Michelle MacQueen's Blog, page 5
February 1, 2017
Awaken by Michelle Bryan
Title:AwakenAuthor: Michelle BryanGenre:YA Dystopian/ Urban FantasyCover Designer: Molly Phipps at We Got You CoveredPublisher: Aelurus PublishingExpected Release Date:Feb. 1st, 20117Hosted by:Lady Amber's PRBlurb:The world is broken. Tara is alone. But within her a power grows.The Shift destroyed the world. All that remains is the harsh and unforgiving sand lands. Food is scarce; water even more so. And Tara has just discovered that she's been lied to her entire life. The world as she knows it does not exist. She is not the ordinary girl she thought herself to be. Instead, she is one of a unique breed known as New Bloods – revered by some, hunted by others.Tara is no stranger to hardship. But when her village is destroyed and the young people taken by the merciless Prezedant, she must quickly learn how much of a fighter she can become.Gathering a ragtag fellowship on her way, she embarks on a quest into the unknown to find what remains of her family. Little does she realize how dangerous it will be. Or how it will change her – and perhaps the world – forever.Review:Tara is a teenage girl living in a broken world. The land is harsh and food is scarce and they are led by a tyrannical madman. What isn't to love about all of that right there? We've automatically got characters who have to fight for their lives every single day and its all building towards the larger goal of taking down this Tyrant.Anyways, Tara's village is attacked. The adults are killed but the children are taken to work in the President's iron mines. Tara was hidden during the attack and is left alone. She begins her journey to find a woman that her Gra'da told her to find. As she travels, she picks up stray people along the way: Finn, the recently orphaned boy. Tater, the storytelling imp. And Jax, the somewhat surly boy that gets under her skin.My favorite part of the entire book was the dialogue. It is very different but it didn't take long to get used to and, once you do, it adds so much to the character development. I can't wait for the second book. I hope it explains more about what this "shift" was that changed the world so drastically and I really really want to know if Tara finishes the original mission she set out on: to save her kind.Buy Links:Amazon US:http://amzn.to/2jo2lHOAmazon UK:https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01MY5C9LE/Kobo:https://www.kobo.com/en/ebook/awaken-41
About the Author:I wish I could tell you I’ve climbed Mt. Everest or taken a hot air balloon ride around the world, but alas I lead a very quiet life in Nova Scotia, Canada. The only adventures I go on are in books. But what adventures they are!When I’m not reading or writing, I manage a chocolate shop. That’s right; I work with both books and chocolate. Living the dream.The rest of my time is spent with my three favourite guys; my hubby, my son, and my crazy fur baby. We are a family of geeks. Fans of Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead, lovers of books of any genre, and players of video games. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.Web:http://www.michellebryanauthor.com/Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/MichelleBryan.Author/Twitter: https://twitter.com/michellebry101Goodreads:http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7866413.Michelle_BryanAmazon:http://amzn.to/2kI2GBU
January 17, 2017
Write About What You Don't Know
I’m about to burst your image of me. Right here. Right now. I’m going to tell you a secret that you’ll find super hard to believe. Ready?I don’t know everything.There, I said it. I, Michelle Lynn, am not an expert in every topic known to man. In fact, there are very few topics I can claim to know a lot about. Hockey. Aunting. Certain book series and genres. Really, the list is suuuuper short.You know the old saying “write what you know”? It’s a bit limiting, isn’t it? I’m a person who likes to challenge myself because that’s how we improve, how we grow. This doesn’t mean doing gobs and gobs of research to gain the knowledge to write about certain topics. Some genres – like anything historical – need the author to know what they’re talking about.Well, I don’t write historical fiction. I write contemporary fiction. This means my books take place in today’s world, in settings that are well known and well-loved – but not by me. In myNew Beginnings series, there are three settings in the first two books – New York City, Connecticut, and Boston. Would you believe me if I said I’d never set foot in any of those places? Sure, I’ve seen them on TV, but that isn’t the same, is it?My newest book,We Thought We Were Invincible, features two characters who spend a lot of their time surfing. The book has yet to be released, but one of my first beta readers asked me a single question before going into what she liked (and didn’t like) about the book. Do you surf? She thought I did, but that would be quite the feat for a girl with a disability that makes it hard enough to stand balanced on solid ground, let alone a surf board. Short answer, no – I don’t surf. I’ve never even met a surfer.So, how do you make the reader believe the author is all-knowing? How do you immerse them in some act or some place without experiencing it for yourself? Without large amounts of time-consuming research?
Generalities– the reader doesn’t need me to site specific buildings or street names to imagine they’re in New York City. I may have never been there, but I have been to places like Chicago. I know the smell of a city. Write about the sound of the traffic, the crowds on the sidewalks, the immensity of the buildings. Mention that they’re in New York a few times and now you’ve created a generic city that your readers believe is New York. Only do this though if the setting is a passive ingredient to your story, not something with a deeper meaning.Slang– This works for both locations and actions. My first series,Dawn of Rebellion, starts in London and is about two English girls. I had a British friend give me a handful of terms to swap out for the American terms and suddenly they’re believably British.To add to the surf aura of my main characters inWe Thought We Were Invincible, I spent a few minutes online looking up surf slang. Most of this came in the form of different names for waves.
Occasional technical details– I hate books that get too technical. If I wanted to learn how to surf, I’d read a book about that specifically. If I wanted to learn about military tactics, I’d read a military focused book. Especially in the YA genres, less is more. But it still needs to be there – those little details that make your characters seem authentic.For the surfing, this is as simple as mentioning the board leash or showing what they do to get up on the board, but not every time they surf. Don’t be repetitive.In theDawn of Rebellionseries, they are in the middle of a war. I have to talk about guns and battle tactics, but leaving it vague is still the way to go. More detail gives more room to make mistakes (especially when talking about guns) and, let’s be honest, large amounts of detail bore the reader.
This was an interesting thing to balance in my sports book,Dreams. Hockey is not awell-understood sport. Most hockey romances I’ve read steer clear of describing games. I wanted to immerse my readers in something that I loved, in the excitement and energy of a full arena. So, I made quite a few important scenes happen during games. It took me a while to realize that a lot of readers wouldn’t know what I was talking about when I said things like power play. It actually took a beta reader telling me to quite with the hockey talk to see that.As writers, we’re told to write from our own experiences, but I tend to go the other way. I learn a lot by writing about new-to-me things, places, and ideas. It’s exciting and challenging. I have a friend who likes to say that writing is just being a fabulous liar and maybe this proves that very thing. Or maybe it just proves that we don’t know any more than you do. We just put everything we don’t know down on paper.Want a FREE copy ofConfessions, aNew Beginningsnovella? Get itHERE!
January 16, 2017
Genre Hopping
Building a dedicated fan base is important to any author. In fact, it’s so important that much of the advice out there tells us to stay in our genres. It makes sense. For example, if you are writing romance, your readers are much more likely to pick up your next book if it is also romance than say science fictions.
But I also think that thinking is underestimating readers, pigeon-holing them. There are a lot of advantages to hopping around between the genres.
Let’s start with an obvious one – appealing to more readers across topics. If I switch from romance to fantasy, I keep the readers who want to stick with me and I pick up some wonderful new fans.
We also need to be honest here, writing isn’t only about who will be reading our books.
My first series was a YA dystopian series. It was emotionally draining. The battles. The dire circumstances. The deaths. I had to kill of characters who’d been with me for over two years. Once the final book was out, I couldn’t write. Anything I tried to start ended up with the trash heap. I was very close to giving up and deciding one series was enough.
Then I decided to try something new. I wanted to write something light; up-beat – a bit less complicated. So, I jumped into contemporary romance. Now, this wasn’t necessarily easier to write than dystopian, but it didn’t wear on me so much. Something amazing happened. I was rejuvenated. I knocked out the book in just over a month and decided to make it a series.
Switching genres taught me a lot and set me on the path to become a better writer. I started to see how each genre focuses on different aspects and can make you stronger in those areas. In dystopian, I was able to hone my action sequences and also my sense of plausibility and backstory.
Romance is very heavy in dialogue, forcing me to work on improving conversations.
In YA Contemporary, I’ve learned how to handle sensitive topics that are relevant to the world today.
There is another genre switch in my near future. I’ll be partner writing a fantasy series and I’ve already been practicing my world building.
Every writer will tell you that they get better with each book they write. As with everything, practice makes – well, not perfect – but as close to it as we can get. It’s the same with genre hopping. With each genre I write, I become more well-rounded.
The school of thought might be to stick with what you already know, but I prefer to go for what I want to learn. That’s how we grow.
I hope you’ll stick with me for the ride.
January 6, 2017
Genre Hopping
Building a dedicated fan base is important to any author. In fact, it’s so important that much of the advice out there tells us to stay in our genres. It makes sense. For example, if you are writing romance, your readers are much more likely to pick up your next book if it is also romance than say science fictions.But I also think that thinking is underestimating readers, pigeon-holing them. There are a lot of advantages to hopping around between the genres.Let’s start with an obvious one – appealing to more readers across topics. If I switch from romance to fantasy, I keep the readers who want to stick with me and I pick up some wonderful new fans.We also need to be honest here, writing isn’t only about who will be reading our books.My first series was a YA dystopian series. It was emotionally draining. The battles. The dire circumstances. The deaths. I had to kill of characters who’d been with me for over two years. Once the final book was out, I couldn’t write. Anything I tried to start ended up with the trash heap. I was very close to giving up and deciding one series was enough.Then I decided to try something new. I wanted to write something light; up-beat – a bit less complicated. So, I jumped into contemporary romance. Now, this wasn’t necessarily easier to write than dystopian, but it didn’t wear on me so much. Something amazing happened. I was rejuvenated. I knocked out the book in just over a month and decided to make it a series.
Switching genres taught me a lot and set me on the path to become a better writer. Istarted to see how each genre focuses on different aspects and can make you stronger in those areas. In dystopian, I was able to hone my action sequences and also my sense of plausibility and backstory.
Romance is very heavy in dialogue, forcing me to work on improving conversations.In YA Contemporary, I’ve learned how to handle sensitive topics that are relevant to the world today.
There is another genre switch in my near future. I’ll be partner writing a fantasy series and I’ve already been practicing my world building.Every writer will tell you that they get better with each book they write. As with everything, practice makes – well, not perfect – but as close to it as we can get. It’s the same with genre hopping. With each genre I write, I become more well-rounded.
The school of thought might be to stick with what you already know, but I prefer to go for what I want to learn. That’s how we grow.I hope you’ll stick with me for the ride.Like Romance?Confessionsis FREE as a thank you to all my e-mail subscribers. Sign upHERE!You can see all of my booksHERE!Want to see my favorite reads of 2016? They'reHERE!
January 2, 2017
The Best of 2016
In a year when “surreal” became the most searched term on the internet, a reality star was elected to the highest office in the land, too many beloved celebrities died, and mass shootings continued to show us how much hate still exists in this world, it’s important to understand what good literature truly gives us.
It gives us hope, even in the direst of circumstances. It gives us an outlet for all of the pain and the grief we may feel. It teaches us to love and to be kind, but most of all to stand up; to be heard.
For me, as a disabled Young Adult, it provides me with all of that and more. Reading is my escape as is writing. As writers, we all strive for our work to mean something, even if it’s only to a single person. We want it to matter, to teach, to share a message we feel is important.
2016 was a really hard year, but it was also a great one. Not all of these books were new in 2016, only new to me and I’m glad I found them. This collection of books has strong heroines that continue to rise as they are kicked back down. Two of the books feature characters dealing with recent disabilities and the new reality that brings. I’ve included dragons and aliens, movie stars and hockey players.
Let’s all take a deep breath. 2016 is over. 2017 is just beginning. This year will be what we make of it.
Click on any of the images for more information.
Children’s Books:
Okay, so these ones weren’t really chosen by me. My niece is two-and-a-half and loves books just as much as I do. We spend a lot of time together and read a lot of different things, but there are only a few books that have become obsessions – to the point of her memorizing the words.
Little Big Girl by Claire Keane
A touching picture book about an older sister’s unconditional love for her new baby brother.
Matisse is a little girl in a big world. Despite her size, she gets to have all sorts of grand adventures, like seeing the big sights of the city, making big messes, and taking big naps when her little body is all tuckered out. But when Matisse meets her baby brother, she realizes that she isn’t so little after all- She’s a big sister! And it’s great fun to show this new little person what wonders this big world has in store.
Groovy Joe By Eric Litwin
Eric Litwin, author of the bestselling and beloved Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes, and bestselling artist Tom Lichtenheld, illustrator of Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site, have created a captivating new canine character who will groove his way into readers’ hearts and have them grooving and giggling all the while. In his debut adventure, Groovy Joe faces three roaring dinosaurs hungry for his doggy ice cream! Oh no! But Joe knows just what to do and soon enough he has them all sharing while moving and singing along.
Young Adult
I’ll be aging out of the typical YA crowd soon – I may already have – but that won’t stop me from devouring this genre. Young Adult books are amazing in that they appeal to people of all ages.
Cinder and Ella by Kelly Oram – this books takes the crown for best overall book as well!
Ella is a young girl who loves her mom, loves movies and books, and loves her best friend Cinder. Only, she doesn’t know who Cinder is exactly. He’s her online friend who knows her better than anyone.
Cinder in real life is a movie star, picking up the role in the very same movie where his nickname Cinder comes from. Even through all of that, he finds himself falling in love with a girl he doesn’t know, a girl who suddenly disappears from his life taking his heart with her.
The accident. It changes Ella’s life, taking her mom and sending her into a world of disability, pain, and life with a father who abandoned her and his family who doesn’t want her. It isn’t until she gets the courage to message Cinder again that she can start putting the pieces of her life back together, even if they don’t quite fit as they did before.
Science Fiction
I’m not a big sci-fi fan, but this series reads more like contemporary stories that just happen to include time travel and are truly beautiful.
A Straw Man by Amalie Jahn
What if you could go back in time to save the person you love the most?
Nate’s funny. He’s a football player. He’s ridiculously handsome. In fact, it seems as if Melody’s dating the perfect guy, until an unexpected tragedy changes everything about him.
Based on her own family’s experiences, Melody knows traveling in time to help him could have disastrous results – the tiniest alteration of the past can have huge repercussions on the future. But with careful planning, she’s confident her trip will be a success.
What she doesn’t anticipate is that sometimes there are consequences which can never be foreseen and changes that can never be undone.
Fantasy
This is by far my favorite genre when it’s done well. I have a number of big name authors who I read religiously, but this year the title goes to an Indie!
Seirsha of Errinton by Shari L. Tapscott
Sometimes the brightest love kindles in the bleakest of darkness.
The people of Errinton are cold, but none is more so than their distant and aloof princess. At least, that’s how Seirsha hopes to be seen. After living in the shadow of her father, the cruel King Bowen, the princess has learned to keep her distance, hiding her feelings and the love she has for her people. Seirsha finds peace only with a peasant family in the village and a very unlikely friend from the caves near the castle.
But after her involvement in the death of the male heir to the Errintonian throne, Seirsha’s defenses begin to crumble. The search for another successor begins, and the one man with the power to strip away the princess’s walls steps back into her life.
Seirsha knows she should keep her distance from Lord Rigel—the only man in Errinton with a legitimate claim to her father’s throne—but when Bowen orders her to keep the dark lord close so she may spy on him, the princess must make a choice. With another Dragon War looming and Errinton’s oppressed rising against their leaders, will Seirsha betray her blood or turn her back on Rigel—the man she’s loved her entire life?
Romance
I read so many amazing romances this year and this selection could have been a number of them, but there is something special about this book. It’s about more than just romance, it’s about love – pure, in sickness and in health love.
The Year We Fell Down by Sarina Bowen
The sport she loves is out of reach. The boy she loves has someone else. What now?
She expected to start Harkness College as a varsity ice hockey player. But a serious accident means that Corey Callahan will start school in a wheelchair instead.
Across the hall, in the other handicapped-accessible dorm room, lives the too-delicious-to-be real Adam Hartley, another would-be hockey star with his leg broken in two places. He’s way out of Corey’s league.
Also, he’s taken.
Nevertheless, an unlikely alliance blooms between Corey and Hartley in the “gimp ghetto” of McHerrin Hall. Over tequila, perilously balanced dining hall trays, and video games, the two cope with disappointments that nobody else understands.
They’re just friends, of course, until one night when things fall apart. Or fall together. All Corey knows is that she’s falling. Hard.
But will Hartley set aside his trophy girl to love someone as broken as Corey? If he won’t, she will need to find the courage to make a life for herself at Harkness — one which does not revolve around the sport she can no longer play, or the brown-eyed boy who’s afraid to love her back.
Dystopian
I will forever have a soft spot for dystopian because it’s the genre I cut my teeth in as a writer. There are many books that could go here as well. Alas, I could only choose one!
Strain of Resistance by Michelle Bryan
My name is Bixby. I was 12 years old when the world ended. A mysterious mist had blanketed our world, turning most of the population into blood-sucking predators. The few of us left uninfected…well, we were the prey. Vanquished to the bottom of the food chain.
For eight years we’ve fought this alien war. Barely surviving. Not knowing which day would be our last. But now we face a new threat. The parasite that took us down is evolving. Becoming smarter. Stronger. Deadlier.
The infected took everything from me. My home. My family. The man that I loved. No more.
This is the story of our resistance.
Best Book to Movie
The Fifth Wave by Rick Yancey
The movie here wasn’t quite as good as the book (are they ever?), but that isn’t surprising. Rick Yancey is an incredible writer and it’d be hard to convey just how beautiful and deep his words really were.
December 29, 2016
The Best of 2016
Little Big Girl by Claire KeaneA touching picture book about an older sister's unconditional love for her new baby brother.Matisse is a little girl in a big world. Despite her size, she gets to have all sorts of grand adventures, like seeing the big sights of the city, making big messes, and taking big naps when her little body is all tuckered out. But when Matisse meets her baby brother, she realizes that she isn't so little after all- She’s a big sister! And it’s great fun to show this new little person what wonders this big world has in store.
Groovy Joe By Eric LitwinEric Litwin, author of the bestselling and beloved Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes, and bestselling artist Tom Lichtenheld, illustrator of Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site, have created a captivating new canine character who will groove his way into readers' hearts and have them grooving and giggling all the while. In his debut adventure, Groovy Joe faces three roaring dinosaurs hungry for his doggy ice cream! Oh no! But Joe knows just what to do and soon enough he has them all sharing while moving and singing along.Young AdultI’ll be aging out of the typical YA crowd soon – I may already have – but that won’t stop me from devouring this genre. Young Adult books are amazing in that they appeal to people of all ages.
Cinder and Ella by Kelly Oram– this books takes the crown for best overall book as well!Ella is a young girl who loves her mom, loves movies and books, and loves her best friend Cinder. Only, she doesn't know who Cinder is exactly. He's her online friend who knows her better than anyone.Cinder in real life is a movie star, picking up the role in the very same movie where his nickname Cinder comes from. Even through all of that, he finds himself falling in love with a girl he doesn't know, a girl who suddenly disappears from his life taking his heart with her.The accident. It changes Ella's life, taking her mom and sending her into a world of disability, pain, and life with a father who abandoned her and his family who doesn't want her. It isn't until she gets the courage to message Cinder again that she can start putting the pieces of her life back together, even if they don't quite fit as they did before.Science FictionI’m not a big sci-fi fan, but this series reads more like contemporary stories that just happen to include time travel and are truly beautiful.
A Straw Man by Amalie JahnWhat if you could go back in time to save the person you love the most?Nate’s funny. He’s a football player. He’s ridiculously handsome. In fact, it seems as if Melody’s dating the perfect guy, until an unexpected tragedy changes everything about him.Based on her own family’s experiences, Melody knows traveling in time to help him could have disastrous results – the tiniest alteration of the past can have huge repercussions on the future. But with careful planning, she’s confident her trip will be a success.What she doesn’t anticipate is that sometimes there are consequences which can never be foreseen and changes that can never be undone.FantasyThis is by far my favorite genre when it’s done well. I have a number of big name authors who I read religiously, but this year the title goes to an Indie!
Seirsha of Errinton by Shari L. TapscottSometimes the brightest love kindles in the bleakest of darkness.The people of Errinton are cold, but none is more so than their distant and aloof princess. At least, that's how Seirsha hopes to be seen. After living in the shadow of her father, the cruel King Bowen, the princess has learned to keep her distance, hiding her feelings and the love she has for her people. Seirsha finds peace only with a peasant family in the village and a very unlikely friend from the caves near the castle.But after her involvement in the death of the male heir to the Errintonian throne, Seirsha's defenses begin to crumble. The search for another successor begins, and the one man with the power to strip away the princess's walls steps back into her life.Seirsha knows she should keep her distance from Lord Rigel—the only man in Errinton with a legitimate claim to her father's throne—but when Bowen orders her to keep the dark lord close so she may spy on him, the princess must make a choice. With another Dragon War looming and Errinton's oppressed rising against their leaders, will Seirsha betray her blood or turn her back on Rigel—the man she's loved her entire life?RomanceI read so many amazing romances this year and this selection could have been a number of them, but there is something special about this book. It’s about more than just romance, it’s about love – pure, in sickness and in health love.
The Year We Fell Down by Sarina BowenThe sport she loves is out of reach. The boy she loves has someone else. What now?She expected to start Harkness College as a varsity ice hockey player. But a serious accident means that Corey Callahan will start school in a wheelchair instead.Across the hall, in the other handicapped-accessible dorm room, lives the too-delicious-to-be real Adam Hartley, another would-be hockey star with his leg broken in two places. He's way out of Corey's league.Also, he's taken.Nevertheless, an unlikely alliance blooms between Corey and Hartley in the "gimp ghetto" of McHerrin Hall. Over tequila, perilously balanced dining hall trays, and video games, the two cope with disappointments that nobody else understands.They're just friends, of course, until one night when things fall apart. Or fall together. All Corey knows is that she's falling. Hard.But will Hartley set aside his trophy girl to love someone as broken as Corey? If he won't, she will need to find the courage to make a life for herself at Harkness -- one which does not revolve around the sport she can no longer play, or the brown-eyed boy who's afraid to love her back.DystopianI will forever have a soft spot for dystopian because it’s the genre I cut my teeth in as a writer. There are many books that could go here as well. Alas, I could only choose one!
Strain of Resistance by Michelle BryanMy name is Bixby. I was 12 years old when the world ended. A mysterious mist had blanketed our world, turning most of the population into blood-sucking predators. The few of us left uninfected...well, we were the prey. Vanquished to the bottom of the food chain.For eight years we've fought this alien war. Barely surviving. Not knowing which day would be our last. But now we face a new threat. The parasite that took us down is evolving. Becoming smarter. Stronger. Deadlier.The infected took everything from me. My home. My family. The man that I loved. No more.This is the story of our resistance.Best Book to Movie
The Fifth Wave by Rick YanceyThe movie here wasn’t quite as good as the book (are they ever?), but that isn’t surprising. Rick Yancey is an incredible writer and it’d be hard to convey just how beautiful and deep his words really were.Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to pick up your FREE copy ofConfessions, a New Beginnings novelby signing upHERE.Learn more about my booksHERE!Have a fantastic new year. See you in 2017.To read is to imagine. To imagine is to dream. To dream is to live.
December 8, 2016
Now in Audio
This isn’t going to be your typical launch post because I don’t like to do things in the typical way. (That’s a nice way of saying I’m weird. Shhh)
Choices, the first book in the New Beginnings series is now available in audio-book and I couldn’t be more excited. It sounds fantastic. Allyson Voller who I was lucky enough to find, is a terrific narrator.
So, why should you read, or listen to my book? That’s a good question. Because I want you to. Good enough? In all seriousness, I don’t have an answer that doesn’t make me sound like some odd salesman. So, we’ll go with this. Choices is a jumping off point for a group of stories that actually mean something. It’s a romance series so the romance is important, but it isn’t the point of the story.
Choices is probably the most romancy of the series, but at it’s heart, it’s about breaking free of the expectations the world places on you. When you do, you might actually discover who you are. Michaela’s life is planned out for her by her family. She’s supposed to go to law school, marry her boyfriend, and then become the party planning socialite her mother has always been. And she’s accepted all of that. She’s going to go along with it. Do what is expected. Then she meets someone who makes her want to choose herself for the first time in her life.
Okay, if you’ve read any of this series, and that wasn’t enough to sway you to go for this first one, these pages are also where we meet Maggie, Elijah, and especially Josh who play such important roles in other books.
Before last year, I was not a romance writer. I spent three years on my dystopian series. The final book in that trilogy was draining to say the least. I started to write many other books before deciding that what I needed was something light, something happy. Well, this series didn’t end up so light, but happy endings soothe the soul.
Eventually, I’m hoping to get the other books in the series recorded, but for now, here you go.
Amazon
If you’d be willing to leave a review on audible, contact me using this site’s contact form and I will send you a free audio-book.
Choices is published by Creativia publishing. Check it out HERE.
November 28, 2016
Now in Audio!
This isn't going to be your typical launch post because I don't like to do things in the typical way. (That's a nice way of saying I'm weird. Shhh)Choices, the first book in the New Beginnings series is now available in audio-book and I couldn't be more excited. It sounds fantastic. Allyson Voller who I was lucky enough to find, is a terrific narrator.So, why should you read, or listen to my book? That's a good question. Because I want you to. Good enough? In all seriousness, I don't have an answer that doesn't make me sound like some odd salesman. So, we'll go with this. Choices is a jumping off point for a group of stories that actually mean something. It's a romance series so the romance is important, but it isn't the point of the story.
Choices is probably the most romancy of the series, but at it's heart, it's about breaking free of the expectations the world places on you. When you do, you might actually discover who you are. Michaela's life is planned out for her by her family. She's supposed to go to law school, marry her boyfriend, and then become the party planning socialite her mother has always been. And she's accepted all of that. She's going to go along with it. Do what is expected. Then she meets someone who makes her want to choose herself for the first time in her life.Okay, if you've read any of this series, and that wasn't enough to sway you to go for this first one, these pages are also where we meet Maggie, Elijah, and especially Josh who play such important roles in other books.Before last year, I was not a romance writer. I spent three years on my dystopian series. The final book in that trilogy was draining to say the least. I started to write many other books before deciding that what I needed was something light, something happy. Well, this series didn't end up so light, but happy endings soothe the soul.Eventually, I'm hoping to get the other books in the series recorded, but for now, here you go.Amazon
If you'd be willing to leave a review on audible, contact me using this site's contact formHEREand I will send you a free audio-book.Get your FREE copy of book four in the New Beginnings series, Confessions, by signing upHERE.Choices is published by Creativia publishing. Check it outHERE.Want to see the entire series? LookHERE.
November 20, 2016
Obligatory Thanksgiving Post <;
Alright, alright … don’t yell at me for writing an obligatory Thanksgiving post. It’s an important holiday, okay! Mmmm … pie … and other important things. Yeah, can’t forget about those things … pie …Fine fine – y’all know I’m a writer. Well, at least I hope you do since you’re here on my author website. If you don’t – maybe you should check out my books … hint … hint.Shameless self-promotion over. Back to the writer thing. It isn’t easy. It’s something that tends to knock you over more often than it picks you up. Crippling self-doubt, infuriating writer’s block, tendencies to want to hide away from the world for hours and hours at a time, and being told you suck again and again by anonymous readers. Sounds fun, huh?It’s true that most authors experience various levels of everything I’ve mentioned – usually all at once. But here’s another truth: Writing is love. Writing is passion. Writing is need. I’m being suuuuper cheesy so I’ll try to explain in terms that won’t make you cringe. It isn’t a profession people do just to pay the bills. “But Michelle, that’s because it doesn’t pay the bills …” That’s what I imagine you all saying to me right about now. It’s true – for the majority of authors. So, then why do we put up with the crap?Because we can’t imagine doing anything else.
Many authors are among the lucky minority who have found what they are truly meant to do in life. Their passion.Now, I have never been given the chance to see if I am one of those people. But I have been given the chance to see that I could be. A perfect storm of circumstances in my life have led me here – to my books, to my writing community, to a road I’d never have imagined.Here’s where Thanksgiving comes into this. I have a lot of things to be thankful for. Here I’m going to focus on that which has brought my stories to you.Episodic AtaxiaYou aren’t reading that wrong. Yes, I really am thankful for my disability. Would I like to be healthy and living a normal life? Of course, But I also know that I’d never written a page of fiction before spending six horrible bed-ridden months almost four years ago. I’m not longer bed-ridden, but I know that if I could work full-time using my degree that my seven books wouldn’t even be a blip on my radar. I’ve always thought that you have to find the good in every situation and my situation has allowed me to find something that I truly love to do for the first time in my life. I don’t know if I’ll get better, but I do know that an author is something I will always be whether I can walk or not.My support systemFamily. Friends. Anyone who has read my books and been there for me through everything.The writing communityThis is one of the best things I’ve gained in the last few years. I’ve made some very very good friends. When this gets hard, you are the ones who pull me back up and keep me going.AmazonAuthors – especially big ones – love to rail against amazon. They own a large portion of the book market and their share of the publishing market is growing by the day. You love to control us, we know that. But you also get our stories out there. Without you, we'd have no voice.Creativia PublishingYou were like a life-line when I felt like I was drowning. Signing with you let me focus on making my stories the best they can be. I’m excited to see what more we can do together.
Anyone in my life whoever encouraged me to read.Reading has been different things to me at different times. Entertainment. Inspiration. Happiness. And most of all – it was an escape for a teenage girl with an unknown, at times scary, illness.Along with that – my readers.All I’ve ever wanted to do is provide that escape for someone else who needs it just as much as I always did.My books are published by Creativia Publishing. Check out my profileHERE.See each of my booksHERE.Don't forget to sign up to my mailing list for your free copy of my newest book, Confessions,HERE.
November 10, 2016
Challenging Hillary and Trump Supporters
I never post political things on this blog, but there's a first time for everything.My story probably isn’t any different than many others from election night. I spent the evening glued to the TV screen while texting back and forth with a good friend, spending hours planning our escape to Canada. It was all in jest of course, because it was the only thing that was keeping us from freaking out. I am a white, middle class, straight woman. He is a white, straight man who even *gasp* owns guns (yes, liberal gun owners do exist). To be honest, our lives probably won’t change all that much. And yet we were afraid. Irrationally so.We aren’t moving to Canada. We’re staying in a country that is now more divided that I’ve seen in my 28 years. Hillary supporters are terrified, furious. Trump supporters are glib. They’re both spewing out the same hate that got us here. To a place that is going to be hard to get back from.Donald Trump is president of the United states. You tell me I have to respect him because of that. I tell you he has to earn it. The most I can do is give him that chance. The chance to show us that his hate-filled rhetoric was just that – rhetoric. The chance to prove he really does care about the people, all the people. The chance for him to denounce the hate groups that have gotten him this far.You Trump supporters are angry at the names you are being called. Sexist. Misogynist. Racist. Bigot. Ignorant. I’m sorry. When people are scared, they turn to nastiness. In my heart of hearts, I do not believe each and every one of you is these things. I have some very good friends who supported Trump that I know to be loving and genuine. But, here’s the thing – you’re going to have to prove this isn’t you. It sucks, but when you support someone who says some truly awful things, innocent until proven guilty gets turned around. Stand up to injustice. Comfort the ones who may now have their rights endangered. Try your hardest to understand why this is such an emotional trial for so many people.NEVER tell them to get over it.NEVER tell them to move on.DO NOT call peaceful protests hissy fits. (For clarification – I don’t condone violent protests or flag burning, but peaceful protests have been a bedrock of our society as long as we’ve had one).This is my challenge to you, Trump supporters. Show us you aren’t who you are being painted as. And we might be able to heal more quickly.To my fellow Hillary supporters, I also have a challenge. Do not let this election fill you with hate for half of this country. Stop the name calling. Do not let it destroy the progressive movement with spiteful actions. Use your fear to push you to action. Always remember, Facebook posts are not activism. Believing in something is not the same thing as fighting for it. We have a lot of good people working towards the good of everyone. All is not lost.Never forget how empty campaign promises really are. It isn’t time to head to Canada just yet.
