Beyond the Veil: Midnight confessions...

Beyond the Veil: Midnight confessions...: First confession: I don't write erotic romance. Still with me? Good. Because I do write great stories -- they just happen to be what is, I...

Indie-author interview

I interviewed best-selling Indie-author, Tori Scott. Check it out at Beyond the Veil! Also, post a comment for a chance to win a download of her latest novel, the paranormal romance Superstition.

Have a great day!

~~Meg

My new enabler

My family gave me a Kindle for Christmas. I've been having so much fun! I haven't read this much in ages, even though I have plenty of books in the house. I also love the games.

I have found the Kindle is a wonderful device. Will I give up print books completely? Probably not. Those are still my first love. However, there are some great things about ebooks and having an actual reader.

1. Instant gratification. Want a book? Press a button, confirm, it's there. Wow. :)

2. Hides my tbr pile. No one complains about all the books taking up room on the table; dresser; desk; etc. No puzzled looks when I bring another one home and add it to the heap. They can't see what's on my Kindle. (hehe)

3. Discovering new authors and stories. This is my fave part of all! So many writers; so little time. I love being able to browse, read excerpts and reviews, and then buy a book I might not notice otherwise.

4. Cost, of course. I'm a thrifty person, aka cheap. I love free books. I love cheaper books. Yes, I'll pay more for a writer I know I love, but I'm a bit conservative with the unknowns out there. Ebooks are usually a less expensive way to take a chance on something/someone new.

Yeah, I really like my Kindle Touch. It's fun; it's a diversion; and it enables my reading addiction perfectly. ;)

~~Meg Allison

Indulge your senses...
www.megallisonauthor.com

A moment of clarity

I love those "Ah-ha!" moments. Suddenly, out of the blue, something that should have been obvious lights a bulb within the gray matter. In other words: I get it!

I get these insights every now and then. In one case, the meaning of something I had read many times over became more clear. It had a deeper meaning -- one I hadn't previously considered. In other cases, these moments involve how to do something more efficiently or effectively.

This clarity doesn't come with force or magic. It seems to come when I least expect.

For instance, I've been stuck -- good and stuck -- in a certain story. I know where it goes, but it doesn't 'sing'. Then I started to wonder about other stories I've published. Why is one more popular with readers than another? Obviously, the sub genre and plot are big factors. But there's one aspect I hadn't thought about in a while: Where should it start?

I believe something as simple as where you begin a story makes all the difference. But I've forgotten about that over time. I've let that notion take a backseat to figuring out the plot, motivation, and sequence of events. Not to mention the choreography of love and fight scenes.

Where you begin is almost as important as where you end a story. Most readers won't invest a lot of time in wading through paragraphs of description and back story to get to the meat of the piece. They want to jump into a novel with both feet and be completely drawn under.

So, there you have it. That may be part of the pull one book has over another -- particularly in these days of "click to look inside". It only takes seconds to read the first pages of almost any book. Did the writer grab you that fast? If not, chances are you won't buy it read the rest.

I've re-opened the current wip. I sliced three paragraphs off the beginning. Hopefully, by the time I'm through, the words will really sing.

Rainy, Rambly Mondays

"Rainy days and Mondays always get me down."

Sound familiar? Maybe not, if you're under the age of ... maybe 40? LOL! It's a line from an old Carpenters song that was very popular years ago. A song I always wind up singing along with -- on those rare occasions that I hear it played -- because I remember most of the words. Nostalgia times a hundred, in this case. :)

I remember songs from way back -- from catchy jingles, to Christmas carols, classic top 40, and classic rock. True confession: I even remember most of the School House Rock songs. I can recite the Preamble to the Constitution only if you let me sing it. ;)

Anyway, I've been wondering if that might be the reason one of my short stories seems to be catching on at Barnes and Noble? Do readers see the title and immediately think of Counting Crows? (It's titled for the group's popular song, Accidentally in Love.)

The song inspired the story, actually. I had two characters in mind, and the setting, since it was part of the Blue Plate Special - Pops' Girls series. I listened to that song played over and over and over, ad nauseum, while I wrote. I hummed it as I did laundry. Sang it in the shower... so much so that dd2 begged me to stop. LOL! And it was from her CD. ;)

Songs frequently inspire my writing. All my characters have at least one 'theme song'. All my stories have a sound track.

Which might be the problem with my recent writer's block -- besides being lazy, that is. ;) I haven't really set a sound track up for this story. I have one song set in stone, but I haven't listened to it lately. I think I know what my next step should be.

Meanwhile, I have a dark, rainy Monday outside my window. Instead of letting it get me down, I think I'll let it inspire me, instead.

~~Meg

Table for Two, ready to read

Finally finished my edits and revisions for TABLE FOR TWO.

This story was originally published with By Grace Publishing. It actually received quite a number or wonderful reviews -- however, because of the publisher's issues at that time (namely, going out of business), only a handful of reviewers ever read the story. No other readers had a real chance to buy it. Until now. :)

Table for Two
(A Harris Grove story)
(C)2011 Meg Allison

Love is found in unexpected places.

Sandra Larsen and David Jenkins have nothing in common—except that their best friends just got married.

Despite their petty bickering and sarcastic barbs, David has fallen head-over-heels for the feisty restaurant critic. He has one week to convince her they should share a permanent table for two.

$1.99/ available at

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Smashwords

The editing dilemma

I'm working on the next story in my Harris Grove series. These are the final, refining edits -- and maybe a little re-writing. I really don't like this part.

The main problem? I wrote the story quite a while ago -- and with a particular audience in mind. Now that audience has changed since that publisher closed its doors. My style of writing isn't precisely the same, either. It's not a drastic change, but it isn't the same.

Every time an author writes, they refine their style or voice. Which is hopefully what I've done. However, I also have a slightly different voice when I write comedy over suspense. I have to get back into light and funny mode. Not always an easy transition.

Now, back to the story at hand: Table for Two. It's light; funny; sweet. Yeah, I'm really not sure it completely works. It seems too old-school. Too 1950s? No, that's not necessarily a bad thing, but I can't backtrack when it comes to voice. I want to keep refining until I just can't find anything to change. I want this story to reflect that.

But this story... I don't know. I like it. I'm finding it a challenge. And at the moment, it's kicking my butt.

Wish me luck!