Megan Erickson's Blog, page 9

NaNoWriMo

You know, I started typing out what NaNoWriMo is and then my wrist got tired and honestly? If you don’t know what it is, then I’m not sure we can be friends. (I’m kidding. Sort of. Go here if you really don’t know: National Novel Writing Month)

So, this is my second year doing it. Last year I wrote 60K of a novel (which I shelved because… it needs some help). But this year I have an awesome, solid plan. It’s the companion novel to DO THE MATH. And if you’ve read my manuscript, then you know Max. It’s his story. Because he deserves a happy ending.

Here’s a quick blurb:

Max Payton is finally out from under his father’s thumb… er, fist… and working as a high school phys ed teacher and hockey coach at his alma mater. He meets the cute librarian, Lea, who isn’t intimidated by him and doesn’t take his crap. Which is oddly attractive. And then there’s the way Lea makes him feel, like he’s more than his rough jock exterior.

Taking care of a bunch of adolescent athlete punks is where he is most at home, until he learns the cash-strapped school’s plan to cut funding for the team. But as he forms a plan to keep his team together, he learns Lea wants that funding for computers to bring her library into the modern decade.

Max must choose – fight to keep his kids in pads or help Lea’s library and the rest of the student body . Unless he can find a way to do both. And finally be the man his father never thought he’d be.

Eh…. what do you think? I’m typically a total pantser when I write, so having even this blurb for now is impressive for me, haha. So, yeah. It’s subject to change. But I’m really happy about my outline and can’t wait to buckle down!

ETA: This is new adult contemporary romance, and will be dual POV with Max and Lea. Wanted to keep my blurb short for now with the main conflict, which is Max’s. Thanks for checking it out!

TELL ME WHEN – Cover reveal

I’m SO excited to share with you the cover and blurb to Stina Lindenblatt’s debut novel, TELL ME WHEN. It is a new adult contemporary romance published by Carina Press (HQN) and will be available Jan. 20, 2014.

Stina is a sweetheart and a lovely writer and I can’t wait to get my hands on this book! Or… er… my hands on my Kindle where I will load this book.

So, here it is:

The blurb:

Amber Scott should be enjoying life as a college freshman. She should be pursuing her dream of becoming a veterinarian. She should be working hard to make sense of her precalculus math class.

She shouldn’t be waking up her college roommate with screaming nightmares. She shouldn’t be flashing back, reliving the three weeks of hell she barely survived last year. And she definitely shouldn’t be spending time with sexy player Marcus Reid.

But engineering student Marcus is the only one keeping Amber from failing her math course, so she grudgingly lets him into her life. She never expects the king of hookups will share his painful past. Or that she’ll tell him her secrets in return, opening up and trusting him in a way she thought she’d never be able to again.

When their fragile future together is threatened by a stalker Amber thought was locked away for good, Marcus is determined to protect her. And Amber is determined to protect Marcus…even if that means pushing him away.

If you want to add it to Goodreads, you can do that HERE.

And here is some more about Stina and where you can find her online:

Born in England, Stina loves to travel, and has lived in England, the US, Canada, and Finland. She spent a semester in graduate school living in central Finland, and a summer during her undergrad degree working in Helsinki. She has a Master’s of Science degree in exercise physiologyand has worked with elite athletes. In her free time, Stina is a photographer, mother of three adorable kids, and devoted wife. She currently lives in Calgary, Canada.

Website: http://stinalindenblattauthor.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StinaLindenblattAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/StinaLL

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7333747.Stina_Lindenblatt

LOTD, 10/8/13

From my untitled WIP, featuring a theater major, cruise ship, and sexy reality show star:

“Umm… Ryan,” Cassie said, biting her lip and holding out a pamphlet. “The cameras. They’re everywhere. And the feed will be streamed live on the website.”

 

And that’s how I earned the nickname Siren Ryan. Because everyone on our floor heard my scream.

 

Train Tracks

These train tracks by my house catch my eye every time I drive over them. They have this look about them, like they are out of a movie or book cover or something.

And so my writer mind wanders. And the other day, I walked by them and was hit with an image. So I wrote a short story, just a flash fiction piece. And I wanted to share it. I hope you like it.

Here is the picture and my story.

THE TRACKS

By Megan Erickson

I can’t pass over the train tracks without feeling his lips on mine.

That junior high first-kiss fumbling with tongues tangling and teeth clicking and spit swapping.

It was the best kiss of my life.

Every time my engine idles at the stop sign on Arlington, every time my car shocks squeak as the tires pass over the rails, I remember his shy smile. It was newly white and straight, his braces removed the week before. I remember the way his clammy fingers gripped my wrist, his thumb caressing my denim-covered hips.

I remember the breeze rustling the leaves and a squirrel chattering at us for disturbing his peace.

But that moment was our peace. The moment we realized we weren’t attracted to our female classmates with their budding breasts and flirty smiles and inexperienced makeup application.

Instead our hormones alerted us to sleek muscles, boyish grins and masculine voices.

So for that one summer afternoon, we held onto that peace on the train tracks. We balanced on the iron with scuffed sneakers and lay along the tracks, sweat-damp heads propped on our fists, foreheads touching.

With shaking fingers, I mapped his chest, so like mine and yet so different. His shoulders were broader, his nipples darker, his torso longer. I’d known him since I was four. A lot changed in ten years.

He told me I was beautiful, and I told him his smile made me dizzy.

That day didn’t define everything we were, but it shaped a large part of who we would become.

A month later, before the start of ninth grade, his family moved out of state. We kept in touch sporadically, but soon I was experiencing kisses and under-the-clothes fondling with other boys

But none of them were Jake Hanvelt.

 

My husband touches my arm and I turn my head, losing sight of the tracks in the passenger side mirror.

His lips tilt into a smile, but he doesn’t say a word because he knows. He’s the only one who knows about that stolen summer afternoon.

He takes a right turn at the next stop sign, rather than a left toward the library, his hands overlapping each other on the steering wheel.

“I thought you wanted that new Stephen King?” I ask.

He gives me that smile of his, the placating one.

I narrow my eyes. “Don’t look at me like that. Where are we going?”

Now he laughs. I huff and cross my arms over my chest, turning my head to look out the window, but I have to bite the inside of my cheek to hide my own smile. His laugh always makes me happy.

But I don’t like admitting that so I have to sell my discontent. “I really wanted a cinnamon scone and latte,” I grumble, picturing the library’s homey coffee shop. “Wherever we are going better make up for that deliciousness.”

He takes a couple more turns until he pulls into Pleasant Oak Park. I can’t remember the last time I’d been there. It had changed, the way public parks do. More soccer fields, an extra pavilion, a fenced off dog corral.

“What are we doing here?”

That smile again.

“Do I need a password to unlock your vocal chords?”

He pulls into a space and throws the gear into park, then grabs the back of my neck tugging my face toward his. He chuckles as his lips brush my forehead. “How about if I unlock mine, you lock up yours, Mr. Chatty.”

Well then.

He gets out of our sedan, popping the trunk with a button on the dashboard. I follow as he pulls a large fabric cooler out of the trunk. It’s the one I ordered from one of my sister’s home parties. It’s got this obnoxious print with purple and yellow paisley. I bought it to embarrass him, but instead he carries it like it was made for him. I swear he puts a little extra effort into his strut as he heads toward an empty picnic table, cooler slung over his shoulder.

Purple really is his color.

He reaches the bench and sits down while I perch myself across from him. One by one, he pulls plastic food containers out of the cooler. Chicken salad with almonds and grapes. Orzo pasta with black olives and plump grape tomatoes. Juicy chunks of watermelon and honeydew. Perfectly square brownies oozing with caramel.

My mouth waters.

He shakes his head, a grin tugging his lips

“You even cut the grapes in half.” I say. “You know how much I hate chomping into a full grape in my sandwich. It ruins my whole chicken salad experience.”

“I know, babe.” He plops a heaping spoonful of chicken salad onto a flaky croissant, tops it with a slice of provolone and a layer of leafy romaine and hands it to me.

I immediately dive in, knowing I’m smearing mayonnaise all over my face and not caring.  It’s delicious. I finish it and move on to the rest of the food. The pasta is al dente and the fruit fresh.

He watches me eat, those brown eyes of his liquid. I want to swim in them, like an almond in a big pool of melted chocolate. Instead, I bite into a gooey brownie, and it’s still warm from the oven.

I freeze mid-chew. “What did you do?”

He raises an eyebrow. Yes, just one. He can do that. I can’t even rub my stomach and pat my head at the same time.

“What are you on about, Matty?” he says.

I wave my hand in a flourish at the spread on the picnic table, and hold my brownie up in my other hand as evidence. “Who does stuff like this unless they are apologizing for something?”

He licks his lips, and I follow his tongue as it laps some errant watermelon juice at the side of his mouth. When I raise my eyes back to his, he’s smirking.

I glare.

He loses his smirk and sighs, then places the bowl of fruit on the table, crossing his arms on the table. “I do, Matty. I do.”

His voice is sincere. He wants me to hear him. So I do. I lose the attitude and take another bite of brownie. When I finish chewing, I say, “Well, this is really nice. Thank you.”

He nods, satisfied. “You’re welcome.”

We finish eating and gather all our containers, checking to be sure we don’t leave any trash behind.

He carries our food cooler to the car, stows it back in our trunk and takes my hand. “Let’s go for a walk.”

We set off down a tree-lined path. A little girl careens by us on a bike, the plastic beads on her spokes rattling. Her mother runs behind her, and I can’t help but think those beads are like a bell on a cat’s neck. A way for the mom to keep track of her daredevil, pink-helmeted daughter.

I focus on the birds chirping and the distinct smell of summer, all sun and dirt and flowers. His hand in mine squeezes, his callouses from his job as a carpenter rasp along my palm. I love those callouses.

I look down, dragging my feet along the gravel path, leaving deep scrapes among the stones. He squeezes my hand again and when I look up, we’re here.

On the train tracks.

I look behind me. “How did we get here, I thought we were at the park–”

He cuts me off. “The park runs along the tracks. Didn’t you know that?”

I shake my head and stare at the parallel lines, leading into the horizon like an iron symbol of infinity.

He turns to me and cups my cheek. He’s a good five inches taller than me, so I crane back my neck as he bends down his. And now I am that almond, drowning in his chocolate eyes. A happy little almond. Nice and warm in my sweet bath.

“You remember every time you drive past these tracks, don’t you?” he whispers.

I nod. Almonds don’t talk. And if they could, this almond would be beyond speech. Because he’s smiling that smile.

The one that makes me dizzy. The same one from that one summer afternoon. The same one I noticed across a crowded university campus on the way to class, now on a gorgeous man’s face rather than a cute teenage boy’s.

The same one I married and now see every morning on the pillow next to mine.

He dips his head and his lips brush mine. The leaves rustle and a squirrel chatters. But this is our peace. This is our moment.

“I love you, Matty.”

“I love you, Jake.”

###

Thanks for reading! If you like it and feel inclined, I’d love if you shared the link to my story on Twitter or on your own blog/Facebook.

And if you are inspired, feel free to take my photo and write your own story, less than 5,000 words, about the train tracks.

 

 

New Cover

So. I wrote a book. Called Anchor Me. I poured my heart and soul into it and worked with an amazing editor who whipped my ass and my book’s ass and maybe a couple of other asses that got in her way.

I have a new cover. And it’s 99 cents. And you should read it.

You can check out my blurb and where to buy HERE.

Here is my bee-ootiful new cover.

Thanks for your support everyone! This is different from my new adult I’m working on, but hey, I can mix it up, right?

Love to you all!

The art of the novella

While my toddler is covering his legs in band-aids for no reason, I’m going to blog.

So, I like writing short stories. I always have. It’s a fun challenge to pack in a lot of information while still leaving a little mystery. Currently, I’m working on an adult romance novella centering around New Year’s Eve. Oh, and I’m loving it. It’s so much fun and these characters are worming their way into my heart.

And really, writing is the best way to deal with the stress of querying.

For fun, here’s an excerpt from my novella.

10…9…8…

 

Her palms began to sweat. Would he actually kiss her? Was she supposed to initiate this? Or would he?

 

7…6…5…4…

 

Did she even remember how to kiss? Where was her tongue supposed to go again?

 

3…2…

 

Oh God.

 

1

 

The bar erupted with shouts of “Happy New Year!” Valerie gave a half-hearted whoop, her mind still whirling. Then there was pressure at her back. That arm around her shoulders curled her into a large, warm, solid body. And then Bryce’s face lowered toward hers. She froze, unable to move from the look in those light eyes.

 

“Happy New Year,” he whispered. And then his lips touched hers.

You like? Hee hee. I know, I’m a tease.

Update – WIP excerpt

Gosh, it’s been a little bit since I updated. But I’ve been busy, busy, busy behind the scenes!

I finished my current manuscript, DO THE MATH, which is a new adult contemporary romance with a strong comedic edge, and I’m super excited about it. Kat and Alec are funny and sexy and they might be real people. Or that’s just in my head.

If you want to read my blurb/query and the first chapter, check out my Works in Progress tab at the top of the page, or click HERE.

And, for fun, here is an excerpt.

She raised her eyes and froze.

 

Alec stood before her wearing only a pair of black boxer briefs. Only black boxer briefs. And for the love of all that was holy, she couldn’t stop staring. He wasn’t bulky like Max, but he had a runner’s body, with sinewy arms and a thin waist trimmed with that delicious V muscle leading down into his waistband. His legs were muscular and she had to bite her tongue when all she wanted to do was bite his thigh. Yes, she wanted to bite his thigh. And then that muscle at his hip. And then maybe peek down those boxers to see if his big hands meant other things were big. She could still feel the imprint of those muscles against her own, shifting to the beat on the dance floor.

 

And oh mylanta, his abs. Those delicious ridges were perfect, bulging under thin skin, highlighting a nice little trail of hair that started below his belly button and disappeared into his waistband. She licked her lips, wishing she could trace those ridges with her tongue.

 

Yep, she’d officially gone off the deep end. Just right over it. Plop! Into the water. She wasn’t even flailing. She sank like a happy little ball of lead. Horny lead.

 

Alec cleared his throat and she snapped her eyes from his general crotch-area back to his face. His eyes were on her general stomach-area, where a strip of skin showed below her tank top.

 

She lowered her hands, letting her hair spill down her back and tugged her shirt down. “Um…hey.”

 

Clearly, eloquent was her middle name.

 

“Hey,” he rasped out. His hair was adorably ruffled, the part usually smoothed back in a bump now hung in a shock on his forehead. It was odd to see him without his glasses. Odd and definitely…nice.

 

She wondered if he was thinking of biting or licking any parts of her. Instead of dwelling on that, she gestured toward the bathroom. “I was heading there.”

 

“Me too. But ladies first.”

 

She wanted to laugh. In an inappropriately hysterical way. Because who said that other than her father when he went to the country club?

 

“Thanks,” she mumbled. She stepped gingerly toward the bathroom, which was directly in front of him. As she brushed past him to enter, he grabbed her arm gently.

 

His touch startled her and she looked up into his face. His eyes were heavy-lidded and the pale green of his irises was darker in the early morning light. She imagined this would be an amazing scene in a movie, where he whispered in a tortured voice, Kat, I want you. I’ve always wanted you. Let’s retreat to my boudoir and consummate our mutual attraction…

 

His lips were moving, and she snapped back to attention.

 

“…It was acting up, so flush twice.”

 

Yep, while she dreamed of writhing naked and sweaty in his sheets, he was telling her to flush the toilet twice. Awesome. Amazing. Not embarrassing at all.

So, wish me luck everyone as I put myself out there.

Update

Gosh, it’s been a little bit since I updated. But I’ve been busy, busy, busy behind the scenes!

I finished my current manuscript, DO THE MATH, which is a new adult contemporary romance with a strong comedic edge, and I’m super excited about it. Kat and Alec are funny and sexy and they might be real people. Or that’s just in my head.

If you want to read my blurb/query and the first chapter, check out my Works in Progress tab at the top of the page, or click HERE.

So, wish me luck everyone as I put myself out there.

Cover reveal – TEN DAYS

Hey!

I’m so excited to be participating in the cover reveal for TEN DAYS by Olivia Mayfield. I’ve never done a cover reveal before on this blog, but I jumped at the chance to do one for TEN DAYS.

The reason? I loved this book. I’m struggling saying too much about it, because I don’t want to give anything away. Let me say that it is a wonderful, thought-provoking read.

TEN DAYS is based on the sci-fi short story “The Machine Stops” by E.M. Forster. I read that first, which you can get for free or super cheap.

Mayfield builds a really cool world and makes you think what it would be like to be completely dependent on a machine for everything – your food, your bed, your transportation, your LIFE – and what it would be like when one day that machine stops working.

Okay, enough babbling, here is the cover!

Isn’t it beautiful?

And here is the blurb:

TEN DAYS is a New Adult/YA crossover romance novel, based on the sci-fi short story “The Machine Stops” by E.M. Forster. Nineteen-year-old Cally isn’t like the others. In her society, the Machine caters to every whim, ensuring people don’t have to leave their pods. But Cally and her best friend Marshal find themselves drawn to how things used to be, when people lived on the surface of the earth and relied upon manpower, not technology. When physical contact wasn’t uncivilized, and love was normal, acceptable, embraced. Cally tries to swallow down her increasing dissatisfaction with the “rules,” as well as her rapidly developing feelings for Marshal, a task getting harder each day. Then, things start going downhill, fast. Food is spoiled. Air grows musty. The population panics about the dysfunction–is it sabotage? Anarchy? But Cally and Marshal discover the truth: The Machine, the answer to all their problems for longer than anyone can remember, is breaking down. Now, these two have to risk it all to save themselves and the people they care about…before their entire world destroys itself.

Please get this book. It’s great! Here’s where to purchase:


Goodreads link: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17643885-ten-days
Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Ten-Days-ebook/dp/B00CQ5U5VG/
BN link: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ten-days-olivia-mayfield/1115279796?ean=2940016699639&isbn=2940016699639
Kobo link: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/books/ten-days-1/WdaKXoFi8EiqQzcsMHmcpQ
iTunes link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/ten-days/id649567063?mt=11
Smashwords link: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/316227


And here’s where to learn more about Olivia Mayfield (who happens to be a totally rad chick):

Website: oliviamayfield.com
FB: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorOliviaMayfield
Twitter: @OliviaMayfield

Rereads

I’m not a big re- person. I don’t like to rewatch movies (except for Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, because…um…Bueller), and I don’t really like to reread books.

However, there are several books that I love so much that I read over and over again. Let’s start with the classics, shall we? I read The Great Gatsby every year. I love that book so much. The characters are fascinating and the plot is exciting. If DiCaprio screws up by beloved Jay in the new movie, I’m gonna be pissed.

I also love to read The Catcher in the Rye, Lord of the Flies and The Thorn Birds. (My son is, in fact, named after a Thorn Birds character. Don’t judge. Feel free to guess in comments which name it is.)

Now, as for modern books, there are some that I have read recently that are just so much fun, I have to read again.

Sweet Dreams – Kristen Ashley. She isn’t called the Queen of Crack for nothing. Her books are crack. And I love ‘em. Sweet Dreams still remains my favorite of her books. Oh, Tate Jackson, you sexy man, you. Plus, you played for the Philadelphia Eagles. BONUS POINTS.

Matter of Time series – Mary Calmes. She’s the Queen of Crack of the gay romance world. Her books just have this certain voice to them that I eat up like candy. Jory and Sam are so much fun and so full of drama, I can’t look away.

Hearts in Darkness by Laura Kaye – I LOVE this book. It’s a novella about two likeable characters who bond while trapped in an elevator. And there’s hot lovin’. I love that the hero has some serious emotional baggage but he’s not a douche.

Sheltered by Charlotte Stein – Charlotte is such a cool writer. No one writes like her. I could read a dozen books without the author listed and pick hers out. She’s an erotica author, and this book is just so sweet. The heroine is adorable and I just want to hug her. The only downside is I wish this was longer! Write a sequel Ms. Stein!

Anything by Kathryn Le Veque – She writes medieval romances and I love them all so much. She always take the impossible couple and somehow gets them together in the end. The men are always big and strong and awesome warriors. There’s nothing sexy about heavy armor, but somehow she makes sweaty, bloody, dirty men irresistible.

I have many books that are my favorite but sometimes they are just too emotional to reread. I don’t know, it’s hard to explain. I should be able to, since I’m a writer and all, haha. But these are all my favorite to read over and over again. I think I’ve read Sweet Dreams about three times. I tried to put Tate on our baby name list when I was pregnant, but the hubs shot it down. Spoil sport.