S.E. Myers's Blog, page 2
June 5, 2014
Why….
I have been a terrible writer. I haven’t been writing. Friday, my sister-in-law is going to take the kids so that I have all day to concentrate on working on my next book. The one problem is, I am not sure which book I will be writing. I need to complete #2 of the Revelation series. Ryleigh needs to continue her adventure, but this other book has been pulling me.
I have to admit that the bad reviews have gotten me down. I have felt like a failure. But, everyone has their own opinion and if they can’t see that the language written is age appropriate then they are blind.
I have been downloading a lot of free books lately. I haven’t really read them – I’ve just skimmed them. I’ve been looking for inspiration and I haven’t found any. I am hungry and I can’t find anything to satiate me.
April 2, 2014
Author Spotlight – Kymber Lee
Today I have the pleasure of spotlighting fellow author and MKSP’er Kymber Lee, author of “Lord Tristan’s True Love.”
Did you know that the society of Regency England forced members of the ton to marry should they been seen in public together? The unescorted young lady’s reputation would be quite ruined otherwise.
This book is one such story and tells of Miss Caroline Denise Whittingham’s misadventures in trying to get her betrothed to ‘cry off’. Unfortunately, one of her scheme’s has her thrown out of the realm of society and her betrothed, Lord Tristan Darlington, refuses to end the engagement until she finds her way back into their good graces. Of a certainty the odds of regaining favor with the peerage are slim, in 1820 London, but Lord Darlington is a great friend of the Countess Lieven and enlists her aid.
Caroline finds him to be a pompous, stuffy lord who is puffed up with himself and his reputation; not caring a whit for her. In her efforts to expel Lord Darlington, she is deliberately rude to him in public and pretends that she is afraid he will hurt her. These escapades force him to show his nastier side to the peerage that he so desperately wants to impress.
On the day that their engagement is announced in the London Times, there is to be a grand ball. Caroline presents herself in a most inappropriate gown and causes everyone in the room to turn their backs to her. Lord Darlington merely comes to her side and forces her to dance the waltz with him acting for all the world as if nothing is amiss. Once the dance is over, he leads her into the gardens to show her how women are treated who behave so outrageously.
The tearful pleadings to her strict parents all prove to be in vain. Miss Whittingham cannot seem to win in this matter of the heart, for her father is certain that she should wed to save the family from disgrace. Her temper tantrums and quick wit keep the story moving swiftly, carrying the reader from page to page like rapids in a river.
The sparring between Miss Whittingham and Lord Darlington cause many a raised eyebrow in society, which makes the book amusing and charming to read. It is my sincere desire that you will find this book energetic as well as entertaining for it has been a pleasure to write.
Her most recent novel, “Lord Tristan’s True Love,” has 16 reviews at 3.9 stars. It has received several amazing reviews including the following:
By Cindy Smith
Lord Tristan’s True Love was artfully written, in typical true romance style, with the main character “Caroline” being your headstrong, naive, inexperienced love interest of the callous “Lord Tristan” who was typically arrogant, aloof, separate… yet deeply in love from first sight with the wilful Miss Caroline Whittingham. The book was a joy to read, yet it left me wanting more! More descriptive details of the surroundings, the clothing, the carriages… everything! Being such a period piece, I truly wanted to be drawn in by the details of the era, which were a little sparse. Having said that, I would definitely recommend Lord Tristan’s True Love for a quick weekend read and will be keeping an eye out for more from this author. Well done Miz Kymber Lee!
She is a Christian historical romance novelist. Her first published novel, Treasured Love, is available in audio or paperback. Lord Tristan’s True Love, is now available on Kindle and will be offered in paperback in 2014. Both of these novels are set in Regency England (1811-1819). Lee also has mystery/conspiracy novels in the What She Knew trilogy by K R Hughes and T L Burns. Marilyn Monroe is saved and it’s a race against time to see if “What She Knew” can save JFK from that fateful bullet. The first two books are available on Kindle, ‘Fateful Night’ and ‘Darkest Day’. Lee has a story in the Holiday Keepsakes Collection from Master Koda Publishing for 2013. Lee is a native Texan. She enjoys mentoring beginning writers to editing advanced writing. She has an English degree with a minor in Journalism from West Texas University. Lee currently lives in Atlanta, GA and owns a production company with her co-author, T L Burns. They are currently working on book three in the What She Knew trilogy due out late summer 2014.
Her books are available below:
Lord Tristan’s True Love: http://dld.bz/dm29j
Treasured Love: http://dld.bz/dm295
Holiday Keepsakes: http://dld.bz/dm2CP
Fateful Night: smarturl.it/FatefulNight
Darkest Day: smarturl.it/DarkestDay
Don’t forget to make contact with her!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kymber-Lee-author/118561904820719
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KymberLeeAuthor
Website: www.kandtproductions.com
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/whatsheknew/boards/
Blog: http://krhughestlburns.wordpress.com/
February 25, 2014
Trying to get back in the swing…
Trying to get back into the swing of things is a lot harder to do than to say you are doing. I have had some personal changes in my life happen recently.
I married the love of my life on January 3rd. This included the integration and blending of our families. He has 4 children and I have 3 (only 1 at home). The house is rambunctious, fun, crazy, and it feels like home. It’s hard to explain but after being single since 2005 and not dating anyone because I wanted to concentrate on my children, I was taken by surprise when Scot entered my life.
The unfortunte incident is that I lost my oldest daughter during this transition. Not lost in the sense of death, but lost in the sense that I had to ask her to move out because she was disrupting life. I gave her 30 days to move and had to stick to it. I wouldn’t have, but she was posting nasty things about me on her tumblr page and it was just too hurtful to live with someone who didn’t appreiate the things that I was doing for her and her fiance’, and my grandson. What is more hurtful is that she is now using him against me. She is not letting me see him although I was there from the moment she found out she was pregnant through delivery and 6 months into his life. I can’t even think about it – it cuts too deep.
Other than that, I am back to writing again. Scot pushes me everyday. I now have a tablet with a bluetooth keyboard to help me during times at work there is a lull and my brain begins to fire off. I’m excited about my future and what is to come. I am happy that I have a family that loves me. I love them dearly. I love all of my children.
I have to just keep pushing along knowing that my Heavenly Father will guide and direct me and i have the love of my family to guide me.
November 29, 2013
Facebook event – Black Friday / Cyber Monday Book – Grand Prize: Kindle Fire HD – November 29 – December 2, 2013
Master Koda Black Friday/Cyber Monday Bash
Friday, November 29 – December 2, 2013
List of authors you’ll meet during the 4 day event:
PST
FRIDAY 11/29/13:
10am-noon: Adam Gaffen and Laurie E. Boris
noon-2pm: Linda Bolton and Kim Kim Mutch Emerson
2pm-4pm: Brenda Perlin, Jane Carroll and G Mitchell Baker
4pm-6pm: Tammy Novak and Jerrid Edgington
6pm-8pm: Jacqueline Cross and Lisa Day
SATURDAY 11/30/13
11am-1pm: Sherrill Willis and Sarah L. Wallace
1pm- 3pm: Tamy Burns and Stephanie Brown Myers
3pm-5pm: Douglas Davis and Tellulah Darling
5pm – 7pm: Allison M. Cosgrove and Laci Paige
MONDAY 12/2/13:
8am-10am: Barbara Robinson and Martin Crosbie
10am-noon: Greta Burroughs and Vickie Johnstone
noon-2pm: Jennifer Loiske and Doug Simpson
2pm-4pm: Kim Emerson and Arlene R. O’Neil
4pm-6pm: Lynne Cantwell and Kimberly R Hughes
6pm-8pm: J Kelly Accinni and DeEtte Beckstead
November 26, 2013
Broken
I am broken.
I’ve never felt so low in my life. It seems that each degree or turn I make another domino falls in my path and trips me. It isn’t fair, is it? I know life isn’t meant to be easy, but I am trying to make my life better and I am trying to be happy… for once.
It’s as if my skin has been ripped off and all my muscle is exposed.
I need noise to compensate. Noise makes it impossible for the thoughts pushed back into my head to rush forward and bleed through my eyes and nose. The stress has been a lot to bear and I have been lucky this time around to have a wonderful companion to share it with. But I am always afraid it is too much.
This year has been hard. Too many things have transpired and it seems that the adversary has his hands in everything that is thrown into my face. I’d like to squash him like a bug. Scot’s favorite saying definitely applies here.
I harbor the pain in my chest. I keep it locked tight. Except… the quiet moments are a lock pick and the pain starts to seep through. I have to find more things to keep me occupied to exhaustion.
I’m afraid I would shatter if it happened otherwise.
November 7, 2013
There’s a lot of dust…
It’s been a while since I have written anything in this blog. But, I have my excuses – my reasons. Life has interrupted life. This has been a crazy year and it isn’t even over yet.
I haven’t made too much more progress on “Dark Inhibition,” but I will be…soon. Want my explanation? Well, here it is:
After I graduated school, I had BIG plans. I was going to finish my second novel and have my third published before the end of the year. I was going to start school again in October to continue on for my bachelor’s degree.. oh there were SO many things I was going to do and accomplish.
And then… May 5th, I was involved in a car accident. I am not sure if I blogged about it or not, but, it totaled my car. The plus side, I now have an awesome crossover. It is a Dodge Journey. I love it. I miss my Chevy Cavalier, but this is the car I need. My son, Gavin, came to visit in June for a few days, I missed him terribly and just having him back in my life and around was enough to make my year. On June 17th, my amazing grandson, Marshall Allen White, was born. He was 7 lbs. 2 oz. and 21 inches long. He came out with a head full of hair and it was the most amazing thing I have ever witnessed. I haven’t been on that side of things before. My daughter, Illeana, did such an amazing job.
Shortly after Marshall’s birth, my almost son-in-law lost his job. This has made a huge impact financially as he was the one helping with my car payment.
The most amazing thing that has happened to me is Scot. I never in a million years thought I would find the kind of love I saw in the movies. The kind of love that kisses you breathless and makes you weak in the knees. The kind of love that crashes over you like the waves of the ocean. I mean.. he kisses me quiet. Do you know how hard it is to shut me up?
Yes.
This has happened to me.
When someone says they have never “felt” a way before, I can empathize. I’ve never felt this before. I don’t think I’ve experienced true love in my lifetime. Not even with my ex-husband. Maybe it was lust or infatuation, but it wasn’t this. I am actually happy. Happy. I never knew what it was like to have someone care about me and my feelings. Usually, relationships begin to show the ugly dark side after about a month or so… there isn’t an ugly dark side. I think that is because we have been completely honest with each other. I haven’t held anything back.
I am actually amazed that he even wants to be with me, as broken as I am. I’d been getting sick a lot and finally went to the doctor. Turns out I am now diabetic. It’s not fun. I get to jab and poke myself more times a day than I care to count. I have to inject insulin – it is a drag. My doctor says my pancreas is still producing insulin so I am a Type 2 diabetic. I’ve modified what I have been eating and how I’ve been eating. Which leads me to another issue this year – my vision.
I couldn’t see once my sugars came down. I tested at 450 when I had my blood drawn and was diagnosed. Within a week I had them in normal range but my eyes were still adjusting. I had my new Rx for only when I was diagnosed. Needless to say, I had to have a redo…not just on one pair of glasses but TWO! I am waiting for the second pair to come back.
It certainly feels as if life has thrown me for a loop this time around. There are other family things happening. My grandmother is ill and doesn’t have long left on this earth. I am sad about it, watching her mind deteriorate, but there are moments of clarity and she knows that I love her. That makes me smile and sad at the same time. I will miss her but I know that I will see her again.
I do have a deadline for Dark Inhibition… December 15th. That is when the rough draft is due to my publisher. So kiddos, get excited. I can see, I can type, and I can think. Ryleigh is coming and she is like vengeance on the wind.
June 22, 2013
Some ways I do NOT want to leave this earth…
I am not sure why I thought about this, however, here are my top 5 ways that I do not want to die:
#1 – Burning to death — Honestly, I think this one is my biggest fears. Although I know that the smoke gets you first, what if someone has a hit on me and pours gasoline over my head and sets me on fire. Or, what if the Salem Witch trials come back and I am burned at the stake? I’ve read that your nerve endings die off and it only hurts for a little while, but I can’t even imagine what it feels like to have every inch of your body covered in flames charring your flesh. This is definitely my number one.
#2 – Drowning — After watching, “The Abyss”, I had a deep fear of drowning. Now, I know I would never put myself in a situation where I am living on the bottom of the ocean discovering aliens, however, when Ed Harris described how drowning feels, I knew then I wouldn’t want it. Your lungs burn yearning for oxygen and your brain tells you to take a breath…. You do and inhale water, your body can’t process it and you react trying to inhale more to get oxygen then you are gone. I don’t want to have to die thinking about not breathing, facing the inevitable, feeling my body react to no oxygen. Helpless.
#3 – Suffocation or Asphyxiation – This is almost the same as #2 without water. If I am being choked to death, my oxygen is cut off immediately, wind pipe crushed, or blocked depending on the situation. At least I pass out before I die. I am sure that the pounding of blood rushing in would bother me, or I would concentrate on it and just let myself go.
#4 – Being blown up — While I know that it would be immediate death, this is just gross.
#5 – Stabbed or shot to death — Can we say painful? Unless I am on some heavy narcotics or sedatives, I do not ever want to experience being stabbed or shot. Having my throat slit, or my heart stabbed, or being shot in my liver…. No thanks. No way. I’d rather be blown up than murdered this way.
May 13, 2013
It is my pleasure to introduce…
Arlene O’Neil! She is a fellow indie author and MSKP’er. Her book Broken Spokes has a 4.9 star rating on Amazon.com and is hailed as being “…an incredible story.”
Please, sit back, relax, and welcome Arlene today!
Thank you SO much for stopping by Arlene! Please, describe yourself in one word. Kind.
If you could have any super power, what super power would it be?
The ability to heal animals would make me feel complete. I am such an animal lover that it kills me to see something in pain. I am the one who patrols for frogs instead of running them over with the mower, who would hit a pole to avoid a cat, and the one who rescues Luna moths from drive – through windows. I’ll twist an ankle to avoid the cricket, stop traffic to pick up a turtle, and slam on the brakes to avoid a squirrel. Children have many organizations to fight for them. Animals have few.
What compelled you to write this book?
I never felt as though I “fit” in life. That I was different – someone I should not have been. I began to write “Broken Spokes” as a way of discarding negative childhood messages that told me what I could not do instead of what I could. Hampered by a childhood injury, I was over protected. Although well-meaning at the time and with the best of intentions, these messages caused me to become someone I would not have been had the accident not occurred. I know that is a double negative, but it is the only way to explain myself.
What do you do to keep yourself going when you aren’t motivated?
If I go back and read articles I’ve written previously, that will usually inspire me and help me out of a slump. Something else that helps are comments from readers. People don’t truly understand that remarks and reviews are a writer’s most motivational tool.
Which comes first the chicken or the egg… I mean the plot or the characters?
I start with a thought, add a plot, and the characters join in by themselves.
How do you create your characters? Do you When do you use character biographies, sketches, or do your characters just land on the page?
As my characters are real, they need little work. Oh, I may embellish some, or detract from them, but anyone who knows me will know my characters to be fairly true to form.
How old were you when you finished your first book?
I was somewhere in my 50’s. I’ll just leave it at that, which proves you are never too old to begin. As my late husband used to say, “Begin…the rest is easy.”
How long did it take you to write it?
My book took a total of three years to complete. I had finished writing it when one of my main characters died suddenly and I had to rewrite the ending. It took over six months to be able to emotionally change the end.
If you could do everything over (writing your book, or publishing, etc.) would you change anything?
I would devote more time to the end of my book. When I read it now, I feel I rushed the last few chapters. There are gaps in time that I should fill in and things I forgot completely. I am happy with the book as it stands, but did miss a few key events that should have been included.
Thank you, Arlene, for being such an awesome guest! I had a great tim and I am so glad that you were able to join me today!
Biography of Arlene R. O’Neil
“Writing is what lights me up,” states Arlene R. O’Neil. “Being a visual writer, I love seeing my work come to life: to take the reader with me on a journey word by word: to touch a reader whether through laughter or tears.” Her current book, “Broken Spokes,” refers to broken bones, broken bike, and broken spirit. It speaks to the reader of determination, of survival, of inspiration.
Born and raised in Connecticut, Mrs. O’Neil moved to South Carolina to work on her second novel, which will relate the roller coaster life of being the parent of a Soldier on active duty. O’Neil says, “My son, SGT Tanner O’Neil, is a member of the United States Army and the joy, pride, and love of my life. After five tours of duty to active war zones, I feel the need to share my experience with other parents in hope of lessening their fears.” SGT O’Neil recently returned from his 5th combat tour.
Currently Arlene lives with her two Labradors, Holly and Bruno, and her adorable pet goats, Paxton, JaeJay, Rupert, Patches, and Frosty. “These amazing characters have helped me through some incredibly difficult times and I love them dearly.”
Aside from writing, supporting her son while deployed, and caring for her animals, Arlene lives on 3 ½ acres of land that her and her beloved animals enjoy.
An author, editor and proofreader, Arlene R. O’Neil may be contacted at arleneoneil@aol.com
Broken Spokes on Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Broken-Spokes-ebook/dp/B00507FRGU/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&qid=1315320072&sr=1-1
Broken Spokes on Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Broken-Spokes-Arlene-R-ONeil/dp/1897512163/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1354381348&sr=1-1&keywords=Broken+Spokes
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Arlene-R-Gallo-ONeil/271244249572408
April 16, 2013
Mobile blogging and other stuff
I have not posted anything in such a long time. Life has kept me rather busy.
In the meantime, I am being hosted in numerous blogs because Dark Revelation is in sale for.99!
I will share these blogs a bit later on this evening since mobile blogging is pretty limited.
I’m done with school for now. I have to take a break and concentrate on my wip. But I’m going to be a Grandma also and Marshall will be here soon.
Until later!
March 5, 2013
Not enough time…
Because I still work a real job, I seem to not have enough time. This happened January 7th when my shift at worked changed from Monday through Friday, to some odd askew days and hours.
A large chunk of my life has changed. A large chunk of my day has disappeared. I miss my kids and my life.
Look at the last time I had a blog post… When was that? A few months ago? I’m practically sneezing throughout this post with the dust and cobwebs flitting around my shoulders. My brain is crying out for creativity. I feel as if I’ve been locked in an iron maide with the spikes pressing into my flesh forbidding me to do anything I enjoy. And yet… A dear friend of mine told me of he doubts recently. He was thinking about moving to the East Coast but wasn’t sure it was the right idea. He is young and he has so much life ahead of him.
I told him to go for it. What does he have to lose? He is young and full of life and ambition. I told him that he only lives once and he should make every single moment count. And then I realized that is the advice I should be giving myself.
I need to find a way to give myself more time to finish this next book and get it out there.
I had a major let down today though. I think it set me back a few more paces than I wanted it to. It put me in this funk and I need some deoderant to render it gone. I need adventure. I need excitement. I need more of the life that I want to live than what I have been living.
But then, that’s what my stories are aren’t they? The adventure I want to live? Maybe?
I hope this finds you well. I keep you in my thoughts and prayers.
