More coming soon on the final page, please update the book when I finally have it correctly formatted and state as much on my blog. Please watch this space for more information as it becomes available. I feel utterly horrible for this happening! For everyone else, Smashwords does have the updated version including all chapters.
In addition, I have been writing Tempest for NaNoWriMo and I am pleased to announce that it is ahead of schedule by a whole day. I am excited to work on it some more, but for the rest of today I am working on trying to make Frost - the whole thing - available on the premium retailers.
I am also planning on studying furiously in between the release of Tempest in December 2014 and the Clarity Duology 2015.
Also, something to add to your calendars: January 2015 marks the first edition of Orenda Magazine release and I will be a contributing writer. At the moment my mind is swamping me with ideas to write about, but as to what I will actually write I have no idea. Until there is enough readership it will be available online only as it is too expensive to print as of yet but everything in due time. I am so excited!

Celebrating 4,200 Views: An Insider's Look To Tempest

I've recently not been celebrating milestones, but I've decided that I really want to thank my viewers - new and old - for your continued support. With over 11,300+ downloads of my books on the iBookstore this year alone and in over 8 countries (that I've counted - there are more!) I would like to give you all a small insider's look on Tempest, some things to expect, the planned dates for pre-order and release and what is to be expected following the conclusion of the Poseidon's Girls trilogy.
What we can expect to see:Of all the books in the Poseidon's Girls trilogy, I am super excited to work on Tempest because it just takes the whole trilogy a notch higher on the scale. We can expect to see Starden a lot more, and Cronus hasn't vanished completely. There's a major clue in the blurb to Frost as to a large portion of the drama we see in Tempest, and we see the introduction of a new, interesting person who will hopefully place an interesting spin on things.There's a lot of loss in the final instalment of the trilogy, I will warn you. We will see the loss of some favourites along the way, but I hope that the story ties up any loose ends that may have been started in Ice and Frost! I fear I may even cry, this is both awesome and horrible for me to write, both in a blog post and in the book! A lot of people will either love or hate it, or both. I'll probably get horrible comments for making my readers feel temporarily horrible, but I hope that for the sake of the novel that you'll all forgive me for the heartbreaking decisions that I've decided to implement in Tempest. (I really hope!)
When can we expect Tempest?Due to the fact that I am writing Tempest as my NaNoWriMo novel, I'm aiming for a pre-order date of December 15 and a release date of December 24, for all those fans who are thinking of Christmas gifting the book to friends and family, for themselves or are hinting to friends and family that they really want it. (Hint, hint ...)
How much will Tempest be?The paperbacks of the Poseidon's Girls trilogy in full won't be available until sometime in 2015, so I don't have a price for those as of yet, but the eBook on Smashwords and their premium distributors will be available for $1.99 USD.
What's after Poseidon's Girls?At the conclusion of Poseidon's Girls I will be focusing on completing my writing courses in Creative Writing and Romance Writing, sending them off and working on the Clarity duology. At first, I really wanted to write the Clarity duology as a stand-alone novel like Glass Bones, but after discovering Jessica Shirvington's duology Disruption and Corruption, I decided that the Clarity books should be a duology. There's too much to squeeze into a stand-alone, and I'm sick to death of trilogies! There wouldn't be enough for a series and therefore, I decided to stick with a duology. Originally I named the stand-alone The Clarity Star, but for the sake of a duology that just wasn't an option. I sat down for hours, trying to think of names that would fit for a duology - for my duology - and I finally decided on Of Shadows and Of Light!Of Shadows and Of Light is a sci-fi duology; I've never written a book based out of space or with a spaceship. So not only will this be a new experience, but it will add a new dimension to the areas I write. So far I have wrote and published a stand-alone vampire novel and a Greek mythology-based trilogy. So it is a time of change for me!The Clarity duology is due for release early 2015.