Tag Archives: Author

Summer has arrived

With a vengeance. It’s wonderful really. After a horridly cold winter, and then an indecisive spring, it’s nice to be warm again. It won’t last sadly, but while it does I’m enjoying every second. We’ve even gotten a bit of rain some of the evenings which makes sleeping so wonderfully comfortable. I love when it rains at night, so much more than when it does it the instant I leave work.

I’ve been working on book 4 of C&M Security. No title yet, but I never decide that until the very end, or close to anyway. I’m not one of those people that just knows what the name will be. Sometimes it’ll come to me at an important spot of the story. Usually not though, lol! The writing is going pretty well, it’s a slightly different story from the others. It’s still got trouble in it, it’s still got C&M in it, and it will also be introducing a character that will have a major role in the next book of the series. Haven’t figured where I’m bringing in said character, but I know it will be soon…ish.

Other than that I’ve had a few ideas on a couple other stories I’ve been puttering on. One’s a standalone, the other is a paranormal that I’m still trying to figure out the “rules” of since it’s not of an earthly nature. Trying to figure out how their world works, and all that fun stuff. Then there’s this other potential story that is circling, no clue what it is, but the beginning just keeps circling in my head over, and over, and over, and over again.

On that thought, I’m off to jot this beginning down so maybe I can purge it. Until another day ~ Moira

I’m all giddy!

Just got word, AND signed the contract for book 3 of the C&M Security series. Tentatively titled Dangerous Lines I’m all bouncy and grinning like a goof. Which could be considered a little weird since I live alone, but on the plus side, I live alone so there’s no one here to say anything. I even got the Cover & Blurb thing back to them – I’m like super efficient or something today. At least in terms of my writing lol!

Work on the other hand was barely controlled chaos all day long. For those who haven’t been on my Facebook page and seen where I live, I live in Calgary, Alberta Canada. This is important because it’s the time of year when the city goes crazy for the Calgary Stampede. Basically it all boils down to a ten day period where everyone is a cowboy/girl. This includes business men, house wives and every single, damn tourist that comes to town. Yeah, it’s great it’s such a big thing, people come from all over the world. But, really, could they not accept the Canadian way and be semi-polite while jostling for space on the side walks. There’s room enough for everyone, I swear!

In other news, I’ve been working on C&M 4. Not as dedicatedly as I’d like but, m’eh, I’ll get there. Still looking for the “groove” I need to hit where it just flows… That and I’m still not 100% sure what this one’s about. Working on “feeling” out my characters in this book. Both of which were introduced in book 3 by-the-by. The main male had a bit, but very important role in book 3. The main female was in there a bit more though you really won’t get to see what her role in help book 3’s lead characters was until book 4. Figured it was a good tie in doing it a bit backwards.

Not sure how my editor will feel about it all – hopeful she doesn’t smack my fingers overly hard. LOL! Well, methinks that be it for the night. I have writing and plotting to do, so be good everyone. From a slightly overcast Canadian city hosting “The Biggest Outdoor Show on Earth”, I bid you good evening ~ Moira

Day four of a four day weekend

First off, to all my fellow Canucks…

happy-canada-day-facebook-timeline-covers1

Well, this is the last day of my four day weekend – which is so depressing. I quite enjoy this long weekend stuff, I really like it and I’m damn productive too! But it sadly means that I have to go back to the evil “day job”. After finishing and submitting C&M 3 yesterday, tentatively titled “Dangerous Lines”, I started to work on book 4. Actually got a good start to it, not a lot – it was pretty damn late last night – so I wasn’t expecting to get a lot done.

The foundation is there though I still need to figure out how to take it from the tie in of the start deeper into the story. This one will be a slight shift, a different look into the C&M Security I’ve set-up already. While it’s not a departure by any means, it will be a little different take – I hope. LOL! So hard to tell at this point since I’m waiting on the characters to throw in with their ideas on how this will all go. Yes, I’m one of “those” writers. I have no issue allowing my characters to drive my writing bus. Though I do hang onto the map and at least try to play navigator so we don’t end up doing a swan dive into a gorge.

This book will also be stretching my knowledge a little. I’m by no means an expert in anything I write about. This one may need me to reach out to a few folks that are more knowledgeable than I could ever dream of being. Not sure yet, as it all depends on how the characters pull me along. We shall just have to see.

Anyway, I think that covers everything so far today. I need more coffee and then I have a bunch of projects to get working on. So I’m off, have a great day, especially my fellow Canadians. At least at this end of the country it’s turning out to be a beautiful, sunny day. HAPPY CANADA DAY! ~ Moira

Day three of a four day weekend

Well, obviously I needed the time off! Without family obligations, hordes of running around, or dozens of projects to see to. Because, finally, I’ve got C&M book 3 done! That’s right, done. I’ve gone through the spell check, grammar check as far as I can figure it out (thank goodness for editors), and written up the synopsis. Which is really one of my least favourite parts of writing. But, it’s completed and ready to send off.

All I need to do now is package it up, hit send, and then it’s out of my hands. It feels really good to get this sucker done, lol! It gave me more than a couple grey hairs I think. Not that anyone will ever know for sure, wink-wink.

Of course, with C&M 3 out of the way I now need to start plotting on the fourth instalment. I already know who the characters will be, had that figured out a while back actually. The only book that was completely unexpected, yet insisted on being written, was book 2 of the series. It just came to me, but didn’t fit any of the set characters I already had planned. So, with a shrug, I tossed it into the mix. Which I think was a really smart plan. While I obviously plan most of the stories to a degree, a surprise here and there along the way isn’t amiss.

It fits in well with the rest of the books, showed a little more as well as a different look at C&M, the staff and their jobs, and it brought one of the characters (a main in book 3) out a little more. All in all it was a very happy little surprise.

Well, it’s about dinner time around here so I’m going to go and send off my stuff to Evernight and start cooking. Hope everyone has a lovely evening ~ Moira

Day two of a four day weekend

It’s been a pretty productive day over all. At least in my writing world, lol! Everything else, well – I’m just ignoring it until later, or it comes after me, whichever happens first. It was a very rainy day, apparently the weather guy wasn’t wrong – for once. Which meant I had the absolutely perfect excuse to stay inside and write. And write I did.

I’ve got my main female character facing off against our bad guy. He’s in the midst of messing with her, little taunts and threats, that sort of thing. He’s a very polite, well educated, yet ruthless jackass of a man. I’m hoping I’ve developed him into the sort of bad guy that, even while people secretly kind of maybe like him, they want to see him go down. Because, even though he has his own sets of standards, his own moral code, he’s an asshole that needs to be tossed under the jail. Not sure if I’m accomplishing that great feat, but I’m ever hopeful.

Really, my biggest thing is, making him real and believable. Yes he’s a dick, yes he’s the “bad guy”, yes we all know he’s going to get what he’s got coming (cause that’s how I write them), but he still has to feel “real” to the readers. Cause, if they don’t buy it, then the whole thing just flops. Which would abso-freaking-lutely suck ass.

Well, I think that’s about it. I have to go and torment my lead female character a little more, see about the grand rescue, and then a little hanky panky between the leads. Which, given a number of things that have happened to them up to this point, will be pretty damn hot. Have a good night ~ Moira

Day one of a four day weekend

Yup, that’s right! I got me a four day weekend. With Canada Day on Tuesday the boss said to hell with it, we’re not working Monday. The reality is, he didn’t want to work on Monday since he wanted to go out to his trailer to spend the weekend on the lake. Don’t blame him, the weather today is freakin’ fantastic! From the forecast, except for a “possible chance of precipitation” the four days look like they will be stellar.

Which means I have four days to write, write and write some more. On day one, today, I slept in. I’ve been battling a bit of a head cold on top of my yearly bout of allergies. It’s been a challenge but with my buddy the Kleenex box at my side, I’ve been making it through. Beyond a bit of sinus ache, it’s actually not all that bad this year around. We’ve had just enough rain to help with the dust issue that always arises right around this time. It’s one of my bigger allergy issues, that and the dry crap that’s kicked up when people mow and de-thatch their lawns for the first couple times of the year. Yes, I’m horribly allergic to the dust kicked up by mowed lawns. If I even get a whiff of a freshly mowed lawn at this time of year I will travel four blocks out of my way to avoid it just so I don’t have the wonderful seizing in my lungs. Can’t avoid it entirely, but I damn well try for the first bit. After the first month though it doesn’t much affect me, unless I’m the poor sucker out there doing the mowing. Which, as I have no lawn thanks to apartment living, I don’t ever have to do.

Up to bat on the writing front is C&M book 3. Still need to finish this sucker off. So I have my TV playing softly in the background, coffee at my elbow, and this sucker is getting done this weekend. Come hell or… Okay, given where I live, I’m not finishing that. Since we had high water’s last year and I’m not temping Fate or anything else. *knocking on wood*

With all that in mind, I’m off to do some writing. Hope you all have a lovely weekend ~ Moira

First in a series…

dangeroustimes1sComing this Thursday Dangerous Times, is the first book of the C&M Security series. I’m very excited about this series, it’s my first one, and it’s also a slightly different take for me on a romantic story. It’s got mystery, it’s got danger, and it’s got some good old fashioned heat.

In book one we get to meet the delightfully adorable, Tamara Phillips. She’s a photographer who lives on her caffeinated beverages and hates mornings. Okay, I admit, those two traits are all me. Gotta put a little of yourself into your works, right? She meets up again with the sinfully sexy, Shawn Camden. He’s co-owner in C&M Security – the “C” if you need a hint as to how I came up with the name of his company.

I had a lot of fun writing this first book in the series. It was a great stretch of my abilities to try something new. Never having done anything with a bit of mystery behind it, and keeping the “big secret” actually a secret to the end, was definitely a challenge. So many times I caught myself giving something away that I knew would just ruin the effect I was attempting to create.

Thankfully my editor, the wonderfully talented Laurie Temple, was on my side of keeping the “secret” a secret. Normally not identifying a key character is a no-no, but in this case it was necessary to assist in leading the reader along just so. Then, at the end, WHAM! Big reveal. I also have to give a shout out to the talented cover artist who does all the Evernight Publishing covers, Sour Cherry Designs did a fantabulous job on the cover for this – so thanks!

That’s it for tonight I think, I have writing to do, characters to mess with, and a plot to twist up into knots. ~ Moira

Happily plotting

It’s Saturday, a bit overcast, but quite pleasantly warm. So I figured I’d set up out on my balcony to write for a while. Fresh air, sounds of the city around me, and just enough sun not to freeze to death. It was an awesome plan. Got a lot of writing done on the new C&M Security book. Book three for those keeping track. Got just over 3500 words down on the page and already my lead female character is in shit up to her eyeballs.

Unlike the other books so far in this series, this one my lead character is heading straight into danger, willingly I should mention. She’s a police detective so that’s kind of her gig. Unfortunately for my leading gal, no one actually has much of a clue as to just who they are going up against, who they are rescuing her from. Neither did she until it was too late. Much too late.

Muahahaha! Yeah, I’m evil. I just LOVE putting characters into precarious positions and then trying to figure out how to dig them out. I do a bit of plotting ahead of time, more or less enough to know what the bad guy is after -his ultimate goal- but let the characters guide the story for a good portion of it. I like seeing where they pull things, often it’s to places I never would have been able to think up sitting there staring at a blank word doc.

I’m not saying that where they pull me is always the best place. Hell no! For instance, in book two of this same series, my lead male character nearly had him and those he was with, doing something highly questionable, and very illegal. I had to kibosh that right quick. Can’t be having any of that, especially since that isn’t who they are at their core. While the staff of C&M Security might play a little loose and free with the law, they can’t break it. So, after a knuckle whack or three, I got them back on track with a slightly less dramatic, but much better for the overall storyline, path. They were happy, no criminal records or jail time, and I was happy, no supporting of illegal activities just because you can. Don’t need to be setting that sort of precedent.

Now, had I written about a thief, totally different standards there. I can’t write about a thief that never steals anything, that would go against who I was writing and the story I was creating. But these guys work with law enforcement so, bending a little is okay, outright breaking is very, very bad.

Well, that’s enough of a break, back to writing now. Need to see if I can make about 5k words before dinner. Have a good day everyone ~ Moira

Week’s going great

So far anyway, lol! Yesterday wasn’t too bad, except for the drenching I got as I dashed semi-quickly home from work. I was definitely more than just a little soggy by the time I got here. There was much squish-squish happening as I dripped my way to my place. I hate having wet shoes – nasty!

Plus side though, got my contract signed, and sent off for book 2 of the C&M Security series. As well as doing up the blurb/cover art sheet – that went back to Evernight Publishing as well. Did some writing and I think I may even have an idea for book 3 in this series. It’s vague right now so I’m just letting it rumble around in my head.

Stayed up a bit too late last night and then just couldn’t fall asleep. Not because my brain was spinning but because I honestly couldn’t get comfortable. Damnedest thing too. Especially given what I spent on my awesome mattress. Frickin’ thing cost nearly a very large mortgage payment – if I paid mortgage that is. But it was a Christmas gift so, in my humble opinion, well worth it. I love my bed. My bed is awesome! But last night we just weren’t in the groove together.

I had a LOT of coffee today to combat my need to sleep. That and I needed to try, I said “try”, to keep my wandering mind focused. I think I left my brain in bed this morning because I was seriously disorganized and mildly chaotic. I did, somehow, manage to get a lot of work done though. Not a fucking clue how! Really, I have no idea how the hell I managed it.

Well, that’s it for the moment. I think I’ll go hunt down something for dessert and vegetate in front of the TV and computer for a like. Have a good night ~ Moira

Just got word

That another of my books, this one the second in the C&M Security series, was accepted by Evernight. Still have to do the whole contract signing and such but it’s nice to know it didn’t get lost. LOL! Yeah, I was a little concerned it might have, but I should have known better. Only bad thing about submitting when the staff is off partying, you get stuck wondering just a little longer.

It’s a great way to end the weekend and start the new week I must admit. Will definitely make whatever work decides to throw my way a little easier to swallow. Hopefully.

On the new works front I finally have my Paranormal’s in line. Little buggers. Got a good start on them today and it seems to be flowing quite well. Unfortunately for one of the male characters he’s going to have to do a bit of work to win over the girl from the way this one’s going. M’eh, what’s a little suffering in the name of love right?

Oh! Finished up the Graceland marathon I had going. Very interesting ending I have to say. That and I cannot wait for the new season to begin here in June. Very excited to see where they take this. Now, I’m not huge on TV. I do have a couple series I watch but I’m really a movie person. Though I will admit that I tend to have the TV on while I’m writing, mostly for background noise and to give me something to focus on when I’m trying to think through a section I’m writing. I will say though that, if season two is anywhere near as good as season one was, I have myself another show to watch.

Well, I do believe that is it for the night. Just had to share the good news with everyone before I burst or something equally icky. ~ Moira