Monday 26 August 2019

Weekly #Writing #Goals



Last week went well as far as writing is concerned. It's one of the best weeks I've had in a while. I've even started a new project where I'm writing about my 30 step writing process. I've had a lot of people ask me about it, so I figured it's time. :)

This week I'm continuing my work on the outline for the Assassin Fantasy Romance series. I'm doing two scenes a day at the moment and I'm about halfway through the first book, so I'm getting there! :-D

Monday 19 August 2019

Weekly #Writing #Goals



Last week was a bad week for writing. Because of my autoimmune disease, I sometimes have bad pain days, where my joints end up inflamed. Most of last week was one long pain day. So this week, I'll mainly be focusing on getting caught up and working more on the outline for the Assassin Fantasy Romance.

Friday 16 August 2019

Still Reading #Vampire Academy! #AmReading #WritersLife

Last time I wrote about what I was reading, I had just started reading the Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead. I'm on Book 3 right now and it's definitely not what I expected. It's really a pretty amazing story so far. I ended up being up until sunrise reading this morning. Partly due to the fact that I haven't been able to sleep very well lately. But I'm also at a part in the book that is gripping me and it's hard to put down. I had to make myself stop reading so I could get some sleeping because I was starting to doze.

By next month, I should be done reading and I can give you my final verdict. Until then, if you'd like to read it yourself, check it out below:

Enter the complete saga of the international #1 bestselling Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead—soon to be a major motion picture!

Lissa Dragomir is a Moroi princess: a mortal vampire with an unbreakable bond to the earth’s magic. The powerful blend of human and vampire blood that flows through Rose Hathaway, Lissa’s best friend, makes her a Dhampir. Rose is dedicated to a dangerous life of protecting Lissa from the Strigoi, who are hell-bent on making her one of them. Rose and Lissa must navigate through this dangerous world, confront the temptation of forbidden romance, and never once let their guard down, lest the Strigoi make Lissa one of them forever.

Check it out on Amazon!


About the Author


Richelle Mead is an international bestselling author of over twenty-five books for both adults and teens. Her Georgina Kincaid and Dark Swan series take a witty but edgy look at the paranormal while her sci-fi Age of X series shows us a future with no religion. Over on the young adult side, Richelle has written the much-acclaimed Vampire Academy series and its spin-off, Bloodlines, about a secret society keeping the vampire world hidden from humans. Her latest project, The Glittering Court, takes place in a fantasy world inspired by colonial America, following the adventures of three impoverished girls trained up to be "ladies" who can make advantageous marriages in a dangerous new world across the sea.

Richelle's books have been on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists and received honors from the American Library Association. Her books have been translated into over two dozen languages, as well as adapted into graphic novels. In 2014, Vampire Academy was made into a feature film. A lifelong reader, Richelle loves mythology and wacky humor. When not writing, she can be found spending time with her family, buying dresses, and watching bad reality TV. More at: www.richellemead.com


Wednesday 14 August 2019

#Writing With a Hurt Back! #WritersLife


I never knew how hard it could be to write with a hurt back. I must have slept wrong or something, but I woke up this morning and the left side of my back hurt with every small movement I made.

It hurts to sit. It hurts to stand. It even hurts to breathe.

Thankfully, it't just a pulled muscle, so it will be better in the next few days. In the meantime, I just gotta do what I can. I just can't sit here for too long at any one time.

So I'm off again...

Tuesday 13 August 2019

Are You a Romantic or a Realist? #Quizzes

I found this quiz and I have to say I knew the answer before I took it. I've never considered myself to be a romantic person, and I do have a tendency to be very practical, but I was curious to see what it would say about me.

Take the Test Here!


Here's my result:


You Are A Romantic Realist


You tend to be grounded when it comes to romance.
Sure, you can fall hard... but only for someone you've gotten to know.
And once you're in love, you can be a total romantic goofball...
But you'd never admit it to your friends!

No surprises there! :-D

So which are you? Share your result in the comments below!

Monday 12 August 2019

Weekly #Writing #Goals



This weekend was a bit crazy. My computer stopped working properly so I ended up having to reformat my computer. Then I couldn't connect to the internet. Took me three hours to sort out that problem. Then the to-do list I use to do my scheduling stopped working, and I had to download a new one. So then I spent a whole day fixing up my schedule again.

On the plus side, I'm going to be working on my Assassin Fantasy Romance again. This week, I'll be continuing with outlining the first book in the story.

Thursday 8 August 2019

Your vs. You're #WritingTips



English can quite often be a very confusing language, so today I'm going to explain the difference between "Your" and "You're" and an easy way to remember which is which.

"Your" is a possessive pronoun, so you would use it to show something that belongs to "you".

For example:

Your daughter is beautiful.

Or

I can't believe your grade was higher than mine.

"You're" is the contraction of "You Are"

For example:

You're late for dinner.

Or 

I noticed that you're running for class president.

An easy way to remember which one you should use is to replace "your" or "you're" with "you are". If the sentence makes sense, then you would use the contraction form of "you're". If it doesn't make sense then it's "your".

For example:

If your late again for you're dinner, your going to be in trouble.

Rewrite as

If you are late again for you are dinner, you are going to be in trouble.

The first and third "you are" makes sense in the sentence, but the second one doesn't, so you would correct it to read:

If you're late again for your dinner, you're going to be in trouble.

Hope this helps!

Wednesday 7 August 2019

#IWSG Why I Write #Paranormal #Romance & Book Feature

Has your writing ever taken you by surprise?

What surprised me was my decision to try my hand at fantasy and paranormal romance. I always knew that I'd eventually want to try other genres, but I when I first started writing, romance was the last thing I'd ever imagined myself writing. I was never big on romance, even in my own relationships.

So why write it?

Part of it is because romance seems to happen naturally in my stories anyway even though I don't plan it that way. When I start a story, I start with the main characters, and they come to life within the story and practically write it themselves.

Even though the romance wasn't a big part of the story, my readers seemed to love it. So it got me thinking, maybe I could give romance a shot and see how I do.

Even though the romance will be more prevalent in my stories under this pen name, I still want there to be a bigger story that has nothing to do with the romance. More to the point, I want the plot to be centered around something outside of the romance, even though the romance might come about because of it (if that makes sense).

I've been reading a lot of paranormal romances lately to get a feel for them, and I really believe I'm up to the task. Although, I'm not sure I'll be using a lot of the terminology commonly found in romances, for two reasons:

  1. Most of the time it comes across very cheesy and makes me cringe.
  2. It's so overdone, to the point that it takes me out of the story trying to figure out how it could have been worded better (in other words, it turns on my inner editor).
Is there a genre you want to try that you would have never considered before? What is it?




Sacrificed to the Beast

by Jessa Kane


Someone has been terrorizing my small town—a huge, horrifying beast, to be exact. He won’t stop rampaging until the villagers sacrifice an innocent. Lucky me! I’m the chosen one. I’ve been tied to a tree in a wedding dress and left as an offering to the cruel ruler of the hills. But once the beast approaches, I glimpse the lonely human beneath the wild hair and mountainous body. Yes, he’s very much a man…a man who will stop at nothing to claim me as his mate.

Get it today on Amazon!




What is IWSG?

It's a great way to connect with other writers!


The purpose of IWSG is to provide a way for writers to express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. On the first Wednesday of every month, you can post about your thoughts, doubts and fears, discuss your struggles and triumphs, and encourage other who are struggling.

Visit the Insecure Writer’s Support Group Website to get started!


Don't forget to visit this month's co-hosts and offer your support!

Tuesday 6 August 2019

Top 10 #Fantasy #Bestsellers on #Amazon


10. Bound to the Dragon (Lost Dragons Book 5) by Zoe Chant


The town of Hainesville might not be anyone’s idea of paradise, but curvy nurse-turned-restaurant-owner Mercy Reynolds would do anything to protect it. She’s got no time to daydream about love or happy endings – not when she’s got her hands full running her diner, looking out for the local kids, and taking on every other job she can handle… and even some she can’t. Like standing up to the criminal gang that’s been terrorizing the neighborhood. And patching up the devastatingly handsome stranger who’s just put his life on the line to protect her from them.

Dragon shifter Dante Novak is doing his best to rebuild his life. He’s escaped from the manticore gang who forced him into a life of crime – and now, all Dante wants to do is make up for the hurt he’s caused. He knows Mercy is his fated mate from the first moment she drags him into her kitchen to treat the stab wound in his side. He’ll do anything to protect her – but will she still want him after she discovers the truth about his past?

When they find themselves up against the terrifying enemies who will stop at nothing to make the town theirs, it will take more than Dante’s strength and Mercy’s determination to make it out alive…

Bound to the Dragon is a standalone dragon shifter romance, the fifth in The Lost Dragons series. With a sexy, protective hero, a smart, fiery heroine, and a bunch of adorable kids, it’s a wild ride of heart-pounding action and sizzling passion. One click now for a satisfaction guaranteed HEA with no cliffhangers!


9. First Lessons: A Strong Woman in the Middle Ages (A Medieval Tale Book 1) by Lina J. Potter


Aliya is a medical school graduate gifted with both smarts and an athletic body. Her life seems perfect…until she finds herself in a fatal car accident. Instead of dying, however, she wakes up in a completely different body in the middle of a half-ruined castle during alternate medieval times. Confused and dismayed, Aliya realizes she was given a second chance in life — so she rolls up her sleeves and gets to work on restoring the castle and her new life.

Aliya’s situation is confusing and challenging. Reborn as Countess Lilian Earton, she has to adjust to an unfamiliar world while trying to introduce everyday conveniences from the world she knows. Her first goal is taking care of the collapsing estate of Earton and its inhabitants — and learning to navigate a society unused to a woman in charge. Constant attacks of robbers and slave traders never seem to stop plaguing Aliya, and killers and spies sent by the narcissistic aristocracy are just waiting for her to show a bit of weakness so that they can strike, even if as she finds an alternative solution to her troubles, developing alliances with the Highlanders and Vikings called the Virmans. In the meantime, she is terrified with the prospect of finally meeting her perpetually absent husband whom, incidentally, Aliya has never seen ever since her rebirth as Lilian.

Her plan is to make the best of her unusual circumstances — and to change this alternate world for the better. She is not a girl in trouble waiting for a knight in shining armor; all that Aliya has to do, she’ll do with her own hands.


8. Auctioned To The Master by Daniella Wright



All I ever wanted was to save humanity. To be able to find a cure.
And look at where I am now?

A giant rock begins to grow in my stomach as they yank the sheet off my cage.
I sand up. I put on a defiant face, looking out at the crowd.

Then I see him. He's in the middle of the crowd, staring right at me. The Master.



7. Swim Deeper (Keepers of the Swamp Book 1) by T. S. Joyce


Reporter, Bre Hayne, is on the hunt for a story. Finally, her big career break has fallen into her lap, and she has chance to get the scoop on one of the notoriously private shifters. Not many of them exist, but one Holt Lachlan has put an ad out for a mate, and Bre is up for the challenge. She’ll pretend to be interested, gather intel on him, and then scoot out of Uncertain, Texas just as fast as her old junker truck can speed her back to the news station. But the deeper into the story she goes, the more she realizes maybe Holt isn’t the one who is the monster. Maybe it’s her.

Alligator shifter, Holt Lachlan, is the center of an unfortunate legend. His family name has been tarnished by these swamps for generations, and he has to go outside of the town to try and find a mate. Desperate for something to occupy his inner animal, he meets up with a spunky beauty named Bre, and tells her the rules. The most important rule? Pretend he’s normal. Ignore the growling, don’t pay attention to his eye color, and definitely don’t go anywhere near the waters of Uncertain’s swamp at night. He’s protective of his territory, but the more he gets to know the bold and beguiling woman who has answered his ad, the more he thinks she just might survive his dark secrets…but will he survive hers?


6. Academy of Six: A Reverse Harem Academy Series (Origins of the Six Series Book 1) by A.K. Koonce


Deadly monsters live in all of us.

The Academy of Six has just never seen a monster as terribly mundane as Izara Castillo. And that is a dangerous problem. She has four semesters to not only understand her supernatural abilities, but harness them as well.

Everything at the Academy is a disaster, from Interdimensional Travels through hell to the other hell they like to call Gym.

Bullies push her, test her, and simply try to kill her. A few broodingly protective roommates and a scary fake boyfriend could help. Or make her life impossibly harder.

Pretend to date the emotionally detached demon, they said. What’s the worst that could happen, they said.

It’s make or break within this prison of a school. If she succeeds, she’ll finally know what she’s capable of, who she truly is, and where she came from.

If she fails…she dies.


5. Alpha's Sun: An MC Werewolf Romance by Renee Rose


HOW TO DATE A HUMAN:

1. Just say no.

Sunny Hines is the most infuriating female I’ve ever met. Long hair, big sunny smile, cute little freckles, yoga-tight body. Delicious scent.

2. Resist the urge to claim. Walk away.

My wolf wants to mark her, but there’s no way in hell I’m falling for a human. This pretty little hippie human is driving me crazy. Two years ago, I had her beneath me, howling my name, until she left. Now she’s back, but she’s not going to put me on a leash.

3. No...Just no.

But when I see her with another man, I can’t stop myself from marking my territory and making it clear: Sunny is mine.


4. Half-Blood Academy 1: Magic Trials: an academy reverse harem fantasy romance by Meg Xuemei X


"Welcome to Half Death Academy." That's what they call my new school--because only half the students survive.

Rule #1: keep your head down and don't mess with the four gorgeous demigods who rule the school.

Rule #2: When the demigods try to kill you, lie down and die.

Too bad I never was very good at following the rules. And when my forbidden power awakens, I'll make them regret they tried to make me their bitch.
 
Magic Trials is the first book in the Half-Blood Academy series with a badass heroine, four deadly, striking demigods, heart-pounding action blended with super steamy love scenes, and great romance. For fans of Shadowspell Academy.


3. Sacrificed to the Beast by Jessa Kane


Someone has been terrorizing my small town—a huge, horrifying beast, to be exact. He won’t stop rampaging until the villagers sacrifice an innocent. Lucky me! I’m the chosen one. I’ve been tied to a tree in a wedding dress and left as an offering to the cruel ruler of the hills. But once the beast approaches, I glimpse the lonely human beneath the wild hair and mountainous body. Yes, he’s very much a man…a man who will stop at nothing to claim me as his mate.






2. Trial by Fae (Dragon's Gift: The Dark Fae Book 1) by Linsey Hall


My fated mate is a powerful Fae king.
He must never realize who I am.

I lead a humble life slaughtering monsters. As long as no one learns that I’m descended from a line of forbidden Dragon Bloods, I can keep my job and my life.

But when a fiercely sexy Fae king realizes I’m his fated mate, I’ve got problems. Especially since A), he hates me and B), he learns my secret. It puts my whole life at risk. I want to kill my mate.

The stars align when my job sends me to the Fae Court as an undercover agent to investigate him. Did the king kill hundreds?

Even when I’m in disguise, he only has eyes only for me. He senses that I’m his mate, and our attraction is irresistible. Despite our mistrust, we can't stay apart. But when he realizes what I’m up to, there will be hell to pay. That is, if I survive.


1. Vivid Avowed (The Evelyn Maynard Trilogy Book 3) by Kaydence Snow


The thrilling conclusion to the Internationally Bestselling Evelyn Maynard Trilogy

Evelyn’s secrets have all been revealed, even questions she never thought to ask. Despite the turmoil surrounding her childhood and true identity, she knows one thing for sure: she belongs with her devoted Bonded Variants – Ethan, Josh, Tyler and Alec.

But the truth hasn’t set Evelyn free.

The division between Variants and humans continues to widen. Nowhere is safe. Behind all the chaos is one man – Davis Damari. He’s the truth she’s been chasing her entire life, and the only one capable of destroying the life she fought to build in Bradford Hills.

Davis will stop at nothing to get Evelyn. Her Bond will stop at nothing to protect her.

Evelyn must find a way to embrace her immense power, or risk losing it all.

Monday 5 August 2019

Weekly #Writing #Goals



This week I'll be finishing up work on my dark fantasy serial under my real name. You can find that here.

Next week I begin work on my Assassin Fantasy Romance Series again! So, keep a look out for that!

Thursday 1 August 2019

Paranormal Romance #WritingPrompt and #MicroFiction

Every so often, I like to use writing prompts to get the creative juices flowing (or to write some micro-fiction). If you'd like to join the fun, just post your micro-fiction story using the prompt below in the comments.

Writing Prompt: Reluctantly, he handed over the key...







Image result for vampire romance






Reluctantly, he handed over the key. This was it. Either she would stay with him forever or leave. His heart sank when she pushed the key into the keyhole, but then she hesitated. She turned to him, her gaze uncertain. Then resolve replaced the uncertainty. She pulled the key out and gave it back to him. He smiled and carried her upstairs where he would make her his for eternity.