"Release" Blog Tour: Guest Post and GIVEAWAY with M.R. Merrick

Today I am excited to be a part of M.R. Merrick's "Release" blog tour! Matt has been kind enough to stop by and tell us a bit about his writing process. 

My Writing Style

Everybody has their own style and method to writing, but I’m still trying to nail mine down. I’ve found something different that has worked for each book I’ve written, but doesn’t necessarily apply when I start the next one.

With Exiled, I had an idea in my head and I wrote until I’d gotten it out. As the series progressed however, that same method wouldn’t work. I put Chase, Rayna, and company on a big journey in Exiled, and I couldn’t expect myself to flounder through it for the entire series. For Shift I used a full outline. It veered off the path from time to time, but for the most part, it stayed committed to my original ideas.

Release is where things really started to change. I had a full outline written for the book, but I struggled a lot while writing it. The outline was there, the story was ready to be told, but it just wasn’t working. When I finally realized the outline was the problem, I fought with myself trying to fix it. That didn’t work either. The story didn’t truly come to life until I just let myself go and wrote. The truly major plot points stayed, of course, but the road to getting there changed drastically and in my opinion, it changed for the better.

I’m currently writing the final book in the series and I’m having trouble outlining even a little bit of it. I know everything that needs to happen, I know the plot points I need to close off, and the character arcs that needs to turn, but plotting seems impossible. I plot a few chapters ahead, but then I hit a wall, so I go back and start writing what I know I have to work on and then come back to it later.

The fourth book is the last book in the series, and writing this one feels like I’m tackling an entirely new beast. I realize now that it is. Each book is a different entity and as such, needs to be treated so. While some writers can plot everything before they write a word, others will never plot a thing. I don’t think either approach is wrong, but what I think is important is finding the approach that works for you.

I’ve realized that my style is somewhere in the middle. Sometimes I need the outline to nail down the details and put on paper exactly where I want to go. But in some cases, the story wants to tell itself. It doesn’t want me going into each chapter knowing the outcome. It wants me to experience it with my characters. And sometimes, that’s the approach that evokes the rawest emotions from me.

One thing is for certain, I no longer push one method or the other. When one route doesn’t work, I don’t stress out about it, I simply continue down a different path. I always start out trying to outline my novels first, but if it’s not working, I’ve found some of my best work comes from just “letting it all go” on the page. After all, that’s what first drafts are for. You can clean up any errors, fix plot points, and adjust character development at any point in your editing process. What’s important, first and foremost, is telling your story. If you don’t get it down on the page, you can’t edit it and turn it into something completely fresh. The first draft has no rules, so a writer has to take advantage of that. Just write, have fun, and take yourself on an adventure.

From Goodreads: "After uniting the shifters and calling in reinforcements, Chase has to face his toughest challenge yet: learning to control his emotions. But as tensions rise and his powers grow, controlling his emotions becomes the least of his problems.

Terrorized by a multi-shifter who is hell-bent on turning him, Chase questions just how far he’s willing to go to stop his father. Meanwhile, Tiki’s virtuous nature has placed him in the middle of Vincent’s past, leaving Chase to oppose a senate of vampires and defend a demon he hates.

Trying to balance his friends, his enemies, and his inner demons, Chase is left searching for answers about the Mark, his destiny, and where he can find the next soul piece. Stopping Riley is his top priority, but as more obstacles arise, he finds himself doubting all the decisions he’s made - especially regarding Rayna.

One thing is for certain: Chase has finally realized that he doesn’t know anything. The light doesn’t always quell the darkness, the monsters don’t always stay in the shadows, and the past doesn’t always stay in the past - sometimes, the demons inside are the hardest to fight."

About the Author: M.R. Merrick is a Canadian writer, and author of Exiled, the first installment in The Protector Series. Having never traveled, he adventures to far off lands through his imagination and in between cups of coffee. As a music lover and proud breakfast enthusiast, he's usually found at the computer, between a pair of headphones and in front of a large bowl of cereal.

 As part of the blog tour Matt and Valerie (from Stuck in Books) have prepared some AMAZING giveaways!

Grande Prize Pack (3 Winners)
3x Signed paperbacks (Exiled, Shift, Release)
3x Signed 8x10 posters (Exiled, Shift, Release)
5x Bookmarks
1x Notebook (Winner’s choice of cover)
1x Magnet

Runner-up Prize Pack (5 Winners)
1x Signed paperback (Winner’s choice of Exiled, Shift, or Release) with signed poster
1x bookmark (Winner’s choice)
1x Magnet

Secondary Prizes A (10 Winners)
Release eBooks

Secondary Prize B (10 Winners)
1x bookmark (winner’s choice)
1x The Protector magnet

Winners will be chosen as follows: First 3 names drawn from Rafflecopter will get the grand prize. The following 5 names get the runner-up prize. The following 10 names win ebook copies of Release, and the final 10 names win the swag pack.

There will also be multiple opportunities to win signed paperbacks, signed posters, notebooks, swag packs, and bookmarks throughout the tour on both Twitter (@MRMerrick) and Stuck in Books's Facebook Page .


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Guest Post: Author Jessie Harrell

Today I am excited to have author Jessie Harrell stop by the blog to tell us a bit about her book "Destined"!

Since my book baby, Destined, is turning a year old tomorrow (*sniff* where has the time gone?) – and since it’s set in ancient Greece – I thought I’d share with you a factiod about birthdays in ancient Greece: They didn’t celebrate them.

What? No cake and ice cream?

Nope. In fact, the Greeks considered the day of one’s birth a “dirty day.” Certainly not cause for celebration. At least, it wasn’t a cause for celebration for mere mortals. The gods on the other hand… well, let’s get the party started. For example, Artemis got a birthday party every lunar month since she was the moon goddess. She was brought round cakes (shaped like the moon) , alight with candles to represent the moon’s glow. (I sense the beginnings of a tradition here…)

So, that being the case – gods got celebrated and mortals don’t – how would a mortal/immortal couple spend the mortal’s birthday? Surely a love-struck god would want to shower his beloved with attention. Or at least I chose to think so. Here’s how I imagined Eros (a/k/a Aris - at this point, he’s in disguise and Psyche doesn’t know who he really is) and Psyche spending her birthday ~

That evening, I sat on the bed and watched the sun set behind the gardens, casting a glow of brilliant oranges and reds across the landscape. Just as he had done the past two nights, Aris’s darkened form flew in through the window. My breath caught in the back of my throat as I gazed at the obviously powerful creature now standing before me.

He didn’t speak right away, then cleared his throat. “Sorry about passing out on you last night. Not exactly how I’d planned things to go.”

I shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. Seriously. You obviously needed the rest. I didn’t mind.”

“Yeah, well, I felt like I did all the talking last night and I want to know more about you. I already know my past.”

“I thought you already knew everything about me.” I couldn’t help the playful barb; I probably even threw in an eyelash flutter for good measure.

He chuckled and I heard fabric shifting under his personal cloud. “I don’t know nearly enough. So I figured you could tell me everything -- over cake.”

I took the package he held out to me. Once I’d untied the string and pulled away the cloth wrapping, I saw an amazing-looking cheesecake.

“Happy birthday to you,” he sang in a low voice.

“How’d you know?” I asked.

“I figured it was something I ought to remember.” He cleared his throat again. “I hope you like cheesecake.”

“Who doesn’t?” I slid onto the stool at my vanity, pulling the cake closer and breaking off a piece to pop into my mouth.

He stopped my hand before I could indulge. “Wait… this game has rules.”

I looked at him with narrowed eyes. Since when does eating cheesecake have rules?

“I want one fact for every bite,” he said. “Talk first, eat second.”

Reluctantly, I backed the cake away from my already-parted lips. If he wanted to make a game out of this information exchange, who was I to complain?

So, yes, I took some liberties with past traditions in an effort to ensure Eros comes across as romantic as possible. And if you think a surprise cake is sweet, just wait till you see what else he has in store for Psyche. If you’d like to know more, here’s the back cover blurb:

When Psyche receives a prophecy gone horribly wrong, she learns that even the most beautiful girl in Greece can have a hideous future. Her fate? Fall in love with the one creature even the gods fear.

As she feels herself slipping closer into the arms of the prophecy, Psyche must choose between the terrifyingly tender touch she feels almost powerless to resist and the one constant she's come to expect out of life: you cannot escape what is destined.

About the Author: By day, I'm an appellate lawyer. By night, I'm a wife, mother of two, and author/lover of all things Greek mythology. I'm a native Floridian, frustrated world traveler, unrepentant dreamer, lover of acoustic music and not-so-closet geek. Destined, released November 17, 2011, is my first novel. Stay tuned for Beneath the Surface, co-written with the amazing Brooklyn Grant, coming summer 2012.

Blog: http://jessie-harrell.blogspot.com
website: www.jessieharrell.com
Twitter: twitter.com/jessieharrell
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JessieHarrell.Author
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4965551.Jessie_Harrell

Guest Post: Rachel Roberts

Today I'm excited to have Rachel Roberts, author of the "Avalon: Web of Magic" series, stop by to offer aspiring authors a few words of wisdom! 

Rachel Roberts - Rachel's Writing Tips 

Since so many of you have asked for tips to create your own stories, Attila, Raider, and I thought we'd share some writing secrets! Whether you're a writer starting with a blank page, a painter staring at a canvass or a sculptor shaping a lump of clay, creating is a process. It takes time, practice, and patience to bring your vision to life. Creativity can be hard work but it's always worth the effort. The important thing is to have fun!

WAIT! Don't write - yet: You have to prepare first. Make some decisions about what kind of story you want to tell - action, adventure, fantasy, mystery - and who your characters are. But where do you get ideas?

You need input to get output: 
To get your imagination flowing, start by doing something you like. Read a book, watch a movie, listen to music, walk in the forest - any experience that makes you feel inspired and ready to create.

Be open to ideas: 
As a writer, part of your job to observe. Ideas- big and small- will come if you pay attention to the world around you. Maybe your cat did something so amazing that it gives you an idea for a magical creature, or your BFF had an interesting comment that made you think, or a ray of sunlight shining through a maple tree looked like a cloud of golden fairy dust. The more you study the real world, the truer and realer your own world and characters will feel.

Be ready to catch ideas: 
If you don't grab that idea when it pops into your mind it, it might get lost. Carry a notebook so you're always prepared to jot things down. Soon you'll have a lot of cool stuff to help create your story. Some ideas you'll love and others you won't, but that's okay. You never know what will help build your story. Plus, when you feel stuck during writing, you can always go back to your notebook and find ideas to get you moving again.

The Big Idea: 
You've immersed yourself in great stories, you have a collection of cool ideas, you're inspired, excited - now what? Here's what I do:

1. Write A Story Summary: 
A story summary helps you answer the question, "Hey, what's your story about?" This will help you keep the big picture in mind as you start designing the beginning, middle, and end to your story. You can also use this summary for sales copy when you are ready to post your book online or print it. Here’s some examples of the Avalon book summaries:

Circles in the Stream:

Three very different teenage girls are all drawn to a secret place deep in the woods. There they discover a portal to another world through which strange and wondrous animals have emerged, searching desperately for the magic that will keep them alive. The animals are peaceful and good, but what follows them through the portal is pure evil. Emily, Adriane, and Kara have been chosen by magical beings called Fairimentals to protect the magical animals, though they don't know why. To save them and their world, the three girls must begin a quest to find the lost home of legendary magic, Avalon...or to perish trying.

Secret of the Unicorn:

The problems in the magical world of Aldenmor are getting worse. Many new creatures are arriving in Ravenswood through the portal and they report that the Fairy Glen, home of the Fairimentals, has vanished. A frightened and terribly wounded unicorn is among the new refugees to Ravenswood. Can Emily communicate with her to offer help? The future of the magic web depends upon the dark secret the unicorn carries.

2. Create Character Bios: 
Write a short bio for each of your lead characters, including stats like age, hair color, eyes, height, likes and dislikes. Don't worry about selecting names. I always use placeholders (any name I can think of) until the perfect name comes to me.

3. Build Your World: 
Write a short description of the places in your story. Is it a fantasy world? Is it a zoo? Is it a mall? An old, spooky house? Know your environments to make your world feel real.

Keep your notes handy because as you start to write your story, you might want to update, expand or change these 3 things.

Okay, now that you have the basics it's time to start writing and start creating your own world.

Your fellow writer mage, 
Rachel

Guest Post: Author Sheryl Steines

Today Sheryl Steines, author of "The Day of First Sun" has been kind enough to stop by the blog to share her inspirations with us! 

I knew I wanted to be a writer when I was seven years old.  Without question.  But wanting something and doing something about it are two different things.  I can’t pinpoint one inspiration for why I finally wrote my first book.  I guess it came out of years of experiences and life’s events, some amazing and wonderful, some heartbreaking and bittersweet.  But they each lead me to a point, that lead me to my book. 

It started with Nancy Drew.  I remember riding my bicycle to the library and then locking myself in my room with that day’s book.  I was a voracious reader.  But at the same time, I didn’t just want to read the story, I wanted to write it, and wished like mad, that I had come up with it.

So my seven year old self, who had an overactive imagination, daydreamed a lot.  Eventually characters were born and a story followed.  And somewhere along the way, I started to write my own detective stories. 

Sometimes, life pushes and pulls.  Sometimes we stay on the track we plan for ourselves, sometimes we stumble a bit or sometimes, we’re pushed off.  You know the job, the kids, the PTO meetings and I forgot the dream I once had.  It was as if I forgot how to use my imagination, get lost inside of it and I forgot how to dream and create.  I still read, but writing, I just couldn’t do it.  And then, I discovered Harry Potter.

My kids were too young to have read Harry Potter and it was just by chance that I had heard about the books.  I was deeply curious to find out why kids of all ages chose to spend hours at a time, in line, waiting to purchase a book.  So, I read them and I was hooked. 

I was hooked for several reasons.  I could start with good writing, good story planning, fabulous characters or inventive use of Greek Mythology.  It was a combination of those and JK Rowling herself.   Her life story was impressive.  Her rock bottom brought her to the point of writing Harry Potter.  The books reminded me how much I loved the fantasy novel, her life inspired me to do what I hadn’t done yet, and that was to write my own novel.

Writing a novel had always been a dream.  Actually, it had been number 7 on my bucket list. I was in between jobs, unsure of what I wanted to do and then I remembered.  The funny thing is, I was 41 years old when I remembered.  And the decision to write my first book was, by far, the best decision I had ever made.  So after living with the characters in my head for awhile and developing their stories, I had, as it turned out, my first book, The Day of First Sun.  A Young Adult, modern day fantasy in which the heroine and hero are Wizard Guards, magical police officers who protect magic and keep it secret. 

I wrote for them, a murder mystery, in honor of the first books I loved.  Being that they are wizard police, the opportunity for these characters is boundless.  I loved the story line. I loved the chance to turn them into a series, to tell their stories in full.  My next project in The Annie Loves Cham series is She Wulf, the continuation of Annie and Cham, their relationship as it changes, and their growth as Wizard Guards.  My intention was to put them into a completely new situation and see how they faired at the end of their new adventure.  I’m proud of them and the direction that the series is taking. 

I chose not to regret the course my life took, though sometimes I wish I had written the book sooner.  But sometimes we have to take advice from the strangest places and move on.  As I secretly wished I started the process sooner, Katy Perry sang in Firework,

“Maybe you're reason why all the doors are closed -- So you could open one that leads you to the perfect road” Katy Perry. 

I realized, I hadn’t been ready to undertake the process of writing a novel.  When I was ready, I did.  I thank the other writers who came before me, both novelists and songwriters too.  Without them, I wouldn’t have had the childhood I had, and the dreams I had.  And this path never would have come before me.  They came before me, inspired me to do more than just read.  They inspired me to imagine and create.  And to them, I am forever grateful.

About the Author: 

Sheryl Steines’ mind is chaotic and surprising and it shows in her writing.  Never one to sit back and see what may come, Sheryl is driven to write everyday. Somehow, amidst the chaos, she finds the time to volunteer and give talks to book clubs and students about her writing.  She even walked the Avon Breast Cancer walk two years in a row. 

Sheryl’s series Annie Loves Cham is full of surprises and mystery.  Refusing to be restricted by genre Sheryl has taken the characters she loves and set them in new situations which test them and their friendships.  

The second book in the series is set to release in late summer 2012. Sheryl can be found on Twitter, Facebook, or her blog. She also encourages her readers to email her and let her know what you think of Annie and Cham!

Maggie Stiefvater Book Signing

On Sunday Maggie stopped by London, Ontario for her Forever Tour. This was exciting because I essentially live in London (and I had the day off of work) so I could actually attend it! It was further exciting because it was my first EVER book signing.

*Note: When I got to the bookstore I realized that I had forgotten my digital camera memory card in my computer, the memory card that I had spent all morning cleaning up so I would have lots of room for pictures and videos. I wasn't all that concerned because I figured that I could just load pictures directly off of my camera to my computer. Not so much. All but one of the pictures were corrupted and wouldn't let me download them to my computer, however I was able to take cell phone pictures of a few of the pictures on my digital camera (how is that for ingenuity? ;) ).

Because it was my first signing I wasn't quite sure how a signing went so I dragged my sister to the bookstore about two hours before the signing began (thank gosh I did so because by the time the signing started the few seats that they had out were filled and everyone else had to stand- fifty or so people standing I would guess). And I am not quite sure how it happened, but I got in a conversation with two women sitting behind me and it turns out that one of them was Jen from Lost in the Library! AND a young girl sitting beside me was KC Graham from In The Words Of... It was really awesome talking to all of the ladies/ reassuring that I am not the only obsessed with books and blogging out there.

After a couple rounds of giveaways (I somewhat embarrassingly mispronounced NARKOTICA and missed out on a GC to the bookstore. Boogers!) Maggie came out to great applause and started telling us about how "Forever" came to be (she wrote the book and handed it in to her editor two weeks before the deadline, almost as soon as she did she realized that she absolutely hated it and rewrote it) and she answered some audience questions (people at first were quite hesitant to ask anything, but after one or two questions more started to roll in, ie. "What music inspired you to write?", "Why German poetry?", "Can I ride with you in Loki?").

After the Q&A session she drew the winner for her gorgeous Sharpie guitar (You can see the guitar on Maggie's blog).  Jen and I debated grabbing the guitar and making a run for it, but chickened out- unfortunately neither of us won it (or my little sister who I would have obviously stolen the guitar from).

After the guitar drawing the signing then technically started. Because of where my sister and I were sitting we were actually at the front of the line. I nervously went up to Maggie and handed her my pile of books to sign. I totally had a fangirl moment and blathered on about how I loved "Forever's" shower scene between Grace and Sam and the dancing scene between Isabel and Cole. Apparently her editor thought that the shower scene was too goofy for the book, but I am really glad that it was included because I thought that it showed a different side of Grace's and Sam's relationship. She also asked me why I had a ton of little pieces of paper strewn throughout my books and I explained that they were all of the best/ most memorable portions of her books IMO and that I had been featuring those parts on my blog (I used some of them in my Take Two of "Shiver" and my Take Two of "Linger")- I then totally had a shameless promotion moment and handed her a bookmark that I had made that had all of my blog info on it.

My signed books

After stumbling away awestruck from Maggie I then wandered over to Tessa Gratton (I felt really bad that I have yet to read "Blood Magic", but it is totally going to the top of my TBR pile). Tessa seemed like an absolute sweetheart and I was really glad to have had the opportunity to have met her as well (The picture of Tessa and me, left, was the only picture I managed to successfully download- thank gosh it was that one and not the one I had accidentally taken of my elbow).

And my signed copy of "Blood Magic"

And as we we leaving I obviously had to get a picture of myself with (Blue) Loki! Maggie was super excited because the bookstore actually let her park Loki on the sidewalk in front of it. Look at that license plate!

Thing I learned from my first book signing:

1) Take a working camera with you. Heck, take twelve if possible. And a cell phone with a good camera in it. Better. Safe. Than. Sorry.

2) Make sure your little sister is well fed before you force her to take you to a book signing (if not she will become super fidgety and grumpy and will go MIA for quite a long time as she drives to the nearest fast food restaurant to stuff her face).

3) Try to reach out to fellow bloggers who may be attending a signing prior to it (special thanks to Liz over at Midnight Bloom Reads- she actually let Jen and myself know that we would both be attending the event).

Thanks goes out to Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton, and Chapters (Wellington location)!