Megan Morgan's Blog, page 36

Making It

There’s some painful truths we have to face as writers. Many of us–most of us, really–are never going to be literary giants. We’re not going to write books that go down in history and which kids are required to read in high school. We’re not going to have bestsellers. We’re not going to be asked to appear on TV talk shows. Most of us aren’t even going to make a comfortable living off our writing.

Does that mean you should stop dreaming about those things, stop hoping for them, and stop trying to achieve them? Of course not. But you also shouldn’t think you’re a failure if you never climb to those lofty heights. It’s a slippery ladder and the rungs are pretty far apart.

‘Success’ as a writer is not a hard-and-true thing. There’s no well-defined measure for what it means to be successful. This is mostly because every writer has a different concept of what success is and what they can be happy with. Some authors want to achieve commercial success and be a household name and they will never stop trying for that. Some are just happy to write and have a book to show their family and friends. Some take the accolades and income that comes along with writing very seriously, and some are much more relaxed about it and if those things come, they come. Each of us writes for our own reason and each of us has a standard we hold ourselves to.

No matter where on the scale of achievement, you’ll rarely find a writer who doesn’t say that the true joy is in the writing itself. Of course, I’m sure all of us would love to make money off our writing. We would all like to be recognized and have people say “hey I read your book and I loved it!” Of course we would. But there is satisfaction in the simple act of writing, in the process of putting words on the page, and we all know that feeling. Success for one writer is accomplishing that and completing a book, while success for another writer is when lots of people buy that book. But at the end of the day, we all sit down and write.

If you never ‘make it,’ you’re still a writer. You still get to be part of this community of people who enjoy and translate the movies that play in their own heads. If you never sell tens of thousands of books and make enough money to retire, you still get to feel the joy of creation. You still get to sit down at the keyboard, or take up the pen in your hand, and know what it is to have this blessing and curse. There’s no number of books you have to sell to be officially declared an author. You don’t even have to sell one.

Create your own idea of success. Make your own goals. Strive toward the things you want and rest easy in the fact that most of us aren’t going to be famous. But that’s okay, because we write anyway.

Filed under: Monday Blogs Tagged: advice, creativity, writing

Shifted in Seattle by Lisa Medley

Today I’m hosting Lisa Medley and her paranormal romance Shifted in Seattle. Lisa is giving away a Sasquatch Swag Pack: a Bigfoot of chocolate, Jack Link’s Squatch Sticks and Shifted in Seattle bookmarks (U.S. only). So make sure to comment, check out the other stops on the tour, and enter the Rafflecopter giveaway!

Enter to win a Sasquatch Swag Pack

Leave a comment and check out the other stops on the tour for more chances to win!

No one’s ever captured a Sasquatch.

Until now.

Sasquatches have roamed the Pacific Northwest for centuries, hiding in the wilds of the northern territories and protected by the Lummi nation.

When Seattle author Ethan Lane’s secret is exposed after a first date with Ruby Parsons goes wonderfully right, then horribly wrong, he’s faced with betraying his clan or losing his only chance at true love and a normal life.

Sometimes love gets hairy.

EXCERPT:

“Ruby! It’s him!”

Ruby Parsons peered around her iPad at her roommate Claire, who bounced excitedly on the opposite end of the couch. “And who would he be?”

“Listen to this Daveslist “Near Misses” ad:

H.P. Lovecraft: Stand-Up Comedian – m4w (Annex Theater) – Seattle

Tuesday night, after the show, you and I flirted while in line for the bathroom. We agreed that even if the staff had to clean up a blood sacrifice, the place was still nicer than the streets below.

You smiled at me as you took off, but there was no chance for me to get your name.

Buy you a drink sometime? We might as well enjoy ourselves before Cthulhu rises…”

Ruby scrambled across the couch and stuffed herself into the crack between Claire and the cushioned back for a look at the ad.

“It’s Cthulhu! Your Lovecraftian lobster,” Claire said, handing over the iPad for her to see.

“You have got to quit watching Friends reruns.” Ruby read the ad. Her heart hammered in her chest, and a blush of heat covered her face and neck. It was him. Too many exact details not to be. Still. A classified ad? In “Near Misses”? It was so…seedy. Wasn’t it? What kind of people posted ads like that, or worse…responded to them? “Listen, I met the guy for like thirty seconds in line for the bathroom.”

“And then reread The Call of Cthulhu even though you practically have the thing memorized and went on and on and on about him and his hipster beardedness for weeks. Weeks!” Claire snatched her iPad out of Ruby’s hands then launched off the couch and into the swinging papasan chair. She began typing furiously on the tablet.

“What are you doing?” Ruby asked, concerned.

“Answering him, of course.”

BUY LINKS:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Shifted-Seattle-Lisa-Medley-ebook/dp/B01KH7LBP8

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/658503

KOBO: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/shifted-in-seattle

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/shifted-in-seattle/id1144596984

NOOK: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shifted-in-seattle-lisa-medley/1124391849

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Lisa has always enjoyed reading about monsters in love and now she writes about them, because monsters need love too. 

She adores beasties of all sorts, fictional as well as real, and has a farm full of them in her Southwest Missouri home, including: one child, one husband, two dogs, two cats, a dozen hens, thousands of Italian bees, and a guinea pig. 

She may or may not keep a complete zombie apocalypse bug-out bag in her trunk at all times, including a machete. Just. In. Case.

Social Media Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisamedleyauthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lisamedley

Website: http://lisa-medley.com

Lisa Medley Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/9Zhcz

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7824406.Lisa_Medley

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/1/+LisaMedley/posts

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Lisa-Medley/e/B00I66M24M/

Enter to win a Sasquatch Swag Pack

Leave a comment and visit the other stops on the tour for more chances to win!

Filed under: Giveaways, Guest Posts Tagged: guests, paranormal, romance

Tucking Your Tentacles

This post is part of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group blog hop. The first Wednesday of every month is Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. The awesome co-hosts for the October 5 posting of the IWSG are Beverly Stowe McClure, Megan Morgan, Viola Fury, Madeline Mora-Summonte, Angela Wooldridge, and Susan Gourley!

Today I’m co-hosting the IWSG! Check out the bottom of the post for information on the IWSG anthology contest.

OCTOBER 5th QUESTION: When do you know your story is ready?

This is a tough question to answer. By ‘ready’ I assume that means ready to send off to an agent/editor and cross your fingers. No matter how long you’ve been writing or how far along you are in your career, getting a manuscript to that point takes a lot of rewriting and editing. Have you read and re-read your work, fixed it up, changed it up, made sure all the slots fit in the holes, that things go from point A to point B, and let a few other people look at it? Are your eyes bleeding yet? Are you ready to never have to look at this story again as long as you live? Great, then you should put it away for a few months so you can go back and do it all over again with fresh eyes and a clear brain.

One of my favorite authors, Anne Lamott, says that trying to get a book ready is like “putting an octopus to bed.” You keep trying to tuck it in but the tentacles keep falling out. I think this is a great analogy. You might fix one issue only to find another issue has popped out from under the covers. You make yourself crazy trying to fit everything under the blanket, and all the while the octopus is just staring at you and squirting ink all over you. Somedays you start to question if you really love the octopus and want to keep it, or throw it down a storm drain.

For me, I know things are done when I can’t find anything else to fix. That doesn’t mean there aren’t things that can still be fixed, but like a tall, teetering tower of blocks, I’ve finally got things stacked up just right so that it won’t collapse. It’s good enough. It might even be good.

Then, if a publisher picks it up, they’re going to knock your tower over and make you reassemble it so it doesn’t wobble at all, and you get to do this all over again. Welcome to being an author!

Announcing the 2016 IWSG Anthology Contest!

Eligibility: Any member of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group is encouraged to enter – blogging or Facebook member. The story must be previously unpublished. Entry is free.

Word count: 3000-6000

Genre: Fantasy

Theme: Hero Lost. It could be about a hero turned villain, a villain’s redemption, a hero’s lack of confidence, a hero’s lack of smarts, etc. It can be about any kind of hero including superheroes, mythological heroes, unexpected or unlikely heroes, or a whole new kind of hero. This theme has plenty of scope and we’re open to pretty much anything along these lines. No erotica, R-rated language, or graphic violence.

Deadline: November 1st 2016

How to enter: Send your polished, previously unpublished story to admin @ insecurewriterssupportgroup.com before the deadline passes. Please include your contact details and if you are part of the Blogging or Facebook IWSG group.

Judging: The IWSG admins will create a shortlist of the best stories. The shortlist will then be sent to our official judges.

Prizes: The winning stories will be edited and published by Freedom Fox Press next year in the IWSG anthology. Authors will receive royalties on books sold, both print and eBook. The top story will have the honor of giving the anthology its title.

GO HERE TO LEARN MORE
Filed under: Anthologies, Contests, IWSG Tagged: blog hop, creativity, editing, insecure writer's support group, writing

Brooding About Writing

One of the things that gives me the most pleasure in life is writing. Throwing myself into a good, intense writing session clears my head of my worries, helps me focus in a way nothing else does, calms me, and leaves me with a happy, peaceful, content feeling when I’m done. I know I’m a writer because of how writing feels. There’s nothing else that gives me the sense of accomplishment and fulfilment that it does.

So why do I, like so many other writers, spend so much time not writing? It’s easy to procrastinate. If you can’t find excuses not to write, you can definitely make some up. If there’s anything a writer is good at besides writing, it’s not writing. Nothing gives me more joy than putting the words on the page, and nothing makes me grouchier, angrier, and more despairing than not having my creative outlet. There’s an easy solution to this of course, but heaven forbid I do anything the easy way.

There’s a lot of agonizing that goes on when you’re not writing. A lot of questions bounce around in your head. What if this thing I’m writing sucks? What if I can’t work out the plot? What if this isn’t what I want to write? What if I can’t finish it? The best way to answer any of these questions is to spend time with the story and find out. Yeah, sometimes the writing does suck, but if you don’t write it to begin with, you’ll never find out. Maybe that’s the fail safe. If I don’t write, it won’t be awful!

But it won’t be good either, and you won’t feel like you’ve accomplished something.

Some writers are magnificent in their prolificness. They write every day and churn out multiple books per year. They do the work instead of griping and moaning about it. If this is you, congratulations! Now, get out of my face and go write. (Just kidding. Sorta.)

I wish I could be more disciplined. I wish I could stop groaning about my writing and just sit down and do it. I mean, obviously I do it eventually, because I have lots to show for it, but sometimes it’s mysterious even to me when I got all this stuff done. All I remember is dragging around like a slug and feeding the cat for the fifth time instead of getting my words down for the day. I remember convincing myself the story is crap instead of writing it to find out. But eventually, I must have sat my butt in the seat and put the work in.

It’s hard to be a writer, dammit. There’s so much we have to complain about!

How about you? Do you find yourself procrastinating and brooding instead of writing?

Filed under: Behind The Scenes, Monday Blogs Tagged: creativity, funny, me, writing

Halloween Giveaway!

We Love Readers is giving away a huge Halloween prize. You can win a Kindle Fire, loaded with thirteen paranormal romances, including my book The Wicked City! Just click on the banners below to enter. Contest closes on October 31st.

Filed under: Giveaways, Promotion, The Wicked City Tagged: paranormal, romance

Dalir’s Salvation by Nina Crespo

Today I’m hosting fellow Lyrical Press author Nina Crespo and her paranormal romance Dalir’s Salvation. Nina is giving away a digital copy of Dalir’s Salvation, so make sure to comment, check out the other stops on the tour, and enter the Rafflecopter giveaway!

Enter to win a digital copy of Dalir’s Salvation

Leave a comment and check out the other stops on the tour for more chances to win!

To be with the man of her dreams, she’ll have to face her worst nightmares…

Ari is looking to live a normal life. But after she hits her head, normal is no longer an option. A mysterious, rugged man appears, whom only she can see… each night he fulfills her fantasies and leaves her begging for more. She’s sure he’s a figment of her imagination—until she finds out the hard way that he’s all too real. Now, to truly be with him, Ari will have to embrace the parts of herself she’s been desperately keeping at bay.

Dalir’s been burned by love before, yet he can’t resist Ari’s beauty and charm. And all it takes is one kiss to spark nights of passion. But there’s danger on the horizon that only Dalir and his friends in the band Thane’s Redemption can deal with. And the longer he stays with Ari, the greater the peril to them both. Will the two of them be strong enough to fight for their newfound love—and their lives?

EXCERPT:

Four weeks ago, he’d fought Kell and nicked his brother’s throat, but Kell had leaped time and escaped before he could finish him. He would have pursued him, but Reid’s injuries couldn’t wait. Time in nothingness had weakened Kell’s phasing and fighting skills. His brother wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. Kell wouldn’t show his face until his powers and fighting skills reached full potential.

Colby’s green eyes grew cold with a hard expression. “Don’t worry we’ll find him.”

“When are you reporting back?”

“Later tonight. After New Jersey, I’m tracking down Ari.” Colby answered Dalir’s questioning look with a chuckle. “You know who she is, Celine and Lauren’s friend.”

Right. Celine and Lauren had agonized over leaving her behind in Florida. His decision not to bring Ari to The Drift hadn’t gone over well. Lauren and Celine had a reason to occupy his home. Ari, a grown woman capable of taking care of herself, didn’t. First they’d want one friend to live with them in The Drift. Then another. He wasn’t a damn innkeeper.

Just like their little redecorating project, the list of people they would have wanted at The Drift would have gone on forever. “What about Ari?” “We’re taking turns checking in on her so the girls won’t worry so much.” An electric saw buzzed to life downstairs.

Dalir’s jaw ached from his gritted teeth. He could camp in the mountains or go to his place near the lake. Or he could let Colby do the job the recon expert did best. Hunt for leads.

“I’ll check on Ari.”

Colby rubbed the stubble on his jawline. “I was just going to pop in where she works, make visual confirmation that she’s okay, and move out. I can handle it.”

“Focus on finding my brother. I’ll take care of this side errand.”

Dalir stalked back to his room to change clothes. “It’s time to bring this to an end.”

BUY LINKS:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/?field-keywords=9781601835444

Apple: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9781601835444

Google: https://play.google.com/store/search?q=9781601835444&c=books

Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=9781601835444

Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/9781601835444

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Nina Crespo lives in Florida where she indulges in her favorite passions — the beach, kick boxing, a good glass of wine, date night with her own real-life hero and dancing. Her lifelong addiction to romance began in her teens while on a “borrowing spree” in her older sister’s bedroom where she discovered her first romance novel. Curiosity about people and places, including what’s beyond the stars, fuels her writer’s imagination. This wellspring of inspiration allows Nina to create sensual contemporary stories and steamy paranormal tales, which she hopes will feed your own addiction for love, romance, and happily ever after. Current must haves include cupcakes with frosting and lots of sprinkles, and red wine chocolate blends.

Website: http://ninacrespo.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NinaCrespo21

 

Enter to win a digital copy of Dalir’s Salvation

Leave a comment and visit the other stops on the tour for more chances to win!

Filed under: Giveaways, Guest Posts, Promotion Tagged: guests, kensington, lyrical press, paranormal, romance

I Hate This Book

Can you write an entire book, beginning to end, whole and complete, and hate the result despite all the time you spent on it? Yes, you sure can. I’m going through this particular weird writer hell at the moment.

I wrote the perfect book. By ‘perfect,’ I don’t mean it’s a sweeping, flawless example of high literature. I mean I constructed it to every technical specification. It has a forward-moving plot that comes to a dramatic climax followed by a satisfying ending. The characters are all fleshed out with well-defined and sympathetic motivations, and believable backstories that influence their actions. I hit on every point and marker for the genre and intended audience. There’s no loose ends or anything frivolous. I even managed to construct a somewhat unique and interesting premise, if I do say so myself.

The problem is, when I finished it, I didn’t feel a great glowing sense of accomplishment. I didn’t feel creatively fulfilled. I just sort of felt like I’d finished a homework assignment.

I thought perhaps the passion would come in the revision, as it sometimes does for me; that when I clipped and rearranged and polished, I’d find the glowing gems beneath. It’s happened to me before, after all. I’m almost done revising it now, and I still haven’t found the gleam. Sure, there were a few scenes that gave me a mild feeling of joy like “hey, I wrote that,” but there’s been no overall thrill. I feel like I’ve written a long essay on some subject I have no real interest in and now I’m shoring it up so I can at least get an A on it.

In part, I think it’s because I just don’t like the characters. They’re great characters in their construction, as I said above, but I’m just not into them. It’s kinda like watching a show that everyone else loves but you just can’t get into. You can’t explain why, it’s a fine enough show, it’s just not your bag.

Earlier this year, in contrast, I wrote a story that I absolutely loved. I raced to the page each day to write it, and it all unfolded before me in brilliant clarity. I loved every aspect of creating it, I loved the characters, and when I finished I was breathless with the pounding of my brimming writer’s heart. Not to mention I was actually sad I was done writing it and there was no more. I wrote it in less than a month, revised it in a few weeks, and it was picked up for publication a few scant months later. It was a whirlwind romance of…writing a romance.

I find these two reactions are the extremes, though. Hating what you wrote and being absolutely in love with it are two ends of the spectrum, and most pieces we write fall somewhere in between. You may love parts of something you wrote and hate others, you may have to dig a while to find contentment in the prose, or you may just find that ‘good enough’ feeling eventually. Writing is a game of ups and downs, joy and sorrow.

But what of the hated, finished story? Should I complete the revision and send it off to a publisher? It definitely needs a sequel, and was always written toward having a sequel. I have some ideas for that sequel but I fear by a few chapters in, I would once again feel like I was writing a homework assignment.  Do I scrap it? The sunk cost fallacy involved will haunt me for weeks, I know. Do I repurpose it into something else? Change the characters? Chalk it up as practice and move on?

Isn’t writing just glamorous?

Have you ever written something you hated and couldn’t bring yourself to feel passionate about? How did you handle it? What did you do with the story?

Filed under: About Me, Behind The Scenes, Monday Blogs Tagged: creativity, editing, inspiration, me, writing

Happy Fall!

Yesterday was the first day of autumn here in the northern hemisphere. Anyone who knows me, knows I’m a FALL FANATIC. Leaves! Pumpkins! Candles! My house is already decorated and ready to go, despite the fact the leaves aren’t even turning here yet:

Happy Fall, everyone! What’s your favorite season?

Filed under: Behind The Scenes Tagged: me, pictures, seasons

Fiction and Furry Friends

I always love a good story with a pet in it. Adding a furry (or feathered, or gilled) friend can add charm and whimsy, or comic relief, whether the animal plays a pivotal role or is just there to provide your characters with companionship. From Harry’s owl Hedwig in Harry Potter, Dog from Good Omens, or the much less friendly Church in Stephen King’s Pet Semetary, animals in fiction is a common theme.

In my own work, a very important kitty plays a role in my Siren Song series. Serendipity is the pet cat of a supporting character named Cindy, but she takes a keen liking to my protagonist, June Coffin, and they become steadfast pals, to the point June eventually becomes her owner. ‘Dipity’ for short (June also calls her Dip), she ends up playing a vital role in saving June’s life (and playing tongue-in-cheek homage to an urban legend). Dipity is a tortoiseshell, and I openly admit she’s modeled 100% after my own tortoiseshell kitty. I’m not sure, however, that my own cat could stop being lazy long enough to become a hero…

Save someone? Maybe after my nap.

In the paranormal romance series I’m currently working on, there’s also a Basset hound belonging to the hero, who ends up playing a very important role. I guess I like writing about pets who are more than meets the eye.

Even if your animal companion doesn’t play the part of a hero or end up having secret magical powers, including a pet is a fun touch. A lot of cozy mysteries include, and even revolve around pets, I’ve noticed.

Do you have a favorite book or series that includes an animal companion? Do you include animals in your own writing?

Side Note: Right now I’m giving away a copy of The Burning City at All Things Urban Fantasy! Stop by and find out my top 10 favorite ghost stories and enter to win. Contest closes tomorrow!

Filed under: Siren Song Tagged: cats, writing

A Unique View

The apartment complex where I live consists of several buildings. I live in one of the buildings closest to the street, and because of the apartment I live in, I have something unique right outside my bedroom window. The only tree that grows directly on the complex property is right outside my window, on a little lawn, which is also the only lawn in the complex. So, I have scenery that no one else does.

I absolutely love the view out my bedroom window. My bed is positioned so when I’m lying down I look right up into the tree and I almost always leave my curtains open, day or night. During the full moon a few nights ago, the moon shone directly in my window. When I wake up, the sun is shining down on me. I’ve only lived here long enough to experience the summer, but I can’t wait to see what it looks like all snow-covered too. It’s an amazing view that is uniquely my own. The people below me are in below-ground apartments and only see the base of the tree. The people above me see over the top of it. It’s a view only I have.

This is connected to writing, I promise.

We all have our own ‘view’ that is ours and ours alone. There are some experiences that are common to all humans, and some experiences that we share with a few others, but there are some things that are unique to us, and there is no one else, alive or dead, who has ever or will ever see the world through our eyes. That’s how writing is, too. You write in the same genre as many other writers, you may write stories similar to someone else’s stories, but there is no one who can bring to the page the same ‘view’ that you have. No one else has your knowledge, vision, or voice.

Our lives and experiences influence our writing, whether we realize it or not. Even if two writers sat down and wrote the same exact plot, the stories would be different because both writers have a different experience of life. All writing is unique in that sense–no one can bring the things to the page that you can, because they have never seen things from your view. Bring your vision of the world to your writing and you will find it not only the most satisfying, but the most true. It’s the only way we can share what we see with each other, at least to some extent.

I think sometimes when people are new to writing, they fear they’ll write something that sounds like something else, or something that’s already been written, or they’ll ‘steal’ an idea without meaning to. But there’s no real need to fear this, because no one else sees the world through your eyes. When you stay true to what you see, you bring something unique to every sentence you write.

Look out your own window and tell us what you see. No one else has that unique view.

Side Note: Right now I’m giving away a copy of The Burning City at All Things Urban Fantasy! Stop by and find out my top 10 favorite ghost stories and enter to win. Contest closes on Thursday Sept. 22nd!

Filed under: About Me, Behind The Scenes, Monday Blogs Tagged: creativity, inspiration, personal life, pictures, writing