Melissa Pearl: Author Interview and More

I am so excited to share this article from examiner.com. 

I am thrilled to be featured on the site. 

I would love for you all to check it out. 

You can do so HERE.

Thanks!

Indie Life - It's All About the Sequel

I'm very excited to be part of The Indelibles Indie Life series. These posts run on the second Wednesday of every month and include ideas and articles from a wide variety of indie authors. Check out the links below to learn more about INDIE LIFE.

I have been published since 2011 and it has not taken me long to figure out that in this game, writing series and sequels is the way to go. I have seven books published now with another one due for release in August and looking back over my stats, my trilogy is the strongest seller by far.

It makes sense though, doesn't it? Readers invest their time in these characters, get to know them, fall in love with them. Of course they are more likely to buy another book involving these people. It's a great way to develop a lasting readership or build a fan base. Speaking as a reader, I don't like saying goodbye to characters I fall in love with and it's fun watching them grow throughout a series.

From a writers viewpoint, it's great business. You can put the first book on sale, or free, and this leads to subsequent sales for the rest of the series. I have found this to be hugely successful for me, which is why I decided to go for rapid fire releases with my second trilogy. The first two books are already out - Unknown in June and Unseen in July. The 3rd book - Unleashed - is due out in August. I am then going to spend my marketing budget in September. That's when I'll run some sales, pay for some advertising, do a blog tour, etc. Once the readers can access all three books quickly. I have never done this before and am really interested to analyze it all at the end and see how it's paid off.

If you're anything like me, you have a million stories in your database and new ideas constantly popping into your head. Writing series takes staying power. I am always tempted to keep releasing new stuff, stand alone stories, but I am curbing that desire for now. Sure, I'll still do the odd stand alone, but from the results I've seen in my own writing, they will never take off as well as my series.

Unseen Character Intros - Levi, Raquel and Toban

I always wanted Jethro to have siblings. When I was coming up with who Jethro was and the type of family he came from, I knew it would be a solid family, filled with members that loved each other. Jethro's younger brother quickly appeared. He originally had a different name, but the more he appeared in scenes, the more I knew I could name after only person - my nephew, Levi.

Levi is twelve, although desperately wants to keep up with his older brother. He yearns for adventure and constantly wants to prove himself. He is an able fighter, thanks to his father's training, and dreams of being a brave knight. But underneath it all, he is actually a tenderhearted kid. I really grew to love him.

Once again, with this series, two characters I never planned on came to life...and became really important characters in these books.

Raquel and Toban are siblings, the only children to Ezekiel, whose wife died when the children were young.

Raquel is seventeen. She is a sweet, compassionate person who has taken care of the family since her mother died. She was only eleven years old at the time, but being a mature, sensible soul, she took the role on without much trouble. Everyone who knows her talks about her kind heart. She is quiet and can easily be passed by, but there is an incredible strength within this girl that I came to love and admire.

Toban is eleven. He is a fiery child who has always dreamed of adventure, much like his friend, Levi. The two boys scurry around the city together, wanting to be part of what the men are up to. Although Toban is six years younger than his sister, he is very protective of her. I love his tenacity and courage.

So now that you've met some more characters in this series, keep an eye out for my pre-release giveaway starting on Saturday. Much like the Unknown giveaway, all you'll have to do to enter is answer a simple question :)

Unseen Character Intros - Bordor and Nafeez

I don't know what it is about writing bad characters, but it's so much fun. Most of my favourite scenes involve the villains in a story. The Elements Trilogy is no exception.

Two characters that came to life in Unseen are Bordor and Nafeez. When I initially put this trilogy together, I had not planned on either of these men, but when Safeer went to meet with the Elite, these two stepped into my story and became important characters.

Let me introduce you.

Bordor is the commander of the Elite, a powerful group of assassins that work for King Ashan. They dabble in magic and are a formidable enemy. Their task is to find and eliminate the seekers so that the prophecy will not come true. They also have some much grander plans, but I don't want to give too much away. Bordor is a very strong, confident character that enjoys intimidating people and although he comes across as callous, he'd do anything for his men.

Nafeez is the sorcerer for the Elite. He loves to brew potions and create weapons with greater power. He has designed black bladed swords that can burn and weaken an average blade. He also supplies King Ashan with a special elixir that makes him bigger, stronger and more powerful. It is made from the dust of a powerful obsidian rock, which makes King Ashan's veins run with black blood. He is a wicked man who revels in people's suffering. A nasty character indeed.

Tomorrow I will make my final pre-release introductions for Unseen. Then keep your eye out for a giveaway :D

Unseen Character Intros - Cori and Eshron

Continuing on from my Unknown Character Intro series, I wanted you guys to meet a few more people that are introduced in the second book of the Elements Trilogy.

Cori and Eshron are two very special characters... much like Adamar and Mya. I have come to love these children so much. I can't wait for you to get to know them better.

Cori is a dainty girl. In spite of her age, she behaves like a lady. She holds herself with grace and elegance. But the thing I love most about her, is her compassionate heart. She is so caring, always mindful of how people are feeling and what they need. She has a strong intuition and is very aware of the darkness. I think of her as a young mother hen who wants to protect those around her.

Eshron is a strong character. He's passionate about his beliefs and doesn't like things to stand in his way. He has had a tough life and this has made him resilient. I love his fiery directness and his confidence. Although he can come across as a little rude at times, everything he does comes from a love of the God of Light.

Unseen is going to be released next week! I still have a few more characters I want you to meet before then.

Tomorrow I'll introduce you to a couple of brilliant baddies that have been so much fun to write!

So Many Things To Tell You!

Okay, time for one of my favourite posts of each month...my progress report. I love filling you guys in on what I'm doing, because I love finding out what other authors are up to. I guess you like to write the kinds of posts you enjoy reading.

So, what have I been up to?

 I got back from my girls' week away on Friday night. I had the best time. Hanging out with friends in a new place is so much fun. Guilin is a beautiful part of China and although the weather was not the greatest, it didn't take away from the beauty. Here's one pic I took from the boat cruise we did down the Li River.

Writing wise, I have been a very busy lady. After making the decision to release my trilogy in rapid succession, I have had no time spare. It took me an hour to map out a schedule to make sure I could fit everything in. So far I'm only a couple of days behind schedule.

Unknown is in the final editing stages. Unseen is written and with critique readers, and Unleashed is planned. I hope to start on that next week. Trying to do this has been a trip, but a totally amazing experience. I feel like I'm being pushed to my limit on so many levels and it's good for me. I'm out of my comfort zone and I am learning so much.

So as you can imagine, I am in a bit of a writing flurry at the moment, but I am also squeezing other things in. I was invited to speak at an international school a couple of weeks ago and presented my stuff to three different English classes. It was great. I had so much fun talking about what I do and answering a bunch of great questions.

I also ran a Bookbub ad with Betwixt and was excited to see some real movement with that book. The proceeds are going to a charity, Love146, so it's awesome to be able to hand over a really decent donation. Thank you so much to everyone who helped me spread the word about my Betwixt sale and everyone who bought a copy. Your support means so much to me.

April is a relatively quiet month for me. I'm going to be spending most of my time in my writing/editing cave. Thankfully I love hanging out there.

I do have a few little surprises planned though, so keep your eyes and ears open.

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Melissa Pearl's Updates.

So that's me - what have you been up to?

So Many Things To Tell You!!

February disappeared on me. It seriously did! I can't believe we are in March already. This year is flying by and I'm loving every moment of it.

I had some fun in February with a giveaway running on YAlicious and this blog.

Congratulations to the Valentine's Day winners: Lindsey and Danael.
Also a big thumbs up for the Indie Author Month winner: Christelle.
I hope you enjoy some fun reading over the next few weeks.

So what do I have to tell you for the month of March...

Well - my biggest news is probably my change of plans. After much deliberation, I have decided to go for rapid fire releases of my upcoming trilogy. I was originally going for 3 months between each book, but I have changed my mind. After some tricky scheduling, I have given myself the goal to release the books June, July and August. Yikes!! No, no, it's okay. I can do this. I am going to be spending many days in my writing cave and it is a huge workload, but I am really happy about my decision. I love the fact readers will not have to wait long between instalments.

In mid-February we had the Unknown Cover Reveal, if you'd like to check it out. You can also add the book to your TBR on Goodreads.

Read an E-Book Week is currently underway at Smashwords and I have enrolled all of my books. Use coupon code REW50 to get 50% off. Golden Blood is also FREE. You can find out more on my SMASHWORDS AUTHOR PAGE.

I am gearing up to run a big sale for Betwixt. As many of you know, I am donating $1 from every sale to the charity - Love146. So at the end of March, I'll be doing a big push for the book and hopefully can earn a little more money to pass onto this amazing organisation.

On YAlicious this month, we have a huge line up of fantastic authors highlighting their books and writing a little something about them. Alivia Anders visited yesterday with her new release, Ethereal and this Thursday we have Cambria Hebert featuring Recalled! Yay!

Other than those few things, I am going to be buried in my writing cave, working on Unseen (Book 2) of The Elements Trilogy. I'm hoping to have the 1st draft finished by the end of March, and then will be straight final edits and formatting for Unknown (Book 1). Wish me luck!!

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What are you up to in March?