Indie-kissing Blogfest

For this blogfest, hosting by The Indelibles, I'm posting a kissing scene from Affairs of the Dead. I think I've shared this before, but I haven't reached any kissing in my WIP yet so this will have to do!

Selene and Micah kiss:

His hand around mine was strong, and the strength was very appealing. Where Andrew’s touch carried a crushing strength, Micah’s seemed more like a supporting strength.

“Then I guess I’m not going to help matters by doing this…” Micah moved forward, slipped his hand around my neck, and kissed me.

I was shocked for only a split second before my body rippled in pleasure from the feel of his lips on mine, and I closed my eyes and gave myself over to the kiss. Micah pulled me closer, careful of my slung arm, and deepened the kiss. His tongue whispered across my lips like he was asking rather than demanding, and I found this thrilling.

I opened my mouth, and when our tongues brushed, his hands slid up my back under my shirt. He groaned low in his throat and cupped my face, sliding his fingers through my hair. I arched my head back as he planted whisper soft kisses down my neck that literally made my toes curl. He moved his mouth back to mine and kissed me slow and deep, as though he was taking his time to explore the contours of my mouth. It was a novelty to me after months of having my mouth roughly savaged by Andrew, along with my body.

I had thought the way things were with Andrew had been the perfect scenario, but now I realized I had just never been kissed like this before—like the person on the other end of the kiss was it in for more than just the pleasure it brought him. There was a strength and intensity in the way Micah held me, possessively, but not like he thought he owned me, more like he was afraid I would slip away from him. 

The Unfinished Words

As I chug through my WIP, I started thinking about my writing process and how it changes depending on the book, and what affects whether I finish something or not. Last year I wrote three books and I wrote them all with record speed. This WIP has been much slower, and I always find myself thinking that when I get past a certain number of words the novel has a good chance of being finished. With this project I'm past 25k and am still invested in the story even if I'm not writing lightening fast, but that also doesn't mean this will be a novel I finish. Last year I started writing a PNR that I was really excited about, but it remains unfinished around 21k, and I had thought I passed the point where I was more likely to finish it than not.

Maybe I have writer ADD, maybe all writers do. I have quite a few projects that are unfinished (as I'm sure all writers do), and I don't think there's anything wrong with that, I think it's to be expected actually. It's normal to get fired up about something only to lose steam later on, just as it's normal to get fired up about something and see it to the end. I think the real problem would be if I didn't finish anything at all. And I realized that this isn't only restricted to my writing; I have books I stopped reading, video games I haven't completed, as well as drawings and paintings waiting to be done. But that's just how it goes sometimes, especially with creative people I think. For me, my attention is always being pulled in different directions on a whim, and sometimes I get tired of one thing and just want to try something new. And I think there can be beauty in the unfinished; the possibility will always be there, and sometimes that's nice to wonder about. And who knows, maybe the spark for some of those unfinished things will come back and they'll find their ending. Or their purpose could have just been a jumping point to launch me into something else.

So, I don't find myself disappointed with my unfinished projects, at least the possibility of them will always be there for a rainy day.

This and That

I've sort of dropped the ball with blogging in the new year, I've had a lot going on, in just about every aspect of my life, and didn't have much heart for blogging. Hoping that will change, I'm going to actively remind myself that I have a blog and find things to blog about damn it! Anyway, here's a little update on my writing life.

I spent January working on editing Affairs of the Dead. I still don't have a release date for it yet, but I'm fairly certain it will come on in the spring, which I am of course excited about. Working with my editor was pretty painless, thankfully, and I think the book is being whipped into even better shape. I sent it back a couple days ago and can't wait until we have a final product. In the meantime I think I will sink my teeth back into the YA project I started in December but put on the back burner to work on Affairs. This one won't be one of my knock out in ten days books however, definitely more along the lines of slow and steady, but I'm itching to write, and excited to be working on a YA novel after so many adult Urban Fantasies. I'm having a  lot of fun with it.

Oh, and I also created an author page for Affairs of the Dead, would love for you all to check it out and add it to your TBR list, I promise it's awesome =)

Goodreads Author Page

The Next Big Thing Bloghop

I was tagged by Marie Hall to participate in the Next Big Thing Bloghop, so here goes!

1. What is the working title of your book? Affairs of the Dead

2. Where did the idea come from for the book? One day a random thought about "helping the dead" popped into my mind and I started thinking about a world where ghosts hung around because they had unfinished business and the MC being one of the people who had to help them so they could cross over (kinda sounds like Ghost Whisperer, I know). That was the basic idea but it evolved into a lot more

3. What genre does your book fall under? Adult Urban Fantasy

4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? Ha, I'm not good with questions like this, too much thinking involved. I really don't know, never seriously thought about it!

5. What is a one sentence synopsis of your book? Help ghosts, stop a murdering body thief, try not to die - that's some checklist for necromancer Selene

6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? Affairs will be published later this year by Etopia Press

7. How long did it take to write the first draft of your manuscript? Ten days

8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? Any other fun, kick ass urban fantasy that's out there!

9. Who or What inspired you to write this book? My imagination =)

10. What else about your book might pique the reader's interest? Ahh, I hate talking up my own stuff, so here's a description of it, hopefully it will pique your interest enough to want to read it when it comes out!

Necromancer Selene Vanream helps ghosts settle their affairs so they can fade to the afterlife. However, after her rule breaking methods of helping her clients lands her in trouble, she’s downgraded to tracking ghosts who hide out, since ghosts that linger too long become murderous beasties. And here Selene thought having an affair with the boss would get her out of trouble, not into it.

While tracking, Selene finds Ethan, a ghost who claims he was kicked out of his body and someone else jumped in. Reanimation, the power to resurrect the dead using souls of the living, would be the most likely explanation if only it added up to how Ethan became a ghost. What’s worse, partnered with Micah -- a one night stand who turned hostile after --, Selene investigates murders where Ethan’s stolen body is pinpointed as the culprit.

When Selene accidentally binds herself to Ethan, she suddenly has very personal reasons to get his body back. That’s because being ghost bound incurs the Rot, and will eventually kill her due to constant exposure to ghost energy. Throw in a shifting relationship with Micah and a suddenly possessive boss, and Selene will learn just how much trouble you can get into when you don’t follow the rules.

I've tagged Kelley Lynn, so make sure you check out her post next week. She's a YA author and her novel Fraction of Stone will be published in March!

Flashback Blog Hop

To help Fel Wetzig celebrate her blog anniversary, I'm participating in her Flashback Blog hop where we're supposed to look back on our blog posts for the last year and find something we'd like to share (or re-share I guess!) I choose a piece I wrote for Rachael Harrie's Platform Building Campaign last March:

Silence fell through my Hands and Crashed at my Feet

We sit here together, and the only thing to cover us and keep us safe

is something that’s also on its way to decay.

We’ve become monsters who can only hide in the shadows

while children who can still dream play in the sun.

A long time ago the bubble burst and there was nothing there to catch us

so we shattered into a million shards.

Like forlorn souls, we sift through the wreckage

trying to find pieces of ourselves, but we’ve fallen too far.

I close my eyes as you stroke my hair, 

but instead of darkness, all I can see is fractured light;

a memory of all the things we let fall through our hands.

Looking forward to reading everyone's flashbacks!

The Mating Game Bloghop

So, I'm participating in this fun blog hop and have chosen Selene and Micah from Affairs of the Dead as the couple to answer the questions. I had a lot of fun with this because I hadn't really been inside these guy's heads for a while.

What would your character do if the one they wanted was terrified of their feelings and pushed them away?

S: I feel like whoever asked this question crawled into your head and pulled it out, Micah.

M: Selene…seriously…

S: Oh come on, don’t you think this completely hits the mark? You were oh so head over heels in love with me, but instead of telling me you decided to go the route of a first grader and be mean to me. I think that qualifies as you being ‘terrified’ of your feelings and ‘pushing me away.’

M: I was just trying to protect myself.

S: Yes, you went into your shell like a scared little turtle.

M: Would you give it a rest?

S: I love my little turtle!

M: Ugh...

Tells us about a memorable experience you shared together.

S: Are we talking good memories or bad memories here?

M: How about we aim for good?

S: But there are so few of those…

M: Selene!

S: Kidding! I think one of my favorite memories of us was when you kissed me after I got injured and you drove my car home and brought take out.

M: I was thinking of that night too.

S: It was the first time I had ever felt like I was kissing someone who really cared about me and didn't just want me for a moment.

M: I want you forever Selene, you know that.

S: I do.

What is one of the roadblocks standing in the way of you getting together?

M: I’d say the fact that Selene was having an affair with our married boss was something of a roadblock...

S: What about the fact that I’m bound to a cutie college boy ghost?

M: Seriously Selene?

S: Just trying to lighten the mood.

M: You failed.

S: I know. But come on, who doesn’t like a challenge?

M: These are so not the normal kinds of relationship challenges…

S: Normal is boring!

So, how would your characters describe the other person, using only one word at a time?

S: Turtle

M: Exasperating

S: Snail

M: Reckless (Selene, stop naming animals with shells!)

S:  (Fine!) Strong

M: Beautiful

S: Loyal

M: Brave

S: Understanding

M: Powerful

What was the first thing your main characters noticed about each other?

S: That every girl in the office wanted to get in his pants

M: That’s really your answer?

S: No, Micah dear. The first thing I noticed about you was how beautiful your eyes are. They are the weapons you used to draw all the women in the office to you.

M: And the first thing I noticed about you is how absolutely reckless you are.

S: That’s really your answer?

M: Yes.

S: Micah!
M: You’re reckless, but you do whatever it takes to get the job done no matter the consequences to yourself. You are never afraid to take risks and I’ve always admired that about you.

S: You are gonna get so lucky tonight.

The Mark of a Writer

As far as my story of why I wanted to be a writer, or how long I've wanted to be one, I'm not going to say my story is very different from a lot of others out there. There's the usual mantra "been writing all my life, always knew I wanted to write etc etc." I'm definitely a part of that; writing has been the one thing I have stuck with, and I don't see that ever changing. I know that no matter how difficult it has been and will continue to be trying to make it as an author, I will never lose my passion for it, and it's something I wanted to celebrate. I guess if I want to be poetic I could say writing is in my bones, and now it's on my skin.

A couple weeks ago I got my first tattoo, and it's a tattoo that symbolizes the thing I love to do most. I had thought about it for quite some time; getting a tattoo is not something I'd do on a whim since it's, you know, permanent, and I told myself that when I got an agent or a book deal, that would be the perfect time to get the tattoo. So when I found out that my book would be published by Etopia Press, I was excited for more than one reason. And now I have it, and I absolutely love it, and I think it will be good motivation for me on my down days, and a good reminder of who I am; a writer. No matter where my writing goes or doesn't go, I am a writer and that will never change.

So here it is! It's an abstract Quill Pen, on my wrist. Of course the tattoo had to be something writerly =)