Happy Birthday to Me...

I'm heading off to Chicago for a few days to celebrate my boyfriends birthday, which was Tues, and mine, which is in 12 days.  I don't usually take many days off but I think I deserve it.  I'm turning 30 and I had a book published. (Insert silly dance here) I'm pretty excited.  We are going to eat the best pizza around and go to the aquarium.  Maybe something or someone will spark some new ideas.

Have a great weekend everyone!!

And the Excitement Continues...

Last week was incredibly crazy for me.  I seriously can't describe the feeling of knowing that people are sitting in there homes, at work, or wherever they please and reading Tears in the Rubble.  I barely slept the night before it came out because the anticipation was too great.  Now after a week things are winding down and I'm getting some feedback.  I love knowing that people liked my story and loved my characters.  Well, Taylor at least.  This experience has been amazing!

So thanks again for supporting me and reading my novel or planning to read it.  It means a lot.

Now, I need to get to work on some new stories.


One last thing....just because I'm so excited about it.  And you should be too...

5 things you should know about Layla Swanson...

She's hard to like and a bit quirky...

1. Layla's favorite food is lasagna.
2. She never hits snooze. Ever.
3. Her favorite movie is Forrest Gump
4. She's never had a pet. Unless you count her goldfish from the county fair that only lived for 2 days.
5. Layla loves hot tea with honey.

5 Things you should know about Taylor Scott...

Taylor Scott is pretty amazing and I think everyone should get to know him....

                                   
1. Taylor's favorite color is blue.
2. He loves 80's rock.  Think hair bands.
3. He loves sour candy.  It really doesn't matter what kind.
4. His middle name is Daniel. He hates it.
5. Taylor is tone deaf.  Can't sing a bit, but that doesn't stop him.

It's release day!!

Wow!  Where do I start?  I can't even begin to express how I feel right now.  This has been a crazy ride so far and I'm so excited.  I want to thank everyone that has supported me and everyone that had been excited for me.  I hope everyone enjoys my little story!

Here's where you can buy it!

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
BookStrand
ARe

Tears in the Rubble Playlist

          In celebration of tomorrow I've decided to share my playlist for Tears in the Rubble with you.  Every movie has a soundtrack so why shouldn't my book?  


          These are songs that influenced me while writing this story and songs that remind me of my characters.  Enjoy!

1.     Layla by Eric Clapton  

2.     Go Your Own Way by Fleetwood Mac

3.     Just a Kiss by Lady Antebellum

4.     Amazing by Aerosmith

5.     Everybody Talks by Neon Trees

6.     Changing by The Airborne Toxic Event

7.     Have you ever seen the rain? by Creedance Clearwater Revival

8.     Leave the Pieces by The Wreckers

9.     Lonely Boy by The Black Keys

10.   Chances Are by Garrett Hedlund

11.   Brown Eyes by Lady Gaga

12.   Little Lion Man by Mumford and Sons

13.   Somebody that I Used to Know by Gotye

14.   If this was a Movie by Taylor Swift

Michel Prince: What is it about possessive men?

            What is it about possessive men?  I’m not talking about the guys who lock their women in closets or beat them into submission.  But possessive men that give guys the once over for eyeing their woman.  The ones that place their hand on the small of her back or a finger locked around a belt loop.  The type of man that lets a woman know that they are theirs and no one else’s.

           

            There is a security knowing a man will fight for you.  I’m not calling for all men to start a fist fight because some man said your woman looks good in a pair of jeans, but I want to know that I am yours and yours alone.

           

             J. R. Ward writes an amazing series called the Black Dagger Brotherhood.  Each man at some point says the word mine with a deep growl whether out loud or in their mind when they meet the woman they want to be with.  This doesn’t mean that the woman can’t hold a job or voice an opinion.  In fact they do and quiet often.  In some ways the woman are in complete control of the relationship, except when the woman is threatened or approached by someone that doesn’t have good intentions.  Then, watch out.  They will eviscerate the person. 

            

            In recent years men haven’t been allowed to be men.  A man fights or kills for his woman.  Hell a whole Trojan war was fought over Helen and who truly possessed her.  Although society now frowns on the man who steps up and protects his woman, even from herself, I find it intoxifying.

            

           In the dedication for Chrysalis the first line is, Dedicated to my soul mate, guardian angel and husband Reggie. Thank you for putting up with and supporting every crazy dream I’ve ever had.

               

           A possessive man doesn’t have to stop his woman from growing, in fact he should nurture it.  But if a mother-fer looks at her ass…

           

           Now ladies don’t think I left you out, I expect the same behavior from you.  We are civilized and docile unless challenged when a rage from deep inside turns us into a possessed demon like creature that’s known to pull out hair, smash faces or other wise find some way to crush a woman from the inside with just a few sweetly put phrases.

              

           So there we have it.  Mark your man or woman as yours.  Possess them as if they were the greatest treasure on earth and worship them as if they are what God sent to Earth to prove his love for you.  Because although we all make mistakes hearing the growl from you lover stating in no uncertain terms that you are not to be touched by another is the most wonderful possession of all.

          

          To learn more about Michel find her on Facebook or visit her website.

          Chrysalis by Michel Prince will be available from Rebel Ink Press on April 17th.

Happy Easter...

9 days and counting until the release of Tears in the Rubble!!  Working on some new ideas and relaxing today.  Hope everyone has a great day with their loved ones!  Happy Easter!

Elicia Seawell: What's in a name?

I'd like to welcome another Rebel writer Elicia Seawell.  She's talking about how she names her characters.

I can name a town, place, city, state, etc with no problem when coming up with a story idea however the one problem I have is character names. My Twitter feed is constantly filled with me asking people for advice on names for characters.

I’ve found a sure fire way to make sense of it all. It’s simple to find/use and you probably have one if you have kids. Baby’s name books are an amazing source for ideas. I especially like the ones that come with the definitions of names. If I am writing a character that is strong, fearless and headstrong then I try to find a name that coincides with the characterization of the person or persons I’m portraying.

Let’s take my main character in “Peach River Acres” (coming soon from Rebel Ink Press). Dean Hartman is a strong but fragile character. He’s been through a ton after suffering from PTSD caused by the Iraqi/Afghanistan war. He’s also from the South so I tried to choose a name that portrayed a southern strong name. Dean is hands down my favorite character and a lot of his personality comes from my own husband. He’s willing to do anything for the people he loves. I stole his last name from my husband’s best friend. I try to keep some of the people close to me in my books. It’s like a little nod to them.

Then let’s take Charlie Weston in “The Tarot Diaries” series (also coming soon from Rebel Ink Press).  He’s a carpenter, great with his hands and I’ve always loved the name Charlie. It just seems like a laid back, relaxed name. I gave him the last name Weston because a close friend of mine said it would be perfect to match and he was right. I take a lot of input from friends and family on names. They usually come up with better names than I could.

I do like it when authors come up with creative names that I would have never thought of. I especially like when the name’s historical or names that have been combined to create new names. So don’t be surprised if you are on my Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/thatpanicgirlee) and I’m begging for names. Even though my baby name book is full of them, I like input. It makes me closer and more interactive with my readers.

~Elicia~

If you'd like to know more about my guest and what she has coming out check out her blog!

Love is in the air....

Spring has sprung!  And in the spirit of things I have one of my favorite people here to talk about her first date with her wonderful hubby.  I'd like to welcome Kate Roth.  She is a fellow Rebel and her first novel, The Low Notes, is due out this summer from Rebel Ink Press.

I met my husband a little more than 7 years ago and quite honestly when I met him I couldn't stand him. We were working together and had our orientation and training at the same time with a group of a few others. Looking back I realize how cool I was trying to be, like the badass girl who didn't care about some dumb class. And my husband, well he is the quintessential nerd. I was so annoyed by him because he kept asking questions keeping us there longer.

Cut to a few months later when I spotted him in the halls at work. I was instantly taken aback but the fact that he had grown a beard in the time since we had last seen each other. I thought "Oh that dorky guy is pretty cute."

We developed a little work friendship, eating lunch together and sharing inside jokes and small talk and then one day he took his break and came to find me. He asked me if I would go to Starbucks with him after work and I agreed. Actually I think I said, "like a date?" and he assured me it was a date.

Sitting in Starbucks drinking our coffees, we talked for hours. I was still living at home and had dinner plans with my family but I stopped caring what time it was and what my mom might have been making for dinner. I kept thinking how nice his eyes were. He was kind and funny. Hilarious actually. And we didn't once run out of things to talk about or things we had in common. Finally it was time for him to drive me back to work to get my car. He was sweet and asked for my phone number kind of shy-like. I happily gave it to him and headed home.

My sister was over and I jokingly said to her, "He was so sweet! I think I'll marry him."

Eight months after that date he proposed. Two years after that date we said "I do." And seven years later I still love the story of how it all began.   

If you'd like to know more about Kate and her writing check out her blog (which is where I will be today talking about my very own first date) or you can find her out on Facebook

The all powerful and life altering rite of passage...

How many of you out there have googled yourselves?  I'm sure that most of us are guilty of doing this at least once in our lives.  Just out of curiosity, of course.  Well,  being the dork that I am I did it today.  No, this isn't the first time, but it is the first time I had a reason for doing it.  And even more exciting than that something actually came up that pertained to me.  Yay!!  April 17th is ticking closer and closer.  I've been doing all of this stuff for the upcoming release of my first novel, Tears in the Rubble, blogging, promoting, talking about it incessantly.  I'm excited and I just can't seem to help myself.  I want everyone to know about it.  I want to share my story and characters with EVERYONE.  Then I started thinking what if it isn't doing me any good?  I'm telling random people about my book even if they haven't asked. What if they don't remember the title?  Or my name?  Telling people may be somewhat pointless if they can't sit down at their computer and look up the information.  So, I googled.  (I'm sure it isn't lost on everyone else that googled has become an acceptable verb)  First, I tried my name and then the title of my novel.  Much to my surprise there were results to both.  (Insert celebrating here)  Then it hit me. My name can be found on various websites now.  My publishers page, my blog, a review site, and Facebook.  My name isn't only on these sites, it's on them as an author.  A real life soon to be published author.  It's next to a book cover and a blurb about a novel.  I can't even begin to describe the feeling.  I'm nervous and so excited!  I can't wait for the next step in this adventure.  It's sometimes surprising the paths life can send you down.