Michelle Graves's Blog, page 2
February 14, 2014
NEW RELEASE!
The long anticipated novella sequel to The Storm and the Darkness is now available across most major online retailers!
<a href="http://sarahcradit.files.wordpress.co... class="alignnone size-large wp-image-2951" alt="BeyondDarknessNowAvailable" src="http://sarahcradit.files.wordpress.co..." width="529" height="406" /></a><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://michellegraveswrites.blogspot.... http://amzn.com/B00IBLBKK4 ">Amazon</a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bit.ly/NmUOoa ">BN</a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bit.ly/1aS4PnI">Kobo&l... style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bit.ly/1bIfkYQ ">Smashwords</a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.createspace.com/4649330 ">Createspace</a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bit.ly/1o5XDaU ">Goodreads</a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><em>Coming Soon: Itunes, Sony, Diesel</em></p><p style="text-align: center;">Anasofiya Deschanel fled to Maine to escape her mistakes. She learned quickly, and violently, you cannot run from what’s inside you.
Following a series of unfortunate events, Ana finds herself drowning in the consequences of actions which left her heart cruelly divided between the St. Andrews brothers. Jon’s embrace of darkness soon turns to dangerous cruelty, while Finn’s kind heart offers a promise of love she does not feel she deserves. Between all three of them lies a secret with the potential to change everything.
When the truth comes crashing down, Ana is forced to face the same demons she once ran from. As she learns more about who she is, and the situation she’s created, these realizations drive her to a desperate decision that will change everyone’s lives, forever.</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Character Teasers</h3><a href="http://sarahcradit.files.wordpress.co... class="alignnone size-large wp-image-2918" alt="finnteaser_shattered" src="http://sarahcradit.files.wordpress.co..." width="529" height="377" /></a> <a href="http://sarahcradit.files.wordpress.co... class="alignnone size-large wp-image-2924" alt="anateaser_shattered" src="http://sarahcradit.files.wordpress.co..." width="529" height="377" /></a> <a href="http://sarahcradit.files.wordpress.co... class="alignnone size-large wp-image-2921" alt="jonteaser_shattered" src="http://sarahcradit.files.wordpress.co..." width="529" height="377" /></a>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">The House of Crimson and Clover</h3><p style="text-align: center;">The Sullivans, a family of hard-working Irish lawyers, came from nothing and built a life they can be proud of. The Deschanels amassed incredible wealth by siding with the North during the Civil War, betraying their people. Both New Orleans families have a dark and rich history, painted with secrets, treachery, and colorful, supernatural abilities.</p><p style="text-align: center;">The House of Crimson and Clover unravels the mysteries surrounding both families, pulling us further into their tangled, enigmatic lives.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><em>While the series is meant to be treated as one long narrative, each book can stand alone and be enjoyed without having read the other books. I’ve created pages for each of the books in the series, with story descriptions and other info.</em></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Recommended Reading Order:</strong></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.sarahmcradit.com/?page_id=... Prequel- St. Charles at Dusk</a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.sarahmcradit.com/?page_id=... 0.5- Beyond Dusk: Anne</a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.sarahmcradit.com/?page_id=... 1- The Storm and the Darkness</a></p><p style="text-align: center;">Book 1.5- Beyond Darkness: Shattered</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.sarahmcradit.com/?page_id=... 2- The Illusions of Eventid</a>e</p><p style="text-align: center;">Book 2.5- Beyond Eventide: Bound</p><p style="text-align: center;">(More on the horizon…)</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.sarahmcradit.com/?page_id=..., read what reviewers are saying about The House of Crimson & Clover</a></p>
<a href="http://sarahcradit.files.wordpress.co... class="alignnone size-large wp-image-2951" alt="BeyondDarknessNowAvailable" src="http://sarahcradit.files.wordpress.co..." width="529" height="406" /></a><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://michellegraveswrites.blogspot.... http://amzn.com/B00IBLBKK4 ">Amazon</a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bit.ly/NmUOoa ">BN</a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bit.ly/1aS4PnI">Kobo&l... style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bit.ly/1bIfkYQ ">Smashwords</a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.createspace.com/4649330 ">Createspace</a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bit.ly/1o5XDaU ">Goodreads</a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><em>Coming Soon: Itunes, Sony, Diesel</em></p><p style="text-align: center;">Anasofiya Deschanel fled to Maine to escape her mistakes. She learned quickly, and violently, you cannot run from what’s inside you.
Following a series of unfortunate events, Ana finds herself drowning in the consequences of actions which left her heart cruelly divided between the St. Andrews brothers. Jon’s embrace of darkness soon turns to dangerous cruelty, while Finn’s kind heart offers a promise of love she does not feel she deserves. Between all three of them lies a secret with the potential to change everything.
When the truth comes crashing down, Ana is forced to face the same demons she once ran from. As she learns more about who she is, and the situation she’s created, these realizations drive her to a desperate decision that will change everyone’s lives, forever.</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Character Teasers</h3><a href="http://sarahcradit.files.wordpress.co... class="alignnone size-large wp-image-2918" alt="finnteaser_shattered" src="http://sarahcradit.files.wordpress.co..." width="529" height="377" /></a> <a href="http://sarahcradit.files.wordpress.co... class="alignnone size-large wp-image-2924" alt="anateaser_shattered" src="http://sarahcradit.files.wordpress.co..." width="529" height="377" /></a> <a href="http://sarahcradit.files.wordpress.co... class="alignnone size-large wp-image-2921" alt="jonteaser_shattered" src="http://sarahcradit.files.wordpress.co..." width="529" height="377" /></a>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">The House of Crimson and Clover</h3><p style="text-align: center;">The Sullivans, a family of hard-working Irish lawyers, came from nothing and built a life they can be proud of. The Deschanels amassed incredible wealth by siding with the North during the Civil War, betraying their people. Both New Orleans families have a dark and rich history, painted with secrets, treachery, and colorful, supernatural abilities.</p><p style="text-align: center;">The House of Crimson and Clover unravels the mysteries surrounding both families, pulling us further into their tangled, enigmatic lives.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><em>While the series is meant to be treated as one long narrative, each book can stand alone and be enjoyed without having read the other books. I’ve created pages for each of the books in the series, with story descriptions and other info.</em></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Recommended Reading Order:</strong></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.sarahmcradit.com/?page_id=... Prequel- St. Charles at Dusk</a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.sarahmcradit.com/?page_id=... 0.5- Beyond Dusk: Anne</a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.sarahmcradit.com/?page_id=... 1- The Storm and the Darkness</a></p><p style="text-align: center;">Book 1.5- Beyond Darkness: Shattered</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.sarahmcradit.com/?page_id=... 2- The Illusions of Eventid</a>e</p><p style="text-align: center;">Book 2.5- Beyond Eventide: Bound</p><p style="text-align: center;">(More on the horizon…)</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.sarahmcradit.com/?page_id=..., read what reviewers are saying about The House of Crimson & Clover</a></p>
January 29, 2014
So, You Want to Write a Book?
I've been asked a few times in interviews what the best and worst parts about being a writer are.... and I know that some readers may be curious as well.... so I decided to write a blog post all about the road to self-publishing and the many obstacles, triumphs, and really random things that have happened along the way.
So.... we come to step one, Writing. I honestly thought that the hardest part about being an author was writing the book. Boy was I ever wrong. I'm not sure how it is with everyone else, but the writing is the easy part for me. I get these stories in my head that just have to come out and by the time it is all said and done, after weeks of no sleep, I have a book. A really rough draft of a book, but a book nonetheless.
Then comes the not so fun part, the editing. I had no clue how many times authors had to read and reread their books before ever publishing them. I'm not sure what I expected, but it certainly wasn't this. I read through after I finish to add in stuff where it is missing and correct word usage where it is strange. You would think that would be enough, but nope... after that it heads off to my grammatically fiendish friend to review. Then she sends it back to me and I read it again before I ship it off to my editor. She goes through, edits it, then sends it back my way for me to read yet again. When all of that is done, I ship it back to her to be formatted and pray that I don't have to read it again for a long time. By the time all is said and done, I probably read each book a good 8 times before I ever hit publish. (This coming from a girl that typically doesn't re-read books!)
I guess that I should address the whole editor thing. I got really lucky with mine. She is a part of a book club I belong to and a fellow indie author. She is pretty much brilliant. Go read her books, Neeley Bratcher is her name.
So, I had my book, and I was all ready to go, but I needed a cover. I, unfortunately, am one of those people that totally judges a book by its cover. I am a visual person, by nature, so I knew that I needed a cover that I would absolutely love. If it wasn't something I would grab off of the shelf just based on the cover, it wasn't going to work for me. What did I do, you may ask? Well, I went scouring the interwebs. List after list of cover artist. Some pricey, some moderate, some super cheap but not appealing to my tastes at all. I began feeling a bit like Goldie Locks, until I found Syd Gill. She willingly works with me, bringing my vision into a better reality than I ever could have created. I have been extremely fortunate in finding her. She is quick, reliable, and always listens to what I have to say. There is always an open dialogue. She is just fantastic and I won't ever give her up, so don't ask me!
What came next? Well, publishing of course! Then the overwhelming sense that I had just thrown a huge chunk of my soul out into the world unprotected. When the reviews started coming in, everything changed. My palms would get sweaty, I wouldn't know how to breathe or how to even cope with someone not liking it. Inevitably, it does happen. Not everyone will like the same things. I think this is the hardest part for any artist, whether they be a painter, writer, crafter, whatever. We are openly judged by unbiased individuals on a daily basis. I've had to learn how to put on a thick skin and remember that one person's poor review does not diminish the fifty other great ones. How do I recover from it? How do I deal when someone hates something that I love so dearly? I remember that I didn't write the book for anyone but me. So having other people like it is just and added bonus. Then I remind myself that "No one can make me feel inferior without my consent." E. Roosevelt said that! When neither of those things work, I go and look at the reviews of books that I have absolutely LOVED...... and what do you know, even they have gotten bad reviews. Sometimes it can feel like you are drifting alone in a sea of hate, so it is nice to know that there are other people in the same boat from time to time.
So, that is the end, right? Nope. It has been eight months since I hit publish on that first book. Eight tiny months, and in that time I have re-edited the first book, learned to use Twitter, taken on Social Media, heck I just got a smartphone this week. It is a never ending progression. I've had to learn new things I never thought I would. It is a constant march forward. The best part about it though, I am willing to do whatever it takes to make these books succeed. I will never stop craving advice. In fact, I know of several author friends who probably wish I would.... Brandy, Belinda, Felicia, Magen, well the list is endless..... but I won't stop asking questions. I won't stop until I get to where I want to be. I am determined to make Izzy's story succeed, and that determination is what will get me there. It won't happen overnight, and it won't happen without me working at it. I've emailed 80 bloggers just this week. I am an unstoppable force, I tell you!
So you want to be a writer? Well, I will tell you what I wish someone would have told me going into this. Writing the book is the easy part. You want to succeed? It is going to take work. But if you have a great story to tell, and you are willing to push yourself harder than you ever have before, then it can happen for you!
Just make sure you have support. I know that I wouldn't be where I am today if it weren't for my amazing husband believing in me. Or if any one of the people that has been a part of this journey wasn't there. I have been incredibly lucky with the support and love of friends, fellow indie authors, and the blogging community. Then there are my readers, who I just LOVE! I am blessed, I know I am! But I'm not stopping until I have emailed every blogger I can find, until I have made Izzy's story heard in every corner of the world. The only thing that can hold me back is myself, my fear, or customs when I try to sneak across borders without a passport.
Whatever your dream is, remember.... things take time and work.
xoxo,
Michelle Graves
So.... we come to step one, Writing. I honestly thought that the hardest part about being an author was writing the book. Boy was I ever wrong. I'm not sure how it is with everyone else, but the writing is the easy part for me. I get these stories in my head that just have to come out and by the time it is all said and done, after weeks of no sleep, I have a book. A really rough draft of a book, but a book nonetheless.
Then comes the not so fun part, the editing. I had no clue how many times authors had to read and reread their books before ever publishing them. I'm not sure what I expected, but it certainly wasn't this. I read through after I finish to add in stuff where it is missing and correct word usage where it is strange. You would think that would be enough, but nope... after that it heads off to my grammatically fiendish friend to review. Then she sends it back to me and I read it again before I ship it off to my editor. She goes through, edits it, then sends it back my way for me to read yet again. When all of that is done, I ship it back to her to be formatted and pray that I don't have to read it again for a long time. By the time all is said and done, I probably read each book a good 8 times before I ever hit publish. (This coming from a girl that typically doesn't re-read books!)
I guess that I should address the whole editor thing. I got really lucky with mine. She is a part of a book club I belong to and a fellow indie author. She is pretty much brilliant. Go read her books, Neeley Bratcher is her name.
So, I had my book, and I was all ready to go, but I needed a cover. I, unfortunately, am one of those people that totally judges a book by its cover. I am a visual person, by nature, so I knew that I needed a cover that I would absolutely love. If it wasn't something I would grab off of the shelf just based on the cover, it wasn't going to work for me. What did I do, you may ask? Well, I went scouring the interwebs. List after list of cover artist. Some pricey, some moderate, some super cheap but not appealing to my tastes at all. I began feeling a bit like Goldie Locks, until I found Syd Gill. She willingly works with me, bringing my vision into a better reality than I ever could have created. I have been extremely fortunate in finding her. She is quick, reliable, and always listens to what I have to say. There is always an open dialogue. She is just fantastic and I won't ever give her up, so don't ask me!
What came next? Well, publishing of course! Then the overwhelming sense that I had just thrown a huge chunk of my soul out into the world unprotected. When the reviews started coming in, everything changed. My palms would get sweaty, I wouldn't know how to breathe or how to even cope with someone not liking it. Inevitably, it does happen. Not everyone will like the same things. I think this is the hardest part for any artist, whether they be a painter, writer, crafter, whatever. We are openly judged by unbiased individuals on a daily basis. I've had to learn how to put on a thick skin and remember that one person's poor review does not diminish the fifty other great ones. How do I recover from it? How do I deal when someone hates something that I love so dearly? I remember that I didn't write the book for anyone but me. So having other people like it is just and added bonus. Then I remind myself that "No one can make me feel inferior without my consent." E. Roosevelt said that! When neither of those things work, I go and look at the reviews of books that I have absolutely LOVED...... and what do you know, even they have gotten bad reviews. Sometimes it can feel like you are drifting alone in a sea of hate, so it is nice to know that there are other people in the same boat from time to time.
So, that is the end, right? Nope. It has been eight months since I hit publish on that first book. Eight tiny months, and in that time I have re-edited the first book, learned to use Twitter, taken on Social Media, heck I just got a smartphone this week. It is a never ending progression. I've had to learn new things I never thought I would. It is a constant march forward. The best part about it though, I am willing to do whatever it takes to make these books succeed. I will never stop craving advice. In fact, I know of several author friends who probably wish I would.... Brandy, Belinda, Felicia, Magen, well the list is endless..... but I won't stop asking questions. I won't stop until I get to where I want to be. I am determined to make Izzy's story succeed, and that determination is what will get me there. It won't happen overnight, and it won't happen without me working at it. I've emailed 80 bloggers just this week. I am an unstoppable force, I tell you! So you want to be a writer? Well, I will tell you what I wish someone would have told me going into this. Writing the book is the easy part. You want to succeed? It is going to take work. But if you have a great story to tell, and you are willing to push yourself harder than you ever have before, then it can happen for you!
Just make sure you have support. I know that I wouldn't be where I am today if it weren't for my amazing husband believing in me. Or if any one of the people that has been a part of this journey wasn't there. I have been incredibly lucky with the support and love of friends, fellow indie authors, and the blogging community. Then there are my readers, who I just LOVE! I am blessed, I know I am! But I'm not stopping until I have emailed every blogger I can find, until I have made Izzy's story heard in every corner of the world. The only thing that can hold me back is myself, my fear, or customs when I try to sneak across borders without a passport.
Whatever your dream is, remember.... things take time and work.
xoxo,
Michelle Graves
January 24, 2014
Saturday Spotlight: Felicia Tatum
So, today on the blog we have the Ferocious Felicia Tatum! She is one of the sweetest people I've had the opportunity to get to know and I am super excited to have her here today... so without further ado, I present The ridiculously talented Felicia Tatum!
You can stalk Felicia at any of these convenient locations (real stalkers need not follow the links):
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6592100.Felicia_Tatum?from_search=true
http://www.feliciatatum.com/ ...
Twitter: sassybrunette55
https://www.facebook.com/FeliciaTatumWriter
Now, let's get down to the good stuff, shall we? Felicia is the author of three series! Three! The woman is a beast, I tell you! Okay, so, I guess you probably want the links to those books, huh? Well, you are in luck.... because I have them.
The White Aura Series
The White Aura--Free!
Amazon: http://myBook.to/thewhiteaura ...
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-white-aura-felicia-tatum/1113871339?ean=9781481023016
The Vessel
Amazon: http://myBook.to/thevessel
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-vessel-felicia-tatum/1115150478?ean=9781484056349
Devlin's Descendant
Amazon: http://myBook.to/devlinsdescendant
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/devlins-descendant-felicia-tatum/1116968970?ean=9781492726258
A Sorcerer's Christmas
Amazon: http://myBook.to/asorcererschristmas
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-sorcerers-christmas-felicia-tatum/1117349491?ean=2940148869542
Intoxicating Passion
Masked Encounters
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00G64X2W2
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/masked-encounters-felicia-tatum/1117243560?ean=2940148414032
Unveiled Ties
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00HCZU72W
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/unveiled-ties-felicia-tatum/1117730704?ean=2940148990185
Scarred Hearts
Mangled Hearts
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00DW6NSOO
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mangled-hearts-felicia-tatum/1116010854?ean=2940044643819
Entangled Souls
COMING SOON!
Alright, now that you have spent all of your fun money for the month on her brilliant books, how about we get to know Felicia a bit better with my Random Q&A!
*What did you want to be when you grew up? Was it always a writer?
I think it varied every other day. I loved writing so much. My dream job in high school was working for Cosmo magazine...but writing books are much better ...
*If you could be any animal, what would it be, and why?
A cat. Do you know how pampered my cat is? He does nothing all day and gets treats for it! I mean...come on.
*If you could have any super power, what power would it be?
Is the ability to not need sleep a super power? Cause I need it...or want it...or both.
*Top Ten places you want to visit in your lifetime.....
Italy, California, Spain, Florida, England, Scotland, New York, Texas, Australia, Brazil
*Do you use real people to influence your characters, or are they completely formed when they come to you?
A little bit of both. Some characters have started out influenced by real people, while some have just developed into personalities familiar to me. It's fun how that happens!
*If you could have a weekend getaway with any author throughout all of history, who would it be? What would you hope to gain from the time spent with them?
Um...I pick Sarah M Cradit. And we would have a total blast doing all types of shenanigans!
*The absolute best part about writing a book for you? The worst?
Telling my character's story is the best, it's so awesome to get it all down, see what happens. The worst? Getting it ready for publication. All the little things make me a nervous wreck. I'm always afraid people will hate it.
*Why did you choose to be a part of Dauntless Indies?
Well, I'm one of the founders, and I really wanted a close group of authors to go to. It's nice to have people that understand this business, the successes and the failures, and can support you with that. It's hard being an author at times, and it's great to have a support system to back you up, keep you motivated, and give advice when needed. The original idea for DI was just a close group to ta...lk with, share things with, and to ask each other for advice. It has definitely grown from that concept and I love it!
*What are you working on now? What are your writing aspirations for 2014?
I'm working on finishing up Entangled Souls and Daring Dane. I want to finish my Intoxicating Passion and White Aura series this year, as well as get the next Scarred Hearts book out.
*Coffee or Tea?
Neither. Ew.
*What is your writing process like? Do you have to have complete quiet, or noise?
I used to just sit and type when needed. I have a dragon now, it's software that types for you and it's amazing!, and now I need a quiet, closed room. It picks up outside noises. I've never needed music though...in fact, it distracts me!
*What is your favorite line that you have ever written?
Hard question. I choose this one because it made so many people laugh and ended up as a favorite on goodreads. "He stumbled forward, "Can I mix my baby batter with your eggs?" he slurred trying to reach up and kiss me."
*If you had to hang out with any of your characters, which one would you choose?
Oh my gosh...Sadie Tabors. She's so funny, sarcastic, and sassy. She's a lot like me. We could get into all kinds of trouble!
Thanks so much for stopping by to hang out with us today Felicia! <3 you long time!
xoxo,
Michelle Graves
January 17, 2014
Saturday Spotlight: Magen McMinimy
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Welcome to the amazing Magen McMinimy! (Dare you to say it five times fast.... her name is SO MUCH FUN!) I digress, Magen is one of my fellow Dauntless Indies members, and I know for a fact that she has the patience of a saint. She has been helping me figure out this whole promotional thing... you know, where I learn to actually pimp myself out. At any rate, she agreed to answer my DI interview questions and spend a little time with me.... so without further ado, I give you Magen McMinimy (I can't stop saying her name.... seriously, say it out loud! So FUN)
If you are interested in stalking her on the interwebs.... you can do so at either of these convenient locations:
www.facebook.com/AuthorMagenMcMinimywww.Twitter.com/MagenMcMinimy Want to read her books? Well she has lots and lots of them... so I will post the beautiful promo pictures she sent me below! (Obviously with the buy links to each of the first book in the series)
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Primal-Hunger-North-American-Pack-ebook/dp/B00BQJSK4W/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1389988984&sr=8-3&keywords=primal+hunger B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/primal-hunger-magen-mcminimy/1114971082?ean=2940148501350
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Immortal-Blood-Heart-Magen-McMinimy-ebook/dp/B00AOHGJXG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1389989095&sr=8-1&keywords=immortal+blood B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/immortal-blood-magen-mcminimy/1114719650?ean=2940016510774
Amazon: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/immortal-blood-magen-mcminimy/1114719650?ean=2940016510774 B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/half-blood-princess-magen-mcminimy/1108020166?ean=2940148494041 Now that we all know where to find her amazing books.... Like I said, she has too many to put them all... so the links are to the first in each series! I got off track again, okay, back to Magen and more about her..... here is my fun little interview to find out what makes Magen tick! What did you want to be when you grew up? Was it always a writer?I wanted to be a lawyer when I was way younger then I went to school and became a wedding planner. If you could be any animal, what would it be, and why?I totally want to be Hawk… birds of prey are my new obsession. If you could have any super power, what power would it be? I would want to be Mystic from X-Men, that probably says a little too much about me. Top Ten places you want to visit in your lifetime.....RussiaRomeSpainLondonEgyptBrazilVeniceNew ZealandScotlandIreland Do you use real people to influence your characters, or are they completely formed when they come to you?They are created as I write them; generally I just know the basics of their personalities when I start writing. The absolute best part about writing a book for you? The worst?I love building words and characters that thrive within them, the worst is definitely editing, thank god for my amazing editor, Cynthia Shepp. Why did you choose to be a part of Dauntless Indies?I was asked a while ago to join and I was hesitant not because I didn’t love the ladies involved but there is a lot involved with Dauntless Indies and I wasn’t sure I would have the time to meet the goals of the group. However as I saw more of what they were trying to achieve I knew I wanted to be involved with getting the group there. What are you working on now? What are your writing aspirations for 2014?I am currently working on an anthology submission and once that is complete I hope to finish out my Immortal Heart Series this year and then hopefully focus a bit of my energy on marketing the books I have written. Coffee or Tea? Ginger or peppermint tea. What is your writing process like? Do you have to have complete quiet, or noise?Music, I need music in order to write. What is your favorite line that you have ever written?I have 18 total titles there is no way I can choose between all of them. If you had to hang out with any of your characters, which one would you choose?Hmm… well naturally I would want to hang out with any one of my male characters but the females are fairly kick ass ( in my opinion) so really can I just have a massive party with my entire cast of characters. Thanks so much for stopping by to find out more about the amazing Magen McMinimy! I hope that you all enjoyed it as much as I did... xoxo,Michelle Graves
January 10, 2014
Saturday Spotlight: S.L. Dearing
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S.L. Dearing is the very first Dauntless Indie author to be featured in my series of spotlights. This is your one stop shop for all things Dearing <3! I have had a blast getting to know this wonderful lady and I know y'all will as well!
Here is to your happy discovery!
xoxo,
Michelle
Bio:Although she grew up in Arizona, S. L. Dearing was born and raised in California and considers the Golden State her home. Shannon attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, studying biology, then moved to Los Angeles where she spent several years studying at Los Angeles City College’s renowned Television/ Film program. She learned the art of storytelling from her father when she was very young and has been writing since the tender age of five. As an author of many genres, she is always hoping to learn more by exploring the world of story. She has written her first novel The Gathering: Book One of the Lia Fail Chronicles and first of a series of shorts A Wish: A Lia Fail Short Story . She also has short stories in several anthologies: Apocalypse: An Anthology by Readers & Authors , Paranormal Anthology with a Twist and Stalkers: A Collection of Thriller Stories . Shannon currently resides in Los Angeles.
I am sure you all are wondering what she writes.... Have no fear, I have the links to all of her books as well.... see, I came prepared! :)
Links to buy The Gathering Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Gathering-Book-Fail-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B004DCB5X2/ Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Gathering-Book-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B004DCB5X2/Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-gathering-s-l-dearing/1025141705 Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/362716 Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/Search?Query=The+Gathering+Dearing iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/gathering-book-one-lia-fail/id723175202?mt=11 A Wish – A Lia Fail Short Story (1.1) Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Wish-Fail-Short-Story-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B00HRNR0O2/ Amazon.co.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wish-Fail-Short-Story-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B00HRNR0O2/ Barnes&Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-wish-sl-dearing/1118027651?ean=2940148294689 Kobo : N/A at this time Itunes : N/A at this time S.L. Dearing has also been featured in several anthologies.... Just look at those beautimous covers. Le Sigh. Alright, back to business, the links for each anthology are below!
Paranormal Anthology with a Twist Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Paranormal-Anthology-TWIST-Rene-Folsom-ebook/dp/B00BVSXAE8/ Amazon.co.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Paranormal-Anthology-TWIST-Rene-Folsom/dp/1483900827/
Apocalypse: An Anthology by Reader & Authors Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/APOCALYPSE-Anthology-Authors-Kate-Charles-ebook/dp/B00A72GGF4/ Amazon.co.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/APOCALYPSE-An-Anthology-Authors-Readers-ebook/dp/B00A72GGF4/ Stalkers: A Collection of Thriller Stories Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Stalkers-Collection-Thriller-Rene-Folsom-ebook/dp/B00GX9VVWI/ Amazon.co.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stalkers-A-Collection-Thriller-Stories-ebook/dp/B00GX9VVWI/ Now that everyone knows where to stalk S.L. and buy up all of her books, let's have a bit of fun..... I have devised a series of questions to ask all of my fellow D.I. Authors.... I am interested to see how all of their answers vary...and I have to admit, it is a ton of fun getting to know S.L. Dearing better! What did you want to be when you grew up? Was it always a writer?Oh wow, no, well for most of my life I wanted to a veterinarian. There was a brief moment where I wanted to be a nun (raised Roman Catholic, but now I’m a pagan/witch – no, not Wiccan) and I also wanted to be a coroner. Then I wanted to direct , act, etc. The funny thing is, I’ve always written: stories, poems… my mother still has a book I made her when I was five. I finally realized what I was when I was in my late twenties, but then I wrote screenplays. Until one day I woke up and said, I can do that, I can write a book and I did,
If you could be any animal, what would it be, and why? Um, I would be an orca or a raven. They are my two favorite animals. They are very intelligent and very family oriented. I think they are beautiful. If you could have any super power, what power would it be? Hmmm, wow, maybe telekenesis or pyrokenesis. Maybe teleportation… Or breathing under water… Oh or talking to animals… Oh, I don’t know… I’ll be a witch so I can do all of them J Top Ten places you want to visit in your lifetime... Germany, Ireland, New Orleans, New Zealand, Hawaii, Australia, Alaska, England (again), Lichtenstein, Africa. Do you use real people to influence your characters, or are they completely formed when they come to you? Yes and no. Some are patterned after real people, some not at all, some have qualities or traits. Although I have used my friends names, but they aren’t really anything like the characters, well some of them… some are exactly like their characters. J If you could have a weekend getaway with any author throughout all of history, who would it be? What would you hope to gain from the time spent with them? Oh wow, Um, I’m not sure I would expect to gain anything from them, save for their wisdom and possibly their friendship. As authors, I think that support and friendship and encouragement is what we all do best for one another. Helping each other over the rough spots and holding each others’ hands. Author I’d like to spend a weekend with… wow, I guess I would love to meet Stephen King, although I have met Clive Barker and he’s a lot of fun. A fun author. I want to spend a weekend getaway with a cool person who writes well J The absolute best part about writing a book for you? The worst? The best part of writing a book is when you get to share it and someone loves it. They felt it as deeply as you did and will treasure it as much as you. The worst is when you share it with people who trash it. I’m fine with people not getting it, but when people pan it or trash it, that’s the worst. Why did you choose to be a part of Dauntless Indies? When I was asked, I wasn’t sure that I would have the time or that I was “seasoned” enough to be part of such a great group of writers. After the holidays I seemed to get a new wind beneath me and I thought I should try. I mean they asked and I had meet Brandy and Sarah and already knew I thought they were wonderful and now I see it was a great decision. The support and encouragement is amazing and everyone is so encouraging. I count myself very lucky to be in such company. What are you working on now? What are your writing aspirations for 2014? This year is the year I finish book 2 of the Lia Fail Chronicles and get it out. I’m also working on an anthology with Rene Folsom, writing for several other anthologies (I always submit a story to Cynthia Shepp’s anthology – fingers crossed and I was invited to participate in a romance anthology call All Our Love where all the proceeds will be donated to charity) and working on the 1.5 compendium of short stories for Lia Fail. The first, A Wish, just dropped on Jan 9. Coffee or Tea? Coffee, always coffee, only like sweetened peach or raspberry tea, iced. I lied, I sometimes drink green tea. Not often, What is your writing process like? Do you have to have complete quiet, or noise? I write to music. I listen to soundtracks, the classical kind. The music written for film is ingrained with emotion and films have always been a huge part of my life. That music just pulls at my emotional bank and I can find what I need most of the time in the right score. J What is your favorite line that you have ever written? Oh, wow, um, I think that’s really hard. I do love the line that Arron Levine says to Ellen Turner in The Gathering on the dance floor… “Care to trip the Jew fantastic?” I think Aaron’s a funny rabbi J If you had to hang out with any of your characters, which one would you choose? Honestly, wow, um,I love Alia, I love Sean, all those characters in The Gathering, the good guys, I would love to hang with any and all of them. They are my kind of people. Very down to earth, very tolerant, very smart and funny. Very loving people. I hope everyone has enjoyed spending time inside the mind of S.L. Dearing! I know I have!!!! Thanks a ton for being here! Oh, and don't forget to check back each Saturday for more of my fellow Dauntless Indies' Author Spotlights! xoxo,Michelle
December 5, 2013
Reviews.... and why they are important!
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I am sure, if you are an avid reader like me, that you have seen authors asking, begging, bribing you to leave a review. Well, here I am, about to do the same thing. Why do we do this, you may be asking yourself..... because reviews matter. I won't go into why they are important for everyone else.... Instead, I will talk about why they are important to me!
1. Reviews let me know what I am getting right, and what I may be getting wrong. For instance, in the first book, I totally wrote the way I type. Ya'll might have noticed that I don't type I'm I always write I am.... well, I wrote that way as well. Which, as it turns out, makes the dialogue seem to formal... I never would have realized I did this if it weren't for reviews. So, yes, I do read the reviews.... and yes, they do matter.
2. If it weren't for reviews of the first book saying that I needed to fix parts of the story to make it more amazing, I never would have gone back and revised it. After reading several reviews talking about things that needed to be fixed, i.e. contractions, dialogue, etc.... I realized SHSR needed another look-see.
3. Reviews are encouraging. Any and every time I get a new review, I get giddy. While the bad ones can be a downer, the good ones are like taking a shot of straight adrenaline. I literally do a happy dance around my house every single time a new person says they loved my book. (My family thinks I am slowly losing it).
4. Reviews help readers decide whether or not they would like the book. I almost always read the reviews of books before I commit. Now, don't get me wrong, I understand that certain books aren't for everyone... and not everyone will like the book... but reviews help me to know what I am getting into. Especially if I know that the reviewer has similar tastes to my own. So, help future readers out.... leave a review.
5. Constructive Reviews.... okay, this is where this post may get a bit dicey, so bear with me. There is a distinct difference between a constructive review and a cut throat nasty gram. The difference: You can leave a one star review and explain the things you found fault with in the book.... i.e. editing, story flow, etc. These reviews are helpful.... these reviews help me, as a writer, to know where my weak points are and what I need to work on.... The other sort of review, the nasty gram sort, well.... you calling me names and saying that my dog could write better than me, while you have a right to say that, won't help me to be a better writer. (No, this has not actually happened to me, but I do have a lot of fellow author friends that have gotten reviews of this nature). So, if you are going to leave a negative review... which by all means, I encourage you to voice your honest opinion, make sure you are leaving one that actually pertains to the book and what you found fault with.
Alright, everyone still here? Awesome. I guess the whole point of this post is that reviews matter... both good and bad reviews.... So take five seconds the next time you finish a book, and leave a review. Something as small as "It rocked my socks" may make an authors day!
xoxo,
Michelle Graves
December 2, 2013
Free eBooks Daily: Author Spotlight - Michelle Graves 10 Fun & Random...
Free eBooks Daily: Author Spotlight - Michelle Graves 10 Fun & Random...: When I was growing up ... I wanted to dig up dinosaurs. I was absolutely obsessed with the movie Jurassic Park. I once ... lived in a f...
November 4, 2013
Chapter 2, See How She Fights
DISCLAIMER- This is completely unedited... the version in the book will not have the various errors/weird wording.... Happy Reading.... and remember, See How She Fights will be out December 12!!!!!!
CHAPTER TWO
We finished up breakfast and I headed upstairs to get dressed and make a call. At least some good would come out of the whole situation. I would get to see Molly and Ian. They had become two of my best friends. They had kept me relatively sane during my time at the lab and the council. It wasn’t an easy feat. I pulled on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt and picked up the phone.
“Hello?” Molly’s voice sounded sleepy. I looked at the clock again and knew it was late enough in the morning that she should be awake.
“Hey, Molly. It’s Izzy. Did I wake you up?”
“What? No. Well, okay. Yeah, you woke me up. But it’s cool. What’s going on? Are there some wedding plans we have forgotten? I thought my dress appointment wasn’t until next week.” She mumbled sleepily.
“The wedding is postponed indefinitely.” I said.
“WHAT? What did that low down good for nothing bastard do to you Izzy? I will come down there and beat the crap out of him myself. There is nowhere he can hide!” Molly was fully awake now.
“No, it is nothing like that. We are fine. Kennan is still as perfect as ever. Something bad is coming. I keep having nightmares so I finally called Isadora this morning and she requested that we come to the council. By requested I mean demanded. So, I was wondering if we could come and crash with you guys in Chicago for a day before we head up to the council. We are going to leave here today from the looks of Kennan shoving everything into bags right now.” I sighed in Kennan’s direction.
Kennan was in the middle of imitating a tornado swirling through our bedroom. He shoved everything he could find that we might need into two suitcases. I was surprised he had not packed scuba gear. After the way he had prepared for our last unexpected jaunt it would not shock me. The last time we had made a trip like this I had been kidnapped and forced to wear hiking clothes that I had not purchased for myself. I shook my head at him and tuned back into what Molly was saying.
“That’s fine. Just, you know, expect some changes to the house.” She said hesitantly.
“Molly, it is your house. You know you can do whatever you want to it.” I said confused. Why was she concerned that I would be upset?
“Yeah, well. When you get here you will understand why I made the changed. If Ian was not my Guardian I would have killed him already. Just so you know. Well, enough of that. Will we see you guys tonight or in the morning?”
“Probably in the morning. It is too long of a drive to get there by tonight. Even if we drive all night we will just get there in the morning. Plus, she said we had until the end of the week to get there. So I am voting for taking all of the time we can. I am not ready to be thrown back into the fray just yet. I was getting comfortable in my domestic bliss. Bah, okay enough whining. We will see you guys tomorrow morning sometime. Love you babe.”
“Love you too girl. Call me when you are close so that I can wake up his crankiness.” Molly said before hanging up.
I got up and headed over to peer into the suitcase Kennan was still shoving stuff in. There was all manner of clothing from workout clothes to hiking apparel. I wasn’t sure where we would be hiking in Illinois. Cornfields did not exactly lend themselves to hiking expeditions. I looked up at Kennan with a raised brow.
“What? I like to be prepared. I don’t know how long we will be gone. I’m not even sure where we will be going. Don’t judge me woman.” Kennan threw a balled up pair of socks at me before he went back to shoving more in the bags. I laughed and headed into the bathroom to finish getting myself ready.
When I was finally put together, I took my bag of toiletries and put them in my suitcase. I looked through what was packed briefly to make sure my sweater was there. I had a feeling I would need my security blanket in the days to come. After double checking the contents, I zipped the infernal thing up. I so did not want to be doing this. Ugh. I headed toward the stairs with my bag in tow when Kennan intercepted. My knight in shining armor.
“Allow me my dear.” He said with a gallant bow. I wanted to fight. Women’s independence and all that, but honestly the thing was too heavy for me to carry. I’d always thought I packed to much crap when I went somewhere. It paled in comparison to what Kennan could shove into a suitcase. Sheesh.
I followed him down to the car staring back at my sad dead garden. Kennan was right, I really couldn’t grow anything to save my life. I sighed as I hauled myself into Kennan’s old beat up SUV. The muggy heat inside felt like I had stepped straight into a sauna. Luckily it was cooler in Illinois this time of year. I sat with the door open waiting for Kennan to load his suitcase so that we could leave.
As I waited I pondered everything that I was leaving behind, the sense of security that had surrounded me the past months, the plans for my future, all to be left right alongside the dead garden. The symbolism was a bit much for me. I really needed to start looking ahead and not back. There was a reason Isadora had called me in.
“Ready?” Kennan asked as he reached over and grabbed my hand. I looked back at the old farmhouse once more before closing my door.
“Ready as I will ever be. Where are we stopping tonight?” I asked as I looked up into his eyes.
“How about Nashville. I hear they have an accurate replica of the Parthenon. I would like to see it. I wonder if their statue of Athena is a close facsimile.”
I just nodded in agreement. Sometimes I forgot how old he was. He had told me he had seen the Roman Empire rise and fall but that he was older than even that. I could not imagine living for that long. It seemed like it would get boring after a while. I was dreading having to live to be three hundred. That seemed unnatural.
“Hey Kennan, why can’t we get a new car?” I asked looking around the old beat up SUV.
“Because this girl is reliable and she has character. Don’t you hurt her feelings, Red. I may just have to leave you on the side of the road.” He said giving me one of his lopsided smiles.
“It isn’t like you don’t have the money to get a decent vehicle.” I mumbled. Comfortable seats and a decent stereo system would be nice.
“I heard that. If we survive whatever mayhem is coming our way I will let you pick out our next vehicle. Not that you will be able to drive it.” He finished dashing my other hopes.
“I drove up in Washington and was just fine. When are you going to lift this ridiculous no driving ban?” I groused.
“When you stop having visions that could end up getting both of us killed.” He said with a raised brow.
I knew that logically it made sense for me not to drive. It would be terribly difficult to fill out an insurance claim for an accident caused by a vision. Cause of accident: Magically transported to a different disaster in my head. I was pretty sure even full coverage didn’t cover that. I sighed and settled into the seat for the long drive.
At least on this trip I would get to see the countryside. Our last cross country jaunt I was drugged and bound half of the trip. I wondered where this new adventure would be taking us. If only I could control my visions, maybe then I could conjure up some information. This whole flying blind thing was for the birds. Not that those metaphors make much sense together.
“Izzy, what are you thinking about?” Kennan pulled me from my mindless rambling.
“I was mixing metaphors poorly again. Flying blind is for the birds.” I giggled. It really was a funny thing to envision. A bunch of blind birds flying into one another.
“You are ridiculous. So, are you going to tell me what Isadora said other than get your butts up here?”
“She got on me for not calling sooner about the nightmares. I know, you don’t have to say I told you so. She also said you need to block my nog for tonight. No dreams for me. I am to be well rested when I arrive. I have a feeling I am not going to like what she says in our meeting. This whole thing is making me feel icky.” I said trying to shake it off.
“Icky? What are you a kindergartner? Do I have cooties?” Kennan snickered.
“You do, in fact, have cooties. I just happen to like your particular type of cootie! Icky is just the best word I could come up with. You want to paper rock scissors to see who has radio control?” I challenged. Being a Seer had some advantages. I had figured out how to predict what his moves would be and I won almost every time. I couldn’t let him know the truth or the jig would be up.
“Fine. With one stipulation, if you win none of your depressing slow music. It is a long drive and you woke me up early.”
“Eleven, Kennan. I woke you up at eleven. In no world is that early. How did you survive your early years when you had to be up with the sun?”
“I didn’t have you keeping me up all night.” He said with a sly smile.
“Don’t act like you don’t like it. Now stop stalling. Paper, rock, scissors time!”
“Best out of three?” He asked with a sparkle in his eye.
“Fine.” I grumbled. It looked like he might have caught on after all. I could only do one prediction at a time. There was no way I would be able to tell what he was going to get on all three.
“Alright on three. One, two, three.” I got paper and he got rock. “I win the first round.” Just like I knew I would.
“Ready?” He asked. “One, two, three.” He got rock and I put out scissors. “I win.” He preened.
“Alright, last time determines the winner.” I said trying to work up my Sseer mojo. It seemed to be on hiatus though and refused to give me anything other than a vague fog. “One, two, three.” I landed paper and Kennan had stupid scissors.
“I knew you were a cheater! See, you only ever win when we go one round. You are such a cheater face.” Kennan said as he poked me in the ribs.
I looked at him and stuck my tongue out. I refused to verbally acknowledge his accusations. Suddenly the sounds of oldies filled the car. It was going to be a long ride.
“Really babe? Can’t you at least switch it to country? That I can handle, this is just plain mean.” I griped.
“Suck it up buttercup. You lost. I will torture you in any way I please.” He laughed.
I thought up some seriously delicious ways in which he could torture me. They did not seem feasible in our current mobile circumstances. Well, maybe feasible, but highly illegal. I sighed and rubbed my hand down my face. That was the second time today I had let my libido override my brain. I needed to get a handle on it or I would be in the middle of some sort of serious situation with my mind on what Kennan kept under his clothes.
“How far are we from Nashville?” I asked with a heated look.
“Entirely too far, but we need to make it there. So stop distracting me with your wily ways. I shall not succumb to your seduction.”
“That sounded like a challenge to me. It is ever so far, I think that I have the time to make you change your mind.”
“Seriously, Izzy. I will pull this car over on the side of this road and have my wicked way with you. Then Isadora will be all mad that we missed our deadline. Molly will send out the National Guard in search of you. Ian will get all upset that his Seer is upset. It will be a disaster. So stop distracting me. If you had won radio rights would you be doing this?” Kennan asked suspiciously.
“Maybe.” I said with a snicker.
“Woman, you drive me insane.”
“The feeling is mutual K.O.” I leaned over and kissed his scruffy cheek. I couldn’t wait until we got to Nashville. The Parthenon be durned, I wanted to get me a piece of that man.
The next few hours passed with very little excitement. The country roads passed by and we made it to the interstate. Montgomery and Huntsville were both rather hectic. I was glad that Kennan was driving and not me. I hated driving in cities. I never drove when I lived in Chicago. I always used transit or my bike to get around. I supposed I had never really had to do much of it. According to Kennan I would not be doing much of it now either. Stupid Guardian with his stupid Guardian rules. Oh well, it saved me from having to drive through city traffic.
We crossed the Tennessee border and I was taken aback at its beauty. It had been night the last time we drove through and I had not gotten to see anything but the inky outline of trees. The rolling hills and farms were so picturesque I was wondering why I had not chosen to move here instead. We made our way up I-65 with me constantly pointing something out.
The trees were beginning to change colors into brilliant reds and oranges. Down where we lived the leaves just said ‘I quit’ and fell off of the trees. It was so hot they never really changed colors. I sat silently in awe of it all as the sun began to set. We arrived in Nashville early in the evening and Kennan drove us straight downtown. I was surprised by how small it was compared to other cities I had seen. Seattle and Chicago made Nashville seem downright homey. I looked up at the tall buildings and wondered where Kennan was taking me.
We pulled up outside some swanky hotel and got out. I didn’t bother looking at the name. I had more important things on my mind. Like climbing my future husband. We made our way in the lobby and he got our keys from the front desk. I wondered when he had had time to book the room. I thought back to the morning and realized he had probably done it as soon as I called Isadora. The sneak. I just rolled my eyes and followed him to the elevator.
Once inside he pushed me against the wall and ravaged my mouth with his own. I was breathing heavily by the time we surfaced on our floor.
“That was an awesome distraction. Could you do that for all future elevator rides?” I asked as it dawned on me that I had not panicked at all while in the elevator. My fear of closed spaces was not getting any better.
“I didn’t do it for that, but any excuse to kiss you is fine by me.” He said as he brushed my hair behind my ear. He slid the keycard into the slot and rushed me inside.
Before the door had fully closed I was wrapped around him. I kissed him deeply as if it were the last time I would ever feel his lips on mine again. Ever since his almost demise I found I could not merely kiss him. Every time it was like it might be the last.
Kennan consumed me. We became one as our clothes magically melted to the floor in a blur of hands and lips. He trailed kisses down my body leaving me writhing and breathless. I needed more of him. I would never get enough. I grabbed him and pulled him up my body so that I could crush my lips against his. He moved inside of me making me cry out. I was lost to him.
We spent the next hour devouring one another until we were both breathless and boneless. I lay next to him panting.
“This is why I sleep until eleven woman. You destroy me.” He said through breaths.
“Not my fault.” I barely uttered.
“We should go get some food. I think there may be a PF Chang’s down by the Parthenon. You interested?” He asked as he started to get off of the bed.
“Do you really need to ask?” I said as I hurriedly reassembled my clothing. PF Chang’s was my favorite Chinese food in the entire world. Their double pan fried noodles were next to heaven in my book.
“I suppose I really didn’t need to ask.” He said with a smirk as he started to put his shirt back on. I walked over to him and rubbed my hands over the ridges of his abdomen. His tattoos standing in stark contrast to his skin. I wanted to devour him once more.
“You keep touching me like that and we won’t be going anywhere.” He growled. My stomach responded with its own growl.
“Fine, but only because my stomach wants to eat itself right now. I will get back to that later.”
We headed out and made our way down to the Vanderbilt campus side of town. I realized on the way that Nashville was bigger than it seemed it just didn’t have an over abundance of skyscrapers. Just as Kennan had promised PF Chang’s sat directly across the street from Centennial Park and the Parthenon. We pulled into the parking garage and made our way down to the restaurant. My stomach growled the whole time.
Dinner was delicious. I spent the entire time shoveling food into my mouth like it was my last meal. I was convinced Kennan was going to leave me one day just based on my horrible tendency to inhale my food. I looked up at him sheepishly as he laughed.
“You never cease to amaze me at what you can consume. How you stay so small is a wonder.” Kennan snickered as he got back to his massive pile of food.
“I am only small to you because you are so freakishly large.” I snickered.
“These people don’t think so.” He said with a sly grin.
“Yeah, because you used your guardian mojo on their brains. For all I know you have made me appear to be a seven foot Amazonian.” I snickered. It would be really funny to try that sometime.
We finished our meal and headed over to the park. Unfortunately we got there too late for Kennan to see the statue of Athena. It looked as though we would have to come back and see it again. Not that I minded. Nashville was a gorgeous city that was filled with uncommonly nice people. We meandered around the columns as Kennan told me about the real Parthenon and how it exploded when a weapons cache caught fire.
We walked around the lake and sat in a swing overlooking the water. The ducks floated by aimlessly. I allowed the peace of the moment to wrap around me. I knew that this was probably the last peaceful evening I would have for a long time to come. After an hour or so I started to yawn and Kennan called it a night.
When we made it back to the hotel I was too tired to keep my promise of ravaging him. Instead he put a block on my dreams and we climbed into the bed. The king bed was hardly big enough. I had to curl into his body just to have some room. Not that I minded. Being wrapped up in Kennan’s arms was my absolute favorite place to be. He was my home and my safety.
“I love you. More than anything else in this world.” I whispered as I sank into sleep. I felt Kennan’s lips brush my forehead as the last of my awareness slipped away.
CHAPTER TWO
We finished up breakfast and I headed upstairs to get dressed and make a call. At least some good would come out of the whole situation. I would get to see Molly and Ian. They had become two of my best friends. They had kept me relatively sane during my time at the lab and the council. It wasn’t an easy feat. I pulled on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt and picked up the phone.
“Hello?” Molly’s voice sounded sleepy. I looked at the clock again and knew it was late enough in the morning that she should be awake.
“Hey, Molly. It’s Izzy. Did I wake you up?”
“What? No. Well, okay. Yeah, you woke me up. But it’s cool. What’s going on? Are there some wedding plans we have forgotten? I thought my dress appointment wasn’t until next week.” She mumbled sleepily.
“The wedding is postponed indefinitely.” I said.
“WHAT? What did that low down good for nothing bastard do to you Izzy? I will come down there and beat the crap out of him myself. There is nowhere he can hide!” Molly was fully awake now.
“No, it is nothing like that. We are fine. Kennan is still as perfect as ever. Something bad is coming. I keep having nightmares so I finally called Isadora this morning and she requested that we come to the council. By requested I mean demanded. So, I was wondering if we could come and crash with you guys in Chicago for a day before we head up to the council. We are going to leave here today from the looks of Kennan shoving everything into bags right now.” I sighed in Kennan’s direction.
Kennan was in the middle of imitating a tornado swirling through our bedroom. He shoved everything he could find that we might need into two suitcases. I was surprised he had not packed scuba gear. After the way he had prepared for our last unexpected jaunt it would not shock me. The last time we had made a trip like this I had been kidnapped and forced to wear hiking clothes that I had not purchased for myself. I shook my head at him and tuned back into what Molly was saying.
“That’s fine. Just, you know, expect some changes to the house.” She said hesitantly.
“Molly, it is your house. You know you can do whatever you want to it.” I said confused. Why was she concerned that I would be upset?
“Yeah, well. When you get here you will understand why I made the changed. If Ian was not my Guardian I would have killed him already. Just so you know. Well, enough of that. Will we see you guys tonight or in the morning?”
“Probably in the morning. It is too long of a drive to get there by tonight. Even if we drive all night we will just get there in the morning. Plus, she said we had until the end of the week to get there. So I am voting for taking all of the time we can. I am not ready to be thrown back into the fray just yet. I was getting comfortable in my domestic bliss. Bah, okay enough whining. We will see you guys tomorrow morning sometime. Love you babe.”
“Love you too girl. Call me when you are close so that I can wake up his crankiness.” Molly said before hanging up.
I got up and headed over to peer into the suitcase Kennan was still shoving stuff in. There was all manner of clothing from workout clothes to hiking apparel. I wasn’t sure where we would be hiking in Illinois. Cornfields did not exactly lend themselves to hiking expeditions. I looked up at Kennan with a raised brow.
“What? I like to be prepared. I don’t know how long we will be gone. I’m not even sure where we will be going. Don’t judge me woman.” Kennan threw a balled up pair of socks at me before he went back to shoving more in the bags. I laughed and headed into the bathroom to finish getting myself ready.
When I was finally put together, I took my bag of toiletries and put them in my suitcase. I looked through what was packed briefly to make sure my sweater was there. I had a feeling I would need my security blanket in the days to come. After double checking the contents, I zipped the infernal thing up. I so did not want to be doing this. Ugh. I headed toward the stairs with my bag in tow when Kennan intercepted. My knight in shining armor.
“Allow me my dear.” He said with a gallant bow. I wanted to fight. Women’s independence and all that, but honestly the thing was too heavy for me to carry. I’d always thought I packed to much crap when I went somewhere. It paled in comparison to what Kennan could shove into a suitcase. Sheesh.
I followed him down to the car staring back at my sad dead garden. Kennan was right, I really couldn’t grow anything to save my life. I sighed as I hauled myself into Kennan’s old beat up SUV. The muggy heat inside felt like I had stepped straight into a sauna. Luckily it was cooler in Illinois this time of year. I sat with the door open waiting for Kennan to load his suitcase so that we could leave.
As I waited I pondered everything that I was leaving behind, the sense of security that had surrounded me the past months, the plans for my future, all to be left right alongside the dead garden. The symbolism was a bit much for me. I really needed to start looking ahead and not back. There was a reason Isadora had called me in.
“Ready?” Kennan asked as he reached over and grabbed my hand. I looked back at the old farmhouse once more before closing my door.
“Ready as I will ever be. Where are we stopping tonight?” I asked as I looked up into his eyes.
“How about Nashville. I hear they have an accurate replica of the Parthenon. I would like to see it. I wonder if their statue of Athena is a close facsimile.”
I just nodded in agreement. Sometimes I forgot how old he was. He had told me he had seen the Roman Empire rise and fall but that he was older than even that. I could not imagine living for that long. It seemed like it would get boring after a while. I was dreading having to live to be three hundred. That seemed unnatural.
“Hey Kennan, why can’t we get a new car?” I asked looking around the old beat up SUV.
“Because this girl is reliable and she has character. Don’t you hurt her feelings, Red. I may just have to leave you on the side of the road.” He said giving me one of his lopsided smiles.
“It isn’t like you don’t have the money to get a decent vehicle.” I mumbled. Comfortable seats and a decent stereo system would be nice.
“I heard that. If we survive whatever mayhem is coming our way I will let you pick out our next vehicle. Not that you will be able to drive it.” He finished dashing my other hopes.
“I drove up in Washington and was just fine. When are you going to lift this ridiculous no driving ban?” I groused.
“When you stop having visions that could end up getting both of us killed.” He said with a raised brow.
I knew that logically it made sense for me not to drive. It would be terribly difficult to fill out an insurance claim for an accident caused by a vision. Cause of accident: Magically transported to a different disaster in my head. I was pretty sure even full coverage didn’t cover that. I sighed and settled into the seat for the long drive.
At least on this trip I would get to see the countryside. Our last cross country jaunt I was drugged and bound half of the trip. I wondered where this new adventure would be taking us. If only I could control my visions, maybe then I could conjure up some information. This whole flying blind thing was for the birds. Not that those metaphors make much sense together.
“Izzy, what are you thinking about?” Kennan pulled me from my mindless rambling.
“I was mixing metaphors poorly again. Flying blind is for the birds.” I giggled. It really was a funny thing to envision. A bunch of blind birds flying into one another.
“You are ridiculous. So, are you going to tell me what Isadora said other than get your butts up here?”
“She got on me for not calling sooner about the nightmares. I know, you don’t have to say I told you so. She also said you need to block my nog for tonight. No dreams for me. I am to be well rested when I arrive. I have a feeling I am not going to like what she says in our meeting. This whole thing is making me feel icky.” I said trying to shake it off.
“Icky? What are you a kindergartner? Do I have cooties?” Kennan snickered.
“You do, in fact, have cooties. I just happen to like your particular type of cootie! Icky is just the best word I could come up with. You want to paper rock scissors to see who has radio control?” I challenged. Being a Seer had some advantages. I had figured out how to predict what his moves would be and I won almost every time. I couldn’t let him know the truth or the jig would be up.
“Fine. With one stipulation, if you win none of your depressing slow music. It is a long drive and you woke me up early.”
“Eleven, Kennan. I woke you up at eleven. In no world is that early. How did you survive your early years when you had to be up with the sun?”
“I didn’t have you keeping me up all night.” He said with a sly smile.
“Don’t act like you don’t like it. Now stop stalling. Paper, rock, scissors time!”
“Best out of three?” He asked with a sparkle in his eye.
“Fine.” I grumbled. It looked like he might have caught on after all. I could only do one prediction at a time. There was no way I would be able to tell what he was going to get on all three.
“Alright on three. One, two, three.” I got paper and he got rock. “I win the first round.” Just like I knew I would.
“Ready?” He asked. “One, two, three.” He got rock and I put out scissors. “I win.” He preened.
“Alright, last time determines the winner.” I said trying to work up my Sseer mojo. It seemed to be on hiatus though and refused to give me anything other than a vague fog. “One, two, three.” I landed paper and Kennan had stupid scissors.
“I knew you were a cheater! See, you only ever win when we go one round. You are such a cheater face.” Kennan said as he poked me in the ribs.
I looked at him and stuck my tongue out. I refused to verbally acknowledge his accusations. Suddenly the sounds of oldies filled the car. It was going to be a long ride.
“Really babe? Can’t you at least switch it to country? That I can handle, this is just plain mean.” I griped.
“Suck it up buttercup. You lost. I will torture you in any way I please.” He laughed.
I thought up some seriously delicious ways in which he could torture me. They did not seem feasible in our current mobile circumstances. Well, maybe feasible, but highly illegal. I sighed and rubbed my hand down my face. That was the second time today I had let my libido override my brain. I needed to get a handle on it or I would be in the middle of some sort of serious situation with my mind on what Kennan kept under his clothes.
“How far are we from Nashville?” I asked with a heated look.
“Entirely too far, but we need to make it there. So stop distracting me with your wily ways. I shall not succumb to your seduction.”
“That sounded like a challenge to me. It is ever so far, I think that I have the time to make you change your mind.”
“Seriously, Izzy. I will pull this car over on the side of this road and have my wicked way with you. Then Isadora will be all mad that we missed our deadline. Molly will send out the National Guard in search of you. Ian will get all upset that his Seer is upset. It will be a disaster. So stop distracting me. If you had won radio rights would you be doing this?” Kennan asked suspiciously.
“Maybe.” I said with a snicker.
“Woman, you drive me insane.”
“The feeling is mutual K.O.” I leaned over and kissed his scruffy cheek. I couldn’t wait until we got to Nashville. The Parthenon be durned, I wanted to get me a piece of that man.
The next few hours passed with very little excitement. The country roads passed by and we made it to the interstate. Montgomery and Huntsville were both rather hectic. I was glad that Kennan was driving and not me. I hated driving in cities. I never drove when I lived in Chicago. I always used transit or my bike to get around. I supposed I had never really had to do much of it. According to Kennan I would not be doing much of it now either. Stupid Guardian with his stupid Guardian rules. Oh well, it saved me from having to drive through city traffic.
We crossed the Tennessee border and I was taken aback at its beauty. It had been night the last time we drove through and I had not gotten to see anything but the inky outline of trees. The rolling hills and farms were so picturesque I was wondering why I had not chosen to move here instead. We made our way up I-65 with me constantly pointing something out.
The trees were beginning to change colors into brilliant reds and oranges. Down where we lived the leaves just said ‘I quit’ and fell off of the trees. It was so hot they never really changed colors. I sat silently in awe of it all as the sun began to set. We arrived in Nashville early in the evening and Kennan drove us straight downtown. I was surprised by how small it was compared to other cities I had seen. Seattle and Chicago made Nashville seem downright homey. I looked up at the tall buildings and wondered where Kennan was taking me.
We pulled up outside some swanky hotel and got out. I didn’t bother looking at the name. I had more important things on my mind. Like climbing my future husband. We made our way in the lobby and he got our keys from the front desk. I wondered when he had had time to book the room. I thought back to the morning and realized he had probably done it as soon as I called Isadora. The sneak. I just rolled my eyes and followed him to the elevator.
Once inside he pushed me against the wall and ravaged my mouth with his own. I was breathing heavily by the time we surfaced on our floor.
“That was an awesome distraction. Could you do that for all future elevator rides?” I asked as it dawned on me that I had not panicked at all while in the elevator. My fear of closed spaces was not getting any better.
“I didn’t do it for that, but any excuse to kiss you is fine by me.” He said as he brushed my hair behind my ear. He slid the keycard into the slot and rushed me inside.
Before the door had fully closed I was wrapped around him. I kissed him deeply as if it were the last time I would ever feel his lips on mine again. Ever since his almost demise I found I could not merely kiss him. Every time it was like it might be the last.
Kennan consumed me. We became one as our clothes magically melted to the floor in a blur of hands and lips. He trailed kisses down my body leaving me writhing and breathless. I needed more of him. I would never get enough. I grabbed him and pulled him up my body so that I could crush my lips against his. He moved inside of me making me cry out. I was lost to him.
We spent the next hour devouring one another until we were both breathless and boneless. I lay next to him panting.
“This is why I sleep until eleven woman. You destroy me.” He said through breaths.
“Not my fault.” I barely uttered.
“We should go get some food. I think there may be a PF Chang’s down by the Parthenon. You interested?” He asked as he started to get off of the bed.
“Do you really need to ask?” I said as I hurriedly reassembled my clothing. PF Chang’s was my favorite Chinese food in the entire world. Their double pan fried noodles were next to heaven in my book.
“I suppose I really didn’t need to ask.” He said with a smirk as he started to put his shirt back on. I walked over to him and rubbed my hands over the ridges of his abdomen. His tattoos standing in stark contrast to his skin. I wanted to devour him once more.
“You keep touching me like that and we won’t be going anywhere.” He growled. My stomach responded with its own growl.
“Fine, but only because my stomach wants to eat itself right now. I will get back to that later.”
We headed out and made our way down to the Vanderbilt campus side of town. I realized on the way that Nashville was bigger than it seemed it just didn’t have an over abundance of skyscrapers. Just as Kennan had promised PF Chang’s sat directly across the street from Centennial Park and the Parthenon. We pulled into the parking garage and made our way down to the restaurant. My stomach growled the whole time.
Dinner was delicious. I spent the entire time shoveling food into my mouth like it was my last meal. I was convinced Kennan was going to leave me one day just based on my horrible tendency to inhale my food. I looked up at him sheepishly as he laughed.
“You never cease to amaze me at what you can consume. How you stay so small is a wonder.” Kennan snickered as he got back to his massive pile of food.
“I am only small to you because you are so freakishly large.” I snickered.
“These people don’t think so.” He said with a sly grin.
“Yeah, because you used your guardian mojo on their brains. For all I know you have made me appear to be a seven foot Amazonian.” I snickered. It would be really funny to try that sometime.
We finished our meal and headed over to the park. Unfortunately we got there too late for Kennan to see the statue of Athena. It looked as though we would have to come back and see it again. Not that I minded. Nashville was a gorgeous city that was filled with uncommonly nice people. We meandered around the columns as Kennan told me about the real Parthenon and how it exploded when a weapons cache caught fire.
We walked around the lake and sat in a swing overlooking the water. The ducks floated by aimlessly. I allowed the peace of the moment to wrap around me. I knew that this was probably the last peaceful evening I would have for a long time to come. After an hour or so I started to yawn and Kennan called it a night.
When we made it back to the hotel I was too tired to keep my promise of ravaging him. Instead he put a block on my dreams and we climbed into the bed. The king bed was hardly big enough. I had to curl into his body just to have some room. Not that I minded. Being wrapped up in Kennan’s arms was my absolute favorite place to be. He was my home and my safety.
“I love you. More than anything else in this world.” I whispered as I sank into sleep. I felt Kennan’s lips brush my forehead as the last of my awareness slipped away.
October 27, 2013
The Tunes Behind See How She Fights
So, if you have been following along since the beginning, you probably remember the post for the music behind See How She Runs. Likewise, if you have followed along on my interviews and what-not's you may remember me saying that each book has a unique playlist. Well, See How She Fights is no different. Without further ado, I present the music that inspired See How She Fights. I hope you enjoy, and maybe find something new!
Say Goodbye- Adaline http://youtu.be/i7Ov1jtM_q0Silver Coin- Angus & Julia Stone http://youtu.be/APa5eDGl4UkOkay I Believe You, but my Tommy Gun Don't- Brand New http://youtu.be/j5CodPJZXO8Poison & Wine- The Civil Wars http://youtu.be/WfzRlcnq_c0The Devil's Backbone- The Civil Wars http://youtu.be/yUMiEkMjtOQElizabeth on the Bathroom Floor- The Eels http://youtu.be/eS2ipWNm9FwI Am Stretched on your Grave- Kate Rusby http://youtu.be/95I7t1znYFkStranger- Katie Costello http://youtu.be/8ArlscD4MOQFeeling of Being- Lucy Schwartz http://youtu.be/c-PP61fSNSgA Light on a Hill- Margot and the Nuclear So and So's http://youtu.be/zYKWQXxeHZoRunning Up That Hill- Placebo http://youtu.be/4KEEXyRL0qEStay (feat. Mikky Ekko)- Rihanna http://youtu.be/wS4InT7YcdkStupid- Sarah McLachlan http://youtu.be/izNsuTAdiV0Do What You Have to Do- Sarah McLachlan http://youtu.be/N1KnE1Zu_84
And there you have it, a glimpse into my writing mind. Now, let me assure you, there were many more songs than these on my play list.... However, these were the ones that were on repeat continuously.
xoxo,
Michelle Graves
Say Goodbye- Adaline http://youtu.be/i7Ov1jtM_q0Silver Coin- Angus & Julia Stone http://youtu.be/APa5eDGl4UkOkay I Believe You, but my Tommy Gun Don't- Brand New http://youtu.be/j5CodPJZXO8Poison & Wine- The Civil Wars http://youtu.be/WfzRlcnq_c0The Devil's Backbone- The Civil Wars http://youtu.be/yUMiEkMjtOQElizabeth on the Bathroom Floor- The Eels http://youtu.be/eS2ipWNm9FwI Am Stretched on your Grave- Kate Rusby http://youtu.be/95I7t1znYFkStranger- Katie Costello http://youtu.be/8ArlscD4MOQFeeling of Being- Lucy Schwartz http://youtu.be/c-PP61fSNSgA Light on a Hill- Margot and the Nuclear So and So's http://youtu.be/zYKWQXxeHZoRunning Up That Hill- Placebo http://youtu.be/4KEEXyRL0qEStay (feat. Mikky Ekko)- Rihanna http://youtu.be/wS4InT7YcdkStupid- Sarah McLachlan http://youtu.be/izNsuTAdiV0Do What You Have to Do- Sarah McLachlan http://youtu.be/N1KnE1Zu_84
And there you have it, a glimpse into my writing mind. Now, let me assure you, there were many more songs than these on my play list.... However, these were the ones that were on repeat continuously.
xoxo,
Michelle Graves
October 24, 2013
Book Signings... I am doing some!
Okay, so I am totally ripping off the brilliant Penny Reid on this. Because, well, it is a brilliant idea. I will be doing a couple of signings this year, and I would love to put together some stuff just for the readers coming to see me. So, if you plan on being in either of these places, email me and let me know which one you will be at as well as your name so that I can put together something lovely for you. My email is mgraves1212@gmail.com.
Here are the events I am going to be participating in.... you should come see me.
Sweet as a Peach, GA Indie Author signing April 5, 2014
Pure Textuality Convention October 2-5, 2014
So, moral of the story, come see me and get free stuff. Win/Win. <3
xoxo,
Michelle Graves
