Meka James's Blog, page 16

Questionable Research Topics- #MFRWauthor

Photo source: https://www.amazon.comWelcome to the last Friday of March. Happy Good Friday! We are week 13 of the #MFRWauthor blog hop. When I saw this week's topic I laughed for a good little while over it.What has research for my books taught me?

So why did I laugh? Well that mug says it all. I've written three books two are published. I've had to do 'research' for two out of three of them. And that research was on interesting topics.

We'll start with Fiendish. The biggest thing I learned, you can get a lot of questionable shit on Amazon! Like what you ask?

Well, when I was writing it, Hannibal the TV show was on. One of the episodes had Hannibal in this full on plastic suit that he wore over his clothes on his way to murder someone. And yes, I wondered where I could get something like that. First place to check, THE ZON.

Photo source:  https://www.amazon.comNow this isn't the same one, but you get my point.This handy-dandy suit can be ordered, relatively cheap, if you are in need for something like this, even if not for it's intended use.

Writing a character like Seth was taxing in many ways. He was not a nice man, and he liked to be creative in his 'non-niceness' and I had to look up ways for which that was possible. That included types of whips, medieval torture devices, how long it would take a person to starve, etc. You get the point and understand the first picture.

Moving on...

I need to correct my earlier statement. I did do research for book 2 as well. Calida survived for a second book, but not without her scars. I had to research about PTSD, anxiety, and anxiety attacks.

For the third book, that one is more on the risque side. Porn plays a role in that story and my FMC does a lot of googling of things as she and her hubby try to get more adventurous. I learned from that, certain keywords typed in can yield some freaking eye-opening results. I wanted to be able to give a reasonable idea of what would come up on her screen when she typed in things, which meant I had to type in things.

I could go on an on, but I try to keep these posts closer to the PG-13 side of things. I don't write stories that require a lot of research. I'm no good with historicals. That's not what I do. So while I'm not learning anything 'life changing' or usable really for everyday life, I am learning things that are interesting in their own right.

So have you ever researched and learned anything interesting? Be sure to stop by the other authors on this hop to see what they have to say.

Until next time
~Meka

Music Monday - Renegade

Happy Monday. Boy can you believe this is the last Monday of March?! Another month of 2018 bites the dust.

This week's selection is my first repeat artist/group. I talked about X Ambassadors just a week or so ago. And I had no plan to mention them again so soon, but eh, plans change. So why a repeat group? Well, because of The Husband.

When he hit 40, he sorta had a low-key 'mid-life crisis'. He didn't want to get a motorcycle (I'd vetoed that years ago) or a fast sports car (we have kids, talk about not practical) but instead he asked about getting a Jeep. One of his buddies that they do a annual tailgate with had gotten one. He goes to Jeep shows, takes his dog out off roading. He leads the #JeepLife and The Husband wanted in on it.

Jeeps are harmless right? They have a top, and doors. They come in plenty of shiny colors and various options based on your budget. A Jeep, that's great. Plus the man rarely makes big purchases that are solely for his benefit. He works hard, he should splurge every so often. I was all on board with him getting a Jeep.

Until I realized what he wanted...

He'd thought over it for the last two years, because he's not one to make quick decisions on spending money. But starting the end part of last year, he really amped up his talking about it, even went to one of the Jeep shows with his friend. He came home and told me all about it, then pulled up a picture of one that he liked and was considering.

It. Wasn't. New. And we're not just talking a 3-4 year old pre-owned car, we're talking cars that are older than our oldest child. She's 21! I was NOT amused. But it was his thing, he wanted this, so I took a breath and put on my 'good wife' smile and again said okay. We even went and looked at one, I wouldn't get in for the test drive.

Fast forward to two weeks ago, his buddy sent him a picture of one last Saturday night. All excited about the Jeep and encouraging The Husband to go look at it. Sunday we make the hour and a half trek up to Jody 'The Jeep Guy' to look at it. Hubby is smiling, excited. He likes it. He wants to buy it. No thinking about it. Then he turns to me and says, "I need to borrow your X Ambassador CD so I can play Renegade." Sure...only you don't have a radio much less a CD player, but...yeah we'll work that out later. That is how I first learned of X Ambassadors. Their song "Renegade" was played on the Jeep Renegade commercials.

That is his newly acquired 'death trap' as I so affectionately call it. A 1984 CJ7. The drive home was tedious. No, I didn't ride, we drove up in my car. My SAFE car and I followed him home, taking back roads and never going above 50 mph.

My husband is not a handy man, he's never worked on a car in his life, but this is his new project. This is what you apparently do with these things. You buy them, fix them up, then go to shows and talk Jeep with other enthusiasts. I don't get it, but like I said, he works hard and deserves to have something for him that isn't also doubling as a 'family thing' because I'm really not keen on my children riding in it currently. He did take them out for a short drive, but that's about all I'll allow for now. Well, other than The Girl, who fully embraces her father's new project, but she's an adult so less say there. LOL

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the song.
#JeepLife is The Husband's new favorite thing to say.

"Renegade" by X Ambassadors

Until next time,
~Meka

I Got Nothing- #MFRWauthor

Hello Folks and Happy Friday!! You know what today is right? #MFRWauthor blog hop day. So, I looked at this week's topic and thought about skipping it, but decided to write a post anyway.


I got


That's right folks, I don't have any contest experience. The wonderful ladies in my CP group have been trying to get me to do one, but as of now I've not caved. One of them in particular is a HUGE advocate of contests. She loves them. She and a few others in my group all went out for the Golden Heart. Sadly none of them got that phone call, but there's always next year.

Even though I'm not entering the contest, I will be judging for the first time. Two of the ladies in my CP group are chairs for their RWA chapter contests. Because we are big on supporting each other, I will be one of the first round judges for both of them. I'm a little scared about this but they both assure me I'll be fine. Felicia, the one who's big on all things contests, also says that judging helps when it comes to self editing your own work. You have a guideline on what to look for in the entries that helps you be more aware. I can use that since I SUCK at self-editing.

Because I am in to supporting my group, I'm going to take the rest of this post to plug their contests. If anyone is interested in entering or heck even signing up to be a first round judge if you are a RWA member hit them up!

Photo Source: http://www.neorwa.com/contest/NEORWA’s 2018 Cleveland Rocks Romance 
**Contest opens to entries on April 1, 2018. Entries must be received on or before 11:59pm EST May 15, 2018.**

To find out more information about the contest and to enter please visit their website.

http://www.neorwa.com/contest/
If you are an RWA member and you're interested in being a judge see the info below:
Hey folks! The snow is melting and it is almost time for NEORWA’s annual Cleveland Rock’s Romance Contest (opens for entries April 1st). The contest promises to be super exciting this year with the addition of the new published author category and some awesome final round judges.As everyone knows, participating in chapter contests can be fun and rewarding, whether you enter as a contestant or judge (or both). Speaking of first round judges…NEORWA needs some!Here’s the deal: All you need to do to volunteer is to email our fabulous contest coordinator at neorwacrrcontest@gmail.com, let her know how many entries you’re willing to judge and if you have any limits (i.e., heat level, subject matter etc. We can’t promise, but we will try to honor those as best as we can to make sure the judging is fair and fun for everyone).Once you volunteer, a few days after the contest closes (May 15, 2018), you’ll get your entries (each the first 5,000 words of an unpublished manuscript) to comment on and score using our fabulous score sheets (samples can be found on our website: http://www.neorwa.com/contest/ )But what if I’ve never judged and don’t know how, you ask? Well, all our first round judges are encouraged to view our free “How to Judge a Rockin’ Contest workshop.”) Super fun, right? We are super excited for you to participate in anyway, whether by entering, judging, or both. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to email!
Photo source:http://contemporaryromance.org/stilet... Contemporary Romance Writers 2018 Stiletto ContestNOW OPEN! **Entry deadline April 13th**To find out more information about the contest and to enter please visit their website.http://contemporaryromance.org/stiletto-contest/
If you are a RWA member and are interested in judging, please seen info at their websitehttp://contemporaryromance.org/judges-sign-up/
If you're like me, and thinking of testing the waters with contests, I hope you'll consider these two and sign up for judging while you're at it.Have you done, or thought about doing a contest? Stop by the other authors on this hop to see what their experiences have been.Until next time~Meka

Music Monday - Legendary

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. So this week I wasn't sure what song to share.

I've been working on a novelette, but I don't have any new songs for it because it can use the same playlist from Anything Once. I've got to get more ladies from my CP group to give me songs to feature, so what to share?

Well, I've been having bouts of insecurity in my writing. It happens from time to time where the doubts take hold and pushing through to complete a project, whether it's writing or editing, get harder. Currently, Anything Once still remains unedited because I'm doubting that one hard core after the last round of feedback. I wrote a post about some of my issues HERE and my general feeling on the editing process HERE.

Blogging about these things help, as does music. Songs have the ability to change your mood, good or bad. I started this segment because of how much I use music as part of my writing process. This week I decided to share a song that makes me feel good. The beat is uplifting and the lyrics are empowering. A lot of writers face doubts. We struggle with wondering if we're good enough, if people will like the stories we have to tell. When faced with all the obstacles, it can be 'easy' to just say to hell with it all. "Legendary" is my 'I can do this' song.

I have no misconceptions about making it 'big' or anything like that, but I want to write books that others enjoy. If I have a small fan base, I'm happy with that. To just know that my books made others feel good and they enjoyed them, makes the stress and worry worthwhile. However, I can't get those fans if I keep my head in the sand and letting the doubt run wild which keeps me from producing. So, while I won't be legendary, I will carry the sense of pride from accomplishing what I set out to do.

Do you have a 'pump you up' song? Hope you enjoy mine.

"Legendary" by Welshly Arms


Thanks for stopping by
Until next time,
~Meka

I Don't Wanna! -#MFRWauthor

Hello and welcome to week 11 of the #MFRWauthor blog hop. I was a little bummed to miss last week's. I normally write these posts up on Thursday so they are all ready to go Friday morning.


The topic for this week brought one thing to my mind first (writing wise) as I'm in the middle of avoiding this very task.

So, what one task would I never want to do again...


If you've been around my blog, you've heard me use this term a time or dozen. When we talked about 'bad' writing advice a few weeks back, I explained my dislike of the editing phase then, although briefly.

Some people LOVE the editing phase. They live for it. They take their rough drafts and enjoy polishing them over and over until they shine.

I AM NOT that person! Not even close. The editing phase is something that HAS to be done. Like cleaning, which, ha, can go hand in hand with the task I would never want to do again on a personal level. Look at how I connected the two and didn't even try. This is straight rambling writing going on right now.

But back to the point at hand, editing must be done. I know this, but I don't like it. I do it, like with cleaning, but I still don't like it. I do not enjoy any part of that process. It's painful. Seriously, painful, and I'm not just being dramatic. Okay, maybe I am a little, but it does hurt. Especially the idea of having to make large cuts after I worked so hard to get the words in the first place. REMINDER: I am a pantser and an edit-as-you-goer therefore those words didn't come easy so the idea of deleting large chunks of them hurts my soul.

Other writing friends have told me it gets better. I should learn to embrace the editing phase. That it's good for me. Yeah...no. Sorry, I can't buy into that. Like right now, my current project has sat, untouched, for nearly three weeks because I have editing to do, some could be restructuring of things, and the idea of that stresses me. I can't even bring myself to open the doc at this point. Told you, it's bad. Will I put on my big girl panties and get it done? Hell yeah I will. But only after I've finished my current in the corner, on the floor, kicking and screaming tantrum. LOL

So, yeah, just like I tell my husband I want to earn enough from my books to afford a weekly maid service, I want to figure out someway to have someone else do the actual edits for me. I know I hire an editor to go over the story, but I want a fixer. I want the person that take what the editor says and then just do it so I don't have to. I'm fully aware that doing something like that would remove some of my 'control' over my story and whatnot,but the stressed induced part of me says maybe it's okay.

There you have it. The one (or two in my case) tasks I wish I never had to do again. What are yours? Be sure to stop by the other authors on the hop to find out theirs.

Until next time,
~Meka

Blue Sludge Blues & Other Abominations-Blog Tour

Blue Sludge Blues & Other Abominations
by Shannon LawrenceRelease Date: March 15, 2018Horror short story collection

A collection of frights, from the psychological to the monstrous. These tales are a reminder of how much we have to fear: A creature lurking in the blue, sludgy depths of a rest area toilet; a friendly neighbor with a dark secret hidden in his basement; a woman with nothing more to lose hellbent on vengeance; a hike gone terribly wrong for three friends; a man cursed to clean up the bodies left behind by an inhuman force. These and other stories prowl the pages of this short story collection.
Excerpt
From The Salvation Lottery:
"There was a burst of static, and Brand realized what had struck him odd. The voice had an almost robotic mechanical edge to it. He got up and began to search the room, looking for some kind of radio. Instead, what he found was a baby monitor, one that apparently worked both ways."

Buy the Book Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon Canada | Amazon Australia | Smashwords | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
Also available from Apple and other countries through Amazon

About the Author
A fan of all things fantastical and frightening, Shannon Lawrence writes mostly fantasy and horror. Her stories can be found in magazines and anthologies, including Space and Time Magazine, Dark Moon Digest, and Ember: A Journal of Luminous Things. When she's not writing, she's hiking the wilds of Colorado and photographing her magnificent surroundings, where, coincidentally, there's always a place to hide a body or birth a monster.

Social Media Links Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon Author Page |  Smashwords Author Page

Giveaway!a Rafflecopter giveaway

Music Monday -Ahead of Myself

Happy Monday. If you're in parts of the country that do Daylight Saving Time...I'm sorry. I want my hour back too.
This week no special 'guest' for Music Monday. That will resume at a later time. Today I bring you a song by a group that I like. I got to see them in concert two years ago now. Perks of working at a concert venue.

X Ambassadors have a few songs I enjoy. This one isn't part of a playlist for any WIP currently, but who knows if that will change. But Music Monday is about sharing songs I like, so that's what I'm going with this week. I mean the lyrics, the tone of the song, could make a good story. Inspiration can come from anywhere so I could see a character that always jumps in head first into relationships and usually has disastrous consequences because of it. Future story in the making???

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the song. Does it give you any story ideas?

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by.
Until next time
~Meka

"Ahead Of Myself" by X Ambassadors

IWSG 22 - The Genre Box

Happy March! New month means new blog post for the IWSG monthly blog hop. I hope everyone is having a great start to their year so far.
I wasn't sure on what topic to discuss this month and then I got some feedback on my latest project and the idea was born.


This topic has come up in my CP group a few times. Where does the story fit? One writer has a YA story that isn't quite romance, but also isn't quite science fiction. It has strong elements of both and both are central to the story. Another writes historical romance, only because it's America based and not Regency she struggles with finding a home for it.

I've faced this dilemma with my first book, Fiendish. I set out to write a story, a 'dark' contemporary romance and that's what I did. Or did I? See the problem I faced then was the 'rules' surrounding what made a romance; namely the HEA or HFN ending. If there are any none writerly folks reading this that's HAPPILY EVER AFTER OR HAPPY FOR NOW.

What really constitutes HEA or HFN? That question is for a blog post on another day. However, the fact remains that, Fiendish does not fit in that typical box for romance by traditional standards. Even for a 'dark' romance. It falls in this gray area of having aspects of a few different genres, but not enough of any one in particular to neatly fit in the box. It has been shoved into romance due to the core of the story, but it sticks out just a little.

I seem to be facing the issue again with my latest project. I set out to write an erotic romance novella. The novella aspect has gone out the window almost because with each round of edits the word count creeps up. On top of that, I'm losing the erotic angle. Not that I've removed the sexy times required, but because the subplot that happened has become of equal importance to the main plot.

Really, I ask myself how in the hell I managed to mess up erotica. It takes a special sort of talent.

The other issue came in with there being too much in the way of sexy time for it to neatly be categorized as contemporary romance, even with high heat. I've been reading more in both of these genres and while I can shove my project in one, it won't be a neat fit.

Maybe part of my issue with ending up in genre gray is my pantser lifestyle. I let the story go where the characters need them to be. Life doesn't always fit neatly in a box, but for sellablity and marketing purposes, my books need to. Luckily being an Indie author, I have a little bit more wiggle room to play with things, but still I'd like to know that the book I wrote is what I set out to write. At least once. Because, even Not Broken, which I market as contemporary romance, I've been told could also be women's fiction. Seriously, I can't win.

Have you ever written a story that's not 100% one genre and found yourself in the gray area?

March 7th's optional question:

How do you celebrate when you achieve a writing goal/ finish a story?
Two ways. After I published Fiendish I took a spa day. I'd had a gift certificate the husband had given me months earlier that I took advantage of. After all the stress and worry, it was a nice way to celebrate my accomplishment and relax. I told the husband I wanted to make it a thing. I published Not Broken on Thanksgiving, for Christmas The Hubs gave me another spa gift certificate. I haven't scheduled a date yet, but with my completion of my third project, my plan is to go once all edits are done and it's off in query land.





The second is by having a drink of this. This is a 'new' way to celebrate for me. I can't remember when I first saw this Writer's Tears whiskey, but I set out to find it. The Girl found it and gave it to me as a Christmas gift this year. I took a drink when I completed the first draft of the above mentioned erotic romance project.





That's it for this month. Thanks for stopping by.
Until next time,
~Meka

Thank you to this month's co-hosts:  Mary Aalgaard, Bish Denham, Jennifer Hawes, Diane Burton, and Gwen Gardner!

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group is a home for writers in all stages; from unpublished to bestsellers. Our goal is to offer assistance and guidance. We want to help writers overcome their insecurities, and by offering encouragement we are creating a community of support.

Music Monday- Human

Hello and welcome to the first Music Monday of March. I'm continuing this week showcasing more song selections from the wonderful ladies of RChat.
This week brings us music from Tia Barber. While most of the ladies have a 'specialty' they focus on like contemporary, or historical, etc, Tia branches out and spreads her wings a little more. She has stories ranging from paranormal, to contemporary, to romantic suspense. The latter is where her music choice comes from this week.

She's working on a series called the Twin Bay Saga. It's a seedy, mobster romance series set in the urban city of Twin Bay. Each story focuses mainly on one couple, but you are introduced to others. It's a six degrees of separation type deal, all weaved beautifully together. In total it will be eight novels and three novellas.

Tia lives in the gray area with her stories. ALMOST no one is 100% good or 100% bad. I say almost because she has some villains that have ZERO redeeming qualities and I spent a lot of time coming up with creative ways they could meet their demise.

But we aren't here to talk about my somewhat violent tendencies towards fictional characters. No, we're talking about book one of Tia's series: Held. The main couple of this one is Nick and Scarlet. Nick is a reluctant hitman and falls into that category of not being 100% good, but also not 100% bad. He's put in an impossible position and forced to do unspeakable things because of it. Nick shoulders the guilt of the world and views himself as a man unworthy of love.


*** EXCERPT 
Scarlet hooked her other arm around his and squeezed as she rested her cheek against his bicep.
He ached inside, crying out for that contact and hating that he wanted it.
"I don't really want to drink, do you? I kinda just want to go home." She cleared her throat and lifted her head a bit. "I mean, not my home obviously, since it's not…I meant to say, back to your house. But, not to imply that I thought your hou—"
Nick stepped in front of her and cupped her face, halting her adorable ramble. Those gorgeous amber eyes locked on his, and for a second, he could pretend he was human. That they were a couple. But he wasn’t, and they’d never be. Now, all he could do was pray his memory would do her justice after he left her. Again.
When she licked her lips in anticipation, the response in his body was near instant and hated himself even more.
He'd never have those stolen moments again. Didn’t deserve to. Shit, never did.
He tugged her against him and leaned down, a short, hitched breath escaping his lump-filled throat before he kissed her.
This was just going to make it hurt that much more when she hated him. And she would. But he still craved it. He couldn't help it. He just needed her. Just wanted to be with her. Wanted to find his sister, keep them both safe, and wipe everything else away.
He winced harder and deepened the kiss, clutching her face. It didn’t matter that they were standing on the sidewalk, obvious to every passing car. Let them see. Let the whole damn city see his world crashing down around him. He needed to feel her there, taste her mouth, and hold her close one last time before he broke his own heart to save hers.

***
We also meet Thomas and Anna. Anna is Nick's sister and she's the reason he's in the position he is. Thomas is one of the guards watching over a captive Anna. Thomas has also done things he's not proud of and he too feels like no one could ever love him.

The song for this week relates to both of these men and the women that look beyond their monstrous acts to see the kind soul behind the crimes. Ropes, bars, chains, those aren't the only way to be held prisoner. Both Nick and Thomas are prisoners in their own right as they try to keep from getting close to anyone. They both feel like they are plagues of sort and only leave pain and heartache in their wake. Through the determined love from both Scarlet and Anna, both men learn they are very much worth loving.

Hope you enjoy the selection

Until next time
~Meka

"Human" by Aquilo

I Won't Survive - #MFRWauthor

Two months of the year down already. Crazy to think about, but doing the #MFRWauthor blog hop acts as a weekly countdown for the year. So I looked at this week's topic on Monday with the idea that I wouldn't wait until the last minute to write the post.


I guess the issue is for me to be stuck on an island, someone had to talk me into getting on a boat. If you remember my post from two weeks ago, you'll know that one of my fears is drowning. Because of that, cruises, yeah those are pretty much out of the question. Yeah, yeah, I know big boat, lots of safety precautions. But fears aren't rational most times so just go with it.


So, I'm stuck on this island AND I have to invent something? All is lost! Okay, It's the word invent that trips me up. Like I'm not supposed to be trying to figure a way back to civilization by making a raft or doing some sort of S.O.S

A teleporter. A coconut, solar powered teleporter, because aren't there always coconuts on those islands? It's something practical and neccessary because I would want to be off that island! No real clue on how I would go about doing that, but I guess before I book the mysterious cruise that will leave me stranded I'll have to up my watching and reading of all things sci-fi.

There you have it. What would you invent if stranded on an island? Be sure to stop by and check in with the others on the hop to find out their inventions.

Until next time
~Meka