Linking Worlds

I have a database of story ideas that I keep adding to each time I'm struck with a new idea. I started it about 12 years ago and it has grown to about 90 story ideas now. I probably won't write all of them, but it is fun to read through it every now and then and remember stories I came up with years ago.

These stories re-enter my mind all the time, they come back into the forefront and dance around for a while, sometimes spawning brand new book ideas. The old ideas gets developed during this process and I add more details to my database. My one sentence premise turns into paragraphs of dialogue or descriptions of a few clear scenes in my mind.

I am so glad I started doing this, because as my writing has evolved I've been able to link my stories. Rather than having a database of 90 separate story ideas I'm beginning to see ties....and I'm loving it. You see, I get a little bored writing the same thing all the time. I like variety, so that's why I have so many stand alone stories floating around in my head, but I've quickly concluded that ties can be made between these books and I think that's pretty cool.

Betwixt was originally a one-off story, but people loved Dale and Nicole so much that I decided to include them in my upcoming series - The Masks Series. I'm so glad I made that choice. I love Dale and Nicole too and it's nice not to have to say goodbye to them yet.

As a reader, I love seeing old favorites pop back into stories. One of my favorite series of all time for that is The Chesapeake Bay Series by Nora Roberts. Four novels each following one of the four main characters, in a sense they can stand alone, but reading them together gives you this amazing world and lets you see the characters you loved from the first book grow and change in the background throughout the rest of the series.

I've really taken this concept on board and through this thinking have decided to develop a series of stand alone novels that will all make sense individually, but will also let you see the characters from previous stories having a background role. I've entitled it the Songbird Series. The first book, Fever (due for release in June 2014), I've had planned for a long time now. Originally I was just going to make it a stand alone novel, but then I went back through my book database and I found 9 other stories that all had a musical thread running through them and it sparked an idea. What if I created a series and linked all these stand alone novels together. I could give each book a soundtrack! I jotted down all the stories I thought would fit and easily found links and connections and so a one book novel has now turned into a 10 book series with the possibility of two novellas to go with it. I am so super pumped about this idea and I can't wait to start putting it together. I plan to release 2-3 Songbird books a year, so this is a really long term project, but it's going to be so fun to work on.

As a reader, do you prefer reading series or stand alone novels?
As a writer, do you think it's better to produce series or stand alone novels?

Fun Friday: Frozen Reads

Yay! It's FUN FRIDAY. Today all us YA Storytellers are going to share some of our favorite winter reads.

I'm in the middle of winter right now and haven't really had the chance to snuggle up with many books yet. However, over Christmas I did manage to sneak in reading Freak of Nature by Julia Crane. That was awesome. I'm not usually into sci-fi, but this book broke the rules for me and I ended up really loving it.

I've also just started reading My Unexpected Forever by Heidi McLaughlin, which I'm really enjoying.

Next up, I'm going to take some time to read Self-Editing for Fiction Writers which is a fantastic book I've read numerous times. I want to do a little refresher before launching into my first big round of edits for I Know Lucy.

Not sure what's up after that. My kindle is stuffed full of goodies, so there is plenty of reading for me to still do.

How about you?
Do you have any favorite winter reads?

To find out what the other YA Storytellers recommend, check out the FUN FRIDAY posts on the YA Storytellers website.

True Colors Cover Reveal

I know I've posted this on my YAlicious blog already today, but I just have to post it here as well. This cover is too beautiful not to be splashed all over the internet.

I want to thank Kate Strawbridge of Dwell Design and Press for giving this book such a stunning cover. Your hard work and patience did not go unnoticed and I love you for all the energy and enthusiasm you gave to this project. You are a talent, lady.

Blurb:

Caitlyn Davis always cruised through life, not being the type to ruffle feathers or involve herself in high school drama…until a chance encounter with a strange, homeless man changes everything.

Suddenly, Caitlyn has the ability to see behind people’s masks. She discovers that her life isn’t as simple as she imagined and her high school is filled with secrets…some very sinister ones.

Unable to ignore her new gift, Caitlyn embarks on a mission to learn why one of her friends now appears terrified, but masks her fear behind a bright, smiling veneer. Will Caitlyn’s new ability lead her into hot water? Or is her new found vision a blessing that will expose her friends’ true colors?

Her quest will lead Caitlyn to lose friends, stand up for those in need, and even find love.

At Palisades High School every face tells a story…

Book Link:

Goodreads

And don't forget about the True Colors Masquerade Ball.

True Colors Masquerade Ball Facebook Event

The True Colors Masquerade Ball is happening on February 16th to celebrate the release of True Colors. All party-goers will be entitled to purchase a copy of True Colors for only 99c. There will also be competitions, giveaways and guest appearances from other authors who will be unveiling their own secrets. So come and join in the fun and help us welcome True Colors into the world with style.

True Colors Teaser

The True Colors Cover Reveal is THIS THURSDAY!! Eeepp - I can't wait to show you guys. The cover is simply stunning.

As a precursor to this fun event, I thought I might share a little teaser with you.

What's a good story without a heart-throbbing crush, right?
Well, Caitlyn's crush is Eric...

I heard a car coming down the road. I craned my neck to see if it was Stella’s VW Beetle, but no, it was the car that always took my breath away. Not because I’m a car chick or anything, but because the guy who drove it...my next door neighbor, Eric...was like the most beautiful human being ever created.

I’m not just making that up. I mean he was hot and then some. Like movie star hot. When he moved in six months ago, I swear I couldn’t speak for like a day. I’d never seen anyone like him.

Eric swerved into his driveway and quickly cut the engine. I tried not to look, but couldn’t help stealing a few furtive glimpses as he got out of his black Jeep shirtless and reached for the surfboard attached to the roll bars. His straight hair was wet, droplets hanging from the long ends before dripping onto his shoulders. I watched one droplet glide over his hard chest and perfect abs.

Yeah, I know I sound like a total perv. I mean I had a boyfriend! But Eric. Le sigh. He would be my secret crush forever.

You can add True Colors to your reading list on Goodreads and don't forget to check back in on Thursday so you can see the cover of the 1st book in The Masks Series.

Indie Life - It's All About Taking A Chance

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.

If you'd like to look up my prior posts, just look for Indie Life - It's All About...

*****

I've decided that this is going to be a great year for me.

I know we can't guarantee anything. Life is brilliant at throwing curve balls, some that are really hard to recover from, but... in spite of those unpredictable risks, I've decided to go for it this year and take every chance and opportunity that comes my way.

I know I've been published for over two years now, but I still consider this the early stage of my career. Because of this, I have been really careful with how I spend my money. It makes sense not to overextend myself, but the one disadvantage to that is I haven't always gotten the same exposure and opportunities that I wanted. So at the end of last year, I stretched my budget a little and have found that I've actually benefitted greatly.

One thing I did was hire a PA, who has been worth her weight in gold. She's amazing and I love working with her. She's so helpful and eager and I can't speak highly enough of her work. She's been away for the last month and I can't WAIT for her to get back. I didn't realize just how much she was doing for me!

Another thing I did was shelling out for a couple of Bookbub ads and they have paid back hugely!

This year, I'm doing a couple things that I never would have tried before.

One  - I'm heading to UtopYA Con in Nashville (June 2014). This is huge for me. A massive expense that I think will be worth every penny. I've been invited to speak on a panel and my first reaction was hesitation, but then I thought, "No. I have to take this opportunity." So I am leaving my babies with Daddy for just over a week and I'm flying from Shanghai to Nashville. After the conference I'm taking a few extra days to stop off in Vegas and LA for a little research and the chance to meet my publisher. Financially it's massive, but it's such a huge chance. Even just the opportunity to meet my PA face to face, not to mention some of the other authors I'm in constant contact with online. Who knows what else might surface from this experience? Who knows what connections I might make?

As I said, there are no guarantees. I might make no new connections. I might not sell one extra book, but it's a chance...a really good one and I'm so excited to take it.

Two - I've decided to ask one of my favorite cover designers if she'll work with me. I've been watching her stuff surface all over the place and I really love her covers. She's always been out of my price range, but I've decided once again to take a risk. I have a new series that I'm writing, it's branching away from YA. It's my little dabble in NA Contemporary Romance (although it will still be clean enough for YAs to enjoy). Because I don't want to create a pen name, I've decided to go for a fresh, new look for The Song Bird Series and I've asked Mae I Design if they'll work with me on this. I'm so excited. Once again, it's a risk. I might spend all this money on a book that doesn't sell (doubtful, because Mae I Design covers are amazing!)...but still, it's a risk and a chance - I'm taking it.

The thing with chances is they involve an element of faith. I've just got to believe that I'm doing what I'm meant to be doing with my life and all these risk will pay off.

So be bold this year...take a chance and see where if leads you.

I'm Back and Raring to Go!

The last two weeks has shown me the importance of taking a break. Feeling weary at the end of 2013, I enjoyed a relaxing Christmas and New Year with my family and am now launching into 2014 with fresh energy. I am so excited and wanted to share with you my writing plans for this year. I actually have a bunch of other plans this year too, but for this particular post, I'll just let you know about the books I have planned. I'll tell you about the other stuff in tomorrow's Indie Life Post - "Taking Every Opportunity."

So - as far as writing goes, I have six books planned, four of which will be published by Evatopia Press.

True Colors, The Masks Series #1 is coming out on February 16th and we're kicking it off with a big party.

There are going to giveaways, competitions, author appearances...a whole bunch of fun. Plus, all party-goers will be able to purchase a copy of True Colors for only 99c!
I'd love for you to join me. Here's the event link: TRUE COLORS MASQUERADE BALL.

My second and third books, that I'm hoping to release in the first half of this year, are the I Know Lucy Series. I have had so much fun working on this series. I Know Lucy is already written and I just started the 1st draft of Set Me Free yesterday. I always say that I fall for my characters as I write and I really do, but this bunch have nestled into my heart and I can't wait for you to meet them.

My summer release this year is going to be the start of a Contemporary Romance Series - The Songbird Series. They will all be stand alone novels. I am branching away from YA for these particular books. I guess you could label them NA, but they are going to be clean enough for YA readers to still enjoy. Although it will be written about older characters in their early-mid twenties, I still hope my YA readers will be able to enjoy these stories. At this stage I'm planning on writing one Songbird book a year, but I may up that to two next year - I'll see what else I'm squeezing in :)

For the rest of 2014, I want to work my way through books 2 - 4 of The Masks Series, I don't like to leave readers waiting too long. This will probably end up taking me through until January 2015. And then for Valentine's Day, 2015 - I'm hoping to release a very sweet, poignant story that has been close to my heart for years. I don't know why I've been sitting on it for so long, but I need to get it out. I was going to write it earlier on, but I thought a Valentine's Day release would be perfect for this particular tale.

So that's what I'm up to this year. How about you?
How many books are you hoping to get through this year - either reading or writing?
If you're a writer, what have you got coming out next?
I'd love to hear your news :)

Merry Christmas Everyone!

YAY!!! Thank you for joining me for this awesome month of giveaways. I've had so much fun handing out prizes.

Congratulations: Samantha Alvey!

You have won the Christmas Eve grand prize!!!

Thank you so much to everyone who participated in these giveaways. I hope you had as much fun as I did. 

I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. Thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout 2013. I have worked with so many amazing people who I have come to love and respect so much. Thank you to all the people who have read my work. It's because of you that I am able to pursue this passion and I am eternally grateful.

I was just adding up everything I've done this year and I can't believe how much I've actually achieved. It's been an epic year for me and I'm excited about what I might produce next year :)
It's now time to take a little breather.
I will be back on January 7th to share my plans for 2014. There is so much coming next year and I'm SO excited. I can't wait to tell you all about it!

Have a wonderful holiday where ever you may be. I'll see you next year!

Christmas Giveaways Week 3 Winner! Plus the final Christmas Eve Giveaway!!

Thanks for participating in Week 3 of the Christmas Giveaways.

Congratulations to: Krista

You have won: 

The rest of you can enjoy a 2-day sale of The Elements Trilogy Omnibus, which also includes an exclusive next chapter so you can find out what happened to Jethro, Kyla and Athra. Normally $6.99, you can have it for only $2.99!

You can find the book on AMAZON or SMASHWORDS

And to continue with the Christmas fun, please enter the final giveaway. This is the biggie with a bundle of excellent prizes!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Christmas Giveaways - Week 3!

Thanks for participating in Week 2 of the Christmas Giveaways.

Congratulations to: Sarah Miles!

You have won: 

The rest of you can enjoy a 2-day sale of The Time Spirit Trilogy Omnibus, which also includes an exclusive short story of The Electus. Normally $6.99, but you can have it for only $2.99!

Thank you to Eden Crane for a stunning new look for Gemma and this trilogy. The cover takes my breath away every time I look at it!

You can purchase this book on AMAZON or SMASHWORDS.

And to continue with the Christmas fun, please enter the Week 3 giveaway:

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Christmas Giveaways - Week 2!

And week two begins!

Thank you to everyone who participated in Week 1, I hope you had fun. 

Don't forget to take advantage of the Betwixt Series 2-day sale, which ends tomorrow.

The book can be purchased through AMAZON and SMASHWORDS.

Now onto event two!!

I'm very excited about this surprise and can't wait to share it with you all. 

Please help me spread the word. The more the merrier.

Let's spread some Christmas love and enjoy this awesome season.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And the 1st Christmas Present is...

Thank you so much to everyone who entered Week 1 of the Christmas Giveaway! 

Congratulations to: Martinique M. 

You have won...

And to everyone else! You can enjoy The Betwixt Series sale!

The Betwixt Series is available through AMAZON and SMASHWORDS.

Thank you Eden Crane for an amazing cover. I'm so excited to have the Betwixt Series as an omnibus now. To celebrate, Xpresso Book Tours is running a blog tour for me next week. You can check out the schedule here - Betwixt Series Blog Tour.

And don't forget to check in tomorrow, so that you can enter Week 2 of the Christmas Giveaways! On December 10th, we'll be unwrapping another gift. Eeeeppp!! It's a good one!

Gratitude Giveaway Hop! The winner of this giveaway is...

Thank you so much to everyone who participated in the Gratitude Giveaway Hop! I loved reading your comments and getting to know what you guys are doing for Thanksgiving!


Random.org was used to find the winner of this giveaway.
Congrats to Stacie McAdams! 
You get a signed paperback of choice!
*If you don't get an email Stacie, please email melissapearl.pa@gmail.com to let me know your choice of book and mailing address! Congrats!

I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe holiday!

xx
Melissa

Christmas Giveaways - Week 1!

Welcome to the start of my Christmas Giveaways. This is my favourite time of year. I love giving gifts and spreading some holiday cheer around. It's an awesome excuse to celebrate. I would love it if you would join me by participating in four fun giveaways.

Can't wait to show you guys my first surprise! Eeeppp!
So much fun!

Please help me spread the word. The more the merrier.
Let's spread some Christmas love and enjoy this awesome season.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

True Colors Release Day Blitz and Masquerade Ball!

I am so excited to announce the release date of my next book True Colors!

I really wanted to kick off this new release with a bang! I wanted to do something special!

So...

I have decided to make a Masquerade Ball Event on Facebook!

(Facebook is in no way affiliated with this event or its giveaways).

To join the event, click the beautiful photo above!

*If you are a #blogger and would like to sign up for my cover reveal on January 16, 2013 please do so by clicking on the following link: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040F4CADA82CA02-cover3

*#Bloggers can also sign up for the Release Day Blitz Post on the day of the Masquarade Ball! To sign up to post on February 16, 2013 please do so by clicking on the following link: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040F4CADA82CA02-release2

Thank you so much to everyone for stopping by! I hope to see all of you at the event! There will be tons of news and updates leading up to the event, so make sure you join asap! :)

Release Day Blitz: Indie Inked Samplers

GET INKED!

Get Inked Indie Inked Contemporary Romance Sampler

Description:

The Inked Inked Authors have come together to give you a taste of their contemporary romance titles. Discover a range of books in the YA and NA genres, all with a splash of romance. Get Inked and fall in love.

Purckase Links:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Smashwords

Get Inked Indie Inked Fantasy Romance Sampler

Description:

The Indie Inked Authors have come together to give you a taste of their fantasy titles. Discover a range of books in the YA and NA genres, all with a magical twist. Get Inked and go on a fantastical adventure.

Purchase Links: 

Amazon 

Barnes & Noble

Smashwords

Bio:

Indie Inked is a collective of top selling Indie authors bringing the best in today's fiction and trends.

IndieInked on Facebook

 

Gratitude Giveaway Blog Hop!

I am so happy to be taking part in this year's Gratitude Giveaway Blog Hop! 

I am so thankful to everyone who reads my work. 

I am so honored to be writing and doing what I love!

To show my appreciation for my readers, 
I would like to giveaway: 
A signed paperback of choice!

To enter to win, 

all you have to do is comment on this post! 

I want to know what you are doing for Thanksgiving this year! 

That's all you have to do to enter. 

Thank you so much again!

To check out the other blogs doing this blog hop, 

click the photo below:

Indie Life - It's All About Collaboration

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.

This year I was lucky enough to join together with an excellent group of authors. We have formed a group called Indie Inked and have become quite close knit as the months have passed by. It has been an unexpected blessing and made this year so much more enjoyable for me.

Our goal is to support each other in writing as well as help promote each other's work. To do this we have made an effort to share each other's releases and promotions through Facebook and Twitter. We've also gone into giveaways together and really tried to spread the love through each of our own fan bases.

Another thing we've put together is a couple of samplers called Get Inked. One is a fantasy sampler and the other is a contemporary romance sampler. The samplers release on November 18th and include four chapters from each of our books. Our intention is to make the samplers free so that everyone can access them. We're hoping to all gain some new readership and give readers the chance to test out our books, free of charge. If they like what they find, they can go on and buy the rest of the book, but at least it's a risk free download to start with.

I'm not sure how successful these samplers will be yet, but either way, it's been a fun collaboration project. Working with others can be hard. Sometimes you have different views and opinions on things, but this group of authors have been so lovely and I've enjoyed each step of the way. I am really proud to have my name next to these amazing ladies.

Another form of collaboration that I've seen coming through is box sets. Many authors are pulling together and making box sets of their books then putting them on sale for readers to snaffle up. I think it is an excellent marketing technique and one I hope to try next year.

So, I encourage you. If you're not already involved with a group, maybe you should join one or form one with other writers you know. It's a great way to get your work in front of different audiences...and make some solid friendships at the same time. Indie Inked has become a very special group to me and I love them.

What do you think about collaborating with others?

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!

Countdown to Christmas Giveaway!!

November already? This year has gone by so fast. I love the crisp cool fall weather and the changes in the leaves on trees. It is also a little reminder that Christmas is almost here!

So by now you should know what is coming next...

For those of you who don't, I mentioned in September, I have some really cool things planned for December that I am excited about. 

To celebrate this, I decided to do some Countdown to Christmas Giveaways. There are a bunch of cool eBooks to win this month! Discover some new authors and books while helping me celebrate the fact that Christmas is less than 2(ish) months away! Whoopeee!!!

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Taking The Day Off

I've decided to take the day off blogging so I can continue reading CHAOS by Taylor Longford. It's too good to put down.

If you haven't checked out the Greystone Series yet, I can highly recommend it. I have enjoyed every book so far...

Think you know about gargoyles? The beautiful winged race disappeared eight hundred years ago. When they last walked the earth, they traveled in close-knit packs, their throats marked with ancient runes. Their greatest enemies were the ugly and brutal harpies that people today mistake for gargoyles.

The first book - VALOR - is FREE!!

THE GREYSTONE SERIES ON AMAZON.