Michelle Graves's Blog, page 5

Things are Happening.

So, announcements first.  I decided to do a week long sale of the book.  Woo Hooo!!!!!!   So, if you have not bought it yet, make sure to get it while it is cheap!  The sale only lasts for the week.  Don't miss out.

Let's see, oh yes, my release party.  Can we just stop for a moment and discuss how much I love my readers?  Or even my future readers?  I had more fun that night than I have had in a very long time.  I laughed so hard I cried at times.  It was amazing and I honestly cannot thank ya'll enough for coming out and being a part of it.   I can't wait for the next one! 

Hmmmmm, what else....  Oh, the reviews are coming in and I can't thank everyone enough for taking the time to post a review on Goodreads, Amazon, and B&N.  Reviews help more than you know.  Whether good or bad, they help me to understand the needs of the readers better.  On top of the reviews, I really appreciate all of the personal messages people have sent me telling me how much they love the book.  It has only been out for like a week now and almost a hundred copies have been sold.  I am just beyond excited by this.  I can't even begin to express how humbling and amazing this whole process has been.  I am floored at the response my book has received.  I never in a million years expected so many people to love it.  So thank you for reading it, for taking the time to write me, and for just being the best readers in the ENTIRE world.  I love you people!

Other stuff that is happening:  I am currently trying to get my book ready to be available in print form.  Enough people asked me for a physical copy that I decided it was a worthwhile investment.  So, look for more news on that soon. 

Lastly, I announced the release of my next book See How She Fights which I have written over 59,000 words on.  I should have it finished and ready for editing soon.





I think that is all that is new and exciting in my world.  I have just been busy pounding the keys trying to get this story finished and ready for editing before our big move back to the South. 

xoxo,
Michelle

Risky Business

Two nights ago I uploaded my very first novel.  I did so with great trepidation.  There is no certainty that people will love it, there is no guarantee that it will provide the intended message, and there is no way of knowing if it will do well.  Typically, I am not a risk taker.  I am more of a "don't rock the boat" sort of a gal.  Publishing this book was a HUGE step into risk territory for me. 

Even as I sit here typing up this blog post my palms are sweaty.  They have been this way for the past two weeks.  Ever since my book cover art arrived and I realized that this is really real.  It is actually happening.  The husband is gone right now for training and I told him that he should be glad he is not around.  My hands have resembled a dead fish for the past two weeks.  Cold and damp.  In other words disgusting.  Aside from the gross fish hands, I have had trouble sleeping.  This is so outside of my comfort zone I don't really know how to adjust properly.  If it weren't for my amazing friends and the support they have given me, I surely would have gone mad by now. 

I am getting a bit tangent-y so let me get to the point of this whole post.  Even though this experience has terrified me every single step of the way, I now know for sure that it was totally worth it.  My book far surpassed my first day sales goals of 10 books.... In fact it has quadrupled my goal in the past few days.  I am beside myself with excitement.  I never in a million years could have expected forty people to read the words I wrote.  I can't even begin to describe how terrifying and exciting that is. 

So if there is something you are putting off, something that might be risky, remember this:  Without great risk there can be no great reward.  If we don't step outside of our comfort zones every once in a while we can never expect to live a life that is anything but ordinary.  Personally, I am going to choose the extraordinary.  I hope you will join me. 

xoxo,
Michelle

RELEASE!!!!!

That's right, It is LIVE people!  Woot Woot!  You can buy it on either Amazon or B&N.  I will post a far more eloquent post tomorrow about all of this when I am less jittery from the excitement!

Amazon
B&N

Happy Reading!
xoxo,
Michelle

See How She Fights

I am working on book two in The Chronicles of Izzy and thought it might be kind of fun to share two of the newest characters with you.  Thanks to my amazing sister from another mister Regina, we were able to find perfect men to fit each role.  Thank God for Pinterest people.  I am telling you.  So without further ado, here are two of the new leading men in Izzy's world. 



Meet Conall.  Except imagine him with chin length hair and an eye patch.... then you have him.  Woo Hoo!  He is a tragic sort of character.  I love him to pieces.




Meet Aberto.  He is a new sort of character that Izzy meets.  He is neither a Guardian nor a Seer..... you will have to wait and find out what he is in the next book.  (No he is not a vampire or werewolf.)













As always, if you know who took these pictures please give them credit.  I just found them through Pinterest. 

xoxo,
Michelle

Ky Grabowski's Spotlight

Want to find out what makes me tick?  Ever wondered about my writing process?  Well you kind find out a bit more about me over on Ky Grabowski's blog.  She was kind enough to involve me in her Spotlight series.  I just love her to pieces.  So please go check it out and while you are there look around her blog at all of the other spotlights. 

http://kygrabowski.wordpress.com/2013/07/10/spotlight-michelle-grave/

xoxo,
Michelle

Realizations and Inspirations

Self Publishing is a terrifying experience.  Actually, strike that, I think publishing a book in any way is probably terrifying for authors.  All of the things we experience in our everyday relationships we must also face in the writing process.  The fear of rejection, the fear of someone not liking something that is so personal to you, or even the fear of success. 

As I sit here, days away from publishing my very first novel, I am terrified.  I have never done anything this scary before in my entire life.  I feel as though I am taking a little piece of my soul and putting it out into the world to be judged and weighed.  I have seriously considered trying to find a big game hunter to tranq me until the 17th. 

It is not all nerves that I have on my mind today though.  There is something even more pressing and weighing.  I am incredibly humbled.  When I set out on this journey just a few months ago I never even expected to make it this far.  With the love and support of friends from all over the globe, this dream has become a reality.  I am unimaginably blessed to have so many people love and support me.  So right now I am going to take a few minutes to thank everyone that has given me the courage to step out of my comfort zone and put Izzy and Kennan out into the world. 

Cleopatra's Army-  The last year would have been a misery without the two of you.  You guys pulled me out of a really dark place and your friendship allowed me to find a place that made this book possible.  I will never be able to tell the two of you enough how important you are.  There will never again in my life be a more perfect trio of friends.  Thank you for allowing me to be my weird self, abuse your talents, and drink all of your wine.  And Jana..... I miss you!

Regina-  My sister from another mister.  I am convinced we were meant to be twins most days.  You were one of my very first readers and without your enthusiasm I never would have been able to finish the first book.  Your enthusiasm for the second book is driving me to get back to writing even as we speak.  I will never be able to thank you enough for all of your kind words love and support.

Wendy-  I miss you more than words can say.  I can always count on you to be honest with me.  I know without a doubt that you would never let me put something out in the world that was subpar.  I can't tell you how much I appreciate that honesty.  I also can't tell you how much I love you.  There is not a week that goes by that I don't miss you being here.  Bah.  Move back closer to me!

Ali-  I am overwhelmed by your belief in me.  Sometimes I think you have an unhealthy belief in me and I am terrified to even think about the kind of success you have dreamed up for me.  I can't tell you how much your support and love for Kennan and Izzy means to me.  I better get back to writing so that I can make it to book six.  LOL.  I love you so much.

Charissa-  Before you had read a single word I had written you jumped on the bandwagon.  You offered unfailing support and I will forever be grateful to you for that.  Your faith in me inspires me more than you can possibly imagine.  You are awesomesauce.

Dianne-  Like Charissa, you jumped on the bandwagon early with pom-poms waving.  Your support for me, reposting of my posts, spreading the word about me.... well everything you do basically, it humbles me.  You are just so sweet.  I am so blessed to have you standing with me in all of this.

Belinda-  Your willingness to answer any and all of my questions along with your support are so important to me.  I would never have made it this far without your amazing advice and guidance.  I love you hard!

Betsy-  Your notes on the first book will help me to be an even better writer in the second book.  I love that I have a friend with a brilliant mind like yours.  You will never know how much I appreciate you taking the time to read my book and critique it.  I know you are a woman of discerning tastes so your approval means all the more to me.  Plus you keep me in books.  :)

Neeley-  I feel like the universe aligned perfectly to provide me with the editor I needed most.  Your tweaks to my story along with your notes of support made the editing process much less painful.  I love your sense of humor and I am so grateful to have you on my team.  This book would not be as good as it is without your help.  Thanks for making sure I didn't sound incredibly redundant.  :)

To all of the fb peeps that listen to me endlessly rant about my angst and terror.... thank you. 
To all the people willing to shamelessly promote me.... I love all of your faces!

I am sure I am forgetting someone.  If I am then know that I am just so overwhelmed today by the support and love my brain is a bit fuzzy.  I love you people!  Bah, okay.... I think that is enough gushing for now! 

xoxo,
Michelle

Cover Reveal!!!!

It is finally here!  I can't possibly explain how excited I am about this cover.  After much indecision and pestering of poor Syd Gill, she came up with the perfect cover for my first ever novel.  It is everything I could have ever hoped for.  I hope you all love it as much as I do!


  xoxo,Michelle Cover design by Syd Gill/Syd Gill Designs 
Cover photo by Hot Damn Designs

It's Giveaway time!

Want to win an ARC copy of my book See How She Runs?  Or how about a t-shirt with my logo on it? Head on over to my fb page and enter to win!

xoxo,
Michelle

Chapter One "See How She Runs"

ONE

I dreaded this time of year. The onslaught of memories, painful enough to choke out any happiness, always seemed to pull me out of my typically cheerful normalcy. Seventeen years ago, before my life completely changed, I loved the season. Back then I was a kid living in LA. No, I don’t mean the one in California. I am talking Lower Alabama, where I lived in a no name town best known for its peanut and cotton crops. This was all before both of my parents died in a car crash. Back before I was shipped to what I considered Siberia. Back before my Grams died. Now this time of year just brought back all of those memories of the things I have lost.“Izzy, get your head outta your ass and out the door!” yelled Mike, pulling me out of my reverie.“Where am I going this time, Mike? Let me guess, the Loop, right?" I asked him barely waiting for the answer.“Back to the Loop, Iz! Don’t complain about the meandering tourists either. You know damn well as I do that most of the big offices are down thattaway.” Mike is a burly man in his late fifties. He was raised in Tennessee before he joined the Navy way back when. So, much like me, he had a lingering accent and a plethora of southern euphemisms. Mike might be brusque with the demeanor of a bulldog, but he was always fair. He was sort of my surrogate father. Did I mention that I am a bike messenger? Or what I like to refer to as an information transference specialist. I spent entirely too much time alone. That combined with an overactive imagination and a general lack of quality sleep proved to be a bad combination. I rushed out the door on my bike to make the pick-up and delivery. Our office was conveniently located just outside of the Loop. This time of year was the worst for trying to navigate the congested area. The Loop was where everything was as far as tourists seem to be concerned. The whole of Chicago was amazing to me, but most everyone that comes to visit stays in the Loop and on Lakeshore. Then there are the few boneheads that decided to spend their entire trip on the Magnificent Mile. Don’t get me wrong, at Christmas time, I loved the Magnificent Mile. But why come from hundreds if not thousands of miles away just to shop? I didn’t get it.I got to my destination fairly quick like. It was one of our regular clients, a law office that needed signed papers hand delivered to another law office. “Sign this before my client demands more money and then decides to sue your pants off” kind of things. I tried to keep my nose out of it. I just plugged in my ear buds and listened to whatever music fit my mood at the moment. After the pick up from Sherrie, my all time fav secretary, I headed down another couple of blocks to the package’s destination. Two blocks! Seemed like they could walk the durn thing down themselves. I guess if they did that, I wouldn’t have a job though. I locked my bike up to the nearest pole and headed into the behemoth of a building It had recently been bought by some foreign company and we had just started transferring information for them in the past couple of months. Typically, I did not care who I delivered to, but this company had some of my fellow couriers talking and that had piqued my curiosity. Apparently the guy at the top of the food chain was a real piece of work. Like my Grams would have said, “It is none of my never mind.” I got paid to pedal, and that was it. I hit the button on the elevator and waited for it to make its long ascent. I was not such a fan of elevators, or closed spaces for that matter. I looked down at the package. Figured, my delivery was at the very top of the building. I sucked it up as the elevator "dinged" and the doors closed announcing my impending doom. After enough stops to almost throw me into a full on panic attack, the elevator finally made it to the top. I stepped out and took my first deep breath in what felt like an eternity. I quickly composed myself and made my way over to the reception desk.“Hello dear, could you hold on just one second?” asked the cheery receptionist.  I couldn’t help but notice her bright red suit that stood out in stark contrast to the bleak black and white décor. She finished her conversation turning her attention my way once more.“Alright love, what can I help you with?” she asked, with a slight British lilt to her voice.“I am here to deliver a package to,” I had to look down to get the name right, “one Mr. Xavier Xander." Yeah, I wished I was kidding. What kind of a name was that anyway? And why not just spell it with Z’s if that was how it was to be pronounced. Then again, I had no room to talk. My parents didn’t name me Isabelle. They named me Izzy. I guess I couldn’t blame him for his parent’s lame name choice.“Go right in. He has been expecting the package and is anxious to get it back before closing time today." She smiled amiably before hitting some button that allowed me to go through the giant doors. I half expected there to be a sign saying, "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here."I stepped through the doors and my eyes were greeted with more black on white. Or was it white on black? Hm. Were there more black things or white things in the room? This place was as uninviting as a party at the local coroner’s office. There was something decidedly cold and menacing about it that gave credence to the rumors. I approached the desk with trepidation as the chair started to turn in my direction. I was almost afraid that someone would start bellowing, "Who dareth disturb me in my domain?" I really needed to get my overactive imagination under control.My curiosity was piqued by what sort of person would enjoy such a sterile environment. As the chair finally came to rest facing my direction, my jaw dropped. A god, or perhaps he was a demigod, sat in the chair. The man made drop dead gorgeous look straight, street urchin. He was all broad shoulders and carefully contained menace. His face was like that of a Greek statue, all hard lines and severe angles. He had dark Mediterranean features and seemed to be all of thirty five, if that. He raised his dark, almost black eyes to me and flicked an eyebrow up in question.“May I help you? I don’t have all day for you to stand there gawking you know." His voice resonated somewhere deep inside me, stirring something ancient. It was yelling for me to beware of this man but compelled me to come closer all at the same time. I finally got a grip on my internal insanity and silently approached his desk with the envelope outstretched. He gave me a once over and began talking in a voice that seemed to echo and fill every corner of my soul.“What’s your name? You aren’t one of the normal people they send." His voice sent tremors down my spine. He kept looking down his nose at me as if I were something disgusting he stepped in out on the street. I suddenly had to reign in my auburn-haired temper. I was used to politeness from most Midwesterners. It was not quite like the southern charm I was raised on, but it was certainly better than mister snippy pants here. I plastered on the best charming smile I could and did my best to politely explain. Even if all I wanted to do was throat punch his stupid arrogant self. “My name is Izzy Boone, sir. This isn’t one of my normal runs, but most of the other couriers were busy when the call came in. I apologize if it is an inconvenience to you. I hope that the delivery is still up to your satisfaction." There, the official line of the company had been spouted and I didn’t have to speak anymore. “Not an inconvenience. Actually, you arrived much faster than the others have in the past," he said as he raised himself out of the chair to his full height of six foot seven. I craned my neck up at him. I stood at about five six, five seven on a good day, but this man was almost as tall as the building itself and just as imposing. Sheesh. He gently took the package out of my hands, brushing my fingers in the process. Something in his countenance suddenly shifted. He looked at me as though I were the answer to some great mystery. I was becoming more and more unnerved as the seconds passed. I felt as though someone were in my head yelling at me to run. I wanted to get out of there. “Listen,” he said slowly, “please allow me to apologize for my rude behavior. It is unpardonable and unprovoked. I have had a rough day and I took that out on you. Now, if you don’t mind, I am going to sign these quickly and let you get back on your way, Miss Boone." The way he said my name was like taking a sip of hot cocoa on a freezing day. I had no idea what had sparked his sudden change. To be quite frank, the whole situation was giving me a migraine. I just wanted to get this delivery over with so I could go home and continue my moping about the suckage that was this time of year.Mr. Xander finished signing the papers in record time and handed them back to me with a knowing twinkle in his eye. “I hope to see you again Miss Boone, and I hope that in the future you will not judge me based upon your undoubtedly unfavorable first impression." With that I was unceremoniously booted from the office to plummet to the bottom of the building in my own personal death box from hell, the elevator. I got back to the law office and returned the documents. Having fulfilled the delivery, I hopped on my trusty, or rather rusty, steed and headed back to the office.

  I couldn't wait until Tuesday!  I hope you all enjoy the first chapter of See How She Runs!  We are growing ever closer to the release.  
xoxo,Michelle Graves

The Ever Procrastinating Writer.

  I will do just about anything to get out of writing somedays.  The other day, I decided to make over my writing chair.  It is an old chair from our first dining room set.  We needed a chair in our bedroom and I decided just to keep that one.  So here is the sort of before and after of this little project.  (I forgot to take a picture with the original red seat cover on so this is what was underneath the fabric.)
*Pardon the bad photography.... the lighting in our apartment is abysmal.     So the above picture is right after I had taken the original seat cover off and sanded the blazes out of it.
   Here the chair is all finished.  My upholstery skills obviously need a little work, but I didn't bleed on the chair so I consider it a success.  I am really happy with the antique finish and the color.  Woohoo.  Now I guess I have to get back to writing.  No more excuses!
xoxo,
Michelle Graves