Michelle MacQueen's Blog, page 7
August 24, 2016
Cheese and Romance
CHEESE! Oh glorious cheese, how we love you so; on our pizzas, over our pasta, just basically in our bellies any and every way. Don’t stop coming. Never quit melting. You are beautiful and wonderful and oh so very tasty.
On our plates you shall stay and from our brains you’ll keep away.Ok, so I’m terrible at rhyming. I’m a fiction writer not a poet and it’ll stay that way. Hey! Another one! Stopping now. I promise. Back to the fiction writing thing, one of the series I write is romance. Don’t laugh at me, or do as long as you buy my books. That was a joke – if anyone out there is a little humor challenged.Romance gets a bad rep and sadly, a lot of what is said is true. Some people don’t like the steamy aspects that seem to be creeping in to more books than not. Mine tend to be on the cleaner side- I mean, come on, my DAD reads them so I only write what I’m comfortable with him seeing. Some people hate the predictability of romance books- well, sorry folks, most of the time the characters are going to end up together. If they didn’t, there’d be hell to pay from angry hordes of romance readers.But, forget all of that for a moment. It doesn’t matter, at least to me. When I read a romance book, I stop at the nauseating, eye-roll worthy, puke inducing cheesiness. I firmly believe that every romance has its cheesy moments, butCOME ON!When you read a book, or write one for that matter, you’re imagining yourself in that story. Book boyfriends/girlfriends are real things in the genre because people fall in love with the things the character says or does. Just picture it, the leading man comes to you- all hooded eyes, wicked smile, and chiseled physique- he opens his mouth to pour his heart out and says“You’re the light to my darkness.”Or“I’ve loved you since the moment I met you, I just didn’t know it yet.”I don’t know about you, but I’d probably do one of two things- Laugh despite trying to hold it back or make tiny little gagging sounds.
I’m a realist, sometimes a cynic, and I tend to write like one. That isn’t to say that extreme cheesiness doesn’t occasionally creep in, but it’s usually caught before publication. I just sent my new book, Confessions, off to the editor after a couple rounds of beta readers. Wanna know some of the stuff one of them caught? I actually said “The truth will set him free”. I didn’t catch that while I was editing. See, even us anti-cheesers do it sometimes.Anti-cheeser- I like that word!Words can be cheesy too.It doesn’t have to be full sentences or ideas. Some people have
visceral reactions to certain terms. I know at least five people who cringe when someone says “moist” but that’s different. I’m talking about the cutesy poo, lovey dovey words or phrases.Some books make my eyes hurt from all the rolling they do when they use the terms“snuggle”or“cuddle”. I picture my two-year-old niece looking up at me and saying “Wanna snuggle?”I have the same reaction to certain words in steamier romances, but I’ll leave those to your imagination. I know, Iknow. You want to hear them, but this is a blog for people who read YA and clean romances.Jeeze guys, cool your jets!Anyway, it’s simple. This is my no-cheese policy – or just the ramblings of an incoherent, brain jumbled writer. Your pick.Miss my big announcement?Check it out.The final book in my New Beginnings series, Confessions, is a short story that comes out next month. Email subscribers get their copy for FREE! Don't miss this opportunity. Sign up here!Dreams, book three of the New Beginnings series is out now!
On our plates you shall stay and from our brains you’ll keep away.Ok, so I’m terrible at rhyming. I’m a fiction writer not a poet and it’ll stay that way. Hey! Another one! Stopping now. I promise. Back to the fiction writing thing, one of the series I write is romance. Don’t laugh at me, or do as long as you buy my books. That was a joke – if anyone out there is a little humor challenged.Romance gets a bad rep and sadly, a lot of what is said is true. Some people don’t like the steamy aspects that seem to be creeping in to more books than not. Mine tend to be on the cleaner side- I mean, come on, my DAD reads them so I only write what I’m comfortable with him seeing. Some people hate the predictability of romance books- well, sorry folks, most of the time the characters are going to end up together. If they didn’t, there’d be hell to pay from angry hordes of romance readers.But, forget all of that for a moment. It doesn’t matter, at least to me. When I read a romance book, I stop at the nauseating, eye-roll worthy, puke inducing cheesiness. I firmly believe that every romance has its cheesy moments, butCOME ON!When you read a book, or write one for that matter, you’re imagining yourself in that story. Book boyfriends/girlfriends are real things in the genre because people fall in love with the things the character says or does. Just picture it, the leading man comes to you- all hooded eyes, wicked smile, and chiseled physique- he opens his mouth to pour his heart out and says“You’re the light to my darkness.”Or“I’ve loved you since the moment I met you, I just didn’t know it yet.”I don’t know about you, but I’d probably do one of two things- Laugh despite trying to hold it back or make tiny little gagging sounds.I’m a realist, sometimes a cynic, and I tend to write like one. That isn’t to say that extreme cheesiness doesn’t occasionally creep in, but it’s usually caught before publication. I just sent my new book, Confessions, off to the editor after a couple rounds of beta readers. Wanna know some of the stuff one of them caught? I actually said “The truth will set him free”. I didn’t catch that while I was editing. See, even us anti-cheesers do it sometimes.Anti-cheeser- I like that word!Words can be cheesy too.It doesn’t have to be full sentences or ideas. Some people havevisceral reactions to certain terms. I know at least five people who cringe when someone says “moist” but that’s different. I’m talking about the cutesy poo, lovey dovey words or phrases.Some books make my eyes hurt from all the rolling they do when they use the terms“snuggle”or“cuddle”. I picture my two-year-old niece looking up at me and saying “Wanna snuggle?”I have the same reaction to certain words in steamier romances, but I’ll leave those to your imagination. I know, Iknow. You want to hear them, but this is a blog for people who read YA and clean romances.Jeeze guys, cool your jets!Anyway, it’s simple. This is my no-cheese policy – or just the ramblings of an incoherent, brain jumbled writer. Your pick.Miss my big announcement?Check it out.The final book in my New Beginnings series, Confessions, is a short story that comes out next month. Email subscribers get their copy for FREE! Don't miss this opportunity. Sign up here!Dreams, book three of the New Beginnings series is out now!
August 15, 2016
Book Review : Salby Evolution by Ian D Moore
A fantastic read by the talented Ian D Moore! You don't want to miss this one.One man holds the key to our future. One man holds the key to our extinction. The merciless Salby viral strain, sweeping across the country, spawns a new breed of predator. Simon Lloyd, borderline alcoholic, must vanquish the demons of his past and change his single-minded ways. Filled with resentment, he enters a world far removed from his own. He must choose to take a stand for the greater good or risk losing his estranged wife and children forever. Against overwhelming odds, unethical science and the prospect of eternal exile, the decisions he makes will shape the future of mankind.Miss my big announcement?Check it out.The final book in my New Beginnings series, Confessions, is a short story that comes out next month. Email subscribers get their copy for FREE! Don't miss this opportunity.Sign up here!
August 10, 2016
Literary Illusions: Seeing the Extraordinary in the Ordinary
Writers’ block can be a real issue.Luckily, there are tons of techniques to help move past this pesky problem. Divining inspiration is not an easy task, especially when you’re eager to move forward with whatever it is you’re working on. Even if you’re just a reader, not a writer, readers’ block is something that can strike at any time as well – you just don’t feel like reading, or you don’t know what your next read should be.It is times like these that call for seeing theextraordinaryin theordinary. Finding stories in everyday occurrences is easier than one may think. Basically, it involves keeping your eyes open and knowing how to observe effectively.
Consider literary illusions.Yes, you read that right – illusions, not allusions. Illusions are a unique way to see the world through a different lens. Think of an oasis in the desert. In your mind’s eye, you see it. It relies on the concept of possibility, and the adaptability of your mind to function in such a way that you believe what you’re seeing, hearing, or for our purposes, writing and reading.You may be thinking that it’s impossible to write with illusions. You’ve only ever seen illusions happen. I’m going to give you the tools to write with literary illusions and to know how to pinpoint them in your reading.TV shows and movies use illusions which help with the persuasive writing styles they are trying to convey. They are trying to persuade you to believe their story-lines. They must use illusions to help do this. We’ve all heard the phrase, “The camera adds ten pounds.” It’s also true that the camera adds depth and width to a set.TV shows and movies use illusions which help with the persuasive writing styles they are trying to convey. They are trying to persuade you to believe their storylinesstory-lines. They must use illusions to he p do this. We’ve all heard the phrase, “The camera adds ten pounds.” It’s also true that the camera adds depth and width to a set.In person, the set of Central Perk, the coffee house on Friends, is much smaller than the
cameramen would have you believe. Their camera angles add substance and enlarge the area that your mind’s eye sees. The same goes with the set of Jeopardy. On TV, the cameramen would have you believe that the audience is twice the size it truly is. These examples illustrate just how important the concept of illusion is in good writing. If the Friends cast was picking up their coffee everyday from a shop no larger than your bedroom, the hustle and bustle of people on a busy New York street coming in and out while ordering skim lattes and scones wouldn’t be nearly asbelievable and enjoyable to watch. The same goes for the set of Jeopardy. If the audience looked like it had only about 50 people in it, it wouldn’t seem the show has nearly the amount of fans it truly does. They add depth to make viewers perceive things in such a way that they are engaged and curious about just what will happen in any given scene. If the cameramen do their job, the illusion is captured, and you, the captivated audience, don’t even realize what is at work before you.So, I’ve discussed how to more aptly notice it, but now your question probably is just how to do this in writing. I’m here to tell you that just because TV and movie writers have the visual medium to help craft their illusions, writers are just as capable through their words. Showing and telling are powerful tools that can help.
In J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, she creates the literary illusion of a fantasy world where wizardry is cool, and young children can win out over evil forces and dark powers. The question of whether Snape was good or evil throughout the books is one that I will not reveal here, in case you haven’t had the pleasure of reading these tales, but the concept of whether he was good or bad throughout the stories was an illusion in itself. Rowling created instances in which Snape wouldseemingly be doing something threatening and with ill will toward Harry, and then she would turn around in the next chapter and have Dumbledore singing Snape’s praises and telling Harry that Professor Snape was a trusted friend and teacher, and there was no chance he worked for the darkest wizard.So, which was it?Rowling’s ability to make us see Snape in both good and bad ways make his character as poignant a one as can be found throughout her stories. He is a character whom people love to hate, or maybe just plain hate, but if it wasn’t for Rowling’s writing, the glorious illusion that she spun out through those seven books wouldn’t have been nearly as entertaining to read. She made us question ourselves as well as the character.That is the mark of truly good and persuasive writing. Readers must ask questions. However, they must also have their questions answered. Open-ended questions might be fun to keep readers on the edges of their seats, but if they are not answered, you will have a broken link that didn’t connect the parts of the story. Curiosity must be satisfied. Create illusions, but help readers along. Make them see, hear, and feel. Write (and read) in such a way that allows you to do just these things, and your literary illusions will be dutifully crafted and created for your audience.This was first posted at theYoung Adult Author Rendezvous.More about Author Beth Rodgers and her writing can be foundhere.Miss my big announcement?Check it out.The final book in myNew Beginningsseries,Confessions, is a short story that comes out next month. Email subscribers get their copy for FREE! Don't miss this opportunity.Sign up here!
Consider literary illusions.Yes, you read that right – illusions, not allusions. Illusions are a unique way to see the world through a different lens. Think of an oasis in the desert. In your mind’s eye, you see it. It relies on the concept of possibility, and the adaptability of your mind to function in such a way that you believe what you’re seeing, hearing, or for our purposes, writing and reading.You may be thinking that it’s impossible to write with illusions. You’ve only ever seen illusions happen. I’m going to give you the tools to write with literary illusions and to know how to pinpoint them in your reading.TV shows and movies use illusions which help with the persuasive writing styles they are trying to convey. They are trying to persuade you to believe their story-lines. They must use illusions to help do this. We’ve all heard the phrase, “The camera adds ten pounds.” It’s also true that the camera adds depth and width to a set.TV shows and movies use illusions which help with the persuasive writing styles they are trying to convey. They are trying to persuade you to believe their storylinesstory-lines. They must use illusions to he p do this. We’ve all heard the phrase, “The camera adds ten pounds.” It’s also true that the camera adds depth and width to a set.In person, the set of Central Perk, the coffee house on Friends, is much smaller than thecameramen would have you believe. Their camera angles add substance and enlarge the area that your mind’s eye sees. The same goes with the set of Jeopardy. On TV, the cameramen would have you believe that the audience is twice the size it truly is. These examples illustrate just how important the concept of illusion is in good writing. If the Friends cast was picking up their coffee everyday from a shop no larger than your bedroom, the hustle and bustle of people on a busy New York street coming in and out while ordering skim lattes and scones wouldn’t be nearly asbelievable and enjoyable to watch. The same goes for the set of Jeopardy. If the audience looked like it had only about 50 people in it, it wouldn’t seem the show has nearly the amount of fans it truly does. They add depth to make viewers perceive things in such a way that they are engaged and curious about just what will happen in any given scene. If the cameramen do their job, the illusion is captured, and you, the captivated audience, don’t even realize what is at work before you.So, I’ve discussed how to more aptly notice it, but now your question probably is just how to do this in writing. I’m here to tell you that just because TV and movie writers have the visual medium to help craft their illusions, writers are just as capable through their words. Showing and telling are powerful tools that can help.In J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, she creates the literary illusion of a fantasy world where wizardry is cool, and young children can win out over evil forces and dark powers. The question of whether Snape was good or evil throughout the books is one that I will not reveal here, in case you haven’t had the pleasure of reading these tales, but the concept of whether he was good or bad throughout the stories was an illusion in itself. Rowling created instances in which Snape wouldseemingly be doing something threatening and with ill will toward Harry, and then she would turn around in the next chapter and have Dumbledore singing Snape’s praises and telling Harry that Professor Snape was a trusted friend and teacher, and there was no chance he worked for the darkest wizard.So, which was it?Rowling’s ability to make us see Snape in both good and bad ways make his character as poignant a one as can be found throughout her stories. He is a character whom people love to hate, or maybe just plain hate, but if it wasn’t for Rowling’s writing, the glorious illusion that she spun out through those seven books wouldn’t have been nearly as entertaining to read. She made us question ourselves as well as the character.That is the mark of truly good and persuasive writing. Readers must ask questions. However, they must also have their questions answered. Open-ended questions might be fun to keep readers on the edges of their seats, but if they are not answered, you will have a broken link that didn’t connect the parts of the story. Curiosity must be satisfied. Create illusions, but help readers along. Make them see, hear, and feel. Write (and read) in such a way that allows you to do just these things, and your literary illusions will be dutifully crafted and created for your audience.This was first posted at theYoung Adult Author Rendezvous.More about Author Beth Rodgers and her writing can be foundhere.Miss my big announcement?Check it out.The final book in myNew Beginningsseries,Confessions, is a short story that comes out next month. Email subscribers get their copy for FREE! Don't miss this opportunity.Sign up here!
July 28, 2016
We're teaming up to create something special!
It's announcement time!We've been waiting for this for a while and are so excited to share our news.All that's left of the New Beginnings series is a short story and it's time to look at what's next. I might be giving you whiplash with all my genre hopping, but I'm always looking for the next challenge. Each genre has it's rules and it's styles, making the learning curve a pretty big one. That's what makes it fun and rewarding.There you have it folks! I'm teaming up with the wonderful Michelle Bryan, author of the New Bloods trilogy and Strain of Resistance. We're building a world that we hope you'll love.Fantasy is a process. One that takes more planning than I've ever done. We're going to take you on the journey with us using posts about how we're creating our culture, molding our characters, and even the languages we're studying to help us do all of that.You can check out Michelle Bryan and her wonderful books here:http://www.michellebryanauthor.com/
July 27, 2016
Now Live!!!
Dreamsis finally here!After a month of giveaways and excitement, I can't wait for you all the read the third installment in theNew Beginningsseries. I love each an everyone of my books like they're my children. Well, a mom isn't supposed to play favorites, but it's hard not to with a story that means so much to me.It's no secret that I'm a hockey fanatic. I've loved the Columbus Blue Jackets through some pretty bad years and here they are front and center. I feel like I do have to say, no hockey player in this story is based on a real life hockey player - as awesome as that would have been.This book was heartbreaking to write as Taylor and Josh deal with grief and illness. Josh Walker is the most complex, sweetest, most real character I've ever written and I hope you love him as much as I do.
Moving on is the hardest thing she’ll ever have to do.Taylor Scott sees the world differently than she did a year ago. She’s no longer the love-sick teenager, quick to smile and full of joy. Now she’s the broken college student just trying to get through the day without letting her feelings overwhelm her. It isn’t until she meets Josh that pieces of herself she’d lost start falling back into place and she can finally see that it’s okay to be happy again.Josh Walker is a professional athlete whose always avoided distractions. His career is just getting started and he works harder than anyone else. Hockey is his life. It’s the only thing that makes sense to him. When a new coach joins the team, it’s his daughter that threatens to complicate everything. He wants to help her. Needs to help her. But when he needs her to do the same, he finds out what she’s really made of.No one ever told him that the hardest part of his hockey career wouldn’t have to do with hockey at all.What People Are Saying:"A heart string puller of the highest order, this is simply yet another wonderful book from the pen of Michelle Lynn.""I’m not sure a book has ever evoked these strong emotions before. Dreams is such a touching story.""If there's one thing I've learned from Lynn's books is that she loves to tug at your heartstrings....sometimes ripping them out completely. This book is no exception."Want to check it out?
Want to read the rest of the series first? Click on the covers.
Moving on is the hardest thing she’ll ever have to do.Taylor Scott sees the world differently than she did a year ago. She’s no longer the love-sick teenager, quick to smile and full of joy. Now she’s the broken college student just trying to get through the day without letting her feelings overwhelm her. It isn’t until she meets Josh that pieces of herself she’d lost start falling back into place and she can finally see that it’s okay to be happy again.Josh Walker is a professional athlete whose always avoided distractions. His career is just getting started and he works harder than anyone else. Hockey is his life. It’s the only thing that makes sense to him. When a new coach joins the team, it’s his daughter that threatens to complicate everything. He wants to help her. Needs to help her. But when he needs her to do the same, he finds out what she’s really made of.No one ever told him that the hardest part of his hockey career wouldn’t have to do with hockey at all.What People Are Saying:"A heart string puller of the highest order, this is simply yet another wonderful book from the pen of Michelle Lynn.""I’m not sure a book has ever evoked these strong emotions before. Dreams is such a touching story.""If there's one thing I've learned from Lynn's books is that she loves to tug at your heartstrings....sometimes ripping them out completely. This book is no exception."Want to check it out?Want to read the rest of the series first? Click on the covers.
July 2, 2016
Sneak Peek!
Hey everyone! My new book, Dreams, releases this month and there are going to be a whole host of surprises and giveaways in store for you in the days leading up to July 27th. This is the third book in the New Beginnings series. It's an exciting time. Today you get two in one! The first look at the beautiful cover created by designer Rachel Bostwick as well as a sneak peak into the world of professional hockey player Josh Walker. I truly hope you enjoy it. Bonus:Everyone who shares this post in
May 28, 2016
Broken
Another mental health awareness month is drawing to a close. That may surprise many of you who didn't even know it started 28 days ago. Why? Because it still isn't being talked about. In this age of overwhelming amounts of news and information at our fingertips - a time when all anyone seems to be able to talk about are big world problems, the issues that hit closer to home fade into the background. Don't get me wrong, those big world problems are important, but we can't move forward as a
April 12, 2016
New Release!
The Passage, a Dance, and a Little White Dress: Book two of the Enlighten Series Synopsis:It's been a week since 17-year old Zoe Jabril found out her best friend is a Guardian Angel, her boyfriend is a Nephilim, and a fellow classmate is a Fairy. What makes Zoe so special? She’s destined to unify Enlightens to battle evil—that is, if Demons don’t kill her first. With ‘Project: Enlightens Unite’ underway, Zoe learns the history of the area wolf pack and realizes she's in a race against time to
March 3, 2016
Why you should read YA fiction despite your age.
An age old question - you’ll get my pun in a moment - about the Young Adult genre has had people baffled for years. What does Young Adult mean? Does it describe the age of the readers? The age of the characters? Or something else entirely? The genre takes on many forms and different people describe it differently. Some people include middle grade fiction and even down to children’s fiction in this category. Others don’t. I am one of the latter. I read a ton of YA books - dystopian,
February 23, 2016
Fantasy Picks
I can be fickle when it comes to fantasy books. Some of my all time favorties fit into the genre as do some of the most boring books I've ever read. I tend to love books that leave a lot to the imagination. The fantasy genre is ripe with long winded, overly descriptive passages. That being said, it can also be a genre of magic. I'm not talking about bippity boppity boo type of magic - although there is plenty of that. I'm talking about the kind of magic it takes to be completely immersed in
