The gameplan

Feb19

Spell Check, word cloud concept 9 Laundry’s in the dryer which means it’s finally time to download VIPER, The Scoundrels MC book 1 to see what editing notes in the doc I have and what all needs to be done. I received them over the long weekend and since then haven’t had two seconds to do more than briefly glance at the editor sheet with her notes. For the most part it sounds pretty damn good. A few spots I need to fill in to make everything smoother, and a couple goofy things that obviously I wrote while half asleep. Ugh! Really need to stop doing that.

Once that’s off my plate the rest of the weekend is for writing. Which means more work done on book 3 of the Living Victorious series. Many readers have asked when this one is coming out. Unfortunately I’ve had a hell of a time getting back into the groove since Christmas. The extra long break and a shake up around work, nothing horrible mind you – just extra hours, extra work, and no extra help or bump in pay – mucked up my rhythm. Gotta get my groove back basically.

Last thing I need to do is load some more of my writer friends onto the blog for the coming weeks – been slacking there sadly. But I can do that during my breaks when I need a moment to clear the brain fog out.

Beyond that it will be lots of coffee, many snacks, and pounding the keys until my hands cramp and I need to find something else to do for a little while. I hope everyone has a great weekend and I’ll update soon. ~ Moira

Chilly, breezy Saturday

Feb6

beautiful woman inspirer of the artist and composer

At least the sun is shining, so that’s a plus. It’s a great day to stay hunkered down and writing, which is what I’m attempting to do with my hyped up muse bouncing off the walls in my head. She’s all over the map which means focusing on the one story I desperate want to get done is a definite challenge and a half.

Since it’s been a while I figured I should do some updates on what’s been going on. The main reason for no postings in the last month has been work. We’ve got a lot of changes happening there along with several interruptions that had doubled up my work, and completely ruined my normal schedule. Long hours meant very little time to do anything else, including writing. Quite the irritation that was I have to say.

But in better news I’d submitted a book to start up a new series right at the beginning of the New Year and it was accepted. VIPER is book one of my new MC series, The Scoundrels. I have a page started for his story with the unedited blurb included for anyone interested in finding out more. Not much to say yet except that he, and his MC brothers will be coming to Evernight Publishing in March 2016. My first published book of 2016 point of fact.

I am working on the next book in the Living Victorious series, currently and tentatively titled The Voice. This is Jeremy’s story, who as readers of the series know is the lead singer for the band Victorious. His story has given me several fits, may be leading to ulcers and is generally a pain in my ass. It took me several fits and starts to even get the story moving along, but now I’ve found some sort of pace that seems to be working. No date yet set for all those who are wondering since I haven’t even got halfway quite yet. Once I have him and his leading lady, Melanie, submitted I will let everyone know and what the projected date of release might be. No promises but I’m hoping to have his story submitted sometime in February – barring any more issues with these two characters.

I think that is about it for the time being. I will have more things to announce in the coming days so stay tuned for that stuff. In the meantime I am off to get a coffee refill and slap around my characters and my muse in the hopes to get something productive done today. ~ Moira

The aftermath…

Dec29

Well, thank goodness that’s over, ha! Actually I had a pretty great Christmas with the family, and obviously survived. Though it was by the skin of my teeth I’ll admit. Hopefully everyone was able to enjoy some time off, sleep in, and maybe relax a little. I was lucky and got plenty of downtime.

The day prior to leaving for the gathering of the familial sorts I was at work, with a sick salesman. He had a cold, and I thought I’d dodged a bullet with that but really I should have known better. Boxing Day the cold I’d managed to hold off until that moment kicked in full force. Stuffy head, runny nose, hacking, wheezing, the whole nine yards. Yup, fucker got me sick. On the plus side I managed to not give it to anyone in my family so that’s a blessing, and I am on the road to recovery. Thank you modern medicine – I don’t utilize you all that much, but when a killer cold kicks my ass I am ever so grateful you are there. That and the pharmacy guy who, once he finished snickering (yeah, I saw you) helped me narrow down what I needed to kick this thing to the curb.

Didn’t get any writing done as of yet. A head full of cotton is not exactly what I would call helpful to the creative process. The muse doesn’t like my coughing or something, who knows. Not that I could have concentrated much, I was more concerned with ensuring the box of Kleenex never ran out. But I still have six days off work that I can hopefully put to good use and get some things, if not 100% done, much closer to completion. I’d be a much happier camper if I had several things off the writing plate and into my publishers hands. So too would my readers I’m thinking, lol!

Today is for unpacking, laundry, and generally getting myself sorted out. If the head-fog clears out a little more I will get some writing in before the next dose of fabulous medication is needed to hold the sniffling, sneezing, hacking, and wheezing at bay. But if not I am not overly concerned. I have a few notes of things jotted down for where various works will be going to so when I do finally get to writing I have a game plan. The muse did surface long enough over the last few days to do that much. Therefore we have a plan of action and attack for the writing.

I think that’s it currently. No big plans for New Years, not that it’s ever really been my thing, so likely it will be writing and watching the various parties across the country as they go down. Well, that’s it for the moment. Hope everyone has a great New Years whatever your plans are. ~ Moira

Relaxing the day away

Dec5

Vector winter scene with forest background isolated on white.
Today will be a nice lazy day for the most part. I do have to run out for a few things but otherwise I plan to laze around and do some much needed writing. Gotta get my next Living Victorious book closer to the finished point, and I have a couple other WIP’s that will fill my time when I run into a mental block on LV3. Plenty to do on the writing front that’s for sure.

I have a new release coming out on Tuesday, my Christmas story to be exact – Greatest Gift. The cover is fabulous (though I’m still waiting on the unwatermarked version), and the first round of edits was a breeze. My editor seemed very pleased with the story in general, and other than commenting on my comma issue (damn you comma’s!!) there were only a couple little fixes to be done. Haven’t seen a second round yet, but I know things are super busy at EP these days given the sheer number of books coming out this month.

The first batch of Christmas cards went into the mail early -yay me!- and are making their way to the readers and friends who requested one. I can still get some more out in time for Christmas if anyone is interested in a card from little old me. All you need to do to sign up is click the blue Christmas ornament button to the right to be taken to the Google form. There are even gifts to be given if anyone is interested.

Let’s see, what else might there be to share today… Huh, I got nothing. Well, guess that means time to refill my mug and get back down to work. Hope everyone has a lovely day ~ Moira.

Getting back to normal

Nov7

The vacation is nearly over which means it’s sadly time to get things back to normal. To that end some updates on a number of projects. First on the docket is the release of The Bass, Living Victorious 2. It will be coming out this Thursday, November 12th. And check out this amazing cover by the way-too-talented-to-be-real Jay Aheer. It is jaw droppingly gorgeous naturally because she doesn’t seem to do anything else. And, as always, links will be coming for this as soon as I have them on the day (or earlier if I’m lucky).

Got some work done on book 3 of the series while I was on holidays. I actually had to delete a chunk because it just was not working for me. But now it’s back on track and our lead singer is making some progress. More to come on what struggles he, and his leading lady, will face in their story to get to their HEA soon.

November 29th I have a spot on The Romance Reviews Year End Splash. There are contests, prizes on a weekly basis, and loads of games for everyone to get in on as well as the Grand Prize of a Kindle Fire HD7. You do have to be a member of the site to participate, but it is 100% free to join. So if you’re interested at all, get started today over at TRR.

Last thing of note for the moment is that I have a Christmas story in with Evernight Publishing. Greatest Gift was accepted, the contract has been signed, and it is slated for a December release. Apparently a number of us Evernight authors all had the same thought to write Christmas stories roughly at the same time so there will be a LOT of Christmas goodies coming out this year. No release date yet of course, but details will come as I get them.

And I think that is it. I am off to keep working on LV 3 after refilling my new coffee mug, my own keepsake from the Big Easy. Hope everyone has a fabulous day ~ Moira

Almost there…

Oct19

Only ten more days before I’m officially on holidays in the Big Easy with the lovely April Zyon. I am so ready for this break, and it’ll be a blast to boot. I have no clue what I’m packing beyond the obvious, but I am starting a list – cause I’d really hate to be missing something. Especially since I won’t be able to “run home” and grab it, lol!

In other good news The Bass, Living Victorious 2 first round edits hit my inbox this weekend. I haven’t yet had the opportunity to check to see what might need fixing. I’m hoping that it’s all easy *crossing fingers* fixes without too many major boo-boo’s that need major rewrites. That sort of things suck. I also need to get them done before I leave so that my editor has them while I’m away to do her next look over. Maybe they’ll be back in my box when I return, here’s hoping.

First and foremost though is my current project. It sort of popped up suddenly – like most things involving my crazy muse – and it’s a seasonal story. Which means I need to get this sucker done, and fast. I only have a little more to go, I think. It’s always hard to tell with the muse. She keeps bombing me with details to add in so I never quite know where this is heading, and when it might be completed. It better be soon or it’ll miss the appropriate time to release.

Well I think that’s it for updates at this moment. Will put out more as they come to me. Look for a couple more posts to follow in the next two weeks before I depart. ~ Moira

Get in on the fun

Oct3

It’s a chilly, dreary Saturday here at home. Great day for staying indoors, and keeping warm. The perfect day to get some writing done as well. Which I am off to do shortly, right after I get a coffee refill, and some lunch. But I thought I’d give some updates before I go get myself busy.

Going on now until October 9th is Evernight Publishing’s 5th Birthday Blog Hop. For more information you can check out the post here on Evernight’s blog, including all those participating in the Hop, and the prizes Evernight is giving away to celebrate their 5th Birthday. Don’t forget to leave comments on each site visited for a chance to win the prizes each Author, or Blogger is giving away, as well as to get extra entries into Evernight’s grand draw.

To top it off All Romance is helping us to celebrate by offering 25% off every Evernight Publishing book on their site. You can check out the list which includes all of my books, and many other fabulous Author’s, by going to All Romance and doing a publisher search for Evernight Publishing, or just click here to be taken right to that listing.

And since you’re visiting my site anyway don’t forget to leave a comment on my post for the celebration. All I want to know is your best, or craziest birthday gift received. Pretty easy right? But don’t forget to leave your email address, this is both for me to contact you should you be the winner, and for Evernight if you are chosen for one of their many prizes.

Last bit of information to share is the Facebook Party Evernight and the Author’s are holding on October 8th. Everyone is welcome to join if you happen to have a Facebook account, and are free to. It is running from 3pm until 11pm EDT, with many of us hosting during each hour. There will be more prizes, flash giveaways, and plenty of opportunity to talk to us all. You can join us by clicking here and get in on the fun.

All right I think that’s it. For now I’m off to get that refill, and get down to work. I still have a Christmas story to attempt to finish in time for the coming season. Given our weather predictions for the day it seems fitting to work on it. Have a great weekend, and don’t forget to get in on the fun and prizes. ~ Moira

Autumn has arrived

Sep13

The day has been a roller coaster of weather. Woke to chilly damp autumn, then we managed about an hour of sunny with a few fluffy clouds, and we are currently back into fully overcast with more rain threatening. Fall has arrived in full force here, and gloomy damp chilly days are in the future. I think it may be time to stock up on the hot chocolate (mainly for the excuse to throw some rum in).

But it does provide a rather nice backdrop for writing. In between plotting where my Living Victorious (LV) book 3 will be going I’m working on a Christmas story. It’s been coming in bursts so whenever the mood strikes to get more down I have been. It’s definitely not your “normal” Christmas story by any means. But I’ve never done that whole “normal” thing well. I prefer to color outside the lines, dance with the Devil, and generally thumb my nose at “convention”. It’s a little moody, has it’s moments where emotions run high, and has a bit of off the wall humor too. It won’t be a long book by any means, but I think it will be a fun one for my readers.

In between the plotting, and reading I’ve been cleaning. Mainly when the muse stopped talking or wandered off to look at shiny objects. I have found that the cleaning seems to get her back on track. Thankfully rather quickly today because I didn’t actually want to do any cleaning, lol! I did all the major weekly stuff yesterday, today was mostly things like cleaning the fridge drawers, and shelves. Boring crap that wrenched the creativity back on track. And when that last failed to work I’ve been watching some S.O.A. that I downloaded a while back but never got around to watching.

Now I need to go scrounging for the makings of dinner, do some more writing, and get in some more plotting for LV3. I hope everyone had a great weekend, and has a lovely week. Tomorrow is Monday – make the best of it and do nothing that can be proven. Have a great one! ~ Moira

Coffee, coffee, more coffee

Sep6

It is a chilly, dreary Sunday but a great day for writing. I’m busy working on book 3 of the Living Victorious series and attempting to mainline caffeine as quickly as I can manage. This is Jeremy’s book, and the little shit is driving me insane. Not in a good way most of the time either. He is a stubborn character I will admit, giving me enough to work with for a few paragraphs and then it’s much like pulling teeth to get anything more from him.

Thankfully his leading lady in the book is the chatty sort. She tends to be on the side of “over sharing”. Not so sure that’s a good thing, but it’s an interesting counterbalance to Jeremy. I have this feeling that once they begin to interact on a more continuous basis, outside their brief interactions at meetings currently, that the sparks will really start to fly. Should be fun.

Not much else to share at this moment. I do have a vague idea for a potential Christmas story, but it hasn’t really gelled into much yet. It has a Paranormal flair to it which I’m liking, now if only the muse wouldn’t be quite so stingy with the details maybe I can get it written. LOL! Well, that’s all for the moment. We’ll talk again soon I’m sure. For now I need to refill my mug, and get back to work messing around with Jeremy’s perfectly orderly life. ~ Moira

Another one completed

Aug16

Living Victorious 2 has officially been submitted to Evernight Publishing for consideration to publish. I’m just happy to have it done. This story has given me more than a couple problems during it’s creation. First a scene that wouldn’t gel, and then the epilogue which I ended up rewriting four times to get it right. But it’s done, and in my publisher’s hands now to look at to see if they want it. What a relief!

I haven’t started book 3 yet, but I do have an idea fermenting in the brain on where it will go. It will feature the lead singer for Victorious, Jeremy Shane. His leading lady is still a mystery to me. I know what her job is, and how she’ll come into the bands life, but she hasn’t told me her name. It could make writing the next book difficult if she doesn’t pipe up soon.

In other news the Bad Alpha, and the Bad Alpha: Manlove anthologies are releasing on Friday August 21st. I am in the Bad Alpha anthology with nine other marvelous authors. It is currently up for pre-order, with a special price if you one click it before the day of release. To celebrate the releases Evernight Publishing, and the authors are doing a pre-release party on Facebook on Thursday August 20th. All kinds of links are below.

Another wonderful surprise to share with everyone, we were only just told that both Bad Alpha, and Bad Alpha: Manlove will be featured in the August 24th edition of USA Today in the Happily Ever After section. I will post up the link to this once it goes live, and I have it.

Bad Alpha ~ Pre-Order Links
Amazon (US) | Amazon (CA) | Amazon (UK) | Amazon (AU)

Bad Alpha: Manlove ~ Pre-Order Links
Amazon (US) | Amazon (CA) | Amazon (UK) | Amazon (AU)

Bad Alpha & Bad Alpha: Manlove Pre-Release Party on Facebook
JOIN THE PARTY!

Well I think that is it. I need to be to work on LV3, and figure out my leading ladies name. I hope you all have a lovely night ~ Moira

Moira Callahan

Tag Archives: Writing