Category: writing life

You Might Be An Erotic Romance Author If…

  1. While watching your kid during JROTC drills your camera keeps straying to the Marine inspectors.
  2. Every time you pass a street named Penns Grove you see Penis instead.
  3. The highlight of your day is whatever hot bodied photos you can find on Facebook.

Yes, I’m sorry to say I’m guilty of all of the above and probably more. But hey, it makes for good inspiration. 😉


Switching Heads

I’ve decided to do something I’ve never done before, and to be honest I’m a little nervous. I’m writing the sequel to Day Shift (tentatively titled Blood Rush) from the hero’s POV rather than the heroine. First person certainly isn’t new for me but writing from a man’s perspective is. I’ve considered it a few times, and written third person stories where part of the story is from the guy’s frame of mind (Resignation), but writing totally in Greg’s head is very…different. So far I’m just over 3,000 words in and I think it’s going well. So, here’s a little teaser. Let me know what you think.

Prologue
The sound of flesh striking flesh woke me before the stinging slap burned my cheek. I gasped in a lungful of air that made me cough it right back out. I was dying, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, considering. I’d had a good run, saved a few lives, pissed off a few people and left as little damage behind as possible. Collateral damage they called it, but complete and total fuckery is what it really amounted to. In my line of work, losing an innocent kid to the sick fucks currently beating the shit out of me had happened on occasion. I’d be damned if I let it happen again.
“You awake, sheep fucker?”
Oh yeah. It had happened again and now I was stuck with the assholes responsible.
“Fuck you,” I croaked back.
I didn’t even recognize my own broken voice. They’d starved and beaten me, left me without water or blood for days, then beat me again.
The vampire before me was a big, beefy fucker with meat-cleaver hands. They hurt like fuck when he hit me but I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of flinching.
“No thanks. I heard you like to fuck sheep. No telling what I might catch.”
He thought that was not only clever, but fucking hilarious. I watched through swollen eyes as he laughed and reared back to swing again.
“Enough, Marco. We don’t wish him dead…at this time.”
The cultured voice that cut off Marco’s fun belonged to the biggest sick fuck of them all, the man I’d been sent in to watch. Some days I wished I wasn’t a cop so I could do more than watch men like him.
“Yes, sir,” Marco said before stepping back.
His boss, the leader of the Blood Martyr’s southern division, Jonathan Crosby, stepped forward into the ring of light given off by a single harsh bulb hanging from the ceiling.
“You have no idea what you have done, stepping into the hornet’s nest, Mr. Parsons.”
“Detective…Parsons…you sick…fuck.”
He smirked before throwing a glance over his shoulder at Marco.
“He does have a mouth on him. Perhaps it’s time we did something about that.”
Marco chuckled as Crosby stepped back into the shadows again. They had already whipped me, burned me, shocked me and tried to drown me. What the fuck could they possibly do next?
No sooner had the thought crossed my mind when the most glorious scent filled my nostrils. Sweet and fresh, like newly baked bread, I inhaled greedily despite the pain n my chest.
“Ah yeah, lookit, boss. He’s getting hungry.”
I knew the joy in Marco’s voice couldn’t be a good thing, but I’d been too long without human food or blood to care. I was hungry, fucking starving to be honest, and whatever they had brought into the room smelled like heaven.
“We’ll see how long this hungry sheep-lover can resist a little human sustenance.”
And then I knew what they’d brought.
Marco moved back into the shadows with Crosby, pushing a bundle of cloth towards the chair I was strapped into. I looked down at the trembling blanket, inhaling its sweet scent no matter how hard I fought it. My fangs ached and my stomach growled, I wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer. Crosby leaned forward and snatched back the cloth to reveal a pretty little human girl with bright red hair. Her face was puffy from crying and her eyes were tightly shut.
“There you are, Parsons,” Crosby said. “I know you’re hungry and I know you want to prove your loyalty to the Martyrs. Here’s your chance to satisfy both.”
Hunger crawled through my gut like a snake full of venom until all I could think about was how sweet the first drop of warm blood would taste. I shook my head and breathed through my mouth to escape her enticing scent.
She’s only four and her name is Libby.
I repeated her information in my mind like a mantra as I continued to shake my head back and forth.
“No? No?” Now Crosby was pissed. “How about we make a deal then, hmm? I’ll take this little sheep back to her parents and bring you a bigger catch. Oh, but there’s just one thing. The other treat I have in store isn’t human.”
He cackled like a B-movie villain as the door swung open again. A gasp sounded like a gunshot in the room, but even that brief sound had the hair rising on my arms.
“No. No! Motherfuckers! That better not be my sister, Crosby, or I’ll—“
“You’ll what, Parsons? Run back to the chief of police? Tell the media?” he laughed. “Don’t be an idiot. You’ll drink from one of these offerings to prove your loyalty or your sister dies. It’s that simple.”
I closed my eyes though they’d barely been open from the swelling of the numerous beatings over the past few days. My sister sniffed, the scent of her tears acrid in my nose. I had no choice. All I could really do was make it as quick and painless for the little human girl as possible. I straightened against the hardwood chair and looked up at Crosby.
“Give her to me.”
He smiled, showing dried blood on his teeth, and that image followed me into years of nightmares.

Changing of the WIPs

So I got a response to the email I sent my editor that I hadn’t told anyone about. To be honest, I was trying not to think about it too much myself over the past few days. But, unfortunately, the response means a change to my writing schedule and therefore requires an explanation to ya’ll. In short, I asked if the sequel to They Call Me Death could still be submitted once I finished re-revising it. By the way, it’s been re-titled from Much More Than Human to Releasing the Animal Within. While I was asking, I also mentioned my first Archangel story that I had previously submitted for an anthology call. The answer to both was a heartbreaking NO.
What does this mean exactly? Well, it means I had to decide on whether to finish these to manuscripts now, when I already have file upon file of other submittable work, or move on. To be honest, I need to move on…for now. I am in no way giving up on either Emily or Zerachial (my Archangel). However, I’m going to shelve both for a little while. I’ve decided I need to concentrate on books I can actually submit to one of my publishers so they might make it to your waiting hands. You may wonder, why not just try another publisher or self-publish? I am actually looking into a couple of other publishers where I think I can be happy. I’m VERY picky when it comes to publishers and to be honest, Samhain and EC have spoiled me for quite a few others.
As for the self-publishing thing, well…I keep going back and forth on that but for now am still not seriously considering it. So in short, I do plan to write my ass off every chance I get this year, but am moving on from what I’ve been working on for the past couple of months. If you were hoping for another shifter story don’t worry. Next up is Kotori’s book and it’s going well. I haven’t finished it yet but will post regular updates on my progress.

Where I’m at This Week

In 2012 I hope to be better about posting writing updates on this blog. So here goes the first of the year. Right now I have four manuscripts actively in my WIP file that I go between when the writing mood strikes me. I was in the midst of Archangels when Emily Olavson (Andor’s daughter from They Call Me Death) started talking to me again. 

This isn’t an odd occurrence for me. I often have to tell other characters to shut the hell up so I can get anything done. Anyway, Emily started talking and I know better than not to listen to her. I started reworking my MS and decided the title just didn’t fit her story. After all, she is half human/half shifter, but this story is about her shifter side emerging. Therefore, I changed it from Much More Than Human to Releasing the Animal Within. 

Of course, I couldn’t let a good title go to waste. So now Kotori’s story will be Much More than Human…because he is. 
As I said, I was in the midst of my first Archangel story and I’m very happy with the changes so far. It was actually completed last year but then rejected by my chosen publisher. 

I decided to give it another look to see what could be fixed/changed. I’m basically adding more sexual tension between the main characters and possibly more details about the secondary characters. We shall see. I’m hoping to sub it sometime in February but haven’t settled on a publisher yet.

On the erotic romance front, I have one sub in with my editor and am waiting for word on whether she will accept it. Cross your fingers. If you enjoyed my first Ellora’s Cave release, Two Week Trial, then hopefully you’ll like this one too, as it is a sequel. It’s Sean’s story, in which his atrocious behavior is redeemed.

That’s all for now folks. Outside of writing I’ll be struggling to finish reading the final Harry Potter book and the Stephen King anthology I began last year. I’m also packing up my household and moving into a larger house where I’ll get an office! WOOT!! 

2011: the Good, the Bad and the Unexpected

My Year in a Nutshell
2011 was bittersweet for me in many ways. I had some ups and downs, each leveling out the other, to where I really can’t say if it was a good year or bad. Some months were fabulous while others I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.
She Has What?!

The beginning of the year marked a major change for my family when my then seven-year old was diagnosed with Type 1 (Juvenile) Diabetes. It was a shock to realize all those little symptoms I kept passing off as other things actually meant she has a major auto-immune disease. It was hard, but not impossible to deal with and we have made great progress.

 On the writing front, I began the year with a new release and new blog group of authors offering free short stories. It was great while it lasted, but health issues and other commitments kept us from making it through the second round of free stories. The idea isn’t dead yet and I may be able to rejoin at a later time but for now will be putting my energy elsewhere.


Hitting the Small Screen

February meant something entirely new for me when fellow author Delphine Dryden created my first ever book trailer for They Call Me Death. I was thrilled to see my story on screen in this new and intriguing way. There will be more to come as I finalize plans for a Day Shift book trailer as well.


You Win Some, You Lose Some

In March I had a great idea for a monthly blog post. Since there are already so many review blogs for books, I thought why not review characters instead? I took a book I’d read, chose a memorable character and gave my opinion on him/her. Then I gave the book away. The response was lackluster and honestly not worth my time. It only went on for six posts.
June rolled around and with it my Birthday Blog Tour. This was something I had in 2010 as well. However, this year’s response wasn’t nearly as big. I still had a great time celebrating my birthday month with my readers and hopping onto other blogs. I most likely will do it again in 2012.

Personally I received more disappointing news that wasn’t exactly a shock. Being in a family of diabetics I know the signs. When I was diagnosed with Type 2, I wasn’t too upset. My daughter was absolutely thrilled.


When it Rains, it Pours

My second EC release of the year happened on my birthday. That was a nice surprise and it did very well sales wise. However, the death of my grandfather in May still had a pall over my outlook on things. At that point it seemed I couldn’t receive good news without getting bad in turn. I was almost afraid to answer the phone or read my emails.
The end of the summer brought major scheduling changes for my family and two books in the works. 

In September I left my job of four years to be home for my daughters. This is something I’m still adjusting to though it has been wonderful. My fourth EC book came out in September with another great Jimmy Thomas cover. This novella was previously released through a different publisher. I was very happy with the changes and my readers appear to be too. Sales have been good.

 And last but definitely not least came my vampire world. Reviews have been good for the most part with a couple of exceptions, but I’m happy with them overall. I love these characters and am already writing the sequel. This was a world I had considered for quite a while before finally giving into the voices demanding I make it real…on paper. Now I can sleep again.
So that was my year in a nutshell. A few ups, a few downs, a lot of in between. The holiday season has been wonderful and I have great expectations for 2012.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!

‘Cause I’m a Luuzerrrrr…

So another NaNoWriMo has come and gone and once again I DID NOT hit the 50,000 word goal. Le sigh. I’m disappointed in myself but realistic. Whenever I don’t feel like writing, I simply can’t make myself put words down. I tend to read as I write and edit along the way. I know that’s not the point of NaNo, but it’s how I write. I have to be in the zone, find my groove, feel my mojo working. Something. In November I had a gazillion things going on that had little to do with writing, plus a major release I did a piss-poor job of promoting. Somehow it still stayed on the publisher’s top ten list for two weeks. (My readers rock!) But, to be completely honest, I was a terrible writer in November. At least, I had no discipline whatsoever in November. I’m going to try to be better this month, which won’t take much, but with the holidays I don’t have high hopes. My goal is to finish my NaNo project this month so I can submit it shortly after the first of the year. But honestly, it probably won’t happen. I’ve also decided to be more realistic in my goals. I’m leaving that one because it’s doable if I buckle down. Others are going to go by the wayside.

My hope for the rest of 2011 is to finish at least one MS. Hopefully it will be the sequel to Day Shift, but I have three I’m concentrating on. Other than that I’ll be spending much needed quality time with my four girls and hardworking husband. If you don’t see a lot of activity on this blog that will be why. However, if you keep seeing me on Twitter and Facebook, bitch at me to get back to writing. I’ll need the ass-kicking at some point. 😉

2011 100 Book Reading Challenge

Back in January I thought it would be fun to enroll in a couple of reading challenges. I’d never done one before and thought “What the hell?” 100 books in a year sounded like a lot to me back in January. Then I sat and considered my usual reading habits. Depending on the week, I can easily read a one standard paperback per day. In truth, a 200 book a year challenge may have been more feasible. But then I considered editing deadlines, holidays, vacations and NaNoWriMo, and knew 100 might be pushing it.


Well my blogger friends I am proud to say that this past week I did it! I reached and surpassed my goal of reading 100 books in 2011. In fact, I’m currently reading book number 102. I also have at least three more books lined up and one Stephen King book I’ve started but not finished. 


So, you may be thinking “That’s great, Missy. Maybe now you should stop reading and start writing.” Umm, well you would be right. I’ll admit my NaNoWriMo word count is a bit pitiful at the moment. However, there is one other thing I have to accomplish in 2011. You see, I also signed up for a Stephen King reading challenge and I’m sorely behind on that one…

Readers n’Ritas!

This weekend, for the first time ever, I will be attending the Readers n’Ritas event in Allen, Texas. I’m SO excited! Not only will I be in the presence of greatness (Gena Showalter, Ann Aguirre, etc.) I’ll get to meet some of my readers 😀

I’m really looking forward to it but there is one thing I’m really nervous about. Some of the readers paid to attend a meal with the authors where there will be one author per table with seven readers. I don’t know if it’s readers choice, first come first served, or some other system. My fear is that I will be dining alone. I know that’s not likely but tell the butterflies in my stomach that!

The authors were asked to provide either one prize to give away to someone at our table, or seven smaller prizes to give to each. I don’t want anyone walking away from my table empty-handed. So, I created seven little coffins to celebrate the upcoming release of my vampire novella, Day Shift.

I had an absolute blast making and filling them. My only regret is that I didn’t think to buy extras to giveaway online. 😦

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!!

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. 🙂