Mikey Brooks's Blog, page 24

Cover Reveal: 'The Witch's Curse'

 
David James, author of LIGHT OF THE MOON, which was released early this November, has granted me the permission to show a preview of his latest book's cover. THE WITCH'S CURSE (A Legend of the Dreamer Story) is a prequel novella for the series that will be available in e-format on December 18th. 
Click here to Buy LIGHT OF THE MOONSYNOPSIS: "Before Kate met Calum in Light of the Moon, Magda met Samuel. Magda cannot stop her heart from running rampant with the beating drum of love. Whenever her eyes find Samuel, she can feel the pull of strings so vividly alive against her heart. But for Magda, love goes against fate; her destiny as a witch forbids her to need anything but the dark binds of magic. Soon, the witch's curse begins to call to Magda. To deny her love for Samuel would be unthinkable, but to defy her destiny would be impossible. Before the curse can consume her, Magda must decide between Samuel and destiny, and her heart may beat too savagely for anyone to stop."
 
David has always been a great help to me and others writers in our writers group: The Author's Think Tank. I hope you check out these fantastic books. For more information on David James and his books please go to:
Twitter: DJamesAuthorFacebook: http://facebook.com/davidjamesauthorBlogger: http://djamesauthor.blogspot.com

We have a winner!!

Congratulations Peggy Eddleman! You have WON! For the others who posted comments, you can still enter the Good Reads GIVEAWAY that contest ends on December 15th. Good luck to you all and Happy Holidays! Just so you know we used RANDOM.ORG to help us pick a winner.

Lucius and the Christmas Star by Jim Long Giveaway ends December 15, 2012.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Please make all comments in the comment box on the Book L...

Please make all comments in the comment box on the Book Launch Page.Thanks and Happy Holidays!

Author Interview: Helen Boswell, author of MYTHOLOGY

Author Interview: Helen Boswell, author of MYTHOLOGY 
I met Helen Boswell in our writers group, the Author’s Think Tank, when I asked for help with a submission that was not getting good feedback. Helen was one of the first to volunteer help. Since I’ve read here fantastic book, MYTHOLOGY, and jumped on an opportunity to interview her. If you haven’t yet read MYTHOLOGY, I highly recommend it.
Let’s get to know Helen Boswell:
Helen Boswell: Every child is gifted in some way. For me, I was always walking around with my nose in my book. Reading naturally led to writing by the time I was eight or nine. I started with fantasy stories, dabbled in contemporary fiction and even a bit of romance, and finally published my urban fantasy MYTHOLOGY this year -- the first fiction story I ever finished. I've lived in several places throughout the U.S., including upstate New York (the setting of my novel), but steadily moved out west to my current hometown in southwest Utah. I work part-time teaching at a university and lead a very fulfilling life with my husband, two little boys, and dog.
I can tell you did a lot of research with MYTHOLOGY, especially with the demon/angel names. How do you feel research relates to writing and can you give any tips on gathering research?
Helen Boswell: I had a lot of fun doing research for MYTHOLOGY. Despite it being a fantasy and taking obvious liberties with aspects of the storyline, I wanted to make it as authentic as possible. Examples of where I did this were with locations, names I chose, and being the biology nerd that I am in my other life, incorporating as much of scientific explanation as I could into the supernatural world. Tips on gathering research? Start with writing what you know and as you expand from that, don't be afraid to consult others for help. For instance, I actually called Shea's Buffalo Theater and spoke to someone about their theater layout and program schedule so I could write about it. I spoke to someone in the music industry about what it's like to be a concert promoter. No writer is an island. ;)
MYTHOLOGY is terrific with the stakes you play with the characters. Will you please share your tips on creating good conflict in a story?
Helen Boswell: Thanks, Mikey! In my opinion, conflict is necessary for character development and growth. In the story, Hope has all of her powers that she's had most of her life. At most, she sees it as an inconvenience, and she honestly has no idea what to do with them until she's faced with fairly stark circumstances. It's not until this point that she truly realizes her full potential and becomes that feisty heroine that my readers seem to love so much. Micah faces lots of conflict in the story, inner conflict with himself, and the conflict also peaks when he finds out who he truly is. I'm going to work on Micah's development a lot more in the sequel.

Okay, I’m switching it up a bit now. Let’s talk about the publishing side. You chose to become an indie author with MYTHOLOGY, do you feel there is more liberty in indie publishing? Can you share you experience in getting your book published?
Helen Boswell: I initially tried the traditional publishing route and spent about six months or so querying agents. At the time, MYTHOLOGY was written as an adult urban fantasy (Hope and Micah were in their early twenties and in college). I did get several requests for partials and a handful of full requests. Of those interested, the resounding feedback was that I should either increase the violence or write it as a YA novel. Ultimately, I decided to rewrite it as a YA novel, and in retrospect, I am very glad that I did. But by then, I had decided to go the indie route. There are definitely pros and cons to indie publishing, and while some would say that liberty/autonomy is one of them, this can backfire on you if you take the stance that indie means that you go at it alone. Ultimately, an indie author needs to do what traditional authors do: get critiques, utilize beta readers, editors, and the marketing is all on you.
Can you give any tips on creating a book launch? I know that you had Mythology go on kindle for free for a few days, did you find that helped boost your sales?
Helen Boswell: Get your book into as many hands as possible! I did a local in-store book launch at Braun Books in my hometown of Cedar City, Utah (now Main Street Books) that was very successful and to date, has generated the most sales of my paperback edition. I've done a few promotions for the eBook, including a free promotion and a .99 cent promotion. I'm also currently doing a giveaway on Goodreads of a signed paperback. Sales have increased slightly due to these promos, but really, I think the most significant result I've noticed is a sharp increase in number of people adding it on Goodreads and reviews increasing. Word of mouth is key and part of the marketing process.
This question I ask to most of my interviewees, what advice would you give to a novice writer?
Helen Boswell: Finish writing that first draft! And then get enough guts to actually give it to people for feedback. I had so many half-completed drafts that are currently languishing in drawers or on old hard drives, and I may go back to them someday (meh, but maybe not). But MYTHOLOGY is the first novel I ever finished, and it wasn't until I passed it around to some people and received feedback that I got my wild hair to actually publish it. It still needed a lot of work at that stage, of course, but it was the start of the process.
Last question, besides Mythology, what book would you recommend every writer/illustrator have on their bookshelf?
Helen Boswell: That's a tough one, and I may answer it a little differently than you intended. I would say that every writer/illustrator should have a good collection of the books in their particular genre. I read mostly YA these days, and my shelves and Kindle hold books from Kendare Blake, Heather Brewer, Brodi Ashton, Ally Condie, and indie authors now like David James and Amy Harmon. Oh, and I love the Harry Potter series :)
 Any shout outs?
 
Helen Boswell: Shout outs to Betsy Bancroft (a friend and avid reader) and Chris Farnsworth (author of Blood Oath, The President's Vampire, and Red, White, and Blood), who were the first people to really keep pushing me to get MYTHOLOGY out there into the hands of readers. And the biggest shout outs of all to my readers and supporters!

Thank you so much Helen! That was a great interview. Can you give info on where to find you?Helen Boswell: Like me on Facebook: www.facebook.com/mythologyseries

Friend me on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4146823.Helen_BoswellFollow me on Twitter: @HelenBozz

Author Interview: Joanna Penn, author of the ARKANE thrillers

Author Interview: Joanna Penn, author of the ARKANE thrillers. 
You are in for a treat with this one.  Joanna Penn is amazing!  I am a huge fan, not only of her terrific Arkane series, but also of her blog and podcast, www.TheCreativePenn.com.  Joanna has given hours of her time to help other writers achieve their goals and dreams, and I, as one of them, can’t say enough about how much I appreciate her efforts.  I was absolutely thrilled when she agreed to be interviewed because she has so much great information. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
About her:Joanna Penn is the author of the ARKANE thrillers, Pentecost and Prophecy. Read more at www.JFPenn.com Joanna is also an entrepreneur and professional speaker. Her site for writers www.TheCreativePenn.com  has been voted one of the Top 10 sites for writers 2 years running and offers articles, audio and video on writing, publishing and book marketing. Connect with Joanna on twitter @thecreativepenn


You started out as an IT consultant, what made you want to switch to being a writer?  What was your motivation?
Joanna Penn: I always wanted to be an author but for many years I was blocked by thinking I had to write literary fiction, and prize-winning sentences. When the penny dropped that writing books of other genres was absolutely fine, then I started finally to express myself. In terms of switching, I spent 13 years as an IT consultant and it was soul-destroying work where nothing ever remained, and certainly there was little of anything creative or joyful in it. I wanted to spend my time building something for the future, entertaining people, inspiring people and creating assets for my own business, not someone else’s. 
Here’s a longer answer on how I went from affirmation to reality over a four year period. www.thecreativepenn.com/2011/09/12/creative-author/ 
Your Arkane series is a riveting thrill ride; can you give me any tips on creating a suspenseful thriller?
Joanna Penn: I think modeling success is critical. I deconstructed a successful thriller by one of my favorite authors, James Rollins in order to learn how the structure worked. I made a spreadsheet and for every scene, I wrote down the first sentence, last sentence, what happened, the pacing, how many pages it was, whose point-of-view it was and basically tried to understand how the book worked. A few things clicked for me after that, like writing in scenes which revolutionized my thinking and book construction.  So I’d advise you to do that with a book you want to emulate. 
Where do you get your ideas for writing? I would imagine you do a lot of research.
Joanna Penn: I love researching and I read a lot of non-fiction which informs my writing. For example, I’m just reading ‘Stiff’ by Mary Roach which is about cadavers and what happens to bodies when they’re donated for medical research or embalmed. I’m combining some of that material with ‘The Knife Man’ by Wendy Moore which is about John Hunter, one of England’s greatest anatomists in the time of the resurrection men, when they dug up bodies for medical dissections. This is for my NaNoWriMo novel, not one of my ARKANE books. 
But basically, I get my inspiration from my non-fiction reading, across religion and psychology mainly, and then also from travel, architecture and art history, some of my obsessions. 
Your website, www.TheCreativePenn.com is one of my favorite website and packed filled with advice for authors on marketing their books, can you give me three of your favorite tips on marketing?
 Joanna Penn: (1)        Marketing is sharing what you love with people who want to hear about it. If you use that attitude as your guiding star, you will never spam anyone again and it works across any of the tools available. 
(2)        Attract people through being interesting, inspiring or entertaining. For example, posting pictures of your research on your blog or Pinterest, sharing news stories related to your book or your niche on twitter.
(3)        Email marketing is still the most effective, so develop relationships with your fans through a list gathered by asking people to sign up at the back of your books. 
I started listening to the Creative Penn Podcast a few years ago and anxiously await each new episode.  I understand interviews and recordings take loads of time, what is it that keeps you doing your podcast, and what benefits have you seen from starting it? 
Joanna Penn: I started the podcast when I was a newbie writer, blogger and entrepreneur. I knew nothing so I wanted to learn from others so I started the podcast as a way to get interviews from knowledgeable people. That is still my driving force, so I try to interview people who I want to hear from on topics that I am still learning about. So one benefit is learning, or to challenge my own thoughts.  Another benefit is relationships, with the interviewees who I spend 45 minutes on the phone with and often end up being friends with, as well as the mutual marketing that happens when you cross-promote other people. It’s kind of social karma, kind of relationship marketing, and also has a benefit for the audience. All in all, it’s a win-win for everyone which is why I continue to podcast! 
There are over 140 episodes now and you can find the back-list here: www.thecreativepenn.com/podcasts/ 


Last question, what bit of advice can you give to an author struggling to get their work noticed, whether it be by agents, publishers, or readers?
Joanna Penn: We all struggle to be noticed, and probably the biggest thing is: a)         do something b)         keep doing it over time 
I’ve been blogging, tweeting, podcasting, videoing, etc. for 4 years and really it took several years before anyone knew I existed and my fiction is still at the bottom of the pile! It’s about consistency over time, keep delivering quality work in whatever niche you’re in and slowly, things will happen. 
If you want more detail on this, then I really recommend Michael Hyatt’s great book “Platform: Get Noticed In A Noisy World” or I have lots of free marketing info here: www.thecreativepenn.com/marketing/  Joanna thanks again for taking the time out of your busy schedule to do this for me.  I really do appreciate it. So much good advice and tips!

Author Interview: C. Michelle Jefferies

 Author Interview: C. Michelle Jefferies, author of Emergence.
“Hit man, Antony Danic, has never killed an innocent man. At least, the corporation he works for never gave him a reason to think otherwise—until now.” –Emergence, Book One in The Prophecy Rising Series.C. Michelle Jefferies is probably one of the nicest writers I’ve met.  She is always taking time to help others with their own projects and freely goes out her way to make you feel good when you’re having a bad day.  When she announced her book launch for Emergence I had to interview her.
About her: C. Michelle Jefferies practically grew up in a library, and she spent her early years reading books with her mother. When Michelle was ten, she realized she wanted to write stories instead of just reading them. In high school, she met another writer, who inspired her to write a full-length book instead of just short stories. Michelle finished that 189-page handwritten novel the summer of her junior year. She married her best friend and put her writing on the back burner while she focused on raising her seven children and volunteering as a breastfeeding counselor in her community. When her children were old enough for her to spend a few hours on the computer without them burning the house down, Michelle returned to writing and hasn’t stopped since. She can often be found writing or editing with a child in her arms or under her feet. With a passion for secret agents and all things Asian, she writes technical suspense and futuristic thrillers about bad boys turned good, all while beating herself up in karate class as she works toward her black belt in tang soo do.
When I write I find my main characters portray a lot of my own characteristics.  Your main character is a male hit man.  Do you see yourself in him?
C. Michelle Jefferies: Well, I’m a girl and I’m definitely not a hit man. So we’re completely different in those aspects. Antony has a box created by early childhood trauma. He takes those emotions he can’t deal with and stuffs them in that box. It’s a very effective coping tool for him seeing he’s an assassin as well as an atheist. I can’t imagine an assassin being emotional. It would create too much conflict in his personality. He’s a bit of a sociopath. (He doesn’t like that label)
So back to me, I’m not a sociopath, and I’m not an atheist, but to be honest I don’t interpret emotions or deal with them well. Sarcasm is lost on me. I probably wrote Antony the way I did because it was a release and an analysis of myself in that aspect. When I was little I was diagnosed with severe asthma and allergies. In a lot of ways it kept me from doing a lot of things I wanted to do. I couldn’t run or play most sports often sitting on the sidelines and observing life instead of participating. I love the whole “secret agent that has abilities over those we have as humans” thing. Probably because I dreamed of a life where I could do the things I wanted to do without ending up in the hospital. It’s been easy to develop characters that do what I can’t.
I have three other characters you meet in this series that I am developing their stories into book length. All of them are “secret agent types”. I know one has at least three books in his story the other two might be just one book stand alone’s, but their stories will all be seen in part as the Prophecy Rising series is written. I also have a minor character who wears Hawaiian shirts all the time. (Read the book to find out who he is.) He is the anchor character of the whole Emergence world. With the exception of one (maybe two) of the books in this parallel series, he is in all of them.
I love the theme of your Prophecy Rising series, “Technical Suspense, Secret Agents, and Bad Boys Gone Good.”  Sounds thrilling!  What do you believe are the keys to building suspense in a novel?
C. Michelle Jefferies: Suspense is an interesting genre. Kind of a mixture of a lot of things, a little mystery, little thriller, maybe some romance. Mine has a touch of science fiction and fantasy in it. Probably the reason I like and write the genre. In suspense you take the character and put them in a situation where the original problem you give them just keeps building and the stakes of the game they are in just get bigger and deeper. They often experience death of the characters around them and serious betrayal.
While you have your main character reacting to everything at first making the reader experience the tension, fear and other emotions. The main character needs to become the master of the situation around the middle of the book. Not resolve the problem in the middle, but start to take action and control of the situation so that the character grows and the reader has a satisfactory resolution by the end. If the main character never gets on top of the problem and starts to act proactively, yet the story problem is resolved at the end you cheat the reader by solving the problem by default. No character growth happens. Even if you are writing a series the main problems presented in that single book have to be resolved. There can be series wide problems that are left unfixed until the last book, but the immediate problem, the one that created the most tension has to be resolved.
You also have a middle-grade nonfiction book Enchanted Etiquette contracted with by Walnut Springs/Leatherwood Press.  Do you find writing middle-grade a big change from adult thrillers?
C. Michelle Jefferies: I call myself an accidental Middle Grade author. The idea to write a book that teaches manners to young girls hit me from left field. It was so totally out of my box that I found myself at the library looking at other manners books just to see what they included. Not only am I writing for a completely different age group. This one is for girls ages five to twelve. (No assassins or violence in this book) but it is also non-fiction even if it has fictional characters. I actually spent more time researching this book and figuring out how to write it than actually writing it. Once I sat down with a firm plan on how to do the book it just flowed from me almost as if it wasn’t me that was writing it. I’m glad I wrote it. The experience was definitely a learning one. The best part of writing this book is, the book includes a recipe and craft with each chapter. Testing the recipes and crafts gave me and my children time to be together and enjoy the others company, which is what I wanted to do with the activities in the book. I guess it worked.
What piece of advice would you give to the novice writer?
C. Michelle Jefferies: One piece? Can I do two? One, learn your grammar, punctuation, spelling, while you’re in school and it’s free. (One grammar class at the local university here in my town would be over 700.00 dollars.)
The most important advice is to not let people’s opinions of you get in the way of your talent. You’re going to get critiques, and advice, and reviews. It’s the nature of the trade. Don’t let them get you down. Instead of letting the critique convince you that you can’t write and you’re going to quit, let their opinions make your work better. Revision and editing is where you take a good story and make it great.
Besides Emergence, what book would you recommend every writer have on their bookshelf?  
C. Michelle Jefferies: This one’s easy. Story Engineering by Larry Brooks. It is the single most revolutionary idea about writing I learned. It took me from being a panster, (which is taking an idea and just writing it, no plan, no outlining, no direction) to a structure writer (firm plan, knowing the beginning middle and end, and why) and I have never looked back. If you don’t want to buy the book because you’re afraid it might not be for you? Go to his website Storyfix.com and look at his story structure series on the right sidebar. Try it out. You might be surprised.
This was a great interview with C. Michelle Jefferies, author of Emergence.  You can find more about her at her Website: cmichellejefferies.com, Blog: cmichellejefferies.blogspot.com, Facebook: C Michelle Jefferies – Author, and Twitter: cmjefferies.

New Site is Up and Running

This site is now up and running.  There is much more fantastic content coming soon.

Author Interview: Cindy M. Hogan, author of Created

 Author Interview: Cindy M. Hogan, author of Created “Hogan's best work yet. Full of surprises, twists and turns. Fascinating main character. For danger, excitement, and a bit into a world most will never get the chance to try in real life, this story will take you there.” -Kathleen Brebes, reviewer
I met Cindy M. Hogan through our writer’s group: The Author’s Think Tank.  When she announced her upcoming release of Created, book three in her Watched Series, I had to interview her.  Cindy is becoming known as the queen of suspense and I hope to share her tips on creating suspense in writing.
About her: Cindy M. Hogan graduated with a secondary education teaching degree and enjoys spending time with unpredictable teenagers. More than anything she loves the time she has with her own teenage daughters and wishes she could freeze them at this fun age. If she's not reading or writing, you'll find her snuggled up with the love of her life watching a great movie or planning their next party. She loves to bake, garden and be outdoors doing a myriad of activities.
The Watch series is a terrific thrill ride for readers.  What do you believe are the keys to writing a great suspense novel?
 
Cindy M. Hogan: There are five key things to remember when writing suspense besides creating a great antagonist and protagonist-someone to root for and against.
1. Keep the stakes high for the protagonist to create sympathy
2. Use time restraints so the protagonist is working against the clock
3. Create dilemmas where the protagonist must choose between what seems a lose/lose choice
4. Pile on the problems making sure the protagonist has more than he can handle
5. Be unpredictable because nothing is life is straightforward.

Besides Createdand the other Watched books, what book would you recommend every writer have on their bookshelf?  
Cindy M. Hogan:  Every writer should have "How to Save the Cat" and "On Writing" by Stephen King.

What piece of advice would you give to the novice writer?
Cindy M. Hogan:  The advice I have for a novice writer is to go to writers' conferences and have a critique group with goals that match your own.


You can find her books on: Amazon.  You can also find more information on her at: http://cindymhogan.blogspot.com

Author Interview: Mercedes M. Yardley

   Author Interview: Mercedes M. Yardley, author of Beautiful Sorrows.
“Mercedes M. Yardley’s Beautiful Sorrows is an ephemeral collection encompassing twenty-seven short tales full of devastation, death, longing, and the shining ribbon of hope that binds them all together.” –K. Allen Wood, editor/publisher of Shock Totem.
I met Mercedes M. Yardley through a writer’s group and was thrilled to find out how much we have in common.  Naturally I jumped on the opportunity to interview her about her new book's release.
About her: Hi. I’m Mercedes. I have two broken laptops, three kids, a husband and no time to write, although I try my very best. I like to write stories. I like to write poems. I like to write essays and sometimes they’re funny, sometimes they aren’t. I’ve written a few novels, and I’m shopping the last one around.  It’s challenging, and I like it that way. I’m a member of the SFWA, the HWA, and I’m the nonfiction editor for Shock Totem: Curious Tales of the Macabre and Twisted. I know how to throw a tomahawk and I wear red corduroys because they make me happy. That’s also why I write: I like being happy.



Mercedes, I was fascinated to learn you pitched your book at a writer’s conference and it was later accepted by Shock Totem for publication.  Do you attend a lot of conferences and what benefits do you see in attending them?
Mercedes M. Yardley: It’s funny that you should ask this, Mikey! At the time that I’m answering your questions, I’m recovering from the KillerCon conference held here in Las Vegas.  I’ve only attended a handful of conferences, but they’ve each been important. The classes are cool, the panels are engaging, but the best thing about them is definitely the networking.  It solidifies online relationships that are already established, or you meet somebody super cool that you know you want to hang with.  Or maybe you meet in passing, exchange cards, and later on really connect over a project or conversation. Since I have three small kidlets at home, I can’t fly all over the place for conferences. We have a deal where I can go to two a year, so I pick and choose carefully.
Your writing has a dark edge to it, where do you get your inspiration from?
Mercedes M. Yardley: I get my inspiration from everywhere.  People are beautiful, fascinating, and dark creatures. We’re capable of so much good and so much evil. I was always attracted to stories that had a sort of whimsical bite. As a kid I loved The Secret of Nimh, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, and The Last Unicorn.  Absolutely stunning and a little scary at the same time. But I don’t write tales of straight despair. There’s hope ribboned throughout, I think. 
Beautiful Sorrows is a collection of 27 stories, is there one you feel stands out among the rest?
Mercedes M. Yardley: Augh, this is like Sophie’s Choice!  I wrote them, so of course I think that they’re each precious little snowflakes, important to me for one reason or another. “Black Mary” and “The Quiet Places Your Body Grows” really seem to strike a chord with people.  I’m partial to “Flat, Flat World” and “The Boy Who Hangs The Stars.  And definitely “Big Man Ben”.  I think that’s one of my best.
I know mothers and wives have a lot of their plate, how do you balance your family time with your writing?
Mercedes M. Yardley: That’s probably my main struggle.  I’ve finally realized that I just have to let something go.  I can try to be Supermom, but writing goes and the house is a mess.  Or I can focus really well on writing, but the kids are in their pajamas and eating dry cereal all day.  So I try and do half and half.  I’ll write and do writerly things for part of the day while the kids get to watch a movie. Then I’ll spend the rest of my time with the kidlets, doing the homework/doctor/reading time/everything thing. It takes patience, but the little ones grow and I don’t want to miss out on that. I don’t want to put my writing completely aside, either, because it’s so important to me. So be a hummingbird. Taste a little of this and a little of that, and realize you’re blessed to enjoy snatches of what you love.

What piece of advice would you give to the novice writer?
Mercedes M. Yardley: Make your goals realistic. Maybe you have the time to dedicate four hours to writing every single day.  That’s awesome. But maybe you only have time to write 300 words, or for 15 minutes, or perhaps only one beautiful sentence. So write those words, or for that time.  Craft that gorgeous sentence. Do it again the next day, and the next.  Expect much of yourself, but don’t demand it all at once. Build your book, and be gentle to yourself, my lovelies. The world will be harsh enough. 
Besides Beautiful Sorrows, what book would you recommend every writer have on their bookshelf?  
Mercedes M. Yardley: You know, I adore a book called Get It Done When You’re Depressed by Julie A. Fast and John D. Preston.  Julie is a writer who struggles with depression, and she tells you how to break things down to manageable steps. I’m surprised how many writers deal with depression but don’t discuss it because of the social stigma. This book isn’t for depression only, though; it works equally well for being sick or absolutely overwhelmed. I get overwhelmed quite a bit, and I need somebody to help me break things down to bite-sized pieces. I’d also suggest that you have your favorite children’s book on your shelf, too.  Something with sparkle.  I have a copy of The Dragon Takes A Wife by Walter Dean Myers, which is beautiful and quirky.
By the way I LOVE your cover and the art work. Do you want to say anything about that? Mercedes M. Yardley: Thank you! I love it, too! I was fortunate to deal with a small press, and so I had some say in the cover.  Yannick Bouchard, the artist, is extremely talented, and especially wonderful with the human form.  You should definitely check out his work, although some images are NSFW.  Ken, the editor, Yannick, and I tossed around some ideas and Yannick quickly drew these amazingly intricate sketches. But something didn’t feel right until we just let him go, and he came up with this cover. Beautiful, desolate, and sweet. It’s everything that I was hoping for. 
Something even more cool about it is that I grew up in the desert, and spent a lot of time playing out there.  I’m also naturally blonde (quite a change from the black hair, yes?) and one of my old friends asked if I had sent Yannick a picture of myself as a kid. He thought it looked like me. Since then, several people have asked. It adds a special sweetness to it.
Thanks so much for letting me stomp around on your site, Mikey! It was a pleasure.
Thank you Mercedes!  The info you shared was awesome.  Again I am surprised with how much we have in common.  I loved those movies as a child too and we were both theater majors at the same university—it’s a small world.  Good luck with everything!
You can find more information about Mercedes M. Yardley and her book, Beautiful Sorrows, at mercedesyardley(at)gmail(dot)com, her blog at: http://abrokenlaptop.com/ or follow her on Twitter: @mercedesmy. You can also buy Beautiful Sorrows at: http://shocktotem.bigcartel.com/products.

BUY: Beautiful Sorrows

Newest Project

I am very excited to announce my latest project, Lucius and the Christmas Star.  It’s an enchanting tale of a camel who finds himself along the same journey as the wise men, and it’s written by a very talented writer, James Long.  I am so very happy to be able to work with him on this book.  The plan is to have it available before Christmas.  So keep posted and Ill share with you how to get this amazing story.