New home

I'll be closing this blog in a few weeks. Please join me at my new home: Meg Allison, Author, where I've combined both my blog and my website into one. :)


Meg Allison
Indulge your senses...

Beyond the Veil: Betrayal and conflict

Beyond the Veil: Betrayal and conflict: "It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend." (William Blake) Betrayal can create the strongest conflict in any t...

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.

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!

Self-publishing times three

ACCIDENTALLY IN LOVE

(A Blue Plate Special - Pops' Girls short story)

Amelia Wojosowski moved to Glen Meadow to heal her broken heart and start a new life. She never dreamed she'd fall in love with the oh-so-serious and sexy town physician.

Doctor Marty Winston has sworn off pretty waitresses ever since one broke his heart--but he can't resist Amy Jo, despite her penchant for dumping food in his lap.

She's a beautiful accident waiting to happen…no wonder he's falling in love.

Genres: short story; romantic comedy; sexy romance; series romance; contemporary romance.

PRICE: $0.99

For KINDLE

For NOOK

Other Formats at Smashwords


I now have three stories up for sale at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords. (Honestly, I'm beginning to wonder if anyone buys books at Smashwords? No action there, to date.)

Anyhow, things are going well. Not fantastic. I won't be buying a new car anytime soon, but that wasn't really the point. ;)

And the point was...? I wanted to do something with these stories. Stories I spent a lot of time creating and fussing over. Ones I did sell, but that may not have caught the attention of many readers. I actually want to give readers a chance to discover them. These books weren't big sellers their first trip out. My other publisher was very, very tiny. Small presses are a dime a dozen, and let's face it -- it's a BIG Internet out there. ;)

But what to do with published stories? Unless you have a big name, not many pubs will try something already done. Then a friend began talking about her foray into self-publishing. The more she talked, the more I listened. Then I thought: "Why not? Let's give it a shot."

My third story is now available. It's another Blue Plate Special - Pops' Girls story ... a very short story. It can also be considered a sequel to SECOND CHANCES (formerly known as: Learning to Live).

I like the characters because they're real. They're not over-the-top Alphas or "perfect" heroines. They might just live right across the street -- only they don't mind if you peek in the bedroom window. (GGGG)

If you enjoy this or any of my books, I do wish you'd let me know. Leaving a comment or even a review is a wonderful way to pat an author on the back. It will be appreciated. :)

~~Meg

Indulge your senses...
htt://www.megallisonauthor.com

One more time...

I have a few wonderful romances gathering dust on the hard drive. They've been published before, but that small press went belly up some years back. So, I've decided to dust off the stories; shine them up; and publish them myself.

You can find the first two at Amazon, Barnes & Noble (NOOKbooks), or Smashwords. Links to buy are also on my website: http://www.megallisonauthor.com




Romancing Jenny
genre: short and sweet romance/romantic comedy
Cost: $0.99

Jenny wants a little romance in her life, but her current boyfriend, Mark, is romantically challenged. Give him up or put up with it? Jenny has to decide if romance is more important than true love.

AMAZON Kindle

NOOKbooks

Smashwords









Second Chances*

(A Blue Plate Special - Pops' Girls story)
genre: romantic novella/ continuity story/ romance with humor
COST: $1.99

Katie Marie Morrison hides behind a flirtatous mask as she serves burgers and peach cobbler at Pops' Dinner. Her bright smile and sarcastic wit hides the devastating knowledge she was just a one-night-stand for the one man she ever loved.

Jeff McAlester, her only lover, returns home for good. But timing is everything and it's Katie who's now ready to leave. Despite their rekindled love, she doesn't want to stay. Can Jeff, the man with bluer-than-blue eyes and highly-charged kisses, help Katie learn to live a little ... the old fashioned way with a white picket fence and Happily Ever After?

AMAZON Kindle

NOOK books

Smashwords

*formerly titled: Learning to Live

Happy New Year!

The countdown begins...

Or it did a while back, but now it's starting to really bug me. :P

Yes. It's almost Christmas. Almost as in "it's really time to panic if you aren't at least halfway done". Which, I am. Ha! (Glance nervously at list...) I think.

Secretly, I'm hoping the time will fly between now and Christmas Eve -- the last shopping day possible. Why??? Because if I have too many more days left, I'll keep buying... stuff. Yeah, stuff that no one really needs, but it's so darn 'cute' or 'cool' or 'um...whatever'.

Stuff. Heaven knows we have enough of that to go around, and then some. But from what I hear, we are actually very frugal Christmas-gift-givers. Fine, that's a nice way of saying "cheap", but I don't really care. In my not-so-humble opinion, gifts don't have to be expensive or come in huge piles to make people happy. Honestly, you do that too often and you wind up missing the point of the holiday entirely.

That's my two cents, take it or leave it. Actually... just leave it on the table. I'm sure I can at least find a red kettle to drop it into. ;)

~~Meg

Get off my butt!

Really, is there anything more annoying than a tailgater? No, not the dudes in the stadium parking-lot, grilling up steaks and downing beer after beer. (Yeah, okay, so they can be annoying on a whole different level.) I'm talking about those wonderful drivers who like to be less than a cars' length from your tail end no matter how fast you're driving.

I. HATE. That.

I get even more irritated when they do this at night with high beams in operation. Or if they happen to be in a truck and I'm in the car, they may as well have the brights on because they're going to blind me either way.

News flash: If you can see the back of my head because your lights are shining through my rear window, chances are you're blinding me. A blind driver is NOT a safe driver. She's also rather cranky. Make that furious if my kids are with me -- they usually are -- and you're endangering their lives, too.

Oh, and by the way, all tailgaters take note: If you're trying to make me drive faster by sticking to my bumper, chances are it won't work. As a matter of fact, I've even been known to slow down when someone tries that little trick.

So... BACK OFF! And please use some common sense.

Rant over.

~~Meg