Monday, August 30, 2010

RAVEN'S TRANSFORMATION at OneTrueMedia.com

Since I now got the hang of posting videos, I thought I'd try my hand at making promotional videos for my stories:) Enjoy!

The Dark Whisper Intro

Okay,I have been trying for months trying to figure out how to post a video in my blog posts. So, don't laugh too hard at my first success.



Wednesday, August 25, 2010

FUELING UP FOR THE DAY!

First day of school for the girls. It's a busy day for them and me. First lots to do on the home front. You know, the real world taking priority over my writing work. I've told my friends and family that I'm ready to take the plunge and start submitting stories. Who me, nervous? (She types with trembling fingers.) Getting ready to submit means a lot of late nights editing, polishing, writing a detail synopsis and perfecting my all important agent snagging query letter. Still have to work the day job. (that's what's paying the bills.) I will admit, I've been procrastinating for fear of rejection. My super awesome friend Marcia has been encouraging, telling me to go for it. (Thank you Marcia.)

This new stage of my writing reminds me of my very first story submission. I was writing the manuscript (that I am now ready to start submitting) when I came up with the character Raven. I wanted to stop writing Cursed Blood and start writing Raven. My BFF 2 said no! Write a few notes and a short story then go back and finish Cursed Blood. BFF 1 had to practically twist my arm to get me to submit my story. I did and "Raven's Transformation" became my very first published work! Thank you BFF 1 and 2. I also have to send a thank you to Marcia for giving me the heads up on a potential publisher that was looking for  short stories for their anthology Abaculus III. I really feel blessed. I had only writen  and completed 2 short stories and only submitted twice before getting published for the first time.

Before I sign off, I wanted to share some good news. Marcia Colette. (Author and friend extraordinaire) and just sold her first YA Paranormal, The Spider Inside Her! Head on over to Marcia's blog site to read her news first hand. http://marciacolette.wordpress.com/

Later,
Melissa

P.S. Yeah, that's me with my new ultra short haircut:)

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

L A BANKS HAS GONE GRAPHIC!

One of my favorite authors L A Banks, has gone graphic with her VHL (Vampire Huntress Legends) series. Can't wait to to get my hands on this one. Yes, I do comics and I've  been waiting on this one for a while. The comic takes place after the The Thirteenth which is the 12th and last book in the VHL series. The graphic will introduce the children of the main characters from the series. I'm not going to get into the series, it's awesome but, deep. You have to read it for yourself. A couple of days ago Laurell K Hamilton mentioned L A on her blog and commented that she is the only one that she has read that has successfully combined urban fantasy and hip hop culture giving her series a majorly different twist.

Speaking of Laurell k, I collect the Anita Blake graphic novels. (Hardcover) I follow Laurell k Hamilton's blog and I thought for a minute last year we were going to see an Anita Blake movie but, something didn't sit right with Laurell and she backed out of the deal. She has been writing Anita for so many years, I guess it's hard to let go of your creation. And when you do, you want it done right!

Hopefully next year the third of my big three favorite authors will be going graphic. Kim Harrison's hollows series is in the works!

Even my X-Men have gone Vamp!

Sunday, August 15, 2010

THE DARKEST EDGE OF DAWN

I'm gearing up for the release of one of my favorite author's books. The Darkest Edge of Dawn  by Kelly Gay is set for release on Aug. 31st. It's the second book in the Charlie Madigan story. Here's a synopsis from Kelly's website on book 1.


The Better Part of DarknessBook 1 in the Charlie Madigan Series

Charlie Madigan is a divorced mother of one, and a kick-ass cop trained to take down the toughest human and off-world criminals. She's recently returned from the dead after a brutal attack, an unexplained revival that has left her plagued by nightmares and random outbursts of strength that make doing her job for Atlanta P.D.'s Integration Task Force even harder. Since the Revelation, the criminal element in Underground Atlanta has grown, leaving Charlie and her partner Hank to keep the chaos to a dull roar. But now an insidious new danger...

Here is a bit from book 2 from Kelly's website.


Coming Soon

The Darkest Edge of DawnBook 2 in the Charlie Madigan Series

Deep beneath Underground a cunning bid for power and revenge has begun, one that threatens to make Atlanta the new battleground in the ultimate confrontation between heaven and hell. The powers of hellish Charbydon have the upper hand after plunging the city into primordial night...

I've already started buying and giving Kelly Gay's books as presents to my friends. They can expect more of the same with book 2. I like to get them hooked. That means...more books for me by my favorite authors:)

Monday, August 2, 2010

SOMETHING NEW GUEST BLOGGER: JACQUELYN(MY DAUGHTER) SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS

Very rarely do I come across a book that I feel connected to but, when I read the book "Wonder When You'll Miss Me" I felt like I was in the main character's shoes. It is so gracefully written that it went from the gang rape and attepted suicide of a 15 yearold girl to an upbeat trapeze artist. The writing was sort of like a trapeze act itself.It's both joy and agony that those words are so good, so dead-on target as Davis describes the pain of lonely adolescent life. If there's any comfort to be had in news of the author's cut-short life, it's that Wonder When You'll Miss Me is the kind of novel that will endure. Even though it's marketed as adult fiction, this is really the kind of story to be read by teens -- males and females alike -- going through that horrible, bumpy transition into adulthood.
Faith Duckle, the overweight girl who's assaulted under the bleachers during her school's Homecoming game, is a kind of Everyteen -- we've all had bits of Faith's loneliness and optimism-against-all-odds at one point in our lives. Davis hones in on Faith's troubled psyche so quickly and accurately that we immediately embrace the girl as an intimate friend. Faith is the kind of character who steps off the page in the first paragraph.

After the attack by the group of boys, described in stark but subtle terms (I stared at buckles and pockets. He pinched my nose so my mouth fell open. Then the terrible sound of zippers…), Faith tries to commit suicide, ends up in a mental hospital, and sheds 48 pounds before her release. She returns to school as a renewed Faith, but she is dogged by the presence of her former self, which manifests itself as Fat Girl.
While constantly stuffing her face with junk food, Fat Girl is a menacing, nagging ghost who dispenses advice like: "There are all kinds of anger. Some kinds are just more useful than others." She dogs Faith's shadow, insisting that the teen might be able to shed pounds, but she'll never lose the person she was. There were days when she was a comfort and days when she was a nightmare, Faith says. Eventually, she becomes more of a nightmare after she convinces Faith to revenge the rape.
The "character" of Fat Girl is a marvelous stroke on Davis' part because, honestly, we can never fully leave our selves back in teenhood. We may move on, but something always clings. Wonder When You'll Miss Me is all about the process of un-clinging the bad debris while coming to terms with the bits that can't be shaken loose.
In Faith's case, this means running away to join the circus (something Davis herself did for several months). She renames herself Annabelle and is taken on by the Fartlesworth Circus as it tours the Eastern seaboard. She begins by picking up trash around the midway, then works her way up to assisting with costumes, grooming the elephants and, eventually, practicing with the trapeze artists. Along the way, we watch as she grows from frightened, easily-manipulated girl to a self-confident, brave fighter willing to somersault through life without a net.