Max Ellendale's Blog, page 5

February 2014

 

Ahh February. The month that means it’s almost spring for us desperately cold Northeastern folks. It’s also my birthday month (and Shawnee’s)! This month opens with some great news. The Manhattanville Review accepted a short-story of mine called, The List. I’ll post links when it goes live. Later this month, I will host my very own editor, D.F. Krieger,  on my blog for a short spot and promo! I’m happy to have Deadra stop by!

Cover art for Witch Way arrived to me yesterday! It’s amazing! Victoria Miller is a wonderful cover artist and really brought Jessie’s story to life in this cover. I’ll post the cover reveal on the 24th.

Last month I adjudicated a Scholastic Writing Awards event here in New York. Young people are such brave writers. It’s my hope that I’ll have the opportunity to teach a few classes for young writers in the upcoming months!

Birthrite received a “Best of Paranormal 2013″ nomination from my publisher! Voting began yesterday and will end on February 7th! If you’ve read Birthrite and enjoyed it, please stop by the Breathless Blog and vote, vote, vote! Thank you to those who already voted! I truly appreciate the support!

Busy times ahead for this writer! Change is in the air and I’m embracing every breeze, light or gusty. My gratitude to my supporters and fans gives me the freedom to keep writing and creating.

Enjoy February! Happy Valentines day!

Cheers,

Max

January 2014

January brings some news and updates! I’m happy to announce that my Young Adult fantasy is now signed with Lycaon Press! I’m looking forward to working with my editor over the next few months to shine and polish this piece! One of the more exciting bits of information about the YA is that it was my MFA thesis project. I’m so happy that it’s complete and soon to be in print! (I’ve totally abusing exclamation points tonight!)

In other news, I’ve been invited to judge a Scholastic Writing Awards event here in New York. I have to admit, I’m a bit nervous about it but I’m looking forward to working with young writers! I cannot wait to read their sci-fi/fantasy stories!

I’m still working on setting up some book signings for Glyph and Birthrite! The holiday season slowed the process quite a bit! We’re all getting back on track now though. Book 3 in the Legacy Series is nearing the half-way mark. I’m very happy about the progress I’ve made over the last few months. Here’s hoping for a two book release year for Max!

For the holiday season, I posted some cut scenes on my blog that didn’t make it into Glyph! Stop by and have a look!

That’s all the updates for now! Stay warm as the deep freeze sweeps the country.

Cheers,
Max

GLYPH: The headhopping that sucked.

While Shawnee gets herself kidnapped by Dr. Reynolds in the containment lairs below Mercy General, this is what happened outside the hospital. The tension between Vanessa and Mal in Shawnee’s absence early on in the story had to be cut since they behaved themselves around her. Since I wrote nearly all of the story in first person, these bits of headhopping-in-third-person or omniscient-ish writing had to go.  In retrospect, it weakened the whole piece. It’s really an experience to read stuff I wrote over seven years ago. Pre-MFA, pre-learning the craft. Writing is an evolutionary phenomena. Nothing is worthless except carefulness. If you don’t take risks and make mistakes, you can’t learn from them.

Anyone who comments on this post will be entered to win ANYTHING of their choice. A signed book, ebook, swag, or a name mention in a future book!

Merry Christmas!

Glyph – Omniscient Suckage

[Warning: Barely edited book parts below. There's a reason why certain things don't make it!]

“Vanessa, look,” Xany said, rushing into the woods where Vanessa awaited the arrival of the pack. Xany held out copies of e-mails printed from the computer beginning with the serum being a success followed by the threats. Mal lingered in the background silently stewing while Vanessa read quickly through the emails.

“Did you know about this?” Caden asked, his eyes constantly scanning the small patch of woods.

“I had no idea.” She paused. “But I suspected something. You can bend?”

“Yes. When did you suspect?” Caden asked.

“The day she quit her job. It was just before she told Xany she’d changed her mind about going to Utah,” Vanessa responded, biting her lip. She was not one to share information unless under dire circumstances; the only reason she was being so forthcoming with Caden was because she knew that she was going to need his help.

            Mal lunged at Vanessa, slamming her full force into a tree.

“You knew she was in danger,” he growled, teeth inches from her face/

Vanessa retaliated. She broke his grip and shoved him so hard that he tumbled over a fallen log. She hissed and crouched down, emitting a deep husky roar.

“She’s mine, dog. Never in danger,” she said, hissing out her words in short bursts.

Both crouched now, staring at each other. A fine coat of white fur began to cover Vanessa’s skin. Mal curled his lip into a snarl. Caden caught his gaze and he quieted.

“Stand down, both of you,” he demanded.

Mal stood, still eyeing Vanessa who didn’t have to heed Caden but she stood when Mal did, her chest continued to rumble and the fur lingered on her skin for a moment before disappearing again.

“Fighting is not going to get Shawnee back,” Xany chimed in. “Caden, if they can’t behave, we should handle it ourselves.”

Vanessa swatted the air in front of Xany who simply crossed her arms in defiance and turned up her nose. Xany was not about to be intimidated by her.

“I agree with Xany. Both of you need to cool it or you’ll risk exposing us and getting Shawnee hurt. Now, is there anything else you remember about the night Shawnee agreed to come to Utah?” Caden asked.

Mal snarled at Vanessa once more before taking a few steps away from the group.

“She had blood on her that night!” Xany shouted.

“Shh…” Caden hushed her. “A lot of blood?”

“It was animal blood. I smelled it,” Vanessa interjected in a deep, gravelly voice. “Like cow or something. Freezer burnt.” 

Caden grew quiet as he began piecing things together.

“Where did she work?” Mal asked, his voice gruff and deep.

“At the hospital a few blocks away,” Vanessa answered without looking at him.

“We’ll never make it, bro,” Caden said which made Mal growl.

“We just have to get closer.”

“It won’t work,” Caden said with a glare of warning.

“HELLO!? I’m really tired of being left out. Now tell me what’s going on,” Xany demanded.

“Shawnee’s in trouble.” Mal growled at her.

“Duh, now shut up, bub.” She huffed at mal

“Enough,” Caden commanded. “Shawnee seems to have gotten tangled up with some bad people. We can’t be sure yet if it’s Tainted Ones or something more human.”

“We gotta help her,” Xany urged.

“We will, Precious, but we may need help. We need to notify Hank and the local Alpha before we do anything.” Caden pulled out his phone.

Mal removed his clothes and handed them to Xany before transforming into his wolf. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end as he darted off into the thicket of woods.  Vanessa turned away from the others and swung a punch the base of a tree hard enough to crack the bark. Caden allowed her to lash out while Xany looked on disapprovingly. Vanessa buried her face in her hands then leaned against the tree.

Available at BreathlessPress, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.

GLYPH: The perspective that didn’t make it.

In Glyph, Shawnee runs into a werewolf Changer named Brutus in the woods behind her apartment building. Brutus is a member of Esteban’s pack, the local Alpha in that part of Wyoming. On her race back to safety, Shawnee’s shirt tears on the sleeve. Xany runs into Shawnee after the encounter and during their conversation, she sees the glyph on Shawnee’s upper arm. The excerpt below occurred  after Xany ran off to talk to Brutus then finally called Mal. In the original manuscript, I wrote Glyph in 3rd person close which allotted for chapters in other points of view. Even after I changed it to 1st person, some chapters remained. During initial edits, we cut them out.

Glyph Lost Chapter

[Warning: Barely edited book parts below. There's a reason why certain things don't make it!]

“What do you mean you found one?”

“Mal, I mean just that. A Breeder who doesn’t know she’s a Breeder.” Xany giggled.

“Lost Ones are not easy to come by in that area. Are you sure?  Did you see her glyph?” The man called Mal queried in a firm tone.

“Of course!  It’s right on her arm, tinier than most but it’s there. And Mal!  She’s Cherokee. Not pure in heritage but she could pass for it,” Xany’s excitement emanated through the phone. “She’s scared though, like a rabbit, but Mal, there’s more to her I think…” Xany trailed off.

“Xandrea Wade, I am not about to go on a wild goose chase and destroy this woman’s life if you’re not one-hundred-percent sure,” Mal reprimanded. Xany huffed.

“Then I’m one-hundred-percent sure. And besides, Caden will be able to tell as soon as he meets her. What would it hurt for my big brother to visit his little ole’ sister and bring his sexy friend for the ride?” Xany asked in a sweet sing-song voice that could charm the icing off a cake.

“Fine.” Mal sighed.

“I win!” Xany giggled, getting the last word just before Mal hung up.

GLYPH: The prologue that didn’t make it (3 Days of Giveaways pt 1)

[Warning: Barely edited book parts below. There's a reason why certain things don't make it!]

Glyph Prologue

Sitting knee to knee cross-legged on the tussled bed, me in my over-sized t-shirt and Vanessa in her barely-there white nighty, I ask “Is this all a dream?  It feels like it.”

“You would think so but it isn’t,” she replied.

“Every bit of this is real?” I queried again despite her affirmation. 

Vanessa reached out and placed her warm, soft palm against my cheek.  A soft purring emanating from her chest.  She held this position in cadence before nodding.

“Scared?” 

“A little,” I said, moving into her arms.  We embraced, her purrs grew stronger against my torso. 

“Just wait,” she whispered in my ear.  My heart leaped and I smiled.  Waiting was something I was good at.

 

Click the image above to visit my publisher’s website. Also available on Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.

December 2013

Happy Winter, fans and readers! The holidays have me a bit backlogged on my writing, however, I’m happy to report that book 3 of the Legacy Series reached its NaNoWriMo goal. This is the first time in ages that I’m writing new material (rather than drafting/rewriting) for this series. It’s exciting to see the evolution of my writing style and Shawnee’s voice.

No updates as of yet on my YA project, though it’s expected around this time of year. In January, I will be judging a Scholastic Writing Contest for young writers in NY. I’m looking forward to it! Book signings are in the works as well for 2014.

I’m keeping it brief today as I took a short break from writing to post. Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year to you all!

Cheers,

Max

Love books?

Good afternoon followers and readers!

Just dropping a note to let you all know that my publisher is having a big sale on eBooks. Both of mine are available for $2.40!  Thank you all for the support you’ve offered me this year!

 

 

Miserable miserable Monday

For the past five years, I’ve lived

in a sea of pills.

There of these, two of those

a little steroid on top.

Each day count and swallow

count and swallow

count

and swallow.

All for a semblance of normalcy

five days a week.

Saturday brings detox.

No pills, no pain,

depression and sleep

and sleep.

Hate the thought of daylight

so sleep

and sleep.

Solace finds me again on Sunday.

No pills, no pain,

a smile or two, energy,

breathing.

Sunday knows.

Pain always waits.

And pills and

pills, and pain and

pills on another

miserable miserable Monday.

 

Write Space! November 2013

In honor of NaNoWriMo, writers and authors from around the globe came together on my blog to share photos of their writing spaces! The images offer a just a glimpse into the minds of fellow writers.  I definitely have a favorite, do you? Post a comment! We’d love to hear from you!  Each photo is a link to the writer’s personal blog, website, or social networking site. Enjoy!

***WRITE SPACE***

***

Brianna Lorin aka, Marian Michelotti aka, Laura Monti author of A Christmas Match Made in Heaven, and The Last Christmas Tree!

***

Gayl Taylor, author of Lady Luck, Ride a Cock Horse, The Hero Sandwich!

***

Lisa Jardine, blogger and weekly column writer at The Mamaroneck Review: Westchester Wanderer!

***

Richard Binkele, author of Harvey’s Robot!

***

Angel Edenburn, blogger and multi-published author.

***

Ann LiPuma Nieporent, “On the side bulletin board next to my desk, there is a calendar of 1972 (the setting of my YA novel) and a Chinese fortune from a cookie I opened several years ago which reads: With a little more hard work, your creativity takes you to great heights.”

***

Shane Cashman, “Here I am taking a quick break to write down ideas at a desk in “The Smoking Room” which is on the second floor of an estate that was built in 1860. In this picture, I am sitting where Ulysses S. Grant once sat to smoke cigars and share stories of West Point, the war, his presidency, and the cold-blooded trotters he loved to bet on.”

***

Lynne Stringer, author of YA sci-fi/romance books The Heir and The Crown!

***

Deadra Krieger, Editor in Chief at Breathless Press, my very own editor (note the sneaky promo of Glyph in the background!), and multi-published author. Her most recent story, Red as a Rose, now available at Breathless Press!

***

Anthony D. Phillips, author of Mr. Rosette.

***

And here’s mine. Please ignore the spectral fan. I took this while working on a short story titled, The Hangman’s Rope, which explains the creepy ink drawing of a hanging creature.

***

A happy November to you all and good luck this NaNoWriMo!

Cheers,

Max

October 2013 and The Trouble with Ordinary

October… my favorite month. Maybe it’s the colorful treetops or the scent of fallen leaves. Cool days and cozy nights. Inspiration usually hits me around this time of year. It’s my favorite time to write. Halloween horrors, carved pumpkins, apple picking. Nothing better.

At the end of September, I set myself an ultimatum: either I emerge from a week-long sabbatical with a partial draft for my third book, or there will be no third book in the Legacy Series. This came on the tail of the successful launch of Birthrite and overwhelming stuckness in my day-to-day life. The trouble with being ordinary is that ordinary means having to do stuff you don’t want to be doing. Like working in a career you’d hoped to abandon sooner in order to pursue full-time authorship. Like paying bills you’d rather not pay, but what choice do we have when humans need to eat, have a roof, a car, and medical bills. The trouble with ordinary, is that ordinary is mundane and dulling on a creative mind. Left with only fiery feelings of burnout, frustration, and anger, the give-ups settle in deep. Rooted in heart and mind, tarnishing even the purest creation. Robbing the soul of it’s only pleasure, only release, and only hope. I want to market my books, I want to go to ComicCon, I want to set up multiple book signings, I want to teach creative writing, I want to expand my consultation business. Want want want does not equate to do do do. Prior to my alleged sabbatical, I seriously considered postponing my writing career. Shelving Shawnee’s story and my other projects and come back to it when I’m old and retired. The sabbatical was my last hope.

Today, I’ve got 50 solid pages in the rewrite and 150 to look forward to reworking. I’ve organized myself, my characters, and rules.

Ultimately, it was Shawnee, Mal, Vanessa, Xany, and Caden who demanded attention:

Xany huffed, “Hey! This book ain’t gonna write itself, you know!” Vanessa purred, “Hurry up.” Mal growled, “Grow a set and get a move on already.” Caden chuckled, “You’ll write it anyway, so why not now?” Shawnee said, “They’re all right. And besides, you already know how it’s going to end. Finish it.”

Fans spammed my Facebook account with:

“Nooo!”

“Best of luck.”

“Pack water.”

“There has to be a third book!”

“Book 3 please!”

And pleading with Shawnee to make me write. Well, you’ve all won. I’ve emerged successfully and book 3 is underway. Doubt is a terrible enemy. Encouragement, a cure. Going forward, I’m hoping for a 2014 release of book three. Time will tell.

Anyway, I better carry on. Tonight is my last night away until I descend into the quicksand. Writing awaits.

In honor of my favorite holiday, my publisher has a SPOOKTACULAR sale going on this month!  20% off paranormal titles! Glyph and Birthrite included! Check it out!

Happy Halloween!

Cheers,

Max

PS – Check out this brief feature on Anthony Phillips’ page. Thank you. Anthony, for the opportunity!