M.B. Feeney's Blog, page 9

Flash Fiction Part 2

So, I’ve decided to optimise my account over on Wattpad by posting a collection of my flash fiction pieces. Whenever I post a new part, I’ll share it here alongside the picture that inspired the piece.

So… part 2.

Check it out over on Wattpad. This is the image that inspired the piece.

 

Flash Fiction Part 1

So, I’ve decided to optimise my account over on Wattpad by posting a collection of my flash fiction pieces. Whenever I post a new part, I’ll share it here alongside the picture that inspired the piece.

So… part 1.

Check it out over on Wattpad. This is the image that inspired the piece.

Writing Prompts

I’m a visual person, and photography is one place I get my inspiration from. When I get ‘blocked’ or unmotivated to write, I go looking for photographs that will hopefully kick start my muse.

So, I thought I’d share some with you in the hopes it’ll ignite that little spark in you…

All pictures were found over on this Tumblr account, and have been fully credited to where they were found.

As you can see, it’s a wide range of images, which is great. Hopefully something will spark me or someone else.

Music, Thy Name is Inspiration

I’m getting back into my 90s based book about the gorgeous Jack and Andy – these two guys are great – and I dug out my YouTube playlist for it.

This playlist is full of amazing songs that bring back many memories of my teenage years in London, some good, some bad, but most great. It’s the time I discovered booze, boys, and Britpop!

I know we all look back with rose-tinted glasses, but I can honestly say that I survived my teenage years without too much hurt and heartbreak.

What about you, what’s the song that best sums up your formative years that have moulded you into the person you are today?

A Little News From Me…

Since the beginning of the summer, I have reworked Texas, decided to work Gage’s POV into a novella rather than the original 2nd epilogue, and I have finished writing the second in The Exchange Series, Reluctance. That’s three books in about four months – I’m exhausted.

But, rather than rest on my laurels, and sit back doing nothing, I decided I would try and get On the Buses (title may change), my 90’s based story about Jack and Andy. It was, when I opened it, sitting at 16,691 words, and I worked from top to bottom, and when I got to the bottom, it was 18,543 – great news. Then it came to writing new stuff… nothing happened.

I think I’ve burned myself out, but I’m still trying to move forward with it slowly.

Speaking of Texas, Magic of Books Promotions are running a cover reveal for me in November. If you would like to sign up, fill in this FORM. You’d make my day!

Also, I have set up a release event over on Facebook. I’m being a bit ambitious by hosting it over 12 days, with author takeovers and giveaways. Hopefully, I’ll pull it off, and I’d love to see you there. Check out the pinned post in the event for the first, and longest running giveaway of the event.

I’m slowly getting myself ready for the Book-Pimpers signing in March of next year. As much as I loved being part of the Second City Signing, I felt a little unprepared and didn’t have much with me on my table. However, I’m certainly using it as a learning curve and making sure I learn from my own mistakes. Onwards and upwards…

If you’d like to come and see me, and other amazing authors, click HERE to buy tickets.

If you’d like to preorder books from me, whether you are attending the signing or not, fill in this FORM and I shall invoice you.

As far as I know, this is all my news… but, keep an eye on my Facebook page, that is usually the first place I post any news.

If you have any queries, questions, or comments, either comment here, post to my page’s wall, or drop me a message. I’ll try my best to cat them all.

 

#TeaserTuesday – It Started in Texas

Genre: Contemporary Romance/Rockstar Romance

Release Date: December 17 2015

#GetReadyforGage #TheBootsStayOn #ProudLyricist #TexasHeat

There’s no cover yet as it hasn’t been revealed, but check out the teasers below!

 

Leaving the familiar comfort of her UK home for a weekend in Texas is one of the craziest things Charlotte Evans has ever done. Celebrating her birthday with friends is the highlight of her year until she bumps into her favourite rock star, literally.

Gage Weston is used to having women fall over themselves at his feet … A rock star, an actor, he’s got his fair share of female attention, but what is it about the Brit that grabs his attention from the moment they meet?

Communication issues and crossed wires plague them as they try to work out what is going on with them across thousands of miles. Crazy friends and distance issues aside; can a relationship work, or is it a simple case of ‘a girl in every town’?

 

“Oh shit!” I didn’t know what to do with myself, and was thankful Gage was standing in front of me, hiding my modesty. “Just fucking great.” I groaned as I hid my face in his chest. It was then I realised we were still connected . . . physically.

“Don’t ever hide like that.” Gage lifted my head up to face him and gave me a gentle kiss before turning his head to look back at the girl still standing behind us. “Can we help you?” He wasn’t smiling, and the effect was a little scary.

“How could you do this to me?” she spat. “I asked you to introduce me, but really you just wanted to keep them to yourself. Who’s next? Matt? Eli? Hey, how about Drew, even though he’s married?”

“Woah woah. Hang on there a minute, lady. For one, I never said I was going to introduce you to anyone; If you remember, I gave you advice, which is more than most people would do. As for who or what I do is none of your business.” I felt Gage’s body shake as he started to laugh silently.

“I can get you a quiet place with Callaghan if you so desire.” He sniggered, making my body shake against the table. I punched him on the arm, which only made him laugh harder.

 

It Started in Texas has a Playlist

I see a lot of authors creating playlists for their novels, and including them in the back of their books, so I thought seeing as Texas is about a rockstar, I’d do the same.

The list will be included in the back of the final book, but I thought I’d make one on YouTube for people to check out. It’s linked over on the right hand side of the blog, but I decided it need a whole post to itself…

So, when you read things like this, listen to the music…

Here’s the playlist – enjoy. I’d love to hear your comments, which are your favourites, which you’re not keen on (I think I can guess), and if there’s anything else that you think would fit (If you’ve read or are reading an ARC copy)

Didn’t plan this…

I posted this on FB the other day, with a status that ended up being an unplanned mini rant.

“Writing is something that is innately ‘me’ – Something I’ve always done and can’t imagine myself not doing. It’s not about making money or bestsellers lists for me (Those would be epic bonuses though)

Anything creative or ‘arty’ should be a passion, not a way to make a quick buck in my opinion, so if that’s why you write, stop.

Reassess your priorities. Are you releasing the best possible product you can? If not, go back to the beginning and start again! Fall in love with your words and the world you are creating. If YOU love them, others will.

And on that note, I’m off to write. These books don’t write them damn selves.”

Now, I realise it probably sounds quite condescending of me to tell people if they can or can’t write, and that wasn’t the plan. What I was trying to say was that if people are writing to become “the next big thing”, then they are in the wrong ‘job’. There are so many people releasing books on a daily basis, it’s hard to make a decent splash in the market.

Having said that, I still agree with Joss’s words. Then again, I love everything this man puts his hand to. I wish I could write like him, a mixture of drama that keeps you on the edge of your seat, and humour that has you belly laughing – if you’ve seen Buffy or Firefly, you’ll get what I mean!

Looking Back . . .

When I first decided to rework It Started in Texas, I honestly expected it to take forever. It was going to be a side project that I would dip in to as and when I wanted as I worked on the next in The Exchange Series (which HAS been started for those of you who want to know); but when I opened the prologue, I fell in love with the characters all over again.

Gage and Charlotte – along with their crazy family and friends – have captured my heart again in the best way possible. While I’m sad that I’ve put other projects to one side while I concentrate on this book, I’m excited to get this as polished as it possibly can be.

I want this book to do well. I want all my books to do well, but Texas has a very special place in my heart, and I really don’t want it to get overlooked. Not many people know the origins of this book, and while they’re in the past, they are a driving force behind my working so hard on it.

I have some little surprises up my sleeve which will be announced when I feel appropriate, and I hope people get excited the way I have revisiting these characters and their journey; to connect with them, particularly Charlotte. She’s just a regular woman trying to find her way in the world when her life is flipped upside down by meeting Gage. I want my readers to think about how they would react in that situation, to relate.

I am currently working through the 2nd draft, looking at feedback from my amazing pre readers. The word count, which at the end of the 1st draft was 86,990, is slowly creeping upwards. It’s highly likely that this book will end up at around 90k – which, if you know me, scares the bejesus outta me :)

Once this draft is done, my pre readers will be looking over the manuscript in it’s entirety. While they are doing this, I will be organising the cover reveal and looking for bloggers interested in receiving an ARC copy, so keep an eu.ye on my FB page for the links for these. I’ll also have more of an idea of release dates and when I’ll be putting the book up for pre order on Amazon.

I’ll also be organising a promotional event over on FB which will include a ton of giveaways and author takeovers. I’ve already secured 2 fantastic prizes. It will be during this event that I shall be announcing some great and, to me at least, exciting news about this book and it’s characters…

So, onwards and upwards.

Texas Teasers

If you follow me over on Facebook, whether on friend list or on my page, you would have noticed that I’ve been ploughing through a story I wrote about five years ago.

It Started in Texas is going to be my next release. I have a rough idea of when I’m hoping to release it which I’m keeping close to my chest, just in case it doesn’t work out, but I wanted to start sharing teasers now to hopefully build up some interest.

I am falling in love with this story all over again, particularly the main character of Gage. He’s a gorgeous rockstar who is pretty damned swoonworthy. Even if I do say so myself :)

If I’m honest, the closer I’m getting to the end of reworking the first draft, the more nervous I’m getting about reader’s reactions to the story.

So, I was going to save the teasers for a takeover I’m doing this evening, but I’m impatient and exciteable, so I already shared them. I thought I’d share them here too.

Let me know which is your favourite, and see if you can guess which is mine…