Megan Morgan's Blog, page 37

It Takes a Thief Now Available At All Retailers

It Takes a Thief is now available at all online retailers! Siren-Bookstrand sells their books exclusively through their website for 4-6 weeks, so if you didn’t want to buy directly from their website and would rather get a copy through Amazon or other retailers, now you can. If you have a copy and you’d like me to sign it (or any of my books) you can request it through Authorgraph!

Audra Yates is immortal, a being of a nameless race that has been around since the beginning of time. But there’s still one way for an immortal to die—if you find your soul mate, you’ll start to age. For this reason, Audra has been killing her soul mate for over a century, every time he reincarnates and seeks her out.

Now, Audra is bored with her long life, and she needs a reason to keep going. This time around, her soul mate comes in the form of Eamon Ashe, a beautiful criminal who steals her purse one beautiful, spring morning. When Audra confronts him, she finds herself unnaturally weak to his charms. Audra gives in to the pull that’s been tugging at her for ages, a lust and love that ultimately can’t be contained. Opening herself up to her soul mate gives her the purpose she’s been seeking—but at what cost? Will she choose love over living forever?

Read an excerpt

Purchase at:

Bookstrand | Amazon | Kobo | iBooks | Google

Have a great weekend!

Filed under: It Takes a Thief, Promotion, Publications, Works Tagged: erotica, paranormal, romance, siren bookstrand

Ever Tempted by Odessa Gillespie Black

Today I’m hosting Odessa Gillespie Black and her paranormal romance Ever Tempted. Odessa is giving away a digital copy of Ever Tempted, 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 Ever Tempted

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

An infinity of lives, only one eternal love…

When Cole Kinsley asked Allie Knowles for her hand in marriage, he meant it. Death be damned. Nothing could keep them apart, not even a hundred years or more. Not even the vindictive spirit of Allie’s dead sister Grace. Released from her watery grave, she offers Cole a devil’s bargain. But to Cole, no price is too high when it comes to his beloved.

Allie thinks it’s almost too good to be true. A week of bliss alone with Cole. His promise kept, after all they’ve suffered at the hands of her sister. To feel the strength of his arms around her again. But when she learns of the sacrifice he made to be with her, she plunges into despair. Forever has slipped from their grasp—unless forever apart is their true destiny…

EXCERPT:

Straightening my tie, I walked around the corner. Smiling people held glasses, discussed life issues, and nodded amicably in my direction.

Who’s that? one woman thought.

He’s a looker, another thought.

I wish I had this girl’s money. At least she’s doing something for the community. I really shouldn’t be envious. A blonde stared toward the right corner of the patio.

Holding a wineglass and smiling, Allie stood in a circle of about twenty people, men in black suits and women in flashy dresses. As much as she had worried about fitting in, she settled nicely with her surroundings. Allie’s benefactor, the late Ava Rollins, would have run the first car out of the drive. She hated visitors.

The whispering crowd hushed, parting like the Dead Sea as I approached Allie.

She hadn’t noticed the decrescendo of voices, as she gestured and nodded.

The women’s thoughts were almost synonymous.

She’s so sweet; you can’t hate her for having it all.

We’ll be great friends. I can tell.

I can’t believe I thought she’d be snooty.

She’s gorgeous. Doesn’t even need that makeup. Pay attention to what she’s saying. Quit lusting, Bill. The guy’s thoughts were considerably more troubling, but this was something I’d have to contend with in loving a woman as strikingly beautiful as Allie was, inside and out. So tonight I wouldn’t kick anyone in the throat.

Who could blame them? Hadn’t I responded the same way?

I stood five feet behind Allie as she continued in light, happy conversation. She rarely wore her hair up. It was the fashion when we’d first met in the late 1860s, and though it was appealing, tonight, loose curls fell down her back.

Why is everyone looking behind me? Her heart rate steepened and an instant swell of pheromones thickened the air. Is he here? Allie straightened and glanced around.

BUY LINKS:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2bOLt8P

iBooks: http://apple.co/2bOKRjD

Google: http://bit.ly/2bOLWaU

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2bOLCZJ

B&N: http://bit.ly/2bOLV6X

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Odessa Gillespie Black lives in the beautiful North Carolina foothills with her husband, four children, Chihuahuas Little Bit and Rico, and rescued Lab and Pit mix, Mo. When not chasing dogs around the backyard and tackling the daily duties of mother-and-wife-hood, she enjoys watching horror movies and reading and writing paranormal romance. Readers can visit Odessa’s website at odessablack.wordpress.com, and find her on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/OdessaGillespieBlack

 

Enter to win a digital copy of Ever Tempted

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

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

Sales and Prizes!

Just a reminder, the Back To School Blast book sale ends tomorrow! There’s tons of books in multiple genres, some free, some on sale cheap. You can also sign up to win a $25 Amazon gift card, so don’t miss out!

One of those books is The Wicked City, which is on sale for 99 cents all this month! If you pick up a copy, make sure you head over to Authorgraph and let me sign it for you! (Also if you already have a copy, or a copy of ANY of my books, you can do that too.)

Filed under: Giveaways, Promotion, The Wicked City

Time On My Hands

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 September 7 posting of the IWSG will be C. Lee McKenzie, Rachel Pattison, Elizabeth Seckman, Stephanie Faris, Lori L MacLaughlin, and Elsie Amata! 

SEPTEMBER 7th QUESTION:  How do you find the time to write in your busy day?

Luckily, my life isn’t super busy at this particular point in time, but that wasn’t always the case. I’ve raised a child, worked two jobs at once, and had a hectic, non-stop life in the past. It was very hard to write then, but I always tried to fit it in here and there. Probably why it took me so many years to get anywhere with my writing!

I’m fortunate at the moment I only work a part time job with a set schedule, so I can plan for writing time much more than I could in the past. I’m also able to schedule promotional stuff and guest spots around it, weeks and even months in advance, because I know what days I have free. I don’t have many other time-hogging commitments at the moment either, as my son is an adult now and I live pretty simply to eliminate distractions. It’s a wonderful thing, but it’s definitely the first time I’ve had this sort of arrangement in my life, so I’m not taking it for granted. I’m grateful for it!

Busy or not, though, writing has always been a vital part of my life. I have to make time for it, or the pain of not doing it eats me up. I think most writers will tell you that the urge to write clears a path through even the busiest of lives and forces you to spend time with it, even if it’s just a few minutes here and there. On the opposite side of the spectrum, I have plenty of time to write and sometimes have to admonish myself for being lazy and distracted instead of taking advantage of it!

May you have ample time to write, and the motivation to do so when you get that precious time. Life is hard, but writing makes it easier. At least, that’s been my experience.

Filed under: About Me, IWSG Tagged: blog hop, insecure writer's support group, personal life, writing

Happy Labor Day!

Today is Labor Day in the U.S., a day we celebrate labor by…not laboring. Many of us, anyway! Some (like me) still have to work (boo!). It also marks the unofficial end of summer (booooo!).

If you don’t have to labor today, have fun and relax, and have a great day!

Filed under: Holidays

Sale! Prizes! Book Blast!

Did you know that The Wicked City is on sale right now for 99 cents? Cheap! You can get it at any of these places:

Amazon |  Barnes & Noble |  Kobo |  All Romance Ebooks | iTunes | Google Play | BAM

Today I’m also taking part in Reading Addiction’s Back to School Blast. They’re featuring TONS of books on sale right now, in a buch of genres, AND you can enter to win a $25 Amazon gift card!

WELCOME TO THE BACK TO SCHOOL SALE BLAST! 



Click on any of the below book covers to be taken to the page that has more information on the novel as well as the Buy Links! Please make sure to scroll down as each page will consist of many titles in that same genre!

Novels with a FREE Promotion!
     

    
Novels on sale at $0.99!
     

     

   



     



     

     


Novels on sale at $1.99 and above!
     

 


ENTER TO WIN A $25 AMAZON GIFT CARD!


Filed under: Giveaways, Promotion, Siren Song, The Wicked City Tagged: books

What The Hell Is Urban Fantasy?

I get asked this question a lot. Especially in my daily life, when I tell people I write books and they ask what I write, I say “urban fantasy” and get blank stares. I have yet to distill down a simple and clear answer that won’t take ages to explain when they inevitably ask “what’s that?” Sometimes I try to point out movies and TV shows that have an urban fantasy vibe, to make it clearer. Of course, they’ve never seen any of them (in case you’re confused as well, here’s a list of TV shows, though I don’t necessarily agree that all of these are urban fantasy).

So what’s urban fantasy?! Well, here’s some key elements:

Usually set in a city. This is what makes it ‘urban.’ However, to complicate things further, not ALL urban fantasy has a city setting. Because:
A general gritty/modern/dark vibe. If it has this feel, it can be set outside an urban area and still be considered urban fantasy.
Paranormal elements. This is the actual one universal rule.
Usually has a female protagonist. Especially when it comes to urban fantasy books. However, guess what kids? This is not a hard and fast rule either.
Has some romantic elements. Again, not universal, but especially when it comes to books. Urban fantasy is often listed as a subgenre of romance. But does it have to be romantic? Of course not! None of this makes sense!
Has some action/high-stakes. This is another element that actually seems to be universal.

Is it any wonder I can’t explain to people what the hell urban fantasy is unless they actually read it? I guess it’s…a paranormal, action-y, gritty sorta romance with no clear perimeters on content?

I just write romance, guys. Romance! Let’s leave it at that.

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: funny, paranormal, romance, urban fantasy, writing

Good vs. Evil

In most stories–whether they’re written or visual–we’re used to a pretty cut and dried formula. There’s a goodie, and a baddie, and we’re supposed to root for the goodie and hate the baddie. Right? This isn’t always the case, though, and the great thing about telling a story is that we have license to play with what’s ‘good’ and ‘bad.’ Sometimes villains become more memorable than heroes and sometimes good guys aren’t always so good.

But there’s a technical split amongst these kind of characters, beyond the ambiguous creative attributes. I’ll go over a few of them here:

The Protagonist. The protagonist is always the main character of the story, the one whose struggle we’re seeing first hand. This is a technical term and has no basis in morality. The protagonist is simply the person the story is happening to. They can be an utter saint, morally ambiguous, or Satan incarnate, but if the story is theirs then they are the protagonist.
The Antagonist. This is not necessarily ‘the villain.’ The antagonist is the person/force/entity that is throwing problems in the protagonist’s way. Again, their moral standpoint doesn’t matter, because this is a technical term. The antagonist–which might not even be a person–is the one creating chaos in the main character’s world.
The Anti-Hero. This is where we begin to get into creative territory when it comes to crafting goodies and baddies. I personally love anti-heroes because no one is perfect and even the kindest, nicest, most generous of us has our flaws. An anti-hero might not be a good guy in the eyes of the law, the church, or their parents, but we identify with their plight and they’re (usually) trying to do what they believe is right. Think Robin Hood. The anti-hero seems to be very big right now in the creative medium, especially in movies and TV shows. I think we’re tired of the pure of heart and want to see our heroes a little messed up and skewed. Plus, the anti-hero is a fun way to explore those things we’re probably never going to get to experience in real life, like being a double agent, in a biker gang, or an international jewel thief.
The Villain. The villain is the antagonist as a true bad guy. Their intentions are evil and wrong and they just want to destroy the protagonist and all they stand for. The thing about villains, though, is that they’re more interesting when their bad intentions have a reason, especially one we can all relate with. The mad scientist in his island lair concocting a bomb to blow up the world is campy and fun, but I’m personally more interested in the villains who went bad because of some profound hurt or struggle that I understand.
The Unreliable Narrator. Slightly different than the subjects above, this type of protagonist cuts into strange moral territory as well. An unreliable narrator is the focal character of the story who is also lying to the reader, or omitting things, or trying to make themselves look better than they are. This isn’t done by having some big reveal at the end like, “and Joe Good was the murderer all along!” but usually there are plenty of clues throughout the narrative so the reader will gradually come to realize this person is lying or delusional.

There are many creative ways to craft your main characters, and not every good guy has to be good, or every bad guy trying to blow up the world. That’s the great thing about fiction–it’s a great medium for exploring the gray areas of morality.

Filed under: Monday Blogs Tagged: creativity, writing

Query Do’s and Don’t’s

A lot of authors and writing blogs talk about query letters and dispense advice on how to compose one. There’s a lot of tutorials out there, some very detailed and informative. As an author who has written many query letters, and even gotten a few publishing contracts out of them, I thought I’d throw my two cents in as well.

A query letter is a pitch you make to an agent/editor/publisher in the hopes they will say “this sounds interesting, show me more.” It can be nerve-wracking and stressful to put together, as you only have one shot to make a good impression. As a rule of thumb, query letters should be 90% about the project and 10% about you. Why? Because agents and editors are busy people and they want you to get to the point. They want to know about the story. Even if you have 100 books published and a trophy case full of awards, those things have nothing to do with this project.

Write a blurb for your book–the type of thing you’d see on the back cover–and make that the bulk of your letter. Keep your own bio brief and relevant. For example, if I was pitching a paranormal romance, I’d mention the paranormal romances I already have published. If you don’t have any or many writing chops, mentioning any background or education you have on the subject matter is good.

A great blog for learning more is Query Shark. There, hopeful authors get real advice on their query letters and how to improve them. If you’re trying to write a query letter I suggest checking it out.

Here are some pieces of advice when writing a query letter:

Keep it short. 3-4 paragraphs maximum. Agents and editors are busy people and if your letter is pages long, they’re probably going to pass it over. You only get a few seconds of their precious time, so make sure you utilize it wisely.
Keep it relevant. Talk about the story, as I said above. Too much rambling about yourself and your plans for the future will derail the point of your letter.
Don’t ask rhetorical questions. A lot of new authors think this is a way to build excitement. They start with a hook like If ravens pecked out your eyeballs, what would your life be like? Don’t do this, it’s pointless and annoying and A LOT of publishing professionals don’t like it. Instead, ask yourself the question and put the answer in the letter. After having his eyeballs pecked out by ravens, Timmy finds his new blind life difficult and traumatic.
Put some technical details in there somewhere. Tell the word count and genre of your story, and if it has series potential. Don’t call it a ‘fictional novel.’ All novels are fiction, that’s the definition of ‘novel.’ Don’t say the manuscript is ‘complete,’ that is implied (see below).
Get names right. Make sure you don’t misspell the agent/editor’s name or call a Mrs. a Mr. You should do your research before you send the query off, so you have this information correct (however, if I don’t explicitly know if a woman is married, I use the ambiguous Ms.).
Know what you need to send. Every publisher and agent has specific requirements for what they want you to send along with the query. Make sure you follow these to the letter. Some don’t want anything but the query, and that’s all you should send.
A query letter is not a synopsis. A synopsis details a story from start to finish, in deep detail. You don’t need to do this in a query letter, and you don’t need to tell the ending of the story. A query is simply an enticement.
Don’t query unfinished projects. Your book should be fully written and edited before you begin querying. You’re not going to make a good impression if someone wants to see your full manuscript and you don’t have it finished yet.
Check your formatting. Email can do wonky things to your text. Make sure you give it a look over before you send it off–breaks between paragraphs, no weird fonts or random symbols.
Don’t be chummy. Unless the person you’re sending the query to is someone you actually know, keep it professional and focused. Use formal language, don’t make jokes, and present yourself in a friendly but not overly-familiar way, like you would in a job interview.

Querying is stressful, but it’s the necessary first step in getting a yes. There’s lots of information out there–do some research before you send that letter off!

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: advice, information, query letters, tirgearr publishing

Slow and Steady

If you’re an anxious sort of person who likes things to happen fast, the last thing you want to be is a writer. Writing and publishing are the slowest activities you can imagine. How anyone manages to make a stable career out of it is beyond me (I’m sure it takes a thousand years to get to that point). If you want to go fast, race stock cars. If you want to watch yourself slowly age while nothing happens, become a writer.

Every step of the writing and publishing process is slow:

Need an idea? If your brain is anything like mine, it’s going to take its sweet old time coming up with something for you to write. Even once you get that spark, the details need to be slowly untangled before you begin. If I try to push my brain for ideas it gets even more cranky and just goes to sleep.
Got an idea? Now write a book. How long do you think it will take? Weeks? Months? Years? Everyone is different. Sure, there’s some writers who can churn out a book in a few days or a week, but it probably took them a long time to get that fast, and also they probably sacrifice puppies to gain their dark magical power.
Now edit that book. This might take even longer than writing it, especially if it needs major rewrites.
Start sending it off to agents/editors. If you want to feel the true passage of endless time in all its horrifying reality, send a submission off and then keep refreshing your inbox while you wait for a reply. Stalk the agent/editor on Twitter as well if you really want to experience what eternity feels like.
Got an offer? Great! You think things will speed up now, don’t you? You sweet summer child. When they finally send you the contract, you’ll want to make sure you read that sucker thoroughly and consider all your options. Definitely not the time to rush.
Now your editor/cover artist/proofreader gets to make it into a real book. Days and weeks will go by where you’re fairly certain the publisher has forgotten they’ve taken you on board. Then, your editor will email you in the middle of the night with fifty pages of edits that they want back in two days.
Release day! Finally! …wait, I spent all that time waiting for this? Where is the choir of angels singing? Why isn’t Channing Tatum at my door ready to give me a lap dance? Why hasn’t Kim Kardashian called me up to take me on a shopping spree for being so clever and published? Now you get to wait for someone to care that you wrote a book.
Now wait to get paid. Keep waiting. Better start writing another book.

Writing is slow. Publishing is slow. But it’s all worth it in the end, right? Right?!

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: editing, funny, publishers, writing