Mel vs the Bridge Troll

I warned you. Climbing unpronounceable mountains you have never heard of can be hazardous to your health. Just ask the Bridge Troll: It can cause sky beams to strike the earth (or NY State if you want to be picky) for no particular reason: And it invites alien interest: You’re on your own with the aliens. My job is done here. Who am I? I’m the author Curse Breaker: Enchanted and the soon to be released, Curse Breaker: Enchanted [the More Epic Verion] because who doesn’t want more action, magic and mayhem? My characters do and so will you! Looking for … Continue reading Mel vs the Bridge Troll

Warning!

I’m going hiking with a mysterious entity. With nothing but a cloak, some water, and a really shiny shirt, I will attempt to summit a mountain you have never heard of with an unpronounceable name. I am not responsible for any sky beams or alien invasions that may or may not result from this venture. [Public service announcement ends.] See how it all turned out. Looking for character shenanigans? Find them here. Continue reading Warning!

Characters Crash Cyber Convention (Don’t tell our Author)

Lost? Don’t be. Find previous episodes here. Hi Readers! Sorry for the delay. We, the characters, are still hunting down our author, a shy lady named Melinda.  Before we dive back into the search, here’s a recap. And now back to the hunt: A luminous purple butterfly fluttered past Ran. “What are you?” Of course, the butterfly didn’t answer. He wiped tears from his eyes and extended a finger toward the lovely creature. As it alighted, tiny feet tickled Ran’s finger connecting him to hundreds of other characters. Images flashed across his mind’s eye and he heard a woman’s voice reading his story. … Continue reading Characters Crash Cyber Convention (Don’t tell our Author)

Have You Seen Our Author?

Lost? Don’t be. Find previous episodes here. Hi Readers, Ran put the tablet down. “Where is she?” He crawled under the chaise lounge, but there was no author hiding under it or the bed. Melinda was a tiny thing. Maybe a stiff breeze blew her away? Ran rushed over to the sliding glass door and peered out. Seeing only brick buildings with little to recommend them, his shoulders slumped. Where was their author? He had important tales to tell and she was not here to listen.  The author was supposed to be here writing, not out galavanting around or worse, having her own … Continue reading Have You Seen Our Author?

Characters Review their Author

Lost? Don’t be. Find previous episodes here. Hi Readers! Ran paused fingers poised over the keyboard. A purple glow lit his young face emanating from a portal floating in front of him. It framed a slice of another reality where a thirtyish woman stared at a sheet of paper willing it to disgorge its secrets. “What’s she doing?” When his uncle did not supply an immediate response, Ran tapped his shoulder.  “What’s she doing?” She happened to be Melinda, the elusive author of their storied lives. “Author stuff?” Miren volunteered without giving the floating portal a glance. Ran rolled his eyes at his … Continue reading Characters Review their Author

Heroines Chase Trees

Lost? Don’t be. Find previous episodes here. Thank you so much for your support, birthday wishes and condolences. Thank you.  I am so grateful for your kind words. Unfortunately, my characters can’t come to my web editor today. A blizzard dropped 18″-24″ inches on my tiny apartment on Tuesday. I located my car under all that white stuff and escaped to my office this morning, leaving a horde of characters in the snow. I’m sure my elderly neighbors are getting an eyeful. When I left, a diseased tree was chasing a certain green green eyed character across the ice crusted snow. … Continue reading Heroines Chase Trees

Still playing Tag

Lost? Don’t be. Find previous episodes here. Yesterday NY got creamed by a blizzard. So I spent my day shoveling and there’s still more to shovel. I also loaded up the more epic version of   Curse Breaker: Enchanted into a voice reader app and gave it a listen. I kept in mind our discussion about tag lines and the disjointed synopsis I took a stab at in yesterday‘s post. Know what happened? I heard spots where I could reinforce the tagline with the story and also, parts I could slant a little differently to make it more epic and to … Continue reading Still playing Tag

Tag you’re it! 

Lost? Don’t be. Find previous episodes here. Okay, yesterday I worked on taglines, aka the “hook.” This is what I came up with: When magic turns to murder, who do you call? Curse Breaker: Enchanted is at its heart a mystery as well as epic fantasy. Two groups of hikers are found dead at the beginning. One of them was a child. The crime scenes are located in the enchanted forest. But wait! The enchanted forest has three rules: No fires No blades (no cutting trees down) No harming children Break any of those rules and the forest will kill … Continue reading Tag you’re it! 

Battle of the Pixels

Lost? Don’t be. Find previous episodes here. Why the obsession with cover designs? Because I learned the hard way that before the book is done, you gotta think about how to market it. In fact, it’s best to consider the cover/blurbs/marketing before you start the book. Since Curse Breaker: Faceted is a crossover novel, it will lead right into both Curse Breaker: Haunted and Ride the Darkness. Ride the Darkness is the first book in a related series. So I need a visual and marketing direction for it. No pressure right? Oh, and I am re-editing and re-releasing Curse Breaker: … Continue reading Battle of the Pixels

Curse Breaker: Enchanted (More Epic Version) Chap 1

Lost? Don’t be. Find previous episodes here. Curse Breaker: Enchanted (The More Epic Version) Chapter 1 Unnatural, shrieked his magic seconds before an invisible fist punched Sarn. Struck from behind, he tripped on the uneven ground. Sarn bounced off one of those damned statues—they were everywhere—and its marble arm slammed into his chest. What’s unnatural? Pressing a hand to his aching brow, Sarn wobbled when his head map pushed outward, exploding from a two-dimensional, icon-rich line drawing into a three-dimensional wire frame. What just happened—some sort of backlash? A sea of non-magical humanity shuffled past jostling him. Had they felt … Continue reading Curse Breaker: Enchanted (More Epic Version) Chap 1

Death, Editing and Birthdays, Oh My!

Lost? Don’t be. Find previous episodes here. Hi Readers, I’m sorry for not writing you. I promised to let a certain character have his say, and I didn’t. Last week I was a wreck. My cousin disappeared and was found dead three days later, shattering our family. May he rest in peace. Standing by my cousin’s coffin, I wished I had reached out. Maybe if I had, he wouldn’t have he sought release at the end of a noose. That day, I lost my sister all over again. Grief stabbed me, shredding my heart. I went through the motions until my eye caught on a … Continue reading Death, Editing and Birthdays, Oh My!

RIP

Some sad poetic musings inspired by the Poets of Twitter who tirelessly post prompts. Thank you for providing a frame to express the grief, anger, and inevitable questions raised by a loved one’s suicide. – – – RIP Rest in peace– those who have fallen, those who hang, those who lie six feet underground. – – – Questions for the Damned You who traded your pillow for a headstone, a coffin of silk, or an ash-filled urn– was it worth it? Did your pain end when life ebbed? – – – Musings on Suicide Strangled by his twisted halo, he … Continue reading RIP

The Story Behind the Story

Lost? Don’t be. Find previous episodes here. As I write this, a certain character is pacing around my apartment shooting looks ranging from disgruntled to outright pleading. (He wanted to talk to you.) But I’m the author, so he’ll have to wait until next week. Anyway, I wanted to take a moment to thank you for signing up for my newsletter and sticking it out despite the takeovers and character mayhem. I am grateful for your time and attention especially today. Writing this email to you is keeping my mind off the tragic death of my sister three years ago. She was … Continue reading The Story Behind the Story