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Looking for something to do after Nanowrimo's done? Want to quit Nano and focus on something with real prizes? Well...here it is!!
It's become very important to me to give back to the fiction-writing community and encourage other writers. Therefore I think it would be BIG FUN to have a short story contest!
I know that a lot of people who read this blog, follow me on Twitter, or are my Facebook friends (as well as other social networks) are aspiring writers. Well, get yer hands on yer keyboards for my....
1st Annual O COME ALL YE FANGFUL* Short Story Contest
THE PRIZES
- First Prize: $50** Amazon, Borders, or Barnes & Noble gift card
- Second Prize: $30 Amazon, Borders, or Barnes & Noble gift card
- Third Prize: $20 Amazon, Borders, or Barnes & Noble gift card
THE RULES & REGS
- This contest is open to all writers, published or unpublished, anywhere in the world
- Stories must be 1000 words or less in length
- Only one story per entrant
- Entry must be in English (the only language I'm fluent in, alas)
- No fanfic, original stories only please
- Stories must have a holiday theme -- Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanza, etc. -- make it festive! (even if it's just a smidge)
- Stories must have a paranormal or fantasy element (ie: vampires or werewolves opening up their gifts on Christmas morning. Ugh, don't use that, but you get the idea)
- All authors retain all rights to their work, but agree to allow me to post the top three stories on my blog for public viewing
- Entering this contest does not include a critique of your writing, advice on how to get published, or a recommendation to my agent/publisher. (you'd be surprised by what I'm asked for sometimes)
THE DEADLINE
- December 15, 2009 at Midnight EST, no exceptions
- Copy and paste your story into the body of your email (no attachments please) or send me a link to where I can read it on your blog or website
- Send the story or link to me at michellerowen@gmail.com with the subject line: "O COME ALL YE FANGFUL"
- Entrants will be contacted by email to confirm receipt. If you don't hear back from me within 48 hours of sending, I didn't get it. Please send again!
- Entries will be judged by yours truly, Michelle Rowen
- Winners contacted by email on Sunday, December 20th to claim their prize
- The top three stories will be posted here on my blog on December 22nd-24th (one per day starting with the third place winner) for all to enjoy
I look forward to reading your entries!
Happy writing!
Michelle
*thanks to Richelle Mead for suggesting the contest title
**Gift cards will be delivered by email and purchased in US dollars
These are a few of my diary (not blog!!) entries from back then. This was just prior to my taking writing seriously and getting some real work done as I fiddled with my first book (as yet unpubbed). If you'd told Michelle from the year 2000 that she'd be writing four books a year nine years later, she probably would have laughed in your face. And then thrown up. In your face.
The point of this post is to say, even if you're feeling like I was below... it is possible. Just keep writing! The only real failure is giving up before you've even given yourself a real chance!
September 10, 2000
I actually didn't think I'd be able to manage it, but I did manage to not work on the book for even a solitary moment this whole weekend.
What an accomplishment! At this rate, I may never actually finish it. Wow. To be able to deny following through on a lifelong dream is really something and I should be very proud.
Or I should stop being a smart ass and figure out how to proceed as painlessly as possible.
October 9, 2000
Oprah said today to begin to see or make the changes in your life, you must first be honest with yourself about the nasty little lies that you think help, but are really hurting. Speaking as a woman constantly in denial, this may be something.
On writing
--It's a joke that you say you want to be a writer but you never write
--The muse is unlikely to appear anytime soon
--Writing is hard work that may not lead to financial freedom
--You may never get published
October 17, 2000
I've been doing some relatively deep thinking on the subject of my stagnant writing career. And these are the thoughts I've had:
1) I could be a great writer
but
2) Writing is hard work
3) One must actually "write" to be able to call themselves a "writer"
Just like with exercise, I am not going to wake up one morning and go: "Gee whiz, I feel like going for a 10km run." I will not (doubtful) wake up at 4:00am with the muse leading my fingers to the keyboard.
Persistent and Consistent
I have those words taped to my computer at work to remind me what success takes.
I guess I just don't believe in myself and my abilities enough. But I gotta get over that. Big time.
December 4, 2000
When can I write? When would be the most feasible time for me to get my ass in a chair for an hour (just a godamned hour!) a day.
Right now (11 pm) is bad because I'm tired and it's too easy to say -- I'll start tomorrow.
Probably the best time would be when I get home from work - after I've had dinner. Of course my mind now tells me that - hey - that's exercise time. Uh, yeah. And the week I exercise seven times will be a miracle. I exercise (if I'm lucky) 4x per week. That leaves me at the bare minimum...gee whiz...four hours more than I currently devote to writing.
This passion must be developed and nurtured. My talent is very shy and easily intimidated. But it is there - hiding in the shadows. Reach down far enough and it just might bite your hand off.
Hot Spell is now available at audible.com. This is my first audio book ever and listening to the sample feels really bizarre but fantastic. This might be how actors feel about seeing themselves on the bigscreen. Well, a little. ;) Here's the link if you want to give a listen.
And I just got a very nice review for Demon Princess in Publishers Weekly!
Demon Princess: Reign or Shine Michelle Rowen. Walker, $16.99 (288p) ISBN 978-0-8027-8492-6; $9.99 paper ISBN 978-0-8027-9534-2
Paranormal romance author Rowen's (the Immortality Bites series) charming YA debut skillfully balances a lighthearted teen voice with emotional maturity, which bodes well for this new series. Sixteen-year-old Nikki Donovan is less than pleased when a mysterious young man named Michael shows up bearing a message from her absentee father, who she learns is a dying demon king. Additionally, Nikki is her father's heir. Upon her father's death, Nikki will assume control of the Shadowlands, where her father rules the border between the demon lands and the mortal world. “That sounded like more of a gatekeeper than a king,” Nikki thinks. “[T]he thought that my father wasn't a horrible, evil demon set my mind slightly at ease. Slightly.” When Nikki balks under the sudden responsibility, she is offered a choice between mortality and fulfilling the responsibilities of her demon heritage. But as Nikki's feelings for Michael grow and as she learns more about her growing powers and her demon family, her decision becomes more difficult. Though the villains can tend toward the cartoonish, Nikki's engaging voice and several intriguing secondary characters make this a winner. Ages 12–up.
I certainly can't complain about that! All in all, a very good start to the week, I'd say.
Okay... time to start writing..........
Paranormal romance, humor, a sexy hero, a relatable heroine, magic, mayhem, mystery, danger, and lots of fun! I've written the first two books in this series and I absolutely adore the main characters, Darrak and Eden. I hope my readers do, too!!
THE DEMON IN ME
May 2010 - Berkley Sensation
Hell hath no fury...
Fate has led Eden Riley to become a "psychic consultant" to the police, even though her abilities are unreliable at best. Those paranormal powers are about to get her into a jam she couldn't have predicted. After her hunky police detective partner guns down a serial killer in front of her, Eden realizes that she's quite literally no longer alone. A voice in her head introduces himself as Darrak. He's a demon. But not in a bad way!
...like a woman possessed.
Darrak lost his original body 300 years ago thanks to a witch's curse. This is the first time he's ever been able to speak directly to a host, plus there's a bonus. Eden's psychic energy helps him to take form during daylight hours. He wants to use this chance to find a way to break his curse -- finally. Otherwise, Eden's going to have to learn to live with this sexy demon...like it or not.
And she thinks she might like it.
A short excerpt from Chapter 2....
“You’re a demon,” she said it so quietly even she had trouble hearing it.
“Yes.”
“And you’ve possessed me.”
“If you put it that way it sounds a bit ominous, doesn’t it? I’d rather think of it as ‘sharing living space.’”
It was true. She’d seen it with her own eyes when the serial killer had been killed. The black smoke hadn’t just been smoke—it was the demon he’d claimed to be possessed with. The demon that was now inside of her.
For a moment she was positive she’d faint. The feeling passed, but the steadily growing fear that filled her remained.
“Get out of me,” she said softly.
“That does sound like an excellent plan, but you need to understand, this isn’t my choice. I haven’t been able to exist outside of my host since—”
“Get out right now!” Eden clutched the baseball bat so tightly she was sure she’d get splinters. She put every ounce of energy she could summon from the universe into those four words. She’d never felt so fierce or certain about anything in her entire twenty-nine years of life—and that included kicking her cheating jerk of a fiancé out six months ago. Although, it was still a close second.
She felt rather than heard the demon gasp inside of her—inside her head, her chest, her entire body. As if she’d been punched in the stomach she let out a wheezing breath and doubled over as the black smoke exited through her mouth in one dark, tasteless, odorless stream. She scrambled back from it until she hit the wall behind her and held the bat up as if that would be enough to protect her from Hell itself.
The smoke hung there like a small black rain cloud, unmoving, five feet in front of her, for a few more moments. Then something changed. She watched, stunned, as it began to take on a recognizable shape. The entire process took less than thirty seconds, but it was as if time itself had stopped. She couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. All she could do was watch—waiting for a large, red, hulking, horned Hell-beast to appear and devour her whole.
Pre-order available on Amazon.com!
Dear Michelle,
I have some questions I hope you can answer, if they are not too private I mean. I have always wanted to write full-time. But I'm worried that I won't be able to write a book fast enough. On average, how long does it take you to finish a project? Does a writer's deadline depend entirely on the editor? I write five pages a day at the most when in the middle of a project. I get an hour a day to write, which is part of the problem. Would I be able to survive being a full-time writer? And how do you deal with this?
The money side of writing has always been the part I worried about the most. A lot of writers that put stuff out very often are what I have heard being called as "midlist". If most writers end up there, what exactly does that mean in terms of money? Would I be able to support my family?
--Aspiring Writer
***
Dear Aspiring Writer,
I can't really tell you too many specifics about money -- mostly because it's very different for everyone. You'll have one author who makes a couple hundred dollars from their book and another who gets a million dollar advance. Doesn't mean one is any better than the other, in my opinion. It's just the luck of the draw and how marketable the publisher thinks your book is.
DO NOT become a writer because you want to make a lot of money at this. I can pretty much guarantee that you will be disappointed if that is your goal. While I do currently make enough money to do this full time, that is due to my four book a year writing schedule. That's one book every 3 months, and that includes editorial revisions, proofreading and promo (which takes up about half of my time). I work seven days a week at this and my vacations in the last five years have all been writing related (conventions, NYC, etc). These expenses are not comped by the publisher, they're out of pocket.
The average new author will make between $5000 - $10,000 for their first book when they sell to a big New York publisher (this may be a generous estimate) -- this is split up over several payments: usually half up front, a quarter when you're finished the revisions the publisher wants, and a 1/4 when it's published (so this could take up to a year to get your entire advance). If the book does really well, you may see royalties on top of that, but you will not see them for at least a year after the book is published (so now we're at two years since the book was initially bought). There are exceptions, like I said above. You may very well get a huge advance, but the odds of that are similar to winning the lottery.
The midlist author is essentially any author who is not on the major bestsellers lists -- New York Times, USA Today. So that is the majority of us. It is incredibly difficult to break out of the midlist, and again the lottery scenario comes into play. It's hard enough to get published in the first place, but getting to the next tier is another major hurdle.
I'm not saying these things to discourage you, but they're simply facts -- ones that you'll learn eventually if you pursue this whole-heartedly. I encourage you to write because you love your characters and want to tell stories. Write in the genre that you love to read. Don't try to write to the market in order to sell because if you do sell you're going to have to write that kind of thing for a long time since it will become "your brand." That's not to say that you can't write with an eye on the market. See what's selling and how your voice can fit in. Do tons of research both online and off about publishing. I have a section on my website with my advice to writers (it's off the bio page).
It's hard not to get excited about the money end of things when people like Stephenie Meyer, J.K. Rowling, and Stephen King are seemingly cashing in but, believe me, they are the exception to the rule.
As far as being prolific, five pages a day is a very good pace. I usually do 15 pages a day when I'm working on a first draft. Bitten & Smitten took me the better part of two years to write but I took my time with it and wasn't working to any assigned deadline. While I had a full time job I was only writing a book every 10 months but I knew this wouldn't help me build my name so I took a risk and quit my day job. To say I'm driven right now would be an understatement. To write 4 books a year I'm always at the computer. It's my life. You have to ask yourself how much you're willing to put into it and sacrifice for it.
Bottom line, I would strongly suggest working hard on your first book, shopping it out to get an agent, and seeing where this takes you. In other words, cross the money bridge when you come to it, but always, always remember that the writing should be the reward itself.
I wish you great luck with your writing. As difficult as it can be sometimes, it's been an adventure I wouldn't trade for anything!
Best wishes!
Michelle
http://www.michellerowen.com/2009/1
Why yes. Yes, I am. Thank you for asking!
I'm over at The Story Siren with an interview and signed Demon Princess giveaway.
Also, another interview with Tabitha Olson at Writer Musings with an interview and contest.
---
Hey, it's Monday again! Funny how that day seems to happen once a week whether we want it to or not. I officially started my first draft of STORMY WEATHER today and so far so good. I'll work on it for a week before I get back on my second draft of NIGHTSHADE. That book is calling to me. It wants attention, but I'm trying to ignore it for a bit longer.
---
Check back tomorrow. I'm going to have a contest here that has NOTHING TO DO WITH MY BOOKS!! I know. Hard to believe, right?? I'm featuring another author's fabulous soon-to-be-released hardcover anthology and she's giving away a signed copy to one lucky commenter!!!
I'll give you a hint who it is. She's a New York Times bestselling author of paranormal romance and a prolific author of YA books as well. Her first name starts with a G and her last name rhymes with Bowalter.
It's going to be FABULOUS. Be here or be square!!!!
I'm doing a signing this weekend with Eve Silver. I'll be signing copies of Demon Princess: Reign or Shine and Tall, Dark & Fangsome. If you're in the area, please come out and see us!
Chapters - Queensway
1950 The Queensway, Etobicoke, Ontario
Sunday, October 4, 2009 – 1:00 – 4:00 pm
---
And don't forget about my contest that's going to go through to next Tuesday at midnight EST. I've revised it slightly to include another prize option...
DEMON PRINCESS PHOTO CONTEST
Take a photo of yourself with a copy of Demon Princess and email it to me (or let me know where you've uploaded it). If your name is drawn next Tuesday you will have a choice between receiving the following:
1) A signed manuscript of Demon Princess #2: Reign Check, which will be sent to you asap, or...
2) A signed advance reading copy (ARC) of Demon Princess #2: Reign Check, which will be sent to you when they're available (could be a few months wait, though).
This choice applies to those who've alreeady entered the contest. So if you don't want a pile of paper and would prefer to wait a bit for a shiny ARC, then the choice will be yours!
---
Today I'm continuing my relaxation and filling the well thing, but I'm getting a bit antsy having nothing to do writing-wise. I'm going to start doing some pre-writing and research for STORMY WEATHER, however I keep thinking about my NIGHTSHADE manuscript, so I just might start my read-through of that a bit earlier than originally planned. We'll see where the day leads.
And I can't believe it's Friday again. Seriously. How did this happen??
I cannot tell you how much fun I had writing this book. I originally decided I wanted to write a Blaze because I wanted to challenge myself to write something sexier. The Immortality Bites series and my stand alone angel book were quite tame and I am very fine with that. It wouldn't have fit the story to have explicit sex scenes in them, in my honest opinion. So I didn't include them. I felt the sexual tension was pretty hot, though. ;)
So I wondered if I could write a sexier book. And I got the opportunity to give it a shot, and the result was HOT SPELL, which I'm just as happy with as I have been with any of my other books. These characters are really fun. And messed up. And angsty. LOL. Also it was a great opportunity to really focus on a relationship in a book and build a believable HOT romance in only 55K words. It was definitely a challenge, but I'm more than happy with the results I got and was open to the chance to try it again.
I'm happy to announce that I've just accepted a deal with my fabulous editor Brenda Chin to write TWO MORE FUN AND SEXY HARLEQUIN BLAZES! Woo hoo!
I'm going to be working on one of them in between NIGHTSHADE books to give myself a chance to "cleanse my writing palette" on something lighter before I get back into the dark and gritty.
Just like HOT SPELL, the two new books will feature psychic agents who work for the Paranormal Assessment and Recovery Agency (conveniently and appropriately acronymed to PARA...heh) as they discover enchanted or cursed objects that just might change their lives forever.
The first book's tentatively titled STORMY WEATHER and features a telekinetic heroine inspired by Stephen King's Carrie (that is, if he wrote comedy romance). The poor hero. He has NO idea what's coming for him. ;)
I think I need a couple more days to fill the well and regain my weary imagination after finishing the first draft of NIGHTSHADE, but then I'm getting started on STORMY WEATHER! Can't wait!!
(These are very different books, believe you me.)
Can I get some celebratory dancing bananas, please?
Thank you, dancing bananas!
Wow. This is probably the most violent, action-packed book I've ever written. And I LOVE IT. That Rachel Connor (aka: my pen name for this book). She's fairly insane. But I think I already knew that.
There are several elements in it that mark it as a book I've written, though. There's a love triangle (can't help it. I had two SEXY guys to deal with in the plot! What am I supposed to do? IGNORE THAT OPPORTUNITY??), there's some snarky humor (although this book is NOT a comedy), and the evil, nasty vampires...well, they might just be a little bit misunderstood. Funny, that.
Writing it in first person made me feel like I was experiencing everything the heroine, Jillian, was feeling. Which made for an interesting write that I may need a couple of days to recover from. LOL. I'll talk more about the book when we get closer to the pub date. I don't know why, but I really dislike talking plot specifics until everything is set in stone. Paranoid? Who me??? Nahhh.
I'm going to let it sit for a couple of weeks before I tackle the second draft. I'm praying that it doesn't need tooooo much work. But you never know. I was surprised how closely it stuck to my original outline, actually. The ending is a bit too open, as far as I'm concerned, but I think I like it. However, there is at least one more book in this story which I'll be writing first thing in the new year, so I guess that's not too bad.
Now I'm taking a couple of days off to refill the well before I start on my next project. What is my new project, you might ask?? Come back tomorrow and I have some news to share here on zee blog about it.
Today I'm trying to get through some online chores including updating the website and doing a few Q&As that have been waiting for my undivided attention.
I've added a Writing Advice section to this website since I'm asked about this sort of thing on a regular basis lately. Check it out on my On Writing page (it's the second article down the page. I can't figure out how to do anchors using this WordPress template).
And I'm going to catch up on some of the shows I've been PVRing the last couple of weeks. My quick opinions so far on what I've seen so far, old and new...
Glee - Hooray!
The Vampire Diaries - Mmm hmm!
FlashForward - Hmm. Maybe.
CougarTown - Maybe.
DWTS, SYTYCD, SYTYCD Canada - I'm sick of dancing. Unless there are dancing bananas.
Supernatural - BRING IT ON!!!
Eastwick - No. Just no.
America's Next Top Model - Love.
Movies I've seen lately. Same review process.
Julie & Julia - Surprisingly delightful, given that there were no vampires in it.
Love Happens - Could not have hated it more. So disappointing.
The Informant! - Blarg.
Seen any good movies or TV? Please share. I'm tired of wasting my time and money on crappy entertainment.
For Nikki Donovan, being a teenager can be hell. Literally.
As if trying to fit in at a new school and navigating the social scene isn’t enough stress for her, sixteen-year-old Nikki Donovan just found out that her long-lost father is, in fact, the demon king of the Shadowlands — the world that separates and protects ours from the Underworld. When she is brought there by the mysterious (and surprisingly cute) messenger Michael, she learns that her father is dying, and that he wants her to assume the throne. To complicate matters, a war is brewing between the Shadowlands and the Underworld, her half-demon qualities are manifesting, and her growing feelings for Michael are forbidden. Ruling a kingdom, navigating a secret crush, and still making it home by curfew — what’s a teenage demon princess to do?
Hmmm. How about I do a Q&A with myself!!? Whee!!!!!!!!
Is REIGN OR SHINE a stand alone book, or part of a series?
It's the first book in a new series. "Demon Princess" is the series name and "Reign or Shine" is the name of the book itself. The second book REIGN CHECK, picks up only two days after the events in RoS and it's going to be out June 2010. There's a teaser chapter at the end of RoS for the second book.
Any fun facts about Demon Princess you can share?
Yes! The main character Nikki's name comes from Old Nick which is a humorous nickname for the devil.
Anything else?
I wrote the first draft of DP:RoS for Nanowrimo in 2006. I probably revised this book more than anything else I've ever written because I wrote it without an outline. I like outlines. However, I really loved this story and I was willing to put the work into it to make it better. The beginning has remained mostly the same, but the entire second half was rewritten from scratch.
Oooh, demons. Sounds evil and nasty. I don't worship Satan. Will I still enjoy your book?
I don't write Satanic books. Trust me on that. This is fiction and Nikki at no time will be sacrificing kittens. Nor is there a religious tone to this book whatsoever. Nope. Nikki's demonic side, while very real in the book itself, is a metaphor for being a teenager, trying to hide something you think makes you different and unacceptable. I am a firm believer than no one is born bad (except my parents' cat whose name is, coincidentally, Nikki)...it's the choices we make that define us, whether we're half demon or completely human!
Why is DP:RoS released as a hard cover and a paperback at exactly the same time?
Good question. Uh...well, I think it was mostly because it was originally going to just be a paperback, then there was some interest at my publisher to make it a hardcover too. I figure most of the hardcovers will go to libraries because they're sturdier and will last longer. The hardcover is mighty pretty though and only $1.50 more on Amazon.com!
Michael's wayyy hot!!! Did you have an actor in mind when you were writing him?
Why, yes I did. I always picture actors in my head when I'm writing. In the case of Michael, the cute (but strange and mysterious) guy Nikki's father sends to give her the news she's a demon princess and bring her to see him in the Shadowlands, I had Kevin Zegers in mind.
Did you say something about a CONTEST!!?? I saw it in the blog header!
Uh huh. I sure did. Since I have several Q&As coming up soon where I'll be giving away a copy of REIGN OR SHINE, I thought I'd try something a little different. I'm going to give away a signed manuscript of the second book in the series, REIGN CHECK, to one winner. Get the chance to read it eight months before it's released!!
How do I qualify??? I must have this manuscript!!!
Take a picture of yourself holding a copy of REIGN OR SHINE and email it to me or post it to your blog, facebook, website, twitpic, whatever (and email me the URL so I can see it) and I'll randomly choose a winner one week from today, Tuesday, October 6, 2009 at midnight EST. Fun, right??
It's been an interesting week! I'm just plugging along in Nightshade and liking this book a lot (I think!!). The Big Bad has just been introduced in the flesh and we'll just have to see how bad he is. I'm thinking he miigghhtt have a bit of a soft spot for my heroine. Yes, he just might.
I think I'm going to need to take at least a week off after I'm finished the first draft on this one. The intensity of the material I'm writing mixed with the general weariness caused by trying to be prolific is making me a bit punchy and I've been reacting to things a bit stronger than I should lately. This is an understatement but I'll leave it at that. ;) I will definitely be resting and refilling the well during the first week of October before I either start a new project or get right into the second draft of Nightshade.
Demon Princess is out one week from today! I think it's officially released here in Canada... today!! I saw a bunch of copies out early at a local Chapters a few days ago. I've never seen so many of my books in one place before. They were featured on a teen fiction table -- the friendly blue of my cover surrounded by a sea of black covers. It made me realize how many YA books these days are dark and dramatic and edgy. Demon Princess is dramatic! In parts! Anyway, I hope that anyone who is exhausted from dark YA fiction and needs a bit of a lighter break will check out my book. *smiles charmingly*
In TV news, I watched The Vampire Diaries with great trepidation and I'm happy to report that it rocked! At least, I think so. I've only seen the premiere and have the second episode taped to watch when I get a chance. Loved it.
I also taped Dancing with the Stars last night and will fast forward through that today.
Sequins and hot dancing boys like Maks, Alec and Dmitry! What could be better?? Who cares about the celebrities?
***UPCOMING SIGNING....I have a signing coming up with Eve Silver on Saturday, September 19th. If you're in the Whitby, Ontario area, we'll be at the Zellers at 330 Taunton Road East from 1:00 - 4:00 pm.
Closing in on 200 manuscript pages on NIGHTSHADE. It's like a real book now! I even fiddled a bit with the website for my Rachel Connor name yesterday, in an act of what I like to call "productive procrastination," ie: if you're going to procrastinate, you may as well be productive!
This story is rather exhausting and my poor characters are going to need a vacation as much as I will once I finish the first draft. They may also need a stay in the hospital hooked up to an IV. Unfortunately for them, I'm going to be rolling right into the second book about their trials and tribulations shortly after I'm finished this one. The second one has a working title of NIGHTFALL. I think I'm happy with how the story is shaping up, but I can never tell when I'm in the thick of it.
Watched the season finale of True Blood and it reminded me a bit of season 2 of Dexter. A totally riveting, edge-of-your-seat season with a bit of a meh ending. Still, this is in my top 3 favorite TV shows at the moment (along with Supernatural and Lost) so I can't wait to see what season 3 brings. (Much more Eric, pretty please).
I also watched the season finale of Big Brother last night and was very pleased that goodness prevailed with Jordan winning and NataLIE losing. Then again, second place isn't really a loss, is it? If I ever happen to be on a show like BB, I have to remember to be very, very nice to the production staff so they don't edit me poorly. I think how you come off to the viewing public is all in the editing. I mean, we all have our unpleasant moments, right? We just don't want them broadcast for the world to see. In any case, the ending made the season worthwhile. I'll miss Jeff a great deal. He can water my garden any day. Take that however you wish.
I have no point. I'm just stating a fact.
This is Sammy who seems to attach himself to my leg like a furry hot water bottle whenever I sit down to get some work done. FYI, Sammy was named for Sam Winchester on Supernatural. Season premiere was last night and IT WAS AWESOME!! Huzzah for season five!!
Anyhoo... I'm pretty much on track with Nightshade. Currently my heroine is in some rather hot water. The character arc for my heroine Jillian is inspired by that of Sarah Connor in T1 and T2. She starts off a regular woman thrust into a bizarre, life-threatening situation. And she slowly adapts until she can kick some serious butt. It's all about finding the strength inside yourself you never thought you had.
Writing a book that's a bit more actiony (for want of a better word) is seriously draining. While I feel my regular Rowen stuff has lots of action and suspense, it's just a different feel. The voice is similar but the pacing is ramped up in Nightshade. I remember writing Countdown and being totally stressed out for the six weeks it took me to do the first draft. I wasn't sure why, but then I realized it was because I was in my character's head. She was stressed out so therefore I was too. Ditto Nightshade.
Poor Jillian. She is not having an easy time of it. *evil laugh*
It is kind of fun writing about vampires that don't enjoy Tequila Sunrises and angst about their love lives. There is nothing chick-litty about the vamps in Nightshade, that's for sure. At least not the ones I've met so far.
There is a lot of new TV to watch this week, but I'm still getting my words in. This first draft will be done by the end of the month. Or else! *cracks whip*
The only interruption in my writing schedule this weekend, other than potential TV goodness, is my Toronto Romance Writer's meeting which is tomorrow. TRW's a chapter of Romance Writers of America. Have I mentioned that I'm Vice President this year? If not, I'm Vice President this year! It's my job to books speakers for 2010 (which is all done, huzzah) and hand out chocolates for people with good news. If you're in the area and you're an aspiring or published writer of romance or books with romantic elements, you really should check us out.
Okay... I have 10 more pages to write today. Onward!
Nikki Donovan is the 16-year-old heroine of my DEMON PRINCESS young adult series, which launches in 19 little days with the first book, REIGN OR SHINE!Also included in the book is the first teaser chapter from DEMON PRINCESS #2: REIGN CHECK that will be out June 2010.
I had an illustrator friend do up a couple visualizations of Nikki. I'll be using these pics on various promo pieces. Check out Chris at Kitestring Creative if you're in need of a fab illustrator. I also do illustration, or at least I used to, but wanted to get a fresh take on the character so I totally outsourced. And I'm glad I did. I think these pictures are completely adorable!
Since Nikki is half demon and half human, she has a couple different looks.....
Normal high school girl....
And, uh...not normal high school girl.... (FYI, she looks way calmer in this pic than she does in the book about this particular revelation).
In any case, Nikki says hello and she looks forward to hopefully getting to know many readers in the months ahead.
What am I giving away, you ask?
A $50 Amazon.com gift card as well as two full signed sets of the Rowen library (plus a bit of Maddox). That's seven books in all! Times two!
**Check it out here**
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I got some good writing done over the weekend to finish up the first act of Nightshade. I always write in three acts, or at least I try to. My hero ended the first act by saying something incredibly sexy and inappropriate to my heroine, thus taking us firmly into an R-rating. This definitely isn't a YA.
But SPEAKING OF YAs, tomorrow I'm going to share a couple fun promo illustrations I had done for my Demon Princess series as I shift my focus from vampires to teenaged demons, because....
...only 20 DAYS UNTIL Demon Princess: Reign or Shine is out!!!
Also, it's premiere week for a ton of shows. How will I ever get everything done with all these distractions??
No, no it won't. But this is my last Q&A until next Tuesday. So there is a reprieve in the fun and the frivolity.
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I'm starting to hit my stride with NIGHTSHADE. At least, that's what I'm telling myself. As usual, it's turning out just a teensy bit different than I had envisioned it. This typically happens with new characters I've haven't gotten to know yet. I have an idea of how they're going to act and react on the page, so I can surmise things when I write my synopsis. When it comes time to letting them do their thing I often find that they want to do things rather...differently. But most of the time different is good and it feels truer to the character, yada yada, so I let them go on their merry way. My characters aren't all that merry in this book, though. But I am having fun torturing them. *cackles*
I twittered this, but I'll announce it here as well... Tall, Dark & Fangsome has gone into a second printing after being out for only a week. How awesome is that? VERY AWESOME.
And in other awesome news, Demon Princess: Reign or Shine (25 more days!!) will officially be available in Australia. A second print run of this will be shipped and distributed there. I've always wanted to go to Australia!! My love for Hugh Jackman has faded in recent months, but my love of the Land Down Under has not.
Oh, and last but certainly not least, I've started an official Michelle Rowen Books page on Facebook. This is separate from my Michelle Rowen personal page. The new page is going to have a mirror of this blog, book cover archive, updates, info on appearances, and all that fun stuff. All the cool writers have Facebook fan pages. So now I do too! J O I N T O D A Y ! !
Okay, that's all for now and probably for the weekend as well of which I have plans to...uh, write! Hooray! Happy Labour Day!
Last week was seriously jam-packed full of time consuming new release stuff. It's all great, but I'm glad to get back on the wagon to wordy town (as I, lamely, call it) and start writing fresh stuff. It's always interesting to do promo for a book I was completely finished with a year ago. Sometimes it's even a bit hard to remember plot points. I'm glad to see that readers are pleased with Fangsome and are wanting more from these characters. As the old saying goes: always leave 'em wanting more. It would be worse if everyone's like, oh god, not another book about these lame characters. Some might be saying that, of course, but hopefully they're in the minority.
Anyhoooo.... I'm writing NIGHTSHADE right now and finding it a challenge to get steadily into the writing, mainly because of my time restraints lately. I need complete and utter concentration, silence, and heaps of chocolate to properly get started on a new write. Alas, I have been lacking on all three counts lately. Concentration is lacking. Silence is rare. And there is no chocolate currently in the condo-o-love.
I'm actually ok with the no chocolate part, though. I've embraced healthy eating this year. I've battled with my weight my entire life and am finally (better late than never!!) doing something about it. I just wish my metabolism would help out a little bit. After a lifetime of yo-yo dieting, it's like pulling teeth to get the pounds off. However, since the end of January, I'm down 30 pounds as of this morning which is very encouraging -- and actually, the most I've ever lost at any one time.I've also even been...***cough, hack***....exercising. A little. Although, not nearly enough.
So what I've learned in the last seven months of attempting to change a lifetime of bad eating habits...
Smaller portions + exercise + time and patience = Success
Who the $#(% knew????
Okay, I knew. But I'd never actually put it to the test before. I'd go on a diet and do it for a couple of weeks. When I didn't see the weight melting off I'd get discouraged and go back to how I ate before because the diets were restrictive and I needed a "treat". Which was not good. Susan Powter once said she was in a fat coma when she had weight issues. I have to agree with that term. I've been in that coma for 38 years. And I'm finally waking up.
I'm doing this with Jenny Craig at the moment. They're frakkin expensive and I'd love to be able to do it on my own, but with my dieting history, I'd rather pay the money at the moment for a program I know I'll follow (the food is deelish!). I feel optimistic about my success in this area of my life for the first time in years.
Two things I've wanted since I was a teenager -- to be a published writer and to be thin and in control of my body. Well, I'm a published writer. Full time. And the same traits that helped me achieve that goal are the same traits that will help me get to my weight loss goal: perseverance, patience, and the singleminded desire to achieve something tangible.
I can do it!!! And my butt will totally thank me. ;)
So this book should be available for purchase again soon with its lovely new packaging! Hooray!
This is a sneak peek at a scene from Chapter 5 in THE DEMON IN ME, the first book in my new paranormal series with Berkley Sensation that's out May 2010. Sure, it's eight months from now, but that time is totally going to fly by. I just know it!!
Darrak's an incorporeal demon forced to possess a woman named Eden Riley when his former host is killed. Understandably, Eden isn't quite on-board with this situation, so she's called in some local exorcists (whom she found in the Yellow Pages) to lend a hand.
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Rosa approached her, staring up into her face. Then she pressed her hands up to Eden’s cheeks and drew her closer until their eyeballs were only a couple inches away from each other. “We must begin immediately. Please sit down.”
Malcolm moved toward the glass door and turned the lock. “Where do you need me, mother?”
“By my side, dear.”
“What’s going on, Eden?” Darrak asked.
She sat down in her comfortable but ratty desk chair and tightly squeezed the arm rests as if was bracing herself for a root canal. “I’m helping you.”
“Helping me?”
“Is the demonic presence speaking to you right now?” Rosa asked.
She nodded. “He is.”
Rosa grabbed her chin and squeezed hard enough to make Eden’s lips purse out unattractively. “Listen to me, demon. This is your last chance. Leave this woman of your own volition while you still can. If you refuse, then we will force you from her body.”
Darrak sighed. “Exorcists? You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Speak, dark demon!” Rosa hissed, squeezing Eden’s face even tighter. Eden tried her best not to bat the woman’s hands away. “What is your reply?”
Another internal sigh. “Eden, let’s talk about this.”
“I’m rewwy shorry.” Her words were distorted due to her current pursed-lip situation. “But you habben gibben me any udder choice here.”
“So, you what? Called 411 to find the nearest Exorcists ‘R’ Us?”
Eden cleared her throat. “Akshlee, I just rooked in the phone book.”
“I already told you I can’t leave, but it’s not because I don’t want to. Believe me, I want to, but I can’t.”
She swallowed hard. “He says he can’t leave me.”
“Liar!” Rosa snapped, squeezing tighter.
“You can tell this lady to bite me, though,” Darrak added. “And she can take that holier-than-thou attitude of hers and shove it right under her granny panties.”
“Does the demon show fear for my abilities?” Rosa asked.
“Not really,” Eden admitted, though she was finding it increasingly hard to talk while in the forcibly pursed position. Her cheeks began to ache. “You can let go of my face now. Please.”
She finally released Eden, who sighed in relief and rubbed her sore cheeks.
“Right,” Darrak said. “Actually, I’m not afraid because I’ve been faced with a lot of exorcists in the last 300 years. Believe me, there have been a lot of yahoos who think they can get rid of me, but a true exorcist needs to completely believe in demons and the Netherworld—and not very many people do. Their faith needs to be absolute. And they need to use actual holy water—”
“Malcolm, pass me the holy water, please.” Rosa held out her hand.
“Yes, mother.”
Darrak scoffed. “They say it’s holy water, but that could just be from the tap for all we know.”
“What’s this we thing?” Eden said.
“Now, you must repeat after me,” Rosa said. “I, Eden Riley—”
“I, Eden Riley.”
“Commit to ridding my physical being of all things demonic—”
Eden repeated it.
“And renounce evil and all forms of black magic—”
Well, of course. “And renounce evil and all forms of black magic.”
“And all lustful thoughts.”
Eden frowned. “And all lustful thoughts?”
“Lust is a deadly sin. You may have been chosen as a vessel for the demon because of that sinful, cleavage-revealing blouse you’re wearing right now. Shameful, really.”
Eden held a hand to her chest. “I bought this at Sears last week. It’s machine washable!”
“Lust is the most popular deadly sin, followed closely by vanity and greed.” She gently patted Eden’s cheek. “Speaking of money, I should let you know up front that the outstanding thousand dollars on this transaction applies whether or not I am able to dispel this evil spirit from you. It will be applied directly to the credit card number you provided earlier.”
“There’s no money-back guarantee?”
“I’m afraid not. We are working with Satan’s darkest minions, here.”
“Did she just call me a minion?” Darrak grumbled. “Talk about adding insult to potential injury.”
********************
Hope you enjoyed meeting Darrak and Eden! Expect to hear much more about them in the months to come leading up to the release date.
And please be sure to visit the following authors who are all participating in Snippet Saturday this week!
Jody Wallace
Lauren Dane
McKenna Jeffries
Moira Rogers
Shelley Munro
Taige Crenshaw
Victoria Janssen
Vivian Arend
Leah Braemel
TJ Michaels
Shelli Stevens
Mark Henry
Shelley Munro
Kelly Maher
Juliana Stone
Elisabeth Naughton
Michelle Rowen
Ashley Ladd
