Hi Everyone, 

It's a constant waiting game when you publish, and I'm tired of telling you all "No", so I've decided to post the first four chapters for everyone to enjoy. Scroll over to "more..." at the top, and you'll see the "Sneak Peeks" section in the drop-down box. Keep in mind, there may be a mistake or two (we are still in the last proofing/design stage), however, I can't wait any longer!! 

Feel free to leave a comment here, too. I'd love to hear what you think! 

Happy reading,


M. 

Hi Everyone,

I'm going to make this short and sweet.

This month I learned that Beneath the Surface placed third in the YA/Inspirational category of East Texas RWA's Southern Heat writing contest. This is super exciting news because the results will also be posted on East Texas RWA's website, as well as the next issue of RWA magazine. That sort of exposure is everything I could hope for, and more.  Just this past ten days, I've had more hits on my website than I usually do in an entire month.

I hope that means you're looking forward to my book release. :)

Take care, and have a great week!

M.

Hi Everyone, 

I'm thrilled that Scene Hunt Sunday is back!!

Let me start off by saying that originally I'd planned on doing this twice a month. However, my family comes first, as you know, and what I've decided to do is promise to post one "Scene Hunt Sunday" every month or two. The places described in book two are going to be mostly from my head, the others will be places you may have already visited or seen from previous SHS's, so it's really not necessary (nor do I have the diversity of scenes) to post more than that--not to mention, I'd rather not bore you. 

Okay, let's do this!!

This past week, my family and I camped at one of my all-time favourite spots, Bridal Falls Camperland; for the Canada Day long-weekend, it was a real treat. Not just for my family (because we love camping so much), but because I've always known that something big in my malion series happens here. Something huge. 

The path to Bridal Veil Falls is not really that steep, and from the campground it's about a ten minute walk. But this weekend, I decided to take my sweet time, and a tonne of photos. Heading into the forest on our way to the falls, the temperature drops while the elevation rises; on a stifling hot weekend, we were thankful. When you finally get to the waterfall, it is literally breathtaking. For those who are so inclined, you can actually climb up much closer to the fall, which I did (though I know it's looked poorly upon by the rangers, but I had to); I wanted to experience the scene that I know will happen with as much clarity as I could, background noise included. 

Not to reveal any spoilers, I can't exactly tell you what will happen with Liss and the malions at Bridal Veil falls, but I can tell you that this scene will happen in book four, Rise Above.

Anyway, if you're in the Hope area of British Columbia, I highly recommend the short hike to Bridal Falls. On a hot day it's cool, not to mention its sheer elegance. 

Take care and enjoy the photos below, 

M. 

Hi Everyone, 

Well, I must say, this has been a whirlwind of a year.  I've been a poor excuse for a writer in the last ten months, as I've had to put my malion series on hold.  I did try several times to stay up late and work on Beyond the Borders, but moving, being between houses and seeing very little of my husband took a grand toll on my energy level. I also didn't have a "writing room", because my computer was set up temporarily in the middle of my kids playroom, which doesn't work. When I do write, I need a lot of quiet and time to concentrate (all part of my dyslexia and being unable to read or write with any sort of background noise). At the end of May, however, our house was finally ready to be lived in, and I gave myself a personal deadline of six weeks to get back to writing. June was also a very busy month for my children, as the majority of field trips and get-togethers happen at that time. 



So what did I do in the last ten months that pertained to writing? 


1. I plotted like crazy. I carried a notebook in my purse and solidified the plot for Beyond the Borders. Writing it will be so much easier now, because I know (at least I think I know) exactly what will happen from beginning to end. 


2. I started a Twitter account and learned the beauty of connecting with so many people at one time. I have to say, I love Twitter. My favourite part is learning about up and coming books and people's new releases. It's such a treat all around. 


3. I signed on with Friesen Press to self-publish my book. I learned last year that I needed some serious help, and they have been wonderful. I highly recommend them, by the way. 


4. I entered Beneath the Surface in a few writing contests. The latest contest, "Southern Heat", from the East Texas Romance writers, earned BTS an "Honourable Mention". That was fantastic news. Even better was when the coordinator tweeted me and said that she thought I should have place higher. Wow! Love her for saying that.  Let me tell you: I totally re-tweeted it!


Now this may not seem like a lot, but as a mom with two young children, life is busy. Without my husband around to help, and living in my parents house (God love them, they put up with the four of us for nine months!), something needed to be put on the back-burner. Unfortunately, it was my writing. However, I'm happy to say that we are finally settled, and I am taking the last six months of the year to draft Beyond the Borders. Beneath the Surface is almost ready for publication (we're down to the nitty-gritty details), and it won't require too much more of my time at night. 


What I'd like to do, now that I'm back, officially, is write on my blog once a month. Any more than that and I'd been taking more time than I'd like away from my writing and family. Once a month, or every second month, I'll also be continuing "Scene Hunt Sunday", when time permits (I actually have one ready for you today, which I'll be posting next). I love to share the scenes my characters take me to, with you. It makes the story feel so much more real for me, and I really want you to have the same experience.  


Stay tuned for my next post, I just need to upload the photos I took this past weekend from our camping trip onto my computer. I'm so excited to share it with you!

M.