Winter romance with a twist

I've released a winter anthology of four short stories -- all romance; two with a paranormal edge. For those who prefer sweeter stories -- ie, no sex scenes -- these are parked right in your comfort zone. ;)

Snow Kissed
a romantic anthology
(c)2012 Meg Allison

Only $0.99!

Four short stories of romance set in the cold winter months…

Winter’s Kiss
A Christmas Eve blizzard brings a stranded motorist to Jake Blackthorn’s garage. Or has fate brought them together?

Spirits of Christmas
(a Sentinels story)
Her first Christmas Eve as a married woman, Camille Bryant finds herself alone and uncertain. What will the future bring for her and her new husband, Ian Spain? Maybe the spirits can tell.

Gwen’s Resolution
(a Harris Grove story)
Gwen Josephs is tired of acting the lonely spinster—especially on New Year’s Eve. She’s taking her happiness and her future in her own two hands. Maybe a little small town magic will do the rest.

Charmed
Nora is psychic, but doesn’t believe in romance or the magic of Valentine’s Day. Then an old flame asks for romantic advice, and she begins to think she may have been too hasty.

For Kindle 

For Nook

Smashwords

Happy Holidays!

Meg Allison
http://www.megallisonauthor.com

The Next Big Thing

I've been invited by my friend, Tori Scott, to participate in the Next Big Thing blog series.

What is your working title of your book?

 
I'm currently working on two books, but the one that's almost done is titled: At Second Sight.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

The book is one of my series, The Sentinels. The idea came to me from a secondary character in my first Sentinels novel, Dream Walk. I knew Samantha Bays deserved to be a heroine in her own right -- she's smart; feisty; and has some unusual gifts. While contemplating her story, I discovered her hero: a graphic artist with the ability to draw the future.

What genre does your book fall under?

This novel is a paranormal romantic suspense, like the rest of the Sentinels stories.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

I would cast Russel Wong as my hero, Nathan Toshio Quinn. I'd probably cast Amy Adams as my heroine, Samantha Bays. 

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

When Samantha's dream-lover walks into her life, they must unmask a serial killer before Samantha becomes the next victim.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I plan to submit it to Samhain Publishing, which published Dream Walk. We'll see what happens at that point. :)

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

Let's just say, it's taken a while to get this far. But I've been working on other projects intermittently, including the Sentinel's novel, BROKEN, which I self-published.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Some recurring characters from my Sentinels series make an appearance in At Second Sight. You'll also get to meet some of Samantha's five brothers -- all of them who would make wonderful heroes in their own stories.  :)  I already have an idea brewing for her oldest brother, the good-looking homicide detective, Adam Bays.

To continue The Next Big Thing blog tour, visit A. Catherine Noon's Blog and see what she's working on. :)

kate rothwell: words words words

kate rothwell: words words words: When I was 13, I was targeted by a physical bully. I don’t recall how long he went after me, more than a week, less than a month, probably. ...

Beyond the Veil: Bumps in the night

Beyond the Veil: Bumps in the night: Have you seen a shadow move?  Have you heard an odd noise -- maybe a voice from nowhere?  Have you ever felt as if you were being watched? F...

My BROKEN inspiration...

This past week I released my second full-length paranormal romance, BROKEN.  It's my 'unofficial' second book in my series, The Sentinels. Unofficial, because I intend to market the rest of the stories with Samhain Publishing where the series first found a home.

BROKEN was a hard sell in many ways, the hardest being that it is actually a pre-quel. It occurs some time before its predecessor, DREAM WALK. Yes, there's method to my madness. While you can read them in any order, BROKEN does give away at least one important part of the first story. But it's also a story that needs to be told in order to understand an element that will crop up in the last two novels. :)

No. I'm not telling. You'll have to wait and read them to find out. ;)

Where did the story title come from? It originally had a different name, but I had to change that. I like to pick titles that have a double meaning, if I can. Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn't. With BROKEN, it worked beautifully. Both the hero and heroine are 'broken' spirits, particularly the hero. They find each other at a dark moment in life and then proceed to overcome obstacles -- internal and external -- with each other's help. Isn't that how relationships should be?

As with most of my books and short stories, this one has a very definite soundtrack and one all-encompassing theme song. Enjoy:

 

To read more, click on any of the above links. Or you can buy BROKEN (a Sentinels novel) now at Amazon.com , Barnes&Noble , or Smashwords.

 

~~Meg

Beyond the Veil: Steampunk, gaslight,... huh?

Beyond the Veil: Steampunk, gaslight,... huh?: I enjoy steampunk style stories, although I've only read a few. Honestly, I don't fully understand all the nuances involved in the genre. Bu...

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.