Michelle Rowen

O Come All Ye Fangful - 2nd Place

2009-12-24T04:11:10Z

As Close as a Christmas Wish

by
Cari Quinn

Christmas Eve meant two things to Katie Mills. Her annual viewing of “It’s a Wonderful Life” and lots of spiked eggnog. Although this year, the eggnog ranked higher on her list of priorities.

She tried not to sigh as the festively lit miniature cactus beside the TV caught her eye. White LEDs twinkled happily on the prickly limbs, her own ode to the hot Arizona night. Ordinarily she loved the holiday, and she had since childhood. But this year, her first without Steve, wasn’t the same.

Nothing would ever be the same again.

Her gaze drifted over the glowing ornament that topped her makeshift tree. A vampire with flowing blond hair and carved cheekbones probably wouldn’t be most people’s star of choice, but she wasn’t most people. And that ornament had been her last present from Steve, given to her shortly after he’d known he was dying. He’d bought it to cheer her up, while simultaneously teasing her about the rows of vampire novels lining her shelves.

You and your fantasies, Kate.

Her biggest fantasy had been that Steve would get well. But he hadn’t, and now a tiny grinning vampire was the last thing she had to remember him by.

A pang of loneliness struck her with the force of an anvil.

“God, I wish I wasn’t alone.”

The tinkle of bells shot her from her painful reveries to the present. She thought it was from the movie, but no, it had segued into a commercial. Before she could blink, an elfin woman with a light blue cast to her skin appeared beside her old La-Z-Boy. She wore a pointy pink hat with a clump of bells on the end and a necklace of icicles, except her ice didn’t melt.

“You wished,” she said simply, and cast an arm toward the cactus.

Katie stared stupidly as the vampire ornament shimmered and shook, rising up into a puff of smoke that soon morphed into a full blown man.

Here. In her living room. And he was wearing a cape to go with his fake fangs.

She breathed in and out, willing her heart not to explode through her chest. “Who are you?” She glanced back at the blue…elf beside her chair. Or maybe she was a smurf. Not that it mattered. Whatever or whoever she was, she was gone.

“Leilani’s work here is done, so she vacated.” With a sweep of his cape, the blond man dropped onto the chair opposite her. His eyes blazed a fiery forest green. “I’m glad you turned your Elf cross upside down to welcome her, or else I’d still be swinging on that damn tree.”

“Elf cross?” What the hell? “Uh, look, I’ve been drinking tonight, so—”

“Yeah, standard Christmas alone. I know how it works.” He draped one ankle over his opposite knee, flashing a bit of winter white leg. Good Lord, did men even come that pale in Tempe? “Drinking, sappy movies, tears and recriminations. Well, Kathleen, that’s over now. It’s just about time.”

He’d called her Kathleen. Only Steve had called her that.

She picked up her reindeer mug and gulped down her heavily rummed liquid courage.

“Time for what?” she croaked once she’d emptied the mug.

“You to live again. There is nothing as painful as a living death, Kathleen. Steve wants you to be happy.”

She choked from a mixture of eggnog—too much cinnamon—and raw pain. “I’m happy. I go to work. I see my friends. I even bowl!”

He arched one nearly white brow. “You are miserable. It’s time for that to change.”

A single tear tracked down her cheek and she swiped at it furiously. Now even her ducts had betrayed her. “You’re not real. You’re a damn Christmas ornament. I’m probably sleeping and when I wake up, I’ll be alone.”

Still. Always. Forever.

“You’ll never be alone again. I’ll be as close as a wish, as far as your heartbeat.”

The phrase, the same Steve had uttered before closing his eyes the last time, robbed her of breath. "Who are you? And why are you saying things only my husband could know?"

"Better question. What will your mind allow you to accept?" He rose and crossed over to her chair, then knelt at her side. The hand he placed on her knee was warm, not cold as she'd expected. "Leilani spoke to him. Steven. He's okay, Kathleen. He wanted her to give you his message, through me."

"Through you? You're a damn Christmas ornament. She's a Smurf." What the hell had been in that rum? "This isn't making any sense."

"Your mind is closed," he murmured, lifting his hand. He didn't aim for her cleavage as she'd first assumed, but instead laid his hand on her chest. "But your heart is open. He still loves you, Kathleen. And tonight of all nights, at midnight on Christmas, he wanted you to know you would never have to miss him again. He's here with you. In every rustle of the wind." Branches scraped against the glass as the breeze rose outside. "In every bell that chimes." And again, the sound that had accompanied Leilani. "You only need to look inside yourself to know."

Katie sucked in a breath as the vampire off her cactus leaned in to brush his surprisingly soft lips against hers. Her eyes closed automatically, and when she opened them a moment later, he was gone and the little girl in the movie was talking about angels getting their wings every time a bell rings.

She looked around her living room. The same well-worn furniture filled her vision, but the warmth spreading through her made everything look fresh and new. Including the vampire ornament adorning her cactus.

She would never be the same.

A smile lifted her lips as tears filled her eyes. Happy tears. She wouldn't question her Christmas miracle. Tonight she would just open her heart.

"Merry Christmas, Steve," she whispered.

O Come All Ye Fangful - 3rd Place

2009-12-24T04:10:06Z

Waking Up with Dragons

by
Margaret Mater

Darkness was falling fast. Already, the pinks and golds of sunset were giving way to the blues and purples of the coming night, the shadows made thicker by the mountains and leaving the desert to grow cold without the warmth of the sun. As per usual, the sun must always surrender to the night.

Jenna Flores watched the coming night with a wistful heart. It had been two years, nearly three when she counted precisely, since she had moved away from her hometown with her husband. She missed her family and friends back home. More than that, she missed the companionship of her coven, especially on Yule. It was one of her favorite holidays, and celebrating as a solitary was not nearly as fulfilling.

Glancing towards her husband Robert, who leaned against a nearby boulder and was pitching rocks into the underbrush, she smiled slightly. He was a good companion, but he was far more in tune with the supernatural than she was. He was a good guardian, but she needed others to help her practice her craft, not just to advise her.

Heaving a sigh, she called, “You're going to make the animals angry.”

Robert looked at her and grinned. “No I won't. It's too cold for them to come above ground now.”

Jenna just shook her head as Robert turned to look up at the sky. “Any dragons hanging about tonight?” she asked.

Getting to his feet, Robert nodded, his eyes following a movement that she could not. “Yup. Seamus is hanging around right now. He's busy complaining that it's too cold.”

“Why is he here? He never hangs around for rituals, not even on the sabbats.”

Shrugging, Robert strode easily towards her, shoving his hands in his pockets. “He promised he'd be here tonight. Besides, he likes it when you do your rituals.”

“Because I'm so entertaining?”

Robert just grinned. “There is that.”

Glowering, Jenna said, “He's never going to let me forget about calling the wrong elements, is he?”

“Nope. He's actually laughing right now.”

A part of her was irritated. Not only was she a struggling practitioner, but the fact that Robert had conversations with invisible dragons that she could not, and had never been able to, see, drove her half-mad.

“Seamus, if I could see you right now, I would--”

“Honey? You know you don't want to taunt a dragon.”

The irritation boiled over. “It's not fair, you know! I've been practicing for four years now, and I'm nowhere near as open to all this as you are! You got stoned once, and bam! You talk to dragons and plants and can hop across different dimensions. Me? I don't hear a peep from the plants anymore, and certainly nothing from the gods.”

Robert approached his wife, and gently put his hands on her shoulders. “Jenna, it's okay,” he said comfortingly. “I know that you struggle sometimes, and whenever you don't practice constantly you have to regain the footing you had. It's okay that your mind isn't as open. It'll happen sometime. I know it will.”

Jenna watched him regretfully. “I don't know if it will, Robert. I mean, I try and try, but there are times when I think I'm just not meant for this.”

A smile touched his lips. “It's Yule, hon. I know you love this holiday. Don't you feel the energy around here? Everything's antsy for you to practice tonight. You know what you're doing. Let's celebrate here, and then we can go back home and feast. We got that great bottle of wine to look forward to.” He paused, searching her face. “You are meant for this, Jenna. You know you are. Your mind will open up when it's ready to. I promise.”

Sighing heavily, Jenna nodded, accepting the kiss that he placed on her forehead. “All right. Let's get this going before the coyotes come out.”

“That's my girl.”

As Robert moved back to his boulder, Jenna took another deep breath and closed her eyes. Emptying her mind, she let the calm of the desert fill her. No cars going by, no helicopters, no screaming people. Just her and the cacti and the small scurrying creatures seeking shelter from the night. A peace filled her as she paced her breathing, letting the energy of the earth creep up from her feet and slowly fill every cell of her being. At once she felt connected, in tune with Mother Earth and every living creature in the near area.

Smiling to herself, Jenna took another breath and slowly walked her circle, chanting more to herself than out loud as she drew the protective circle. With each footstep she felt the energy rise, creating a safe bubble around her from the energy of the earth. Something like static electricity rushed through her as the circle was completed, and it felt as if a door was smashed open in her mind.

Half-falling over, Jenna staggered as white light filled her mind. There was timelessness and connectedness and a rush of life. More than that, she could feel the essence of joy in everything around her. It felt like home, and made tears fill her eyes.

“Jenna? Are you all right?”

Fighting against the sob that rose in her chest, Jenna laughed. “Yeah. I think I just—I think I woke up.”

“Open your eyes.”

Slowly, Jenna looked up.

And found herself staring at a four-foot long scaled dragon's face from mere feet away.

“Merry Yule,” a booming voice echoed in her mind. “It's about damn time.”

“Gah!”

O Come All Ye Fangful - Honorary Mention

2009-12-21T19:15:56Z

Walking in a Werewolf Wonderland

by
Diana Ksenycz

Maeve turned around just in time to swing her axe at the massive werewolf flying toward her in mid-air. The sharp blade sliced through the werewolf's neck, decapitating the ugly mutt on impact. Blood pooled around the corpse as the snow quickly turned from white to crimson.

“Guess they never taught you to look before you leap in werewolf school, huh?”

Damn werewolves. They always came out in hoards during this time of year. This was major hunting season for them. Who says Christmas was only for little boys and girls? Werewolves loved the holidays. What wasn’t to love? Carloads of humans driving on desolate, country roads on their way to visit family and friends. The wretched animals would play ‘wounded dog’ on the road luring the poor unsuspecting driver (and the rest of the carol singing passengers) into a feeding frenzy trap. Talk about ‘meals on wheels’. It's an old tactic. Been there, done that. You'd think they'd come up with a new routine.

Maeve counted. There were six of them. Outnumbered? Yes. Outdone? Hell no!

One of the dogs moved quickly and knocked her down before she was able to kick its hairy butt. She swiftly retrieved the dagger from her boot and plunged the silver blade into its neck. “Eat this, you flea infested fur ball.”

The fighting continued until the last over-sized mongrel was slaughtered. She was born for this. It was her destiny, just as it had been for all the women in her family. She came from a long line of werewolf slayers, born and raised to defend and protect humankind from the predators that stalked them. She was a hunter of hunters. A killer of killers. Yeah, she was a werewolf butt-kicking machine.

Trying to catch her breath, she lay on the cold forest floor. She was battered, bruised and damn tired. Propping herself up onto her elbows she scanned the wooded area. There was carnage everywhere.

As she began to pull herself up from the ground she stopped instantly as she caught sight of another werewolf. Oh yes, there was always that last one left.

It was wounded. Blood oozed from its left side and it growled as it stared at her. Her breath caught in her throat and she couldn’t move as fear struck deep in the pit of her stomach. Before she could do anything the werewolf jumped on her, pinning her back down. She couldn’t move. They were eye to eye. Nose to nose. Breath to breath.

Suddenly, it began to shift back to its human form.

Gone was the furry four-legged beast. Now there was a two-legged finely built, one hell of a gorgeous male on top of her -- a very naked male. Before she could react, he captured her mouth with his and kissed her. It was gentle yet passionate and completely electrifying. But now was not the time for a make out session with wolfman.

She pushed him away from her lips. “Get off me you animal!”

“Oh babe, I love it when you talk dirty.”

Maeve ignored Shawn's flirtatious banter. She was more concerned about his injury.

“Let me see that cut.” She twisted her head to look at the damaged flesh.

“It's just a scratch. I'm fine.”

“You growled. I know your growls, Shawn. That was an ‘it hurts like hell’ growl.”

He swept his fingers gently over the wound. “Yeah, it stings a little. But it’s fine.”

Damn, she could ring his neck for scaring her like that. She inspected the gash and was relieved to see that it wasn’t serious. He would heal in no time.

“See, I told you. Fine. Now bring those lips back here.”

Never in a million years did she think that she would end up with the very thing she hunted. But Shawn was one of the good guys. He came from a pack that lived peacefully within society and fought the war against those of his kind that preyed on humans. It was a bonus having a werewolf for a boyfriend and it definitely helped on the battlefield. He was her handsome, strong and fierce, secret weapon and she was crazy in love with him. They were crazy in love.

Maeve pointed a stern finger at him, “You are so lucky he didn’t claw you any deeper.”

“You're being such a girl.” He teased.

“I am a girl. Just go get dressed before you get --” her eyes scanned down to his lower extremities, “frostbite.”

“Baby, the only frosty thing biting me is you.” He leaned down and placed a quick kiss on her winter-chilled lips.

Maeve couldn’t help but grin at him. “There's a first aid kit and some clothes in a backpack behind that tree.” She playfully swatted his butt. “Move it.”

He gave her a sexy little smirk. “Yes ma'am.”

While he got dressed Maeve took out her cell phone and called the ‘cleanup crew’ to come and dispose of the bodies and sweep the area clean.

Shawn quickly emerged from behind the tree -- fully clothed.

Maeve looped her arm with his. “Come on. If we hurry we can still take Leonard to the mall.”

Shawn rubbed a hand down his face. “Maeve, you can’t be serious?”

“What? Pet pictures with Santa are the new thing. Everyone does it.”

“Yes, but don’t you think people will stare and be a bit….hesitant?”

Maeve glared at him. “Hey, a pet is a pet.”

“Babe, he's a four foot python!”

“He's only three feet and he's harmless!” She scowled.

Shawn threw up his hands in surrender. “Fine, we'll take him.”

Maeve smiled and kissed him on his cheek. “That's the Christmas spirit!”

“Uh-huh. But if he tries to make a meal out of some poor little poodle there will be no presents for him under the tree.”

Maeve scrunched up her nose at him. “Don’t be such a Scrooge.”

Shawn gave her a playful grin. “Bah, humbug.”

O Come All Ye Fangful - Honorary Mention

2009-12-20T14:51:30Z

Don’t Kill the Messenger

by
Sarah Cody

Making my way down the sidewalk, breath puffing out in tiny gray wisps, I decided this was my "Bah, Humbug" year. I wanted to escape the holiday hoopla and spend my Christmas Eve curled under a blanket with a book and a steaming mug of hot chocolate.

Ready to start my quiet evening at home, I’d discovered there was no hot chocolate and briefly debated whether or not it was essential to my happiness. The chocolate won.

The 24-hour quick mart was willing to take my money any time of year, and with few people on the street this late, I’d be home before midnight. I had bumped into only one man hurrying in the opposite direction.

Looking back as he rounded a corner, he hadn't seen me and would’ve flattened me if his reflexes hadn’t been sharp. Fair and attractive in a Chaps-model kind of way, he’d been under-dressed for the weather, wearing only a sweater and jeans. We’d both been on our ways with muttered apologies.

The only sounds as I neared the Christmas tree lot at the corner of the park were those of my boots crunching snow and the rustling of my plastic bag. The soothing cadence of the walking white noise let my mind wander.

From within the evergreens ahead, another man stared at me, and I increased my pace. He shot forward as I passed to grab my arms. I dropped my bag as he tightened his grip and dragged me into the trees.

I saw stars as he slammed me against a temporary wall, placing one big hand around my neck to hold me. Pressing his face close to mine, he drew in a deep breath. Displaying a mouth filled with rows of tiny, sharp teeth, he grinned at me.

“You smell like angel,” he growled. “Where is the messenger?”

My brain shut down. This creature that looked like a calendar boy for shark-of-the-month just smelled me. I giggled hysterically. Sharp-tooth shook me again.

“Where is the messenger?”

“What messenger?” I didn’t think he’d believe me if I explained that I’d only come for a mug of hot chocolate.

He squeezed my throat, and self-preservation kicked in. Screaming, I tried to deliver a solid groin kick, but he saw it coming and threw me to the ground. I couldn’t breathe.

“You reek of Gabriel,” he said. “Tell me where he is, or you will die.”

“Not tonight.” From over Sharp-tooth’s shoulder, I watched as the man I bumped into earlier grabbed a holly bough and thrust it through my attacker. Hideous mouth opened wide, the creature evaporated in a cloud of sulfurous smoke.

“I heard you scream,” said the stranger, crouching to help me sit up. “We need to get off the street.”

“That thing wasn’t human.”

“Demon,” he said, looking grim. He took my arm and ushered me toward the sidewalk. “Do you live near here?”

I blinked hard, thinking I’d misheard. “Demon?”

“Yes.” He narrowed an intense tiger-eye gaze on me. “Do you live around here?”

I gave him my address. He began to hustle me along, scooping up my bag as we passed. When he handed it to me, I accepted it without protest.

“It said I smelled like angel—that it was looking for a messenger.” Alternately watching the man and my feet, I stumbled after him. “Are you the messenger? Are you Gabriel?”

He didn’t answer. As we passed under a street lamp, I felt myself go numb as I saw the strange shadow he cast on the ground. Within the pool of light, his shadow stretched high and rippled on either side of him like phantom wings. I stopped cold.

Messenger. Angel. Gabriel. “Oh, my God! You’re an angel!”

Slapping my hands over my mouth, I was mortified that I’d just said God in front of an angel. Looking green at my outburst, he eventually nodded.

“I am called Gabriel, and I am an angel.”

“Demons are real, and they can kill angels?” My world tilted.

“Unfortunately, yes,” he said, reaching out again to tug me onward. “I am a messenger, called Gabriel after my commander.

“As part of the Host, my essence is linked to others of my kind. The demons chasing me used a spell to bind me to earth in hopes of using me in a ritual to destroy my kind. My link to the others would have crippled them at my death.”

I remembered how distracted he had been earlier, not by cold, but by evil creatures hunting him. “What happens if demons destroy your kind?”

Gabriel’s handsome face hardened in dark shadows. “What always happens in war. Kill the messengers and cut the lines of communication. Things break down, and faith declines. Humans suffer.” He grimaced at the thought.

I could see my Victorian up ahead, looking serene and inviting. Who’d have thought I’d spend Christmas Eve caught between angels and demons?

Throwing a sideways glance at me, Gabriel spoke very softly. “I’m sorry you had to find out about our existence in such a terrifying way. I wouldn’t want to see you burdened by this. As soon as my binding spell breaks at midnight, and you are safely indoors, I will leave.”

“You made it,” I said, looking at my watch. “It’s past midnight.” Facing him, I asked, “They don’t win, right?”

“Tonight, we are safe.”

Not quite the reassurance I wanted.

“Do you get to fly away now?”

Gabriel smiled. “Go inside. Leave my getaway to me.”

There were many questions I wanted to ask, but I settled for one.

“Will I see you again?”

Glancing up at my window, his tiger eyes took on a mischievous glint as he spotted the flashing angel on top of my Christmas tree.

“Perhaps.”

I felt more than saw him leave in a rush of air. Turning to look, I saw a single opalescent feather drifting toward the ground.

Celebrating the holiday didn’t seem like such a bad idea after all.

O Come All Ye Fangful - Winners!!

2009-12-19T18:59:46Z

I'd like to thank everyone who entered my first short story contest. I was thrilled to receive thirty-four entries. So thrilled, in fact, that I dug right in and started reading them, which is why I'm announcing the winners a couple days earlier than I'd expected to!

I do encourage anyone who entered to share their stories on their own blogs or websites. And please post the link here in the comments so everyone can check out your marvelous prose! You all rock!!! I wish I had prizes for everyone. But, alas, I do not.

That said, I'm very pleased to announce the stories I've chosen as my winners and each will be featured here on my blog for all to read starting on Sunday, December 20th..........

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Michelle Rowen's 2009
O COME ALL YE FANGFUL
HOLIDAY SHORT STORY CONTEST
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

First Place
THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT by Gwen Hayes
(will post here on Dec. 24th)

Second Place
AS CLOSE AS A CHRISTMAS WISH by Cari Quinn
(will post on Dec. 23rd)

Third Place
WAKING UP WITH DRAGONS by Margaret Mater
(will post Dec. 22nd)

Honorable Mentions
WALKING IN A WEREWOLF WONDERLAND by Diana Ksenycz
(will post Dec. 21st)
&
DON'T KILL THE MESSENGER by Sarah Cody
(will post Dec. 20th)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Again, thanks so much to everyone who entered!! And congrats to the winners!

--Michelle xoxo

O COME ALL YE FANGFUL Short Story Contest

2009-11-19T16:28:37Z

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

Writing diaries of yore

2009-11-11T23:26:45Z

Back when I was an aspiring writer, I had a hard time actually...well, writing. I was a perfectionist with low self esteem (still am) and that mentality definitely gets in the way of getting first draft pages done when the weasels of doubt come a-callin'.

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.

Off and running

2009-11-02T16:02:11Z

Nanowrimo 2009 has begun!! I can't believe it's been six years since I did my first one in 2003 and finished the first book I'd ever written THE END on. With this Nano I'm working on my 14th contracted novel. Craziness. This book is going to be fun. Stamped it, no erasies. I did nearly 4K on it yesterday so I'm off to a running start. Onward!!

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..........

THE DEMON IN ME cover!!!

2009-10-31T20:43:29Z

Now that I have my cover, I can finally share more info about THE DEMON IN ME, the first book in my upcoming Living in Eden series. Before the cover art, it just doesn't quite feel like a real book yet.

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!

In which I discuss the M word

2009-10-20T01:36:48Z

I received this email the other day and thought my answer to the sender was something more people might like to know about, so I asked permission to post some of it and here it is.

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

Deep Kiss of Winter – win a signed copy!!

2009-10-06T15:06:50Z

Head over to my main blog for a chance to win a signed copy of Gena Showalter and Kresley Cole's DEEP KISS OF WINTER!!

http://www.michellerowen.com/2009/10/06/deep-kiss-of-winter-win-a-signed-copy/

New interviews + come back tomorrow!!

2009-10-06T01:02:57Z

Michelle, you might say. Are you doing any more interviews this week to do with Demon Princess?

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!!!!

Signing this Sunday + slightly revised contest

2009-10-02T15:23:56Z

SIGNING

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??

A Blazin'...new deal? Why, yes!

2009-10-01T14:52:52Z

My first Harlequin Blaze, HOT SPELL, is now available on the eHarlequin.com site in both print and ebook versions a full month before it'll be available anywhere else! Check it out!

Browse this book

Add to your site

Buy this book

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!!

Done like dinner!

2009-09-30T19:08:28Z

Considering I didn't stray too far from my couch, yesterday was jam-packed! DEMON PRINCESS was officially released into the world and I also finished the first draft of NIGHTSHADE!

(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.

Release Day for Demon Princess!!! Contest!!

2009-09-29T14:27:54Z

It's the day I've been waiting for! The release day for my first young adult novel!

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??

Uh, New Interview + Status Report! I suck at titles.

2009-09-22T14:24:40Z

Check out my interview over at the Ravenous Reader. Nancy's giving away some horns and a pitchfork and I'm giving away a signed copy of Demon Princess! I want some horns, too! I have to go out and buy a bunch for giveaways, methinks.

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?

Q&A, Signing, and finales

2009-09-16T15:50:25Z

***Q&A and CONTEST......I'm over at The Book Butterfly with a Q&A and contest (separate posts) for Demon Princess (12 days till the release!!). Contest runs till October 10th so there's lots of time to comment to win.

***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.

It's seriously Friday again??

2009-09-11T21:21:43Z

The strange thing about writing full time is that it's easy to lose track of what day of the week it is. When one has a day job, each day of the week has a different feel. Monday's suck. Wednesdays mean you're halfway there. Friday's rock, etc. Now...it's all the same. The only difference is that some days I don't get as much email (ie: the weekends).

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!

I'd like you to meet Nikki Donovan

2009-09-09T15:09:32Z

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.

Tuesday nibbles

2009-09-08T18:07:13Z

I'm at Bitten by Books all day today giving away fabulous prizes and answering questions on my last Tall, Dark & Fangsome blog stop.

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**

**

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??

Fang-tastic!

2009-09-03T22:51:31Z

Today I'm visiting with Roxanne Rhoads at Fang-tastic Books for a Q&A in which I discuss keeping my pen names organized, character inspiration, mourning my vamps, and other fangtastic subjects. Plus, I'm giving away another signed copy of Tall, Dark & Fangsome. WILL THE FUN AND FRIVOLITY EVER END?

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.

**

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!

Interview elsewhere and diet tips here

2009-09-01T17:25:12Z

I'm over at Patricia's Vampire Notes today with an interview and giveaway of a signed copy of Tall, Dark & Fangsome. Come over and visit with me!

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. ;)

An old friend gets a makeover

2009-08-31T14:43:58Z

Found this on Amazon the other day. ANGEL WITH ATTITUDE is going to be reprinted with a shiny new cover and here it is! Valerie, Nathaniel and the key to heaven are represented nicely. No talking rat, though.

So this book should be available for purchase again soon with its lovely new packaging! Hooray!

Snippet Saturday - Humorous Scene

2009-08-29T14:16:16Z

I joined Snippet Saturday a while back but haven't had a chance to participate until now. The theme this week is "Humor," so I thought I'd offer up something that's fairly funny. I think so, anyhow.

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.

********************

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

Michelle Rowen

O Come All Ye Fangful - 2nd Place

As Close as a Christmas Wish

byCari Quinn

O Come All Ye Fangful - 3rd Place

Waking Up with Dragons

by Margaret Mater

O Come All Ye Fangful - Honorary Mention

Walking in a Werewolf Wonderland

byDiana Ksenycz

O Come All Ye Fangful - Honorary Mention

Don’t Kill the Messenger

by Sarah Cody

O Come All Ye Fangful - Winners!!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Michelle Rowen's 2009O COME ALL YE FANGFULHOLIDAY SHORT STORY CONTEST* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

O COME ALL YE FANGFUL Short Story Contest

1st Annual O COME ALL YE FANGFUL* Short Story Contest

Writing diaries of yore

Off and running

THE DEMON IN ME cover!!!

In which I discuss the M word

Deep Kiss of Winter – win a signed copy!!

New interviews + come back tomorrow!!

Signing this Sunday + slightly revised contest

A Blazin'...new deal? Why, yes!

Done like dinner!

Release Day for Demon Princess!!! Contest!!

Uh, New Interview + Status Report! I suck at titles.

Q&A, Signing, and finales

It's seriously Friday again??

I'd like you to meet Nikki Donovan

Tuesday nibbles

Fang-tastic!

Interview elsewhere and diet tips here

An old friend gets a makeover

Snippet Saturday - Humorous Scene

by
Cari Quinn

by
Margaret Mater

by
Diana Ksenycz

by
Sarah Cody

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Michelle Rowen's 2009
O COME ALL YE FANGFUL
HOLIDAY SHORT STORY CONTEST
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *