Megan Morgan's Blog, page 7

I’ll be live today!

Today at 5pm EST I’ll be doing a Facebook Live to promote my spot at the East Coast Author Convention! All the featured authors are doing this over the next few months to let readers get to know us. If you’d like to watch you have to join the attendee’s group, but you DON’T have to actually be attending the convention–it’s free to join no matter what. So stop on by this evening and get to know me, even if you’re not going to the convention! There will be some giveaways, too.

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Real Life Sucks

[image error]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 May 2 posting of the IWSG are E.M.A. Timar, J. Q. Rose, C.Lee McKenzie, and Raimey Gallant!

Happy spring, if you’re in the northern hemisphere! Where I’m at, we bizarrely jumped from winter right into summer this past week, but I’m not complaining. It’s so nice to have the windows open and the heat off–and no snow on the ground!

At the moment, writing is hard and that’s my insecurity. My “day job” is quite taxing right now, as my boss was fired and I was forced to take over a leadership role in the interim until someone fills his position. Mostly, I’m qualified to do it but–it’s been really, really stressful and busy, which is why I never wanted to be the boss. I’m not complaining because they’re paying me, but writing–and blogging–is suffering in the meantime. I know this won’t last forever, but it’s frustrating. I’ll come back to what I love, I just have to get through this rough spot.

I know this happens to other writers too. If you’d like to share your stories about real life getting in the way of your writing, please do! It’ll be nice to commiserate.

May 2 question – It’s spring! Does this season inspire you to write more than others, or not?

I write no matter the season, but I think when the weather starts getting warmer it’s more distracting–I want to go outside! I want to be out in the good weather! I’ve tried writing out on my balcony, but honestly too much air and too much of a view is even MORE distracting. I prefer to just get the writing done and then go have some fun.

How about you? How is your spring going (or fall, if you’re on the southern part of the globe)?

Day Reaper by Melody Johnson

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Welcome to the blog today, Melody Johnson! She’s here today to give us some writing tips!

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Tips and Tricks to Fool Your Brain into Writing

Writing is a rough gig. It’s a solitary activity, so either you wake up at ungodly hours before the sun and your loved ones rise for the day, like me, or you give up part of your day to spend quality time with a blinking cursor and a blank page, both of which SEEMS less important when your husband is itching to go on an adventure and the sun is shining and the day is beckoning and staying inside the perfect little writing cave you’ve created feels akin to death.

Then why do we write, you ask? Because it IS important. Most writers, myself included, have stories and characters and unexpressed emotions tumbling inside their brains whether we write them down or not, but we’re compelled to put fingers to keyboards and solidify those stories. It’s an expression of self, an exploration of humanity and the ties that bind us, and God help us, we can’t stop.

Even when the last thing I want to do is write—even over laundry, washing dishes and scrubbing the bathroom tile mold—I need to find that perfect word to describe her regret. I need to solidify that first kiss I’ve been envisioning for months, and I need to flesh out a fresh, unique way for a damaged man to learn to trust again. That need fills me with drive, and after almost ten years of being in the driver’s seat of my writing life, I’ve learned how to smoothly shift gears, accelerate into the turns, and balance my day life and the people in it without crashing. And so can you.

Write what you love

Many people advise to write what you know, but I’d like to take it a step further. If your subject doesn’t excite you, if you’re not writing characters in settings exploring situations that excite you, than your writing won’t excite anyone else either. Whether you’re writing romance or non-fiction, write with passion and you’ll sweep readers off their feet along with yourself.

Writing is a long distance event, not a sprint

One page a day. That’s all it takes to write a 365-page book in a year. It sounds overly simplified, but it’s true. There are days I write much more than one page a day, but I never write less. It’s like training for an event. If you start to skip days in your training, you’ll never get back into shape, you’ll never be as in shape as the people training every day, and after skipping one day, the temptation to skip again is almost irresistible. Don’t skip. Don’t make excuses. Just write that one page.

Read, live, love

The books you read and the days you experience are the fuel for your writing. When the passion and drive for my characters and story overwhelm me and I’m bursting with inspiration, sure, I’ll spend my whole day writing, and then when I unearth my head from the deep, dark depth of my imagination, I realize I’ve missed a beautiful day at the beach or a cuddle/movie/popcorn day with my husband. So sprinting is great for one day, but no one can sustain that pace for an entire book and remain sane, keep healthy relationships, and enjoy life. And by doing so, you’re compromising the very thing that fuels your imagination: living. So take a book and read on the beach with friends. Or write a few paragraphs on your phone while in line for that concert. Being a successful writer doesn’t have to correlate with being a recluse or alcoholic anymore. That’s a stereotype long gone by the wayside. Let life inspire your writing by living it.

Learn the industry  

Writing is a solitary activity, but you are not alone. Hundreds upon hundred of writers are out there—the hundreds upon hundreds of books filling libraries, bookstores, and Amazon shopping carts can attest to that—and that’s only counting published authors. Find a writers group. Attend a conference. Surround yourself with other writers who are hungry to improve their craft and absorb knowledge from industry professionals. Not only will they inspire you to write, but you’ll better understand the secondary people you’re writing for: agents and editors.

Once you write your manuscript and then edit it to within an inch of its life, you actually have a novel! And then what? Then you get to research agents and publishers and decide your next step. You start crafting your query letter, you shape your synopsis, you submit to agents and editors, and you pitch to them at conferences. And where do you learn to do all these things? I learned them from my fellow authors at writers group meetings, at monthly presentations with industry professionals/speakers that my group recruits to teach us the trade, and at conferences. Become involved, and you’ll surprise yourself with how little you actually know about the business of publishing after reading and writing for a lifetime, or at least, I certainly did.

Don’t be afraid to delete

Your writing isn’t carved in stone like the Ten Commandments, and as Jodi Picoult so wisely said, “You can’t edit a blank page.” So just write. The great American novel isn’t going to pour from your brain onto the page in a first draft, and I’ll let you in on a little secret: it doesn’t for me either. It doesn’t for my favorite author or yours or anyone. We vomit the story onto the page until everything swirling in our brain is purged into some concrete format—usually Word but sometime the notes app on my phone and once in a great while, actual paper—then we take that mess of a manuscript and we get started on draft two. And then draft three. And then… you get the idea. So don’t let the fear of imperfection or mediocrity or bad writing prevent you from writing. Accept up front that it will be bad—it can’t be any other way because it’s a first draft—let go of the fear and excuses that do nothing but choke creativity, and just sit down and do what you’ve been dying to do all along: write.

 

Day Reaper
The Night Blood Series #4
by Melody Johnson
Genre: Paranormal Romance


On the brink of death, Cassidy DiRocco demands that New York City’s

master of the supernatural, Dominic Lysander, transform her—reporter,

Night Blood, sister, human—into the very creature she’s feared

and fought against for months: a vampire. The pain is brutal, she

could lose the career she’s worked so hard to achieve, and her

world will never be the same. But surviving is worth any risk,

especially when it means gaining the strength to fight against

Jillian Allister, the sister who betrayed Dominic, attacked Cassidy,

and is leading a vampire uprising that will destroy all of New York City . . .

When she awakens, however, Cassidy realizes the cost of being transformed

might be more than she was willing to sacrifice. But if Cassidy hopes

to right the irrevocable wrongs that Jillian and her army of the

Damned have wrought on New York City, she’ll need to not only

accept her new senses, body, and cravings, but wield them in her

favor. Irresistible and enigmatic as Dominic is, he no longer has

command over the city or its vampires. Only Cassidy has the

connections to convince the humans, Day Reapers, and the few vampires

still loyal to Dominic to join forces. And maybe, if Dominic can

accept her rising power over the coven he once commanded for the past

several hundred years, the two of them together might forge a bond

more potent than history has ever known. . .

Add to Goodreads
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Eternal Reign
The Night Blood Series #3



THE LEVELING

Last week, Cassidy DiRocco had some influence over the vampires that stalk

the streets of New York City. She was never completely safe, but with

her newfound abilities as a night blood and her honed instincts as a

crime reporter, at least she had the necessary skills to survive.

Now, thanks to the injuries she sustained while saving her brother from a

fate worse than death, she’s lost her night blood status just as

another crime spree hits Brooklyn. Dozens of people are being

slaughtered, and each victim bears the Damned’s signature mark; a

missing heart.

Cassidy will need the help of all her allies to survive the coming war,

including the mysterious and charismatic Dominic Lysander, Master

Vampire of New York City. But as his rival’s army threatens his

coven and his own powers weaken with the approaching Leveling, even

Dominic’s defenses might not be enough protection.

With nothing left to lose, Cassidy must find the power inside herself to

save Dominic, his coven, their city, and survive.

Add to Goodreads
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Sweet Last Drop
The Night Blood Series #2



Trust No One

Cassidy DiRocco knows the dark side intimately–as a crime reporter in New

York City, she sees it every day. But since she discovered that she’s

a night blood, her power and potential has led the dark right to her

doorway. With her brother missing and no one remembering he exists,

she makes a deal with Dominic Lysander, the fascinating master

vampire of New York, to find him.

Dominic needs the help of Bex, another master vampire, to keep peace in the

city, so he sends Cassidy to a remote, woodsy town upstate to

convince her–assuming she survives long enough. A series of vicious

“animal attacks” after dark tells Cassidy there’s more to

Bex and her coven than anyone’s saying. That goes double for fellow

night blood Ian Walker, the tall, blond animal tracker who’s supposed

to be her ally. Walker may be hot-blooded and hard-bodied, but he’s

hiding something too. If Cassidy wants the truth, she’ll have to

squeeze it out herself… every last drop.

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The City Beneath
The Night Blood Series #1



As a journalist, Cassidy DiRocco thought she had seen every depraved

thing New York City’s underbelly had to offer. But while covering

what appears to be a vicious animal attack, she finds herself drawn

into a world she never knew existed. Her exposé makes her the target

of the handsome yet brutal Dominic Lysander, the Master Vampire of

New York City, who has no problem silencing her to keep his coven’s

secrets safe…

But Dominic offers Cassidy another option: ally. He reveals she is a

night blood, a being with powers of her own, including the ability to

become a vampire. As the body count escalates, Cassidy is caught in

the middle of a vampire rebellion. Dominic insists she can help him

stop the coming war, but wary of his intentions, Cassidy enlists the

help of the charming Ian Walker, a fellow night blood. As the battle

between vampires takes over the city, Cassidy will have to tap into

her newfound powers and decide where to place her trust…

Add to Goodreads
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Melody Johnson is the author of the Night Blood series. She graduated

magna cum laude from Lycoming College with her B.A. in creative

writing and psychology. While still earning her degree, she worked as

an editing intern for Wahida Clark Presents Publishing. She was a

copyeditor for several novels, including Cheetah by Missy Jackson;

Trust No Man II by Cash; and Karma with a Vengeance by Tash

Hawthorne. Book #1 of the Night Blood series, The City Beneath, is

her debut novel. When she isn’t writing, Melody can be found hiking

the many woodsy trails in her Pennsylvania hometown or sunning and

swimming at the beach.

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Follow the tour HERE

for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!

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Our New World by Desiree King

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Our New World
New World Order Chronicles Book 1
by Desiree King
Genre: Urban Fantasy



The world has changed and humans are an endangered species.

After centuries of war famine and plague, a new society has risen and

grown. Magical races, such as fae, vampires, magi, and weres, have

joined forces to ensure everyone’s survival by creating the highest

order council and the new world laws.

Unfortunately, the cost of survival could be the freedom to be with
someone you love.

Sidney is on the edge of womanhood. Soon she’ll accept her birth right as

lady of her people, the magi of San Diego.

However, she is torn between her duty and heart.

Can she have both or will she have to choose between her people or the

feelings she’s kept secret for years?

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I’m a author from Phoenix Arizona. I’ve been writing most of my life but

only in the last few years have I had the guts to put my work out

there for others to read. Books are my passion as well as my two

loves my husband and son. I believe in supporting local art whether

it is a band an artist or author go out and experience the art of the

world in all its forms.

Facebook * Twitter * Amazon * Goodreads



Follow the tour HERE

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Neverending winter…

Happy Friday, everyone! First, I want to apologize for being a bit quieter on the blog lately. My day job is currently more demanding than usual (hopefully this won’t last much longer, though) and I’ve been using free time to focus more on my writing than my blogging. I’ve got a backlog of written stuff that I’m trying to get revised and edited so I can send it off to my publisher–trying to make 2018 a good year publication-wise! Speaking of, my new book has been out a week now–have you checked it out yet?

Spring continues to elude us here. As I write, it’s currently SNOWING, because of course it is. And I’m crying. Well, on the inside anyway. I think Mother Nature is just feeding on my despairing tears at this point and I don’t want to give her the satisfaction.

Do you have any fun plans for the weekend? How’s the weather in your part of the world?

Have a great day!
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Author Toolbox Blog Hop: Writing a Synopsis

[image error]It’s time for the Author Toolbox Blog Hop! The hop takes place the third Wednesday of every month (minus November/December) and focuses on the sharing of resources and learning tools for authors.

Stop by the hop page and check out all the participants and their posts this month! Also check out #AuthorToolboxBlogHop on Twitter.

The Dreaded Synopsis

So, you’ve written an entire book. You’ve polished it until it shines. You dotted every i and crossed every t. The plot makes sense, the characters feel real, your beta readers absolutely love it, you’ve checked for mistakes a million times, and the book is as good as you’re going to make it. Now, it’s time to submit it. But wait–before you can do that, you have to do the really HARD part, the part that’s even harder than writing the book.

You have to write a synopsis.

*groaning from the audience*

If you’re like me, you can make the effort to write a book without batting an eye, but when the time comes to write the synopsis you fall down on the floor and whine and cry like a two-year-old who was just told they can’t have a fourth cup of chocolate pudding. Writing a synopsis is hard. It’s an art form as much as writing a book.

First of all, you have to condense your ENTIRE book down into–how many pages? Well, that depends. There’s no absolute standard “this is how many pages a synopsis is” largely because the editor/agent you’re submitting to makes this decision. Some want a short, one-page synopsis. Some want it to be longer, sometimes 5+ pages. One would think a longer synopsis would be easier to write, but it’s not, necessarily. Because a synopsis is also about telling a story, and yes, it needs to sound just as interesting as your book in order to sell it.

When editors and agents look a synopsis, they’re looking for a couple of things: they want to see if the plot works when it’s all pieced together and if it makes sense, and they want to know what happens in the book from beginning to end to find out if it’s original, engaging, and if it will sell. It sounds unfair, but these professional people don’t have time to read your book if the synopsis makes it sounds weak, disjointed, or just overall boring. The synopsis is a briefing of what’s to come, and it tells them if it’s worth their time to explore further.

So, what needs to go into a synopsis? Here are the key components:

The major characters. These should be introduced quickly and their role in the story should be sufficiently explained. Depending on the length of the synopsis you might also add in some of your minor characters, at the point where they come into the story.
The conflict. This should be presented immediately, so the person reading the synopsis will understand right away what this story is about.
The major plot points. When you have to write a short synopsis, it’s helpful sometimes to list all your major plot points, and then figure out which ones you don’t really need to mention, or can gloss over, because you’re going to have to be very, very succinct.
The climax. What happens at the pinnacle of the book? How are things resolved? What changes, and how do your characters deal with it?
The conclusion. Synopses are not spoiler-free zones. The editor/agent needs to see how you end the story, to know if it’s appropriate and satisfying.

Writing a synopsis is not a whole lot of fun–at least, not for me. And guess what I’m doing right now?

How do you go about writing a synopsis? Do you have any advice for other writers?

Masked Desire by Alana Delacroix

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MASKED DESIRE
The Masked Arcana #2
by Alana Delacroix
Genre: Paranormal Romance


A Perfect Disguise

As security chief of the supernaturals’

ruling council, Michaela Chui has seen more than her fair share of

disaster. For centuries, she’s survived through caution and

strategy. But when the only human councilor is viciously murdered,

Michaela knows the coincidences that keep blocking her investigation

are a sure sign of bad things to come. She needs answers fast. And

her only ally is Cormac Redoak: wild, unpredictable, unreliable—and

worse, distractingly attractive.

A Hidden Truth
An exile from the court of the Fairy Queen, Cormac has all the

experience with careful strategy and veiled intentions he can stand.

But he also has the fey talent for getting his way, and he’s sure

his way lies with Michaela’s. No matter that she can change her

lovely face at will; there’s a clarity to her being that he’d

know anywhere. Working with her will be temptation and frustration

bound together. Somehow, though, he must convince her to trust

him—without revealing the secrets he dares never share . . .

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MASKED POSSESSION
The Masked Arcana #1


A Man Who Can Wear Any Face
Caro Yeats doesn’t run from much. As a former investigative reporter now

working PR for Toronto’s supernaturals, what she hasn’t seen

mostly isn’t worth seeing. But the assignment to “rebrand” Eric

Kelton’s out-of-control alter egos has her on edge from the start.

Kelton is the heirarch of the Masquerada, beings able to change their

face—their entire persona—on a whim. Eric’s charisma muddles

her instincts. How can she trust a man who can become anybody?

A Woman Without A Past
Eric has never met anyone like Caro, with her lightning wit and uncanny

insight. But desirable as she is, he’d be a fool to let her near.

Struggling to hide the sudden loss of his powers, Eric can’t risk

becoming entangled with a woman who scorns her supernatural side and

claims not to play politics. The enemies on her trail are strong,

clever, and vicious. And when they force Eric and Caro together, the

fallout could shatter far more than two hearts . . .

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Alana Delacroix lives in a little house filled with books in Toronto,

Canada. She loves exploring the city, on the hunt for both the

perfect coffeeshop as well as ideal locations to set her paranormal

romances. A member of RWA, Alana worked as an archaeologist before

forging a slightly more stable career in corporate communications.

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Follow the tour HERE

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Release Day

Today is the big day! The Marrying Type is now available from Evernight Publishing!

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The Marrying Type (The Man Catalog #1)

Need a date? Or a temporary boyfriend? How about a husband in a hurry? The professionals at SASS—Singles Arrangement Service Specialists—are here to help.

Libby Dawson has spent her life under the crushing thumb of her controlling father. She wants to escape, which would be easier if she had her half million-dollar trust fund first. However, she can’t have it unless she’s married by twenty-three—six months from now.

Blaine Parker is a savvy but disillusioned stockbroker. Tired of the cutthroat business world, he’s used his genius financial skills to secure most of the funds to retire by thirty. He just needs one more investment to get out forever—and he doesn’t mind selling himself for it.

Brought together by SASS, Libby and Blaine make a complimentary team. However, attraction and emotion—including love—isn’t a promised part of the deal. They soon discover it’s just a bonus.

Read the first chapter



Available at:
Evernight Publishing | Amazon | Smashwords | Kobo

Quotes

Today I thought I’d share some of my very favorite quotes about writing. All of these are printed in and shamelessly lifted from what is also my very favorite book, For Writer’s Only. Do get a copy, if you don’t have one. It will change your writing life!

Writing Quotes:

It’s nervous work. The state you need to write in is the state that others are paying large sums to get rid of. – Shirley Hazzard

[image error]Writers kid themselves–about themselves and other people. Take the talk about writing methods. Writing is just work–there’s no secret. If you dictate or use a pen or type or type with your toes–it is just work. – Sinclair Lewis

Talent is a question of quantity. Talent does not write one page: it writes three hundred. – Jules Reynard

Easy reading is damned hard writing. – Nathaniel Hawthorne

Well, I don’t know exactly how it’s done. I let it alone a good deal. – Saul Bellow

When I want to read a good book, I write one. – Benjamin Disraeli

Writing is the only thing that…when I’m doing it, I don’t feel that I should be doing something else instead. – Gloria Steinem

The solitude of writing is also quite frightening. It’s quite close to madness, one just disappears for a day and loses touch. – Nadine Gordimer

True artists, whatever smiling faces they may show, are obsessive, driven people… – John Gardner

There is no pleasure in the world like writing well and going fast. It’s like nothing else. It’s like a love affair, it goes on and on, and doesn’t end in marriage. It’s all courtship. – Tennessee Williams

The best time for planning a book is while you’re doing the dishes. – Agatha Christie

This morning I took the hyphen out of Hell-hound and this afternoon I put it back. – Edwin Arlington Robinson

Ever tried? Ever failed? No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. – Samuel Beckett

And my favorite:

Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education alone will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. – Anonymous

Have a great Monday!

My New Cover!

I have my cover for my book that comes out next week! I love it. Do you?

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The Marrying Type (The Man Catalog #1)

Need a date? Or a temporary boyfriend? How about a husband in a hurry? The professionals at SASS—Singles Arrangement Service Specialists—are here to help.

Libby Dawson has spent her life under the crushing thumb of her controlling father. She wants to escape, which would be easier if she had her half million-dollar trust fund first. However, she can’t have it unless she’s married by twenty-three—six months from now.

Blaine Parker is a savvy but disillusioned stockbroker. Tired of the cutthroat business world, he’s used his genius financial skills to secure most of the funds to retire by thirty. He just needs one more investment to get out forever—and he doesn’t mind selling himself for it.

Brought together by SASS, Libby and Blaine make a complimentary team. However, attraction and emotion—including love—isn’t a promised part of the deal. They soon discover it’s just a bonus.

Coming April 12th from Evernight Publishing