Amanda Meuwissen's Blog, page 10

The Incubus Saga Reviews - 5 Years Later

My actual first book was a little novelette called The Collector, which is currently out of print, but I have a new cover and future plans for it—one of these days, I swear!

My first full published book, however, the start of a three-book series, was Incubus, book 1 in The Incubus Saga.

Recently, one of the very first reviewers who took a liking to the series, Kristen Burns, returned to reread it, five years after it finished and the last of her reviews was posted, and she made me absolutely glow with some of her new comments.

“I loved all the characters. And the relationships. And the story. And the emotion. [This series] made me want to cry—not because I was sad, but because I just felt so much for the characters, or because there was so much good and hope and happiness for them after all the bad they’d been through, or because they always had each other, even during the bad.”

Please please check out the original and revisited reviews for Incubus, Changeling, and Sidhe. It was awesome to see that I also made her top 5 list for favorite books she’s read in the past five years of blogging.

What’s one of your favorite books you still think about years after reading? Have you revisited it? Has your review/thoughts changed since the first read?

I have one I’ve been wanting to go back through after a friend mentioned rereading (well listening to the audiobooks in this case): The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice. I was 10 when the movie for Interview with the Vampire came out, and 12 when I first read The Vampire Lestat. I wonder what I’d think now…

Reading & Q&A [VIDEO]

Recently, I did a virtual panel for the Minnesota fan convention CONvergence, where I started with a reading from my upcoming vampire M/M romance novel, Their Dark Reflections, and then afterward (about the 15 min mark), I provide some writer advice, based on my most frequently asked author questions.

Check it out below:

https://youtu.be/TjMA5Q3Gjlc

The Best Movie Ever – The Fifth Element

I’m preparing for an upcoming blog tour starting next week, doing a bunch of interviews, as well as having some new reviews come in for some older works. Stay tuned!But one of my interview questions reminded me of something: 1) my favorite movie ever, and 2) a little prompt I wrote based on it once.The questions asked me to describe the movie I can watch again and again, and there was no contest: The Fifth Element.I have a top five for movies that can occasionally shift, but that is always number 1. It’s a flawless movie for me. Not dystopia, and not utopia either like a Star Trek universe, but this awesome view on the future that’s colorful, filled with action, mythology, destiny, the elements, love conquering all, hilarity, gorgeous and ridiculous costumes, and one of the best musical performances ever put to screen. It never fails to inspire me and make me smile.So, it should come as no surprise that a couple years ago when I did a July challenge to write a different universe a day, that I thought of The Fifth Element when prompted to: Place your characters in your favorite tv show or movie.Here’s what I came up with:-----Kieran didn’t like the word ‘criminal’. He preferred ‘space pirate'. Although ‘master thief’ wasn’t bad either.After all, who else could have stolen the fabled elemental stones from across the galaxy that when brought together at an ancient temple were said to create an ultimate, priceless weapon?He hadn’t planned to use the weapon, just sell it along with the stones and move on to the next great challenge. But a weapon wasn’t what appeared when the blinding light from the stones dimmed.“How the hell are we supposed to sell him to Thrax?” Rein griped. “The guy's expecting a weapon, not some scrawny boytoy.”“What he’s expecting,” Marian chimed in, “was that we’d bring the stones down to the surface and wait for him, but no, the boss insisted on seeing the weapon for himself.”Kieran frowned at his first mate. None of that mattered anymore. What mattered was that they needed to adapt, roll with the punches, and not panic that they owed one of the most dangerous men in the galaxy something they couldn’t give him. “We will find Thrax another weapon,” he said.Even if Thrax wanted the young man, Kieran didn’t do slave trading.Plus, he was hardly scrawny, just lean, all smooth muscle without a single flaw. He had perfect skin.And hair. And legs. Perfect everything really.When the light had gone out, he’d suddenly been lying there in the center of the temple, naked and unconscious. Kieran brought him and the stones back to his ship, secured in his quarters now, but he had no idea what to do next. The man hadn’t woken up yet.“We’ll tell Thrax the stones activated as soon as we got down to the surface,” Kieran continued. “There was nothing we could do.”“Yeah? Well you better get that story straight because he’s hailing us,” Marian reminded him. “He’ll be here in an hour, and he wants to know our status.”“So stall him.”“With what?”“Think of something,” Kieran growled, dragging a hand back over his shorn hair. “Just until our guest wakes up and I can figure out what to do. And keep the crew calm.”Rein and Marian shared a strained look because that was easier said than done with their brand of morally gray thieves, but they nodded anyway and took their leave.The stones sat on Kieran's desk, but the stranger who’d been… born of them slept on the sofa with a blanket thrown over him.Kieran took a breath. He could think his way out of this. He could think his way out of anything.Turning to his starboard window, he saw nothing but stars and the planet below them where that strange temple resided. What kind of planet had Earth been once, he wondered?With another shuddery sigh, he turned back to consider his guest.Who wasn’t there!Reaching for the blaster on his hip, Kieran whirled about in search of the man, only to discover him already too close, moving impossibly fast as he gripped Kieran’s shoulder and pressed a forearm to his throat, slamming him back against the wall beside the viewport.An unfamiliar language spewed angrily from his lips.“What? I don’t understand!” Kieran struggled to reply as his airway was constricted. “I’m not going to hurt you! I made you!” He cringed at the inept description but how else could he explain it?The man had the most intense green eyes he’d ever seen, making him even more strikingly beautiful even if he was glaring—still naked, holding Kieran to the wall.And then he kissed him.Kieran gasped, feeling the man’s tongue tangling with his as powerfully as he'd subdued him.When it was over, the man's hold was still firm as he demanded, “Say that again.”“You speak English now?”“I took it from your tongue. Now repeat what you said.”Kieran shivered, drawn to that voice despite the threat in his words. “I’m not going to hurt you,” he said again, the words feeling hollow with him as the helpless one. Then he cleared his throat and gestured at his desk. “I made you. Summoned you, whatever, with those.”At last, the arm on Kieran's neck loosened, and he was able to take a deeper breath as the man turned to the stones.“You did not steal me? You awakened me.” He pulled away completely but turned back to Kieran with a softened expression. “You unlocked the stones?”Kieran had been the one to perform the rights in the temple, each task that opened the stones to their element, because the texts said it had to be one person, and Kieran hadn't wanted to risk anything going wrong.“Yes—"The man kissed him again before he could finish, less dominating but somehow deeper. “Yes,” he finished for Kieran, arms wrapping around Kieran’s neck gently now as he smiled—breathtakingly. “It is you, I can feel it. My master. My wielder.”“You’re… what?” Kieran felt dizzy and disoriented. “I thought… I thought I was creating a weapon.”“I am a weapon,” the man said with frightening sweetness, “for you to aim as you please. I can bring down nations, destroy planets, wipe out galaxies, and rebuild it all in your image. Tell me your will, Master, and I will raze the universe in your name.”Kieran blinked at the man in mute shock before finally uttering, “Um…”TBC... maybe someday ^_^

Short Story WIP

I'm editing a short story to send to my publisher.The main character looks like Shogo Makishima from Psycho-Pass in my head (though I've never seen the anime).Here's how it starts:-----Marlow King had a secret.He needed to get off at least once a day.Sometimes twice.Sometimes more.Sometimes it got embarrassing.He couldn’t help it! He’d had an overactive sex drive ever since he hit puberty and came into his abilities as a Storm Mage.Everyone had some magical affinity but, for most people, it was minor. Powerful Mages were rare; Storm Mages even more so.Being one meant Marlow could control and manifest every element that made up the known universe: water, fire, earth, wind, darkness, and light. But that same power running through his veins meant an increased metabolism, which included the most unnecessarily non-existent refractory period ever imagined.He’d gone five times back to back once, and that should not be normal!It also wasn’t nearly as awesome as people might think. When he was in the right frame of mind and wanted to get off, it was great, but if some days he couldn’t spare a few minutes for ‘private time’, his body tended to punish him—with very inopportune boners.Nice looking man or woman walked by? He was done. Stiff wind? Stiff Marlow. Even a mannequin in a store window could get his blood pumping.He’d heard rumors that Storm Mages were more amorous than other people, but he’d never discussed it with anyone, or met another Storm Mage to confirm what level of amorous was ordinary.He knew he could have asked a doctor, or even a specialist at the precinct where he worked as a Police Mage, but he was long past puberty now. He couldn’t just bring it up in conversation, even to a professional. It was embarrassing!Mostly because his real secret was being a twenty-four-year-old virgin.

Combining Two Stories into One

My recent release of Public Enemy, Undercover Lover is a monumental feat for me. Not because it’s my first release or a milestone number (though 12 is pretty cool). It was the first time I had two distinct story ideas, neither of which I thought could flush out a full novel, and I decided to mash them together into a single narrative.Let me tell you—it was not easy!The plot elements in this case were 1) enemies-to-lovers where the MCs are constantly having semi-public sexual encounters that eventually evolve into a real relationship (very PWP), and 2) long-lost son is discovered and tries to matchmake his father with his friend from collage who happen to be at odds.Now, enemies-to-lovers is still the center of both stories, but when working these ideas into a single plotline, I needed a unique and compelling hook. I’d already had the idea in the son plot to have a thief at the center of things, and the MCs would have to work together to catch them. Since I’ve done romances between heroes and villains before, I wanted this to be different, and decided on competing security consultants—a former criminal and the former detective who put him in prison, setting up an interesting backstory between the two.The trick was to make sure there were breadcrumbs leading to the thief’s true identity without it being too obvious, and to fit in the sexual escapades between the MCs in believable and progressive ways so that the romance continued to flourish.I spent all my holiday break last year on perfecting this monstrosity, and I could not be happier with how it turned out or with the reviews that have come in so far.“This book is packed with steaming hot lovin’ with tantalizing D/S themes that don’t disappoint, wrapped nicely in a gorgeous love story that leaves you rooting for these two fellas to figure their sexy crap out and get their happily ever after.” – K.L. Hiers READ MORE“Isaac and Andrew's chemistry was so amazingly written that I could actually feel the air crackle with sexual tension every time they were in the same room.” – Anabela.M. READ MORESome advice for anyone who attempts what I did—TAKE NOTES. Keep a constant flow of notes as you map out the plot, the important elements to include, and how the side characters fit in, and have patience with yourself. I was right to mix these two stories together rather than to try and fabricate separate plots for each, but it was definitely a challenge.

The Problem with Side Characters

Obviously, if you're writing an ensemble cast, there are no 'side characters', but for me, since I primarily author romance novels, I tend to have two main characters, and then several supporting cast members.Supporting characters are necessary regardless of the story, but the reason I say that they can be a problem is because it's difficult to know how to write them for every audience member.You can't write anything for every audience, but I still try, and while I appreciate that I’m usually praised for providing rich side characters, on rare occasions I’ll hear one of two things (and yes, sometimes about the same book ^_^), that either the side characters got too much attention and there wasn’t enough focus on the MCs and their budding romance, or the side characters didn’t get enough and aren't flushed out enough to the reader’s satisfaction.The trick is finding a balance, because it's true that you don't want side characters upstaging your MCs in a romance-focused story, but you also want them three-dimensional no matter how small the role, even if not necessarily as fully flushed out as the MCs.I'd be curious to know – would you as a romance reader rather come across a deeper love story, but the background characters don’t have much focus, or more of that ensemble feel without the same attention to the romance?The real goal is to provide the right amount of both, but if you had to choose, what is more important to you?

Join the Amanda Meuwissen Private Facebook Group

Hello old and new fans of Amanda Meuwissen Books! While you can always find info and news at my website, www.amandameuwissen.com, and my Facebook page, this private group is a chance to get the sneak peek on much more, with updates (usually) 4 days a week. Look forward to:SCENE STEALING SUNDAY – FOR DISCUSSION ON SETTINGS, PLOTS, AND ALL THINGS THAT INSPIRE MY TITLESTEASER TUESDAY – WITH INFO ON UPCOMING BOOKS AND WORKS IN PROGRESSTHIRSTY THURSDAY – PHOTO POSTS AND SEXY INTERLUDES WITH NEW AND FAMILIAR CHARACTERSSNIPPET SATURDAY – TO PLAY WITH PROMPTS AND POTENTIAL FUTURE STORY IDEASLately, I’ve done some Wacky Wednesdays or other amalgamations when I can’t post on normal days, but I’ve also started posting daily if only to share some beautifully Pinterest imagery I’ve been saving to my boards.Feel free to invite anyone to this private group who you think would enjoy this content and learning more about my work. I’d love to hear from you on any post or just your thoughts on what you’d like to see from me. Some of the stories I’m most proud of came to life because of ideas from friends and fans. So, sit back, enjoy, and engage however you’d like. The only rules are to be respectful of each other and follow Facebook’s otherwise overarching rules about content. If there’s ever any issues, posts or members may be removed, but I’ll always work to reconcile things first.Want to see some examples?Thirsty Thursday The Prince and the Ice King is starting off nicely (I also have TWO manuscripts in review process, so excited for 2020 already) so let's stick with my newest MCs, Prince Reardon and the Ice King himself (in human form), and get our thirsty kick for the week!Snippet Saturday Here's a little something from Public Enemy. Undercover Lover: ----- Dalton—who was out of the bathroom and headed for their table! “Listen, now isn’t the best—” “Andrew?” Andrew spun around when Dalton called his name. When Dalton called his name. “Dalton? Oh my god, how are you?” They hugged, completely unabashed in their open display of affection. “Why are you never on Facebook?” Dalton squeezed Andrew tightly. “I can hardly keep up. Did I hear you quit the force?” “Almost a year ago now. I started a security firm.” “That’s awesome! And kind of funny. My dad does security too. Dad? What’s with the face?” Dalton’s eyes landed on Isaac, and when Andrew turned to see that no, there was no other man in line of sight to be the bearer of that endearment, his jaw nearly hit the floor. “Dad?” “Do you and Andrew know each other?” “How do you know each other?” Isaac threw back, because if they’d slept together, he would have an aneurism right there in the café. “Andrew tutored me in Art History in college. How do you know him?” The actual answers flitted through Isaac’s mind.He was my nemesis. He’s the detective who put me in jail. We fucked on his living room sofa half an hour before I met you, and I helped him through two orgasms yesterday.Much more on the group.

Mental Health in Fiction

I love fantasy—high fantasy, urban fantasy, sci-fi, and superhero tales. They’re all enchanting to me and one of the best vehicles for getting across some of the heavier real-life subjects that can often be difficult to discuss.After Vertigo is not my first foray into a superhero love story. That was my duology Lovesick, made up of Lovesick Gods and Lovesick Titans. In that story, I paired a superhero and his nemesis, who eventually teamed up to defeat a larger villain. Their romance began as just sex, set in motion by the hero going through some very heavy issues, specifically bipolar depression that is never cured throughout the story, but very seriously addressed and dealt with over time in ways that show how there is no quick fix for mental illness, but it can be treated and lived with.While not quite as heavy as those topics, After Vertigo tackles social anxiety, how easy it is to withdraw from people, and how working through that takes work, and doesn’t mean you have to change who you are, but simply try to be healthy whatever ways that means for you.I think it’s important to address these types of things in fantastical stories because it lets us escape into a safe place to consider them and discover more about ourselves and others that maybe we don’t spend a lot of time thinking about in everyday life.There’s action, adventure, mystery, and some rather steamy romance in After Vertigo, but like all my works, it’s also a story about people finding their way in life, and I hope readers that give this tale a chance enjoy that aspect of it and relate that much more with my hero.Stay tuned for upcoming releases!

My Top 5 Superheroes

What does this have to do with a recent M/M romance release? Everything when that romance is based in a world with superpowers, villains, and heroes.After Vertigo is Urban Fantasy, but specifically, a superhero story. I love superheroes. I’ve been a comic nerd—and devourer of superhero tales in other mediums—all my life, ever since growing up on the Spider-Man and Batman cartoons of the early 90s.So today, I’m going to run through my top 5 favorite superheroes and why they mean so much to me.Spider-ManI can’t help it, as much as Spidey is everywhere these days and an easy, popular choice, he truly was my first comic book love. I adore how deep-down he’s a nervous nerd who quips to hide the fact that he’s actually scared out of his mind every time he faces a villain. I adored his villains, and how with the Venom storyline, he can be his own worst villain when he is taken over by the symbiote. I adored his love interest, Mary-Jane, a knockout redhead with some serious chops in every iteration they’ve created of her.Spidey is also the heart of the Avengers—once he became an Avenger. He’s the conscience of the Marvel universe who’s always trying to do the right thing over the smart or legal thing, even if it doesn’t always turn out well for him. For me, growing up, he was that symbol of a true, selfless hero, even if his moniker is that of one of the things that makes me run screaming from a room. ^_^The FlashI might actually say these days that Flash gets my #1 spot, though I didn’t really want to order these that way. If Spidey was my first love though, then Flash was the true love who came later.Initially, I was all about Wally West, the sidekick who got to grow up and become the main hero. For those unfamiliar, Wally went from being Kid Flash to The Flash in 1986 and held that spot for twenty years before the return of Barry Allen. I grew up with Wally and always considered him more The Flash than any other version. I loved that he was a redhead (noticing a theme?) and that he was quipping and fun and caring and basically the heart of the Justice League the same way Spidey is the heart of the Avengers. Really, they’re a lot alike, but many of Flash’s storylines take him to places that engaged me more than Spidey.His villains, specifically the Rogues and Captain Cold, are the most unique in any comic universe to me, because as much as Flash’s city and the people around him love him, his villains love him too. They’re protective of him, they’ll team up to face a bigger threat together if it means protecting the city, and they follow a code that fits in line with The Flash himself so perfectly. I mean, Flash had a museum created after only one year as a superhero. Spidey and other heroes in other universes are almost always just barely staying ahead of being considered a menace.The fact that I have The Flash symbol tattooed over my heart also proves my love. And there are definitely some parallels to him in After Vertigo, since one of the MCs, Grey, also known as The Streak, is meant to be a nod to him, but Streak is definitely not The Flash, more a reluctant hero in training.RogueMy favorite X-Men and favorite female superhero ever. She’s also part of the reason why I like Ms. Marvel so much, because the version of Rogue I first knew and admired had her power set. Rogue can take powers and memories from the people she touches. She once touched Ms. Marvel for such an extended period of time, that she had her strength, durability, and flight powers for years.I just loved that Rogue could kick as much butt as any Superman like hero. She was at the front lines, able to dish out more than anyone, and her actual mutant ability to take powers was both fascinating and tragic in that she couldn’t touch people when she wanted without hurting them.This created an amazing dynamic with her main love interest, Gambit, who was always willing to risk passing out for a kiss. I love how her character has evolved over the years to finally being able to truly control her powers, but I’ll also always have a special place in my heart for the version who stole what made Ms. Marvel so great and became iconic herself because of it.Booster GoldI have to give love to Booster. He might not be as recognizable to casual comic fans, but he is one of my favorites. He became a hero for all the wrong reasons, just to be famous really, without any of the characteristics that I normally look for in a favorite hero, but that’s what makes him special, because his character is all about the arc and growth and becoming a true hero even if his original intentions were flawed.I love his friendships with other heroes, particularly Blue Beetle. I love the way time-travel is so integral to his character, and the tragedy inherent there that isn’t always explored in other time travel stories. I love who his son turned out to be, and how there is always more to learn about Booster, even if half the time, he’s mostly enjoyable because he’s fun, a little ridiculous, and someone to shake your head at—until he steps up and proves he does deserve his place as a hero.The ShadowFinally, I have to give credit to the original hero. You’re a fan of Batman? Me too! But the old noir quality of the original detective in the shadows will always be special to me. I have a background in radio, so the old radio dramas are such a fun pastime if you’ve never looked any up to listen to.The Shadow, while often thought of as a comic book character, started as a radio drama, then became serials in a pulp magazine, and then became a comic book character, the inspiration for Batman and many characters like him, and seen in multiple film adaptations too, though not a in a long time, as the most recent was in the early 90s.So many of my favorite heroes are the light in their universes, even if tragedy touches them. They’re funny and hopeful and the kind of hero that just lifts your spirits, while The Shadow’s catchphrase is, “Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?”It’s a crazy departure maybe, but the style, the voice, that old detective pulp storytelling is all so much fun, and even today, The Shadow, as part of the DC universe, is a fascinating read who hasn’t gone away just because he was the oldest and original. There’s something to be said about our roots, and I love giving nods to all my favorite comic book characters, especially when dabbling in these types of stories myself.

Let’s Talk About Sex

This week is the release of my 10th M/M romance title, After Vertigo, and while traditionally my books are more focused on a deep plot and romance than just eroticism on the page, I’m certainly no stranger to sex scenes in my stories.After Vertigo takes an approach I haven’t before though, other than with my one Young Adult novel, Life as a Teenage Vampire, and a smattering of older fanfiction. In my new release, the protagonist, Ben Krane, is a virgin—a forty-year-old virgin to be exact with deep-rooted social anxiety—who lives vicariously through romance novels but gets courted and caught up in adventures with a very flirtatious and bold love interest, Grey Miller.I think it was more my dabbling in fanfiction on the topic that made the idea of having an older virgin protagonist so appealing. When I’ve written loss of virginity in stories before, I always try to make it something very special, with a caring partner, because not everyone gets to experience that in real life. And readers have told me how hopeful and sweet that is for them, whether they are still a virgin themselves or not, because while the sex can be steamy, the focus is on connection and romance over the heat.Because of Ben’s virgin status in After Vertigo, the heat of this story comes across more in the beginning through sexual tension between the characters, and then also through the M/F romance novel Ben is reading, lending to fantasies he has but no early sex scenes.While it is stated that Ben reads M/M as well, he enjoys any romance as long as at least one male character is involved. It was purposeful that the romance novel the reader follows with him throughout this story is M/F to portray that who we identify with doesn’t always have to be a perfect reflection of ourselves. Inclusivity is an important part of my writing. Regardless, by the end, the sex is earned, a drawn-out courtship that I hope readers find enthralling and worth the wait.Virginity can be a touchy subject. Some people are virgins later in life because of choice, sexual preferences, or just circumstance. Part of Ben’s reasoning is his issues with social anxiety and low self-esteem. He doesn’t understand how the mysterious and sensual Grey could possibly find him attractive.I use a lot of juxtaposition in my writing, and the constant return to Ben reading his romance novel is obviously meant to create parallels with his own sexual experience and desires, helping him get closer to finally asking for what he wants and giving over to his cravings.Conversely to After Vertigo, my NaNoWriMo project this year was focused on a much more erotic-heavy novel that I’m hoping to pitch to publishers before the end of the year, currently titled Public Enemy, Undercover Lover. There’s almost a sex scene in every chapter, the MCs exploring some very interesting dynamics of BDSM with a healthy amount of exhibitionism, and I’m loving every minute of working on it. There’s still a plot, emotionally and even with a mystery to solve, but it’s probably the most erotically focused piece I’ve ever done.As a romance writer, as much as plot and storylines beyond just sex are important to me—such as tackling social anxiety and other deeper issues—how the romance plays out, how sexually charged it is, is always top of mind for me. I loved writing shy, virgin Ben. I also love writing my two amorously charges MCs in Public Enemy. I hope new and loyal readers alike will enjoy giving all the different ways I lead my characters through sexual exploration a chance and check out After Vertigo.