M.J. Kane's Blog, page 10

Join me at Barnes & Noble for a Teen Writer’s Workshop!

I will be hosting the B-Creative Teen Writer’s Workshop held at Barnes & Noble located in Morrow, Georgia on Sunday, June 12th starting at 2:00 P.M.!

This will be a fun and interactive story development workshop created by Adaptive Studios, a Los Angeles-based publisher that publishes books, graphic novels, and makes movies, television shows, and digital series by taking abandoned screen plays and giving them new life by re-imagining and telling them in different ways. The workshop will teach teens about developing story ideas and turning screenplays into books, movies or digital series through a unique and creative process.

This event is the final part of the B-Fest Teen Book Festival presented by Barnes & Noble locations nationwide from June 10th to 12th.

Do you have a teen who loves to read or has aspirations of becoming an author? This event is for you!

This is a #FREE event, so don’t be late!

See you there!

P.S., Any purchase made in-store, online, or even at the cafe, a portion of that fee will be donated to the Clayton County Library System, so be sure to grab a copy of one of my books! Visit any of the six library branches and ask for your Barnes & Noble sales flyer to receive the code!

1939 Mount Zion Road

Morrow, Georgia 30260

(770) 471-2227

 

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Meet Me at the Library!

I’m excited to announce that I have been invited to the Riverdale Library branch of the Clayton County Library System this month!

The first three novels of my series,The Butterfly Memoirs (A Heart Not Easily Broken, Jaded, and Lonely Heart) have been a part of the libraries catalog for the past six months and have barely stayed on the shelves! I can’t tell you how excited that makes me!  If you have had a chance to read one of my novels, I want to meet you! I’m looking forward to having face-to-face conversations about The Butterfly Memoirs series as well as answer your questions about the publishing industry.

If you have purchased a copy of any one of my books, bring it and I will be more than happy to autograph it for you! Have you read the first three novels and are looking for the fourth,Nobody’s Business? All my books can be found on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, and Smashwords. Not sure where to find paperback copies? Visit Amazon and Barnes & Noble websites and order yours now. If you live in the Clayton County area, visit the Barnes & Nobles on Mount Zion Parkway and get your copy today! The details are below…see you soon!

 

 

 

 

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And then I discovered the go to phrase that drives me crazy….

He/She sighed… (Used as action to show exasperation)

Now… (Used to show passion about something)

To name a few….

Writers…

Have you ever read back over your work and noticed your ‘go to’ or ‘catch’ phrase that is a part of your writing style? Did it sound good at the time, but now, years later when you read your past work, you find yourself cringing every time you run across it?

I have and it’s about to drive me insane!!!

I am currently working on, book five of The Butterfly Memoirs, Alone, and I am at the pre-editing stage. Pre-editing for me goes a bit like this…I’m an old school writer. I believe in handwriting the rough draft of my manuscripts before sitting down at my laptop. There’s something to be said about how much more you think about the words flowing from your brain, through your hand, and out onto paper that doesn’t quite match typing up that first draft. Believe me, I have tried writing two different novels using both techniques the first time around and trust me, I saw a HUGE difference in the way the story was told and the amount of scenes that needed to be added to tell the complete story when it came to editing the ‘typed rough draft’ vs. the ‘handwritten rough draft’. I will never go back to typing up the first draft again!

But as usual I digress just a bit…

Regardless of what stage of writing I’m at when working on my next book, I always take the time to revisit my previous works for several reasons.

I’m writing a series. Even though each book is about a different set of characters, occasionally previous characters will make an appearance in a scene so I must make sure their voice stays consistent.
Things that happened in previous novels may come to fruition in the new book, so of course, I have to make sure it fits the timeline.

And last but not least…

Sometimes you just gotta look back at what you did that got great reviews so that you can make sure your storytelling abilities keep a baseline of consistency as you evolve, because let’s face it….your writing can’t stay the same novel after novel after novel without having some time of change. If so, your readers will see it and get bored!

Yep, I said it. If we can’t find ways to keep new stories interesting then we run the risk of losing the audience it takes so long to build up!

Don’t believe me? Can you name the last book written by one of YOUR favorite writers that made you say, ‘okay, she/he could have done better than that! I’m done with them!”

Well, guess what…if you’ve said that about your favorite authors, believe me, someone has said that about you, too!

So, how do we, as writers, spice up our work to keep it going, flowing, and ever engaging to our readers?

I’ll tell you…

 

 

 

I honestly don’t know…..

LOL….

I have no clue what the magic formula is to write the perfect novel that will forever keep readers engaged. I’m not even sure there is one because there are a ton of genres that are liked and disliked by millions of readers, there’s absolutely NO way any author will ever be able to write THE perfect novel that EVERYONE one on earth will fall in love with, talk highly of, and sing never ending praises of…except the Bible.

And since none of us will be able to top that, here’s what I am doing…

I’m revisiting my work. I’m looking at it from a completely different prospective because it’s been between one to four years ago since I was stressed out from the editing process. My eyes are no longer crossed from staring at the same lines over and over again. The ‘what happens next’ is no longer glued to my brain because I’m working on a timeline and worrying whether I didn’t explain something or have the reasoning behind a characters actions make sense. I’ve stepped away from the story for so long and focused on another couples issues to the point that when I do re-read my work, other than the major scenes that are memorable, I’ve ran across scenes I forgot were even in the book!!!!

Talk about an eye-opening experience!

I’m also finding those pesky phrases, go to words, and basic phrases that are a part of my writing voice. Some cannot and will not be changed because it’s a part of my writing style. Others are just pain in the butt quirks that can be removed without damaging the story what so ever and will give me piece of mind if and when I ever have a chance to re-edit the novels for republication.

What’s that saying about authors and their published work? It doesn’t matter how many times it’s edited and how much readers love it, we’ll always find something that could have been written better? Yep. And in truth, it’s probably why some of the old school masters took years to write one book because it drove them crazy to find the perfect way to write just one line!

Which brings me to one of my favorite videos in regards to writing. I think you’ll agree with me that Val Kilmer manages to do it just ‘write’!

Where ever you are in your writing process, I wish you luck! Happy Writing!!!

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I LOVE Audio Books!!! Do You?

As an author who works a full-time job, it’s hard to balance writing my own books and reading the novels from my favorite authors. The even funnier part…I am a Librarian Assistant. Yep, I’m around books alllllllllll day! And yes, it’s heaven! Before I started writing, it was weekly tradition to pack up the kids and go to the library to hunt for the next great reads. I would check out five to eight books on average and read most of them within the two week checkout period. Then it was return what was read, extend the time on ones not finished, and grab some more. But now….I barely have time to read a book in a month! That doesn’t mean I don’t keep up with the latest reads. Instead of reading, I listen!

Have you given audio books a try?

Books on CD are a great way to ‘read’ a good book during your daily commute, errand run, or when your cleaning house. Don’t forget about the laundry mat, walking, and when working out, heck, even when at the grocery store! When listening to audio, it’s possibilities are endless, The commercials from Audible demonstrate just how great listening to an audio book can be…especially when you can get them at a great price!

And guess what, the first book in my series, The Butterfly Memoirs, can be purchased as an audio book from Amazon, Audible, and iTunes. Check out this audio books sample!

 

http://mjkanemedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/AHNEB-5-min-audio-clip.mp3

 

I had a lot of fun having this audio book created. I took some of the parts I loved about audio books I listen to and added a twist. Instead of having a straight read-through, the characters and story are brought to life with sound effects and music! I like to think of it as more of an audio play than just a book reading. And the best part….you can download YOUR copy today for less than the price of a Starbucks coffee!!!

The audio book version of A Heart Not Easily Broken can be downloaded from Amazon for the great price of $1.99 if you purchase the Kindle version. And guess how much the Kindle version is? It’s FREE!!!!!

Don’t have an Audible account? Then you can get it FREE when you sign up for a 30-day trial!

Follow this link to find out what Amazon listeners have had to say!

Follow these links to see what Amazon and Goodreads readers have had to say about the story!

Amazon     Goodreads

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Find My Books On Overdrive In Nashville, Tennessee!!!

If you live in Nashville, Tennessee, boy do I have a surprise for you! If you have a library card, you can now read the first four novels in The Butterfly Memoirs series on your eReader! Log onto the library’s website and look for the downloads link. Follow it to Overdrive and put M.J. Kane in the search box. From there, click on the book you’d like to download and it’s yours! (Or save a few steps and click the link below! )

Overdrive is a free service to find great ebooks brought to you by your local library. The downloads work just like checking out a regular book. You’ll have it for a certain amount of days, then after the borrow time ends, it disappears from your reader. No late fees! Download it as many times as you’d like with no trip to the library! Sitting at the airport, waiting at the bus stop and don’t have anything to read? Log onto the Nashville Public Library’s website and find your next read! Don’t have a library card, visit your local branch and sign up today! It’s FREE!!!

 

Learn about The Butterfly Memoirs here! 

Nashville Public Library: Overdrive

And by the way, if you’d like to add the first novel in the series, A Heart Not Easily Broken, to your eReader library permanently, do so while it’s FREE! That’s right, for a limited time, the first novel is FREE on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, Kobo, and Smashwords! Follow this link for more info!

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My Holiday Gift to You: Another #FREE Read for the Holidays!

If you enjoyed reading the first novel of The Butterfly Memoirs series, A Heart Not Easily Broken, then you will love this! Check out this #FREE short story read that picks up where A Heart Not Easily Broken ended! Discover what happens when Brian and Ebony’s families meet and the two are forced to make yet another decision that will affect the rest of their lives!

 

Family for the Holiday 

If you haven’t read A Heart Not Easily Broken, DOWNLOAD your ebook copy for free today! Follow this link for more information!

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Thank you for stopping by! I love to make new friends. Got questions or comments? Leave a comment, or connect with me online!  If you’ve enjoyed this post, sign up for the monthly newsletter and follow this blog!

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#Clayton County Presents Greg Street We Need 2 Read “Read-A-Thon $3000”!!!

 

Yep, you read that right my friends! The Clayton County Library System and Atlanta DJ, Greg Street are teaming up to encourage our young people to read! Here’s what you need to know:

Date: Saturday, November 21, 2015

Location: Clayton County Headquarter’s Library, 865 Battle Creek Road, Jonesboro, Georgia 30236

Registration Time: Starts at 8 A.M. the day of the event, ends at 9 A.M! (No more entries after 9, so come early!)

Read-A-Thone Hours: 9 A.M. -3 P.M.

Participants: Middle and High School Students

Maximum Number of Participants: 200 (Get there early!!!)

Prizes:

High School: 1st Place- $1000   2nd Place: $500   3rd Place: $250

Middle School: 1st Place-$750   2nd Place: $350   3rd Place: $150

***Award presentation will begin at 4 PM***

There will be pizza on hand and media coverage from local news stations Channel’s 2, 5, and 46! I will be there, I hope to see you, too!

 

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Hot Latin Men Series Collection by Delaney Diamond!

Congratulations to my girl, Delaney Diamond and her new box set release, the Hot Latin Men Series! I’ve read several of these books, and man are they hot!

 

Hot Latin Men Box Set

by Delaney Diamond

Hot Latin Men #1-4

Publication Date: November 9, 2015

Genres: Boxed Set, Contemporary, Interracial, Romance

 

THE ARRANGEMENT (Hot Latin Men, #1)

An indecent proposal leads to a short term arrangement…

Brazilian millionaire, Leonardo da Silva, is still seething from when his wife, Alexa, walked out on him four months ago. Now she’s in his office asking for a business loan to help her brother. Instead of a loan, he’s willing to give her the money, but only if she resumes her role as his wife for the next two months. She reluctantly agrees, and she soon finds herself wishing their arrangement was permanent. But when she finds out about Leonardo’s betrayal, there may be no way for them to mend their broken marriage.

FIGHT FOR LOVE (Hot Latin Men, #2)

A former pro wrestler fights to hold onto the woman he lost, but still loves, and the son he never knew existed. Science teacher Rebekah Jamison lives a quiet life in the suburbs of Atlanta. Devastated by a tabloid scandal nine years ago, she ended her marriage to the man her parents never approved of.

Rafael Lopez, former professional wrestler and “Sexiest Athlete Alive,” regrets the lapse in judgment that caused him to lose his wife. He shows up unannounced one day with some startling news, but he gets a surprise of his own. He finds out he’s a father. To get to know his son, he whisks him and Rebekah off to his home in the Hollywood Hills for the summer.

PRIVATE ACTS (Hot Latin Men, #3)

This story contains a chef whose sassy mouth and swaying hips catch the eye of a sexy Latin artist determined to tame her. Miguel Delgado fell hard the first time he saw a beautiful woman on stage during a karaoke competition at a bar in Ecuador. Interested in a short, casual affair, he turns on the charm. But she won’t give him the time of day.

Samirah Jamison has met her match—in the form of a tall, hard-bodied sculptor who won’t leave her alone. She’s not running scared. She’s just trying to keep a level head and stay out of trouble for once. But it’s really, really hard to be good…when you’re used to being bad.

THE ULTIMATE MERGER (a short story) (Hot Latin Men, #3.5)

Two workaholics slow down long enough to find love when they least expect it.

Renaldo da Silva is on the verge of entering the U.S. market with the purchase of a hotel in downtown Chicago. After working hard for several days straight, he heads to a local bar and sees a woman who instantly makes him reconsider how to spend his evening.

When another one of her male counterparts unfairly becomes the lead on a project, Sabrina Porter leaves work intent on drowning her sorrows in wine and loud music at a local bar. Instead, she meets a sexy Brazilian who’s intent on showing her a different way to unwind.

SECOND CHANCES (Hot Latin Men, #4)

Renaldo da Silva’s near-perfect life in Brazil comes to a halt when he finds out about his wife’s betrayal. Now he doesn’t want to have anything to do with her. But because he needs her help finalizing the biggest deal of his career, he’s forced to make her a multi-million dollar offer and delay their divorce.

Sabrina da Silva can’t forgive herself after a reckless night destroys her marriage. She agrees to help her husband and then disappear from his life for good. But with passion still smoldering between them, it’s not easy for either to walk away. Will passion be enough to overcome the ultimate test of their love?

Buy: Amazon • B&N • Kobo • Google Play • iBooks • Smashwords • ARe

 

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Click to enter the contest!

 

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Delaney Diamond is the USA Today Bestselling Author of sweet, sensual, passionate romance novels. She’s also the site manager of Romance Novels in Color, where they promote books with diverse characters. Born and raised in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Atlanta, Georgia is now her home. She reads romance novels, mysteries, thrillers, and a fair amount of nonfiction.

When she’s not busy reading or writing, she’s in the kitchen trying out new recipes, dining at one of her favorite restaurants, or traveling to an interesting locale. To get sneak peeks, notices of sale prices, and find out about new releases, visit her website and join her e-mail mailing list. You can enjoy free reads and the first chapter of all her novels on her website.

Website • Blog • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads

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A Heart Not Easily Broken….Thoughts from the Author

As I work on my fifth novel, I can’t help but look back at where I’ve come as a writer and storyteller. It it amazes me that the love I have for the first characters I ever created has only grown as I continue to tell stories that involve their friends and family.

One thing I enjoy most as an author is when a reader contacts me and shares their thoughts and opinions about what they’ve read. Just this week I had a reader find me at the library anxious to read Jaded and Lonely Heart after completing A Heart Not Easily Broken in nearly one day. I have to say, hearing her enthusiasm about the characters and wanting to know what happened next brightened my day (yeah, it was a long, hectic one, and I was TIRED!) She also said she enjoyed being able to talk directly to the author in order to get some feed back on what inspired the story. Hearing her say that reminded me of a video I posted on my YouTube channel during the summer where I talked about what inspired me to write Ebony and Brian’s story as well as reading one of my favorite passages. If you haven’t seen this, check it out, then download your FREE copy of A Heart Not Easily Broken from the links below. Enjoy!

 

***This video was recorded during the summer when the book was on sale, but it is now FREE!!!! Follow the links to get your copy today!!!***

AMAZON     BARNES & NOBLE     ITUNES    KOBO     SMASHWORDS


******BONUS!!!!!!!******

If you download the ebook from Amazon, you can also download the AUDIOBOOK version for $1.99!!! Switch back and forth between reading and listening to the story!

Learn about the other books in the series by following this link! 

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#8Sunday Share! Nobody’s Business…The Final Truth

Welcome back!

Today is the last day of #8Sunday shares of the fourth novel in The Butterfly Memoirs, NOBODY’S BUSINESS! If you’ve enjoyed the snippets from the fourth novel, then you’ll love this… I am excited to announce that the first novel, A HEART NOT EASILY BROKEN, is available for FREE on all major retail sites! Visit this link to DOWNLOAD YOUR COPY today!

Now, for the grand finally…

Last week Trevon got unexpected relationship advice from the person he least expected…Kai. Realizing that their lives are on two different paths, he takes a moment to appreciate the view of the woman who captured his heart…

Snippet:

Her attention diverted, I allowed myself to take one last long sideways look at Kai. Those low cut hip hugging jeans and bare shoulders brought back memories of having her tight body beneath me in bed.

I cleared my vocal cords and forced my attention to anywhere else but her body. “What made you decide to break up with him?”

A long pause forced me to look her way. The intensity of her gaze made my heart stop. “I met someone who made me realize I was worth more than the way Malik made me feel.”

Well…

Damn.

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Read about  their first encounter in this FREE READ, Crossroads, the novella leading up to Nobody’s Business!

About the novel….

Trevon Campbell’s world changed the moment his ex-girlfriend announced he was a father. Determined to make up for his past mistakes, he gives Trina what she wanted before their breakup, what feels like his soul, which means forgetting the woman he had a one-night stand with, the woman who stole his heart.

Kai Malone doesn’t want to play by her family’s rules. Instead of working for the family business, she became a firefighter. Being a female of multicultural descent, working in a field dominated by men, Kai focuses on her job to ignore the infidelity of her fiancé. Tired of his deceit, she gave in to a one-night stand with a complete stranger, someone she’d never have to see again…or so she thought.

When tragedy strikes, their worlds collide, leaving them no choice but to deal with each other again. It doesn’t take long for them to realize the attraction that brought them together the first time is stronger than ever, forcing Trevon to make the biggest decision of his life.

Buy It Now! 

Amazon     B&N    iTunes

****For more #8Sunday shares,   follow this link !**** 

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