Write what you know

This statement is easier said than done when you write paranormal fiction but as I ponder this idea I realize a lot of what I write is something I do know. Sure the element of supernatural is (for the most part) fiction but the elements of the stories I create and weave into the fantastical tapestry are real and things I've experienced or seen happen via media stories.

For example, most of the adventures from my PBI Case Files center around actual events. In Outbreak the mutated Ebola virus that turned supernaturals into zombies was based off the bath salt/zombie news story that happened in Florida a few years back and the vanished plane in Lost Plane was inspired by the missing Malaysia 370 flight a year ago as well as missing planes and boats from the Alaska and Bermuda triangle. The Vanished Series (Death Interrupted and The Mating Challenge) is a spin off of the Lost Plane episode.

In the Shifter Love Tales series (To Love a Dragon) my characters are facing an infertility curse which addresses something personal I've faced in my life.

As a hypnotherapist, I've helped clients with past life regressions. Cherished Gift (Paranormal Hypnotherapy Files first published in the Mystical Xmas Box set) and The Witch's Vampire (Mystery Springs) have romances that were once past life love affairs. In Father Made Me Do It (Demon Ascension Series) Charm is on a mission to be reborn. A mission that requires her to travel through multiple hell dimensions, purgatory, and the Akashic records before she can be made human.

The Ghost Connection series (Lost and Death Does Not Become Her) address ghost stories and mediums. I grew up in a household that had a friendly ghost.

The Winters Saga (Lone Wolf Rising and Vampire Princess Rising), PBI Case Files, Genie's Treasure from Windswept anthology, Ghost Connection series, The Dragon's Demon (Demon Fairy Tales series first published in the Mystical Royal Love box set), and Assassin's Mate (Supernaturally Shipwrecked Series first published in Wickedly Exotic Spring Erotic Wonderland box set) all have strong sibling relationships that help the hero/heroine succeed. A strong sibling bond is something I've had with my own sisters.

So as I look back on my published works I realized that in the midst of creating fantastical characters in magical, urban fantasy worlds, I also revealed a part of my own soul in each book. Taking my own emotions and using the written word as a therapeutic tool of sorts.

I think I'm in need of a little self-therapy now. Guess, I'll get back to writing my next book (it's going to be part of a shifter box set titled Alphas on the Prowl and the story is titled Dragon's Dream Dancer~ the story of demon dream weaver trying desperately to escape her family only to be drawn back in when the man who kidnaps her, her supposed mate, turns out to be a bounty hunter dragon sent to bring in her sister)...

As well as a few others in the works (Fire Master Rising book three of the Winters Saga, The Faerie King's Guardian book two of Mystery Springs, Gator's Witchy Love book two of the Shifter Love Tales to name a few).

For those of you looking for a deal, The Witch's Vampire is currently on a kindle countdown deal. Check it out and save some money by getting it on sale on Amazon.

The secret to being an author is to simply write

If that subject line/title to this post had you clicking the link to make sure I wasn't going senile in my old age, thank you. If it had you clicking because you were scratching your head wondering what I really meant to say, well, I guess you'll be a little surprised because it was exactly what I meant to relay. People ask me all the time, how do you publish so often. I look at them, blink a couple of times to make sure I understood their question, smile and tell them 'I simply write'.

Then it's their turn to look at me like they didn't hear me correctly. That's when I explain.

One of the things I've seen authors (including myself) do is to write a couple of pages or a chapter and then go back to edit. It's a process for them and I respect everyone's process, heck I had the same process years back. The problem was it was a time vampire and kept me from publishing.

After years of working on random stories my husband said to me one day, 'your writing is a habit. It's a great habit for you but I don't ever expect it to become anything more than a habit.' Well, it was something like that. Now, out of context you might say, what? So let me explain. One of the ways I deal with pain, disappointment, past trauma, or anything that truly upsets me, I write. Its one of the first things I recommend to my hypnotherapy/coaching clients and I like to practice what I preach.

Now up to this point my very supportive husband wanted me to publish something and had removed every obstacle in my way to make this happen. What he didn't successfully remove was my inner critic until that moment when he tried to show his love and understanding by telling me it was okay if I didn't publish and kept my writing strictly in the hobby category.

Those of you who know me, know that while I understood his meaning, I took that as a challenge. If you know me, I like challenges. I enjoy championing over challenges, obstacles, and anything else that keeps me from my dreams. It's why I became an actress, singer, dancing, manager, hypnotherapist, coach, reiki master, and author. I have that personality that says, 'go for it!' and his words made me realize I was 'going for it' in the wrong way.

I sat down, did some self-reflection, self-hypnosis, and forced myself to face my inner critic (who isn't a very nice gal). In fact, in one hypnosis session I invited the inner critic to a meeting in my mind and I gave her the boot... literally had to kick her to the ceiling to get her to stop nit picking and invited a new, supportive motivator to take her place (yes, you can do things like that in hypnosis and it really can work).

For that to work I had to recognize my weaknesses as well as celebrate my successes. I knew I could weave a story but I also came to terms with my poor editing skills. I decided to take some classes to help in that arena, I also hired one of my best friends (who is an amazing author in her own rights) Michele Gwynn to edit my stories. With all the right pieces in place the only thing left to do was write.

So I did. I didn't go back and edit the chapters I just wrote. My fingers flew across the keyboard and the story poured from my mind onto the blank screen. Before I knew it, I had over 100,000 words written and realized I needed to make the book a series. It wasn't until I wrote the words, 'The End' that I went back and did a read through. What I realized as I read the words on the page was that once I removed the obstacles I could produce a pretty great story. That was when I graduated from writer to author.

Sure a lot had to happen to make it possible but the biggest thing I needed to do was write.

So I guess that's what I should go back to, but before I do, just a little peek on the business side of things (I am an author, after all).

I wanted to give a little shout out to my Ghost Connection series. It was my first adventure into writing in the first person and I'm pretty proud of the adventures Cassie has been on since I started the serial. I've been working on the third book in the series and am pretty excited about what is happening.

For those of you not familiar with the series, Cassie O'Grady is a medium. She became one when she died (and was resuscitated) at age seven from a car accident that took her father's life. From that moment on she saw ghosts. This life change messed with her psyche and she realized she got along better with spirits than living beings. Her best friend is a ghost but he has a secret that links them together on a deeper level than either one of them ever realized.

In book one of the series titled, Lost, Cassie is enlisted to help a teen spirit who was killed by her boyfriend in a jealous rage. The boyfriend is still a threat and Cassie, despite her own good judgement, is convinced to go save the girl's brother and parents from the emotionally unstable boyfriend.

There are a few twists and turns that reveal family secrets, cause heartache, and changes her life forever.

In the second adventure of the series, Death Does Not Become Her, Cassie is still healing from the tragedies of the first book when she is called in to help a college girlfriend who appears to be dead. But appearances can be deceiving. The girlfriend is actually in a coma on the verge of death unless the poison used in a ritual sacrifice that put her in the coma is discovered in time. The last thing she wants to do is help another spirit but it's hard to turn away from your destiny.

In the third book of this series (which is currently in production) Cassie discovers a ghost who is collecting souls and depositing them into a virtual city. This spiritual Artificial Intelligence is upsetting the balance of life, death, and the after life and this is unacceptable. She is enlisted to help bring down the AI's plan and meets others from the government that are similar to her.

Each book in this series is only .99 for a limited time. One Click them today and please be kind and review them. You can also get both of these books in audio. Vanessa Reynolds did an amazing job as the narrator to these stories. I wrote this series for mature YA, NA, and adults of any age. There is a sweet romance developing between Cassie and Detective Dash but it will remain low heat level. Here is the series link for Ebook or Audiobook: Ghost Connection.

Check out all my books on Amazon and one click your weekend read.

If you have time this weekend check out the release party for The Mating Challenge which is a steamy BBW shifter romance based in a dystopia future. It's book two of the Vanished Series and definitely written for the 18 and older crowd. Here's the pre-order link on Amazon... only .99

Hope you have a fang-tastic weekend.

My 500 words day three: the beginning of the writing process

So today's topic is about something I get asked in interviews and radio shows. I suppose it makes people curious how in a little over a year I can have seventeen stories published and have five currently in the works. It's more of a question of curiosity and for those who want to be writers I hope it helps them find motivation. What's the question? When do I find time to write? Are there specifics needed to create my writing space? How do I begin the process? How do I maintain the process? Okay, so that's more than one question but it all comes together for one blog topic.

First I think it's important to note. It helps that I have an amazingly supportive husband who works in the real world while I work at home creating fictional worlds and characters. This is perhaps the biggest contributing factor to having an abundant back list of books/stories. It also helps that I mix things up with novellas/short stories/full lengths. My largest book is over 115k words and my smallest comes in around 10 - 15k words. I'm proud of the number of stories I've produced but I also know length and time are contributing factors to their production.

I also split up my day between managing and cleaning the house, working out, chatting with my fans/street team, marketing my books, working with coaching clients, and somewhere in that midst I find time to write. Those of you who know me, know I'm at my best in chaos... this is not the same for everyone. I think for those aspiring authors my best advice is to create a schedule, stick to it as best you can, be flexible when needed (this is something I tell my coaching clients all the time ~ change is inevitable, don't fight it, work with it), and watch your story grow. You may not be able to produce a ton of books right away, which can have to do with time or self-confidence, but getting that first one out there is the biggest hurdle... it does get easier as time goes by.

As far as writing space, I really only need my laptop and some music. I can write by the pool, in the bedroom, or a moving vehicle (as long as hubby is driving). I also carry a mini recorder for ideas and to work out scenes if I'm struggling with writer's block or nowhere near my laptop. I used to carry around a notebook for that same purpose. Either one works great. The music I suppose is my anchor. I can write without it but the ADHD part of my mind needs a distraction which is what the music becomes in the background. As long as I distract the hyper part of my mind I can focus on the story and characters. When I do my final read thrus of manuscripts I can always tell the parts that were written without the distraction component.

The last two questions can be answered together. At any given time there are multiple manuscripts open at the bottom of my computer screen. Currently there are five stories running around in my head (Fire Master Rising ~ book three of Winters Saga, Daddy Made Me Do It ~ book one of Demon Ascension series, Dragon's Dream Dancer ~ book two of Demon Fairy Tales series, The Faerie King's Guardian ~ book two of Mystery Springs Series, and The Gator's Witch ~ book two of Shifter Love Tales)  and four more on the back burner of the creative process stove (Remote Paranoia ~ PBI Case Files book five, Spiritual AI ~ book three of Ghost Connection Series, book one of the Refuge Island, and the third book of Vanished Series).

I pop between manuscripts throughout the day adding new chapters to the stories. This helps me to keep things from getting stale. If you've read my work you know I like a lot of action mixed with romance, fantasy/paranormal blended with mythology, and a ton of twists and turns. I love it when fans tell me I bent their minds or made them think/wonder what if. I try hard to make scenes unique to the characters, especially the intimate scenes. As many times as I write a kiss or fight scene the challenge becomes making it different. Working on multiple manuscripts at one time helps me in that arena. It's an odd process, I know, but it works for me. I guess my advice here to aspiring authors is to find and develop your process. Every storyteller is different and the writing process changes from one to the next.

Thank you for reading my daily journal. I hope it helps you with whatever you're working on.

Since this post was about the beginning of the writing process I figured I'd share my Winters Saga in this post as part of the business side of things. Have you read Lone Wolf Rising and Vampire Princess Rising? Fire Master Rising is shaping into quite an action packed story and coming soon. This was my first series ever published and I wrote the story for mature young adult to adult fans of any age.

It started out as a story of a teen witch who became a werewolf in search of vengeance and grew into a family affair. Rebecca's Story in Lone Wolf Rising was so intense the first book only covered a week of her life. In book two, Vampire Princess Rising the focus went to the broken relationship between Rebecca and twin sister Savannah after Rebecca's actions in book one caused Savvy's transformation. Of course, those that have read it know there is a lot more going on in the background as the story progresses.

Book three has a larger focus on Hunter and his journey to becoming a powerful fire witch. There is still plenty of paranormal battles, traveling between universes, and alternate from different dimensions. All mixed with some romance. It's a great romantic adventure and one I hope you get a chance to check out.

Okay I guess it's time to get back to writing. I have a scene for Fire Master Rising running around in my head and want to get it finished tonight. Thank you for letting me share a little about myself and my work. I hope you have a wonderful day.

You can check out all my books on Amazon here.

What motivated me to take the 500 words a day challenge, discounted series, and raffles

I'd like to say my motivation was to write but that's not the case. Writing words daily is fairly easy, in the last two days I wrote up almost 10k words on a new manuscript. It's a story about a justice demon and her journey to escape hell and become human. It's going to be at least a 14 book series and the first book is rolling out on paper with the force of a steam roller which is nice for an author. This post is actually a break from the story and my forced attempt to stay grounded in reality. It's easy to get lost in the story when your telling it, especially if the story is action packed.

I think that is the first reason I decided to take this challenge. I write so much in the paranormal and fantasy world that I miss out on the real world a little. I also wanted an avenue to get more personal with my fans. You know what to expect when you read my books; action, paranormal, mythological gods, and some romance... but not many people know me. My strengths and weaknesses. My whimsical, yet slightly off sense of humor, and my compassion for people and animals. This project forces me to ask tough questions and share those answers with you on my blog. I've always wanted a more personal blog and it's already starting to get there.

Thanks to this project and being asked to join a blog hop I designed a fun post on how to refresh bedroom play... well, it lead to tips on communication but all in the name of making things more fun in the bedroom. As a coach, hypnotherapist, and romance writer I figured I might have some insight into this topic. Look for that post, coming soon as part of a blog hop and the giveaway that will also be part of it.

I also have the goal of video blogging and this change in my blog format will help me to vlog about important issues.

I guess I can say, I'm doing a little spring cleaning on my blog and I hope you all like the changes. There will still be sneak peeks of my books, giveaways, and insights into why I went certain directions in different stories but there will be a lot more and I'm uber excited about it. I hope you are too.

Have you made any plans to freshen up or change things in your life? Feel free to comment below. I'd love to hear from you.

I guess I'll sign off for the night. I really want to get back to the story and hit that 10 k goal. I'm so close. Because I'm an author and constantly have things going on I thought I'd share a few things coming up on the business side of things.

The Mating Challenge (Steamy, Adult, BBW, Shifter, Romance) is still available on pre-order for only .99 on Amazon. The release party is scheduled for this upcoming weekend. Will you be joining us? Here's the party page. It's a great read. What could be sexier than six alpha males competing to the death to mate with one awesome woman?

I've also decided to price all PBI Case Files adventures at .99 for a limited time. It's a great series and people have really enjoyed the "CSI... with a paranormal twist" premise. I'd love for more to enjoy it so I'm going to reduce this series for a while. I'm also hoping the reduction in price will pay off in more reviews. Check out the adventures here.

Ghost Connection, adventures one and two are also only .99 each. You can check out this series here.

Ohh, I almost forgot. I'm part of two awesome raffles. Check these out.

If you'd like some extra spending cash before Spring Break, enter my Spring Break Giveaway. I've joined up with some awesome authors, Digital Book Today, and The Kindle Book Review--The #1 Site for Reader Giveaways, and we're giving away two (2) $200 Amazon Gift Cards March 23 - April 5. Check it out and enter everyday. Good luck! Here's the link. 

I've also got an audiobook raffle going on as part of my blog tour from Magic of Books (which is going phenomenal!). Here is the link to that raffle as well.

Have a great night and chat with you later, my friends.

Taking the challenge (500 Words Daily)

As an author writing 500 words a day in a fictional world I've created is fairly easy, even when battling writer's block. The challenge for me will to write 500 words about myself, my world, and the real reality. Being an author becomes a bit of a public affair. I'm not saying being an author means fame and fortune, constant spotlight and attention, or anything of the sort, but your readers and fans like to know more about the person behind the story telling. During this 31 day challenge I hope to reveal more about myself to my fans. Allowing you a peek at the person behind the curtain, behind the marketing world indie authors are required to operate in.

Hopefully this challenge will give you some insight into me and what inspires my character and world building. Real life inspires fiction, just as fiction inspires imagination.

I hope this 500 words a day challenge will be fun, insightful, influential, and engaging. As you read the daily challenges from me I hope you will find the author more approachable and feel comfortable with opening dialogues and conversations with me. As I share my stories perhaps you'll be open to sharing yours. You can interact with me on Facebook here. If something I posted in a daily challenge inspires you to reach out message me there or at spiritandmindconnection@live.com

Getting to know me might be fun and I know getting to know my fans will be fun as well. So this is me, announcing my intention to take the 500 Words a day challenge. If you're interested in joining this challenge here is the link. Check it out. Join me on the journey.

Be sure to subscribe to this blog via the email link in the upper right hand corner.

Thanks for reading and catch you on the flip side tomorrow.

Just a quick shout out to my upcoming release party event for The Mating Challenge (a steamy, adult, paranormal, shifter, BBW, romance). Here's the Facebook party link if your interested in attending the festivities. You can also check it out on Amazon, add it to your wishlist, or one-click it here.