Happy Sunday ya’ll

Nov30

The sun is shining on a very chilly temperature here in my city. But with coffee in hand, wrapped in a nice toasty warm sweater, and the heater up a little higher than normal I’m quite comfortable. Enough so that I can get to work on my WIP’s. At least while the characters are chatting with me anyway.

I never know how long they’ll be willing to converse with me so I can write out their story. Today though they seem relatively chatty, so I’m going to take advantage. Get what I can down on the page before they decide to meander off once more as they have been wont to do of late. Little buggers are driving me batty.

Edits are all in for book for of the C&M Security series so now I’m waiting on my cover art, and a date of release. A little impatiently I must admit since it was originally projected to come out in November. Obviously this didn’t happen as we’re now sitting on the last day of the month, but that’s fine. It took a little bit of time to get it just right, and personally I’d rather have the book “right” then rushed. Though I will admit that I really, really want to see what the cover will be for this one. Evernight’s cover designer is pretty flipping phenomenal so it’s always a fantastic surprise to find a cover mock-up sitting in your in-box waiting for you. I’m very sure this one will be no different.

Only downside to another month going down is that we’re now that much closer to Christmas. I am so not ready for the holiday. I really have to figure out a way to get all my shopping done early or I’m going to totally be screwed. Especially since I always go up to see the family for the holiday. But even that’s a little screwy this year because of a trip that is mucking up when we’ll be celebrating. Oh well, we’re all adults around here. At least until you have to wait to open your presents and then it’s like we all revert to little kids, lol!

Last bit of info to pass along as well. There is only a few more days to vote in the Evernight Publishing 2nd Annual Readers Choice Awards. The polls close on December 5, 2014 – this coming Friday. To vote all you need to do is click the image below, and it will take you directly to the voting site.

Remember, I have 2 books in 2 different categories to vote on. One is in Humor – Forever Kind of Love; and the other is in Suspense – Dangerous Lines, C&M Security 3.

That’s all I have for today, really gotta get to work on these WIP’s. Have a great day everyone ~ Moira

A teeth chattering chill

Nov28

We are definitely getting the “cold shoulder” from Mother Nature in these parts. I don’t know who pissed her off, but apologize already! Only good thing about such weather is it gives me a damn fine reason to stay inside where it’s toasty warm. Because there isn’t a chance at all that I’ll go out until the mercury starts crawling back up unless I absolutely have to. Sadly my boss insists that going to work is one of those absolutes.

Thank goodness it’s the weekend, LOL! I can stay warm at home, I don’t have to get dressed for any particular reason, and I can work on my two WIP’s. Plus there is an unlimited amount of coffee available to be had. Oh, and cookies too – totally forgot about the cookies.

Not that I didn’t wish I was somewhere much warmer of course. The place above would do. I don’t even care where it is. There’s blue water, a couple hammocks and lots of sunshine. I think it’s the perfect place to relax, and write. Oh to have a view like that for inspiration. Okay, maybe it wouldn’t do well for inspiration, but it would do amazing things for my already winter weary mental state lol!

All right, I need to go and do something productive. Like writing I do believe. I hope everyone has a great weekend. Stay toasty ya’ll ~ Moira

Needed a little inspiration

Nov23

So of course I went digging through all the many images I have kicking around. I needed the inspiration mainly because my characters went and wandered off yesterday. No note, no calls, nothing. Just abandoned me to do gawd only knows what. While I adore my characters greatly this is highly unacceptable behaviour even for them. Little buggers.

When I started digging around I had absolutely no clue what I was looking for, or what I needed the inspiration for specifically. Whether it’s productive to the purpose I originally went looking for I still haven’t decided, but I definitely have a few interesting ideas going round and round. LOL! But being the generous soul I am I thought I’d share what I dug out from the folders. So enjoy.

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And now I’m off to see if this sparks anything for my two current WIP’s. Have a fantastic Sunday ~ Moira

Totally shocked!

Nov22

Found out on Friday that I was in two, TWO, categories for the 2nd Annual Evernight Readers’ Choice Awards. I’m so excited! Forever Kind of Love was nominated in the Humor category, and Dangerous Lines was nominated in the Suspense category. I was hopeful that maybe one of my books might make the cut, but to get two books up there is making me seriously giddy.

I don’t think I stopped grinning the entire night, lol! It’s just, wow. I’m completely awed, and stunned that my readers thought so much of my books to nominate them. I can’t do this job without their support, but to see it showcased so amazingly is heart warming to say the least. It definitely makes the long nights of arguing with my characters to get a scene just right, working and reworking a particular patch of dialogue, and of course the terror of seeing what the editor has done to fix my gaffes all worth it.

All I can say is thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! I have amazing readers, and I love you all to bits for your vote of confidence in my works. You guys rock, and make me want to write even more for you to have.

But not right off, I have to do a few boring things first like grocery shopping and such things. Then I’ll get to work on some more of that words to page. I’ve already started on C&M Security book 6 (the prequel) that stars Robyn and Grant. I’ve also started a paranormal story too. Not exactly sure where that one is going, but it’s apparently quite happy to lead me on a merry little trail as I meander along with it. It popped into my head, and now it’s not letting go. Sucky thing though is I’m only getting little bursts, bits and pieces really, to add. I think the characters are still trying to figure out where it’s all going to go so they’re only giving up what’s needed to keep it fresh in my head. We shall see.

For now I’m off to get busy with a few things. Have a fantastic weekend – and don’t forget to VOTE! Click any of the Readers’ Choice Awards images in the right hand bar of items and you’ll be taken right to the voting form. ~ Moira

Relaxed into writing

Nov15

It’s amazing what a haircut will do for the brain. Not literally of course… But all that time sitting relaxing is a great way for the mind to sort through things. There’s no pressure, no deadline, just down time. Between the wash, and scalp massage, the actual cut, and all the finishing touches the stylist does it’s a great way to let the mind just be. Mine started to think, to plot, and in the end gave me the start to the next book in the C&M Security series. So thank you to my stylist Sam for getting things back into gear for me.

Also thank goodness for the technology to start putting it down into a doc before I got home. If not for that handy dandy phone of mine I might not have gotten the first pieces quite right. A short shopping trip for some necessities helped shake loose a few more bits and pieces, and now I can settle in for the balance of the night and just write. I’ll have to remember this for the next time the brain gets stopped up. Not that I have enough hair to do this every week, but maybe a massage the next time would work much the same way.

At any rate, I’m just happy to get started on it. It’s been bugging me for over two weeks now not knowing how to get started. But now I have a plan, a loose plan mind you, but definitely a plan.

In other news my impromptu submission for the Uniform Anthology with Evernight was accepted. I hadn’t originally planned on writing anything for it, but again the old brain had other plans for me. It interrupted my finishing of C&M 5 to get it all written down. I actually had the just under 10k words done in about 8 hours. Never done that before. But the words were flowing so it’s not like I could stop because of something as silly as exhaustion at four o’clock in the morning. Pssht! Who needs to sleep when a story is flowing? Apparently me actually.

Well, now that I’ve goofed off for a few minutes to update my site I think it’s time to get back to work. Happy Saturday to everyone ~ Moira

Book 5’s been accepted!

Nov4

So very happy to say that Evernight Publishing accepted book 5 of the C&M Security series on Monday. I just signed the contracts so now that it’s a done deal I can share the wonderful news. This book is the last in the current time line of the series for a short while, as book 6 will be a prequel to give some more details of where the C&M crew all started out from. Should be a blast!

Accepted grunge stamp

Not sure when I’ll be starting book 6 though. I have something else, very undefined though, rattling around in my head. I may need to poke at that a little first and see where it leads. Or at least maybe clear it out of my head so I can focus on the next instalment of the series at hand. I have the premise already worked out in my head for book 6, just haven’t yet heard the characters put in anything. Definitely know what needs to go into it though so that’s a plus. Lot’s of background of course, more in depth knowledge about each of the characters already introduced, and then meeting some of those that may yet have their own book down the line. Haven’t decided yet if I plan to do more with the C&M series after this prequel. I think it’s all up in the air until I figure out what all this next book will reveal about the “world” they live in.

For now though, I’m going to have a celebratory bevvie, watch a movie, and chill out for the evening. I’ve got nothing much planned except for some relaxation. Who knows, might shake something loose that will be useful. Until next time folks ~ Moira

Another month bites the dust

Nov1

I can’t believe how fast they are going by. It’s crazy, crazy I say! As a kid you feel like a year drags by – except of course for your summer, and winter holiday breaks. Those blast past at shockingly high speeds. Then as an adult you’re finally able to “enjoy” life, pick a pace, and do your thing. No one ever mentioned that the older you get the faster the years speed past. And I’m pretty sure it’s picking up speed at some horrific rate.

That said I definitely need to get some time in on my book, and finish the sucker. This weekend is when I’ll be spending a good chunk of my time writing it. I’m all set too. First cup of coffee into the system, a movie on the TV that I’ve seen a few times so I’ll use it as background noise save for the couple of scenes I have to stop and giggle over. Fridge is full of snacks, and pizza will be the dinner of choice tonight so I don’t need to stop to cook anything. Barring anything catastrophic occurring *knock on wood* I should get in several solid hours of writing.

Now, before I get down to business I want to give a shout out to my winners from the Evernight Halloween Facebook Party. I had a fantastic time chatting with everyone during my hour, meeting new folks, and basically having a spooktacularly good time discussing all the fun things we do on All Hallows Eve. The winners were, as follows:

1 copy of a Back List Book – Kimberly T.
1 copy of my upcoming ARC for C&M Security 4, Dangerous Circumstances – Liz C.
And the flash giveaways for the $5.00 Amazon Gift Cards were – Lynne R., Kat B., and Marie M.-W.

A huge thank you to the winners, and everyone else that participated. It was a blast, and a half of fun to say the least. Now I need to get to work on the next instalment so I’m off to other parts of my computer. Have a great weekend ~ Moira

A couple reminders

Oct26

Happy Sunday everyone. A couple items to throw out there for those interested.

First up is the Evernight Publishing Halloween Facebook Party this Thursday, October 30th. Everyone is welcome, and it’s going on from 12:00pm EST until 11:00pm EST so everyone should have a chance to swing by and check out some of the happenings. There will be lots of authors chatting, prizes being given away, and of course lots of Halloween fun. To join up you can go click the image below to sign up. Should be one heck of a fun time.

As well, I’ve been redoing my site so some of the items you may have previously seen have been moved a little. Don’t worry! It’s all still there. For those interested in joining my newsletter the link is now on the right hand side in the widget bar. Always plenty of time to join which you can do by clicking the image below.

Now, I’m off to keep writing on C&M book 5, it’s progressing very well today if I do say so myself. Things are beginning to head towards a full boil for the characters – basically this means they are about to find themselves in deep shit. Should be lots of fun to see how they figure to get themselves out of the mess I plan to toss them into.

Have a great week everyone! ~ Moira

We may bend,

Oct23

But we’ll damn well never break.

The following will have some adult language due to the subject nature so if you are easily offended, go no further.

Various horrifying occurrences in Canada have flummoxed me, and made it difficult to figure out what to post about. So I figured I’d do a post about what’s going on. Now, I in no way am an expert on the happenings, I do not have an inside source, hell I live on the other side of the country but I felt the need to speak on it – however briefly this might be.

Canadians are, by and large, known as a relatively peaceful nation. As long as you don’t steal our beer, we’re pretty laid back and mellow. Now, I’m in no way saying we don’t have shit that goes down. We do. We have crime rates – some pretty damn steep. We have car jackings, muggings, home invasions, burglaries, and we have murders. We do not claim to be a country that does not have it’s faults, some deeper than others, so don’t think I’m trying to claim that in any way, shape, or form. I am not. I’m saying that for the large majority of the country, we’re very easy going folks.

So when I hear in the news about members of the Canadian Armed Forces being targeted, I wonder just what the fuck is going on! I mean first the hit and run on two people from the military, a hit and run which occurred in Quebec. WTF! By someone the RCMP had already spoken with on an unrelated matter, and according to a news article appeared to be making strides “to change his life”. But he goes out and possibly “targeted” two military members killing one, and causing some minor injuries to the other. According to the article (which you can read here) he then proceeded to lead police on a bit of a chase before rolling his vehicle into a ditch. Upon exiting the vehicle he then went at the officers, with a knife, and was killed. Sounds like suicide by cop to me – maybe?

If this wasn’t bad enough the very next day, yesterday point of fact, another member of the Armed Forces was killed. This time though the soldier was unarmed, and standing guard duty over the War Memorial at the Tomb of the Unknown Solder on Capital Hill, outside of Parliament. Point blank range the gunman fatally shot Cpl. Nathan Cirillo for absolutely no reason, at all (one of the many articles covering that found here, and another here). The suspect then went off to do God only knows what while another gunman entered Parliament. Thankfully this gunman was stopped by sergeant-in-arms Kevin Vickers (an article about that incident is here) before he could get too far, and cause too much harm.

But I have to say it again, WHAT THE FUCK! I truly don’t know what to say except my thoughts are with Cpl. Cirillo’s family during this horrifying and agonizing time. This may have taken place at the other end of the country, but all Canadians are feeling the shock waves of these events. I only hope all those involved are found, and justice is appropriately meted out upon their heads.

In this ever increasingly insane world we live in absolutely nothing is guaranteed. Tell your loved ones how you feel, never let a day go by, for no one knows when “this” day will be their last.

That’s all I’ve got ~ Moira

The Halifax Chronicle Herald’s Editorial Cartoon by Bruce MacKinnon @ch_cartoon

Prize Winners!

Oct15

Hello everyone! Long time no Net for me. I was starting to develop some serious withdrawal issues from the lack. Not that I could have likely managed to type on any sort of device for more than a couple minutes. Only trouble with visiting family for the holidays, any holiday, is they tend to put me to work while I’m there. I call it “slave labor”, they call it “lending a hand”. Personally, mine’s the one you should believe. And I have the screaming musculature to back up that claim.

Onto much happier, if mildly delayed, news. I have the winners for the Evernight Birthday Blog Hop from my site. Yes, I put in “winners” in the plural. I do like to give an extra prize away if I can, and in this case I can! So, here we go…

With the choice of one of my back listed books, plus a “We’re All Stories In The End” locket each, the winners are:

1) Kristen; and 2) Lavida B.

The winners have been notified via email already. So I just want to send out another huge thank you to all who participated in making the Birthday Blog Hop a success. Look for more amazing things to come in the next days, weeks, and months. There will be more opportunities to win a bunch more things from us all.

Have a fantastic day ~ Moira!

Moira Callahan

Author Archives: Moira Callahan