Author: Author Missy Jane

The voices in my head make me write their stories.

NaNoWriMo Take Six!

If you’re following even one writer on any of the social networking sites you most likely know what NaNoWriMo is by now. If not, here’s the short version. November is National Novel Writing Month. So, to celebrate, people of all shapes and sizes attempt to complete a 50,000 word novel within the thirty days of November. Last year I decided against doing it because I hadn’t “won” NaNo the five previous years I’d made the attempt. However, this year I have a definite story idea in mind and I’m giving it a go. It’s actually just the incentive I need to get some words done. Lately I’ve concentrated on promo and playing online more than actually writing anything. Time to get back in the zone. So, if you’re a NaNoer too, feel free to add me as a buddy. I’m listed as mjhmcginnis.
Good luck and Happy Writing!!

Diabetic Challenge Number…

Tomorrow is Halloween, which has never been a problem before in my seventeen years of motherhood…until now. My youngest is a type one diabetic, and this will be our first Halloween since that diagnosis. She made it through Valentine’s Day as well as numerous birthdays over the past year. Tomorrow should be a piece of cake, right?

Luckily, we’ve learned a lot the past few months and I’ve always rationed out the candy anyway. I’m going to have to be a little stricter than before but that will just make the candy last longer. Of course, I’m not certain that’s a good thing. 

Aside from that, another issue is my own candy-eating habit. I was diagnosed with diabetes this year too. That means I can’t stuff my face with everyone’s chocolates when their backs are turned. Damn it! Oh well, so long as I get some candy corn all will be right in my world.

Happy Halloween everyone!!

Why I’m Walking

Before January 11th of this year, I didn’t know diddly squat about Juvenile (Type1) Diabetes. My mom has type 2 diabetes and I always suspected I would eventually be diagnosed with it as well (I was a few months ago), but Type 1 wasn’t something I ever gave any thought to. I knew Nick Jonas has it, as well as a slew of other celebrities and a few sports figures. Imagine my surprise when my then seven year old was diagnosed as well.
My daughter Alice Jane has Juvenile Diabetes, and her diagnosis was a real eye-opener. Most moms will do anything to take away their children’s aches and pains, but what do you do when you simply can’t? The entire family has gotten much better at our eating habits. We ALL know how to read nutrition labels now. And, everyone does their part to ensure Alice takes her medicine every single day.
So, what else can we do? Not much really. There are still an amazing number of unknowns associated with this disease. And that brings me to the point of this blog. This weekend my family will be walking in the JDRF walk to raise funds for Type 1 diabetes research. 
I know right now the economy sucks and extra money doesn’t exactly exist. But, can you go one day this week without Starbucks? Can you not buy that e-book until next payday? (Even if it’s mine?) All I’m asking for is one single dollar. Our team goal is only $500. I have almost that many Facebook friends and nearly double that followers on Twitter. So, the way I figured it is if everyone pitches in $1, meeting our goal should be no problem. What do you say? I really hope a cure is closer and this step helps.

http://www2.jdrf.org/site/TR/Walk-TX/Chapter-HoustonGulfCoast4644?px=1770228&pg=personal&fr_id=1484

Welcome to my home on the web!

 

Coming Up Next:
2016:
Happy New Year!

Planned appearances for 2016 are:

Meet me in my hometown for Comicpalooza June 17-19th in Houston, TX

Feel free to pre-order books here:
 

New Releases for 2016 include:

Two of my erotic novellas are now available in one print book! The first two stories of my Love Beyond Barriers series can be ordered here. 
 
  • Born of Magic: Book Two of the Gargoyle Masters series, July 12th
  • Compelling the Human: Book Three of the Archangels series

Look at what I can do!


I can now autograph my e-books!
 
 
 

 My urban fantasy/paranormal romance books are available in Print at these Houston area bookstores:

Once & Again Books

Katy Budget Books

Writing Update

Now that I’m home and have more time on my hands I expect to get a lot more writing done. Okay, it’s been three weeks since I quit working and that hasn’t exactly happened yet. However, now that I’ve rearranged my bedroom, cleaned out the linen closets, had a garage sale to get rid of the excess junk, and wrangled the laundry under control…well, I’m still not promising anything.

So what have I done as “Missy Jane” lately? I finished the second round of edits for Day Shift and I’m really excited about this book! It won’t be out until November but that’s okay. That will give me time to order new bookmarks and other promo items to celebrate the release.

Today I also finished a revision of my previously published short story, Love in Disguise. It was originally released by Sapphire Blue last November. I’ve subbed it elsewhere and will hopefully hear back on it soon.

Next, I have quite a few WIPs in the works. I’ve started Sean’s story, from Two Week Trial, but that muse has taken a hiatus lately. From the two MS I just finished toying with I have other characters yelling at me too. A sequal to Day Shift is already floating around but not yet begun and a support character from Love in Disguise gets his own story too. I just have to lengthen it. If you liked my shape-shifters as much as I do (okay, really I LOVE them!) don’t worry. Emily’s and Lance’s story is on hold for the moment, but Kotori’s is still running through my head. His lady’s name is Sanura and she is awesome!

That’s it for now (isn’t it enough?) but if you have any questions, comments, advice or complaints, feel free to shout ’em out below. 🙂

Baking with My Daughter

My oldest daughter is a high school culinary student who aspires to one day own her own restaurant in either New York or Paris (yeah, she dreams BIG). I do everything I can to encourage her mania by buying up whatever gadgets catch her fancy at William-Sonoma and taking her to events like the Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show when they come to Houston. I also encourage her by cooking alongside her, trying out different recipes and ingredients. HEB is our very favorite grocery store because of their cooking station where we can sample new things to buy.
When it comes to baking, one of my favorite dishes to make (and eat!) is quiche. I LOVE pies. Basically any type of pie, with very few exceptions, makes me happy. So, what better way to start the day than with a breakfast pie? If you’re unfamiliar with quiche, that’s basically what it is, an egg based breakfast pie.

First, start with fresh ingredients. I LOVE vegetables, so I usually load my quiche with all of my favorites like mushrooms and bell pepper. It also makes a pretty pie if you use multi-colored veggies.

Second, have your pie crust ready. I normally use frozen deep-dish crusts. This time I made my daughter use her mad skills to make one from scratch, and it was YUMMY!

Third, load up your veggies and sprinkle with cheese. I use either shredded or crumbles cheese, depending on what I’ve got on-hand. Cutting chunks also works but if they’re too big you’ll have cheese pockets in your slices. (that’s okay if you really like cheese)

You can get creative with your veggie placement too, just be sure to add cheese all throughout the pie.

Fourth, add your eggs in. I usually scramble up about ten eggs to start and go from there. Depending on how much you’ve put in the shell, you may need more or less eggs. Of course, you can use egg whites or whatever egg substitute you might need.

Then bake! For my oven, I’ve found about 45 minutes at 450 degrees works best.

Like most baked goods, you’ll know it’s done when a toothpick poked through the center comes out clean. However, be wary of poking it through a cheese chunk, that might leave a residue.

And that’s it in a nutshell. Enjoy!

Resignation Available Today!!!

It’s here!! Today is the re-release day of my erotic novella, Resignation. Sol and Darina’s story has a special place in my heart because it was the first erotic novella I ever had published. It’s been re-edited with a couple new scenes that give more insight into the characters. And once again I have the delectable Jimmy Thomas on my cover. I hope ya’ll like it!

BLURB:

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and Lynn Graves has already cut her expenses to the bone. When an ad for a modeling job is brought to her attention, she simply can’t refuse the quick money. But once she meets the sexy photographer, it doesn’t seem so simple anymore.

Weston Myers is in a bind. Short on time, he’s looking for the perfect body since the face won’t matter. Now that he’s met Lynn, no one else will do, but breaking down her inhibitions will take patience. And when she gets under his skin, he’s desperate to have her luscious body under him… But he doesn’t have long to ready his artistic photo exhibit and convince Lynn she belongs in his bed. Hopefully in the end, she won’t be afraid of a few erotic images.

Do You Know Vaughn R. Demont?

House of Stone
Blurb:
A modern knight, a noble quest, and a magical sword. What could go wrong?
Welcome to the City, where gods run nightclubs, goblins hire out as mercs,
sorcerers work their magic, the Fae hold court over every neighborhood…and humanity is blissfully ignorant of it all. For minor Fae noble Richard Stone, life is going well. He has a decent fiefdom (okay, it’s a slum), a budding acting career (okay, so it’s porn), and one of only five magical swords in the City. An arranged
marriage is barely a blip on his worry meter—until his family blade loses its magic. The shame of it puts his noble standing in jeopardy. To regain his status, Richard needs help. Fortunately, his new bride is a sidhe knight and his servant Simaron has, er, his back. Together they embark on a quest to find the demon who slew his father, investigate a conspiracy that goes to the highest echelons of Fae nobility, and discover a secret family legacy that could ruin his House. All while keeping up appearances to a society that demands perfection. And they say a noble’s life is easy…
Warning: This book contains explicit gay sex, not-so-explicit gay sex, explicitly implied gay sex, routine breaking of the fourth wall, occasional bouts of Pearl Jam fanboy-ism, and plot. Side effects include confusion and headaches, and are best avoided by reading the pages therein in numerical order.

BUY IT HERE:
Amazon
Samhain

 

Coyote’s Creed: Broken Mirrors Book 1
(PRE-ORDER ONLY. RELEASES 10/11/2011)

Blurb:
Always have an ace up your sleeve.

If con games were taught in high school, Spencer Crain would be on the honor roll. As it is, he’ll be riding the edge of failure to graduation next month. Then Spence gets the news that his long-gone father is not
only dead, but was a Coyote, one of three clans of tricksters in the City.

With a near-catatonic mother on his hands, Spence couldn’t care less about the Coyotes’ ongoing feud with the Phouka and the Kitsune—until it lands on his doorstep. Suddenly he’s thrown headfirst into a dangerous
world he knows next-to-nothing about. His only guide is Rourke, dashing King of the Phouka, plus a growing pack of half-siblings, a god, and Fate herself.

As Spence embarks on a journey to learn the Coyote’s creed, the truth about his heritage, and how to handle his growing attraction to Rourke, he wonders when his life turned from TV sitcom to real-life danger zone. And what price must he pay to survive the next roll of the dice…

Product WarningsContains PG-13 rated violence, R-rated language and X-rated hotel scenes.
Meta-humor, pop-culture humor, utter disregard for the 4th wall abound.

BUY IT HERE:
Amazon
Samhain

Vaughn R. Demont. Writer, gamer, waffle-addict.
Blog: http://vaughn-r-demont.livejournal.com
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/vaughndemont
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/vaughndemont

Pet Peeves and Aggravations

I’m not usually quick to anger. For the most part I consider myself pretty laid-back and patient when it comes to most things. However, as a reader and an author there are a few things that really tick me off because they can be so easily avoided or fixed. The following is a little bit of a rant that is general and not intended to call out anyone in particular. I’m just in one of those moods.

First off, as a reader I like to win things as much as the next person. I like to read blogs and am willing to jump through hoops to enter a contest if the prize is right. Why in the hell would anyone begin a contest, promotion, etc, right before a major life event? Moving, getting married, expecting a baby? How about you wait a few weeks and do all your promo stuff after? Not only does this make more sense in your schedule, your readers don’t suffer the wait while you get your shit together. Now, I completely understand life happens and doesn’t necessarily give a damn about anyone’s schedule. However, when you already know big stuff is coming your way that will take all of your time and attention, don’t start something where readers or authors will be waiting on you to finish.

Second, get the facts straight and update. While thinning out my bookshelves over the past couple of weeks I made a master list of the series I’m currently reading. I have quite a few auto-follow authors I love to read. In order to be sure of reading order and to know if I had all the books I visited many author’s sites for confirmation. Boy was I shocked to realize not everyone keeps their site updated on a regular basis. Is it really that hard and time-consuming? Well yeah, it can be. But two years?! For one I had to go to the publisher’s site to learn the two newest book release titles. Not only is that inconvenient for the reader, it makes no sense for an author to cripple her/himself that way. Trust me, if I can figure out how to keep my site updated weekly, anyone can do it. I’m so NOT tech savvy.

Third, and kind of related to the rant above, check your facts. It’s really embarrassing and humiliating to have an author’s name misspelled on a site. God forbid you do that on your own site, but I’ve seen it. If you expect an author to promote the event you’ve worked so hard on, take the time to triple check your spelling and links. Be sure your using the right name/pen name and book title(s) as well. This might seem common sense, but I’ve seen it.

And last, but certainly not least, authors and bloggers if you ask for feedback, don’t ignore it. I can attest that blog comments are precious and appreciated, so why would you monitor all of them only to blatantly ignore any that aren’t spam? If you don’t think it fits the topic or is inappropriate, take a few seconds to respond to that person directly. No one likes to be ignored even for something so small and you may lose a reader for life.

Okay I’m done. Have a great day 🙂

Back to Smut Celebration and Giveaway!

This week I’m participating in the Sizzling Hot Book Reviews’ Back to Smut celebration. The kids are back in school, so mommy and daddy can get back to reading the smut we love so much without curious little eyes in the way.
Leave a comment on my post about Erotic Images to win a copy!
http://www.sizzlinghotbooks.net/2011/09/erotic-images-by-missy-jane.html