When everything ends up iggledepiggledy and topsyturvy!

Mmmm, been a while since my last post, BUT,  I do have a very good excuse! I moved house, and moving house is a pretty traumatic ordeal - or so my husband tells me- lol! No seriously, it was I who done the packing, the unpacking, the cleaning, the organization, EVERYTHING!!! And it's now, two weeks later that I am finally human again, well as humanly possible! It's been tough work, and the biggest trauma of all was not having internet! Now that was something I almost bit my nails over, I mean in this day and age, I find it hard to believe that there are some areas of the developed world that still rely on dial up and when you mention broadband, responses usually sound like this, "Broadband, never heard of them, are they playing sometime soon?" Like seriously, is this not the 21st Century, or am I stuck in some time-warp??? Needless to say, I have access now, but via a thingymajig, called a dongle, is it me or does that name have slight sexual tags linked to it? [probably just me], so now I can be a better blogger and post more- yay for dingly dongly thingies!

Right, now that's over with, work time! I have been writing on and of for the past 14 days, and to be honest, some of what I have produced was binned and restarted several times! Sometimes, and just sometimes, I find it hard to focus, at the best of times I can work competently on 2-3 different projects at once, but not the past 2 weeks. It has been a struggle, and admittedly I put the laptop away, hid my pen and journal and indulged in mundane tasks like cleaning, eating and watching trashy daytime T.V, and you know something, it was what the doctor ordered! I seriously had to step away from it all and concentrate on something other than work because my schedule was driving me a tad insane!

So, now it's back to work I go and hope to not hit any more brick walls along the way [well, not any time soon]! And remember, I'm over at Facebook if you want to have a nosy there!

Until the next time, Ciao!

When the creative juices flow... you gotta catch every drop!

Oh, I am a very bad girl. I haven't blogged in over a week! BUT, I have been snowed under with plenty of work, so I'm sure that's a validated reason to let my BLOG fall to the way side!

First things first, I have to admit, that I have been playing around with a lot of different stories, and I have been  story boarding plenty of my ideas, and boy have there been lots! I can't sleep because of my reluctance to let a good plot to pass me by and to the annoyance of my poor husband, I am writing and noting every little detail, BUT I need to work this way in order to get it all out and start building up good character plots from there and do you wanna know the funny thing - I love it!

I cannot for the life of me STOP! Especially when I know that what I have noted can become an amazing part of my story!

Secondly, Walking With Shadows is coming along nicely, obviously it is still only first draft status, I have to admit it is looking pretty fine! And after some lovely fine tuning I'm confident that you all will love it just as much as In The Shadows.


I have also been working on some short stories and have really enjoyed the process. It's a great way to get out all that pent up creativity and the results have been brilliant! I have incorporated a story that shows us how two MAJOR characters from the Shadow World series first met and I love it. It's called Bitter Kisses and hopefully will his production for an Anthology later this year.

I have also been working on some rather Erotic Horror, and I can safely say that it has been a thrill! It's not too in your face, but it also opens up your eyes! I have posted a short excerpt here, so if you want, check it out and see for yourself!

Now, last but not least, my little baby niece  Amelie was discharges from hospital on Saturday and I got to meet her and hold her for the first time ever on Sunday and I can safely say that it was a humbling experience! This little girl fought so well to stay alive inside her mummy's womb and came out 5 weeks early, but she is just the most precious, adorable and totally scrumptious little girl I have ever met! She is a firm member of our family and in some ways will always be 'The Golden Child' - she is a credit to her mummy (my little sister) and  her daddy- Welcome Home Baby Amelie!

Righty, I'll leave it at that and hope to get back here before the week is out!

Keep doing what you do best - READ!

:0)

When life is this good!

Sometimes,  some of us, in fact many of us, forget just how truly blessed we are. For instance, take this past week, were I have been obsessed trying to get work done, on top of writing some shorts for an Anthology as well as doing some freelance work for a magazine. I was hitting my head against a brick wall, trying to achieve the impossible in such a short period of time, I was almost burnt out midweek- bad!

Then, my little sister gave birth to my new little niece on Thursday night, and you wanna know something, I came crashing down to earth with a bang! I thought, ' hold on for a minute, who's in control here, me or work?' and I won! I decided to slow down for a bit and stop putting myself under pressure, when there isn't really a need!

So, on Thursday evening at 17.20pm, Amelie Kiki McCormack was born into this world, weighing in at 6lbs 7ozs, and born at 35 weeks gestation. She is truly a little beauty and a little fighter and with her 'big' brother watching over, I'm pretty confident that she will gain strength each day and will be home with her mummy and daddy very soon!

Proud Auntie I am!

Now, back to the other things that dominate my life, and no I don't mean my children, it's my other baby, my work!

First things first, work on a new Series has started, and as yet, it is untitled as I am in first draft status, but I am enjoying it so far, Secondly, I am also contributing to a few Anthologies due out next year, and am devoting some time in constructing some shorts - quite an enjoyable adventure. And last, but not least, work on book 2, in the Shadow World series, is coming together nicely, and I have found myself falling in love a few unlikely characters! So watch this space.

I am also hoping to post some fan art up soon, I just haven't had the time to get round to scanning and transferring files, but I'll definitely try something this week!

Anyway, that's it from me on an early Sunday morning musing and I'll be sure to stop by later on this week!

Be good and keep reading!

Shuffling along with the rest doesn't always mean the best!

Okay, it's been a while since my last post. But I have been extra busy these past 7 days! Firstly, my 'BIG' little man started Secondary School on Monday and boy was that an emotional day, yes I know he's 13 and I should probably loosen those apron strings a little, but, when I look at him, I can still vividly see the baby I carried for nine long months and it just chokes me up with pride watching him turn into a young man, and then on Tuesday, I went through it all again with my little 'DUDE'  Matthew on his FIRST ever day at 'big' school. He made both his daddy and I proud, he looked adorable in his uniform and never once whined about having to say goodbye to us. I was the one leaving the school yard with tears falling down my cheeks- God, I am such a wimp- but this is something mummies tend to go through. Not only are children cool with causing us actual bodily harm on entering this world, they also intend to break our hearts during those special moments that we never get back, but you know what, I'm a sucker for those special moments and long may they happen!

Back to writing, well, it has been interesting, the area that I though I was going with Walking With Shadows has taken a turn that even I didn't anticipate, yes I keep detailed notes on how I plan my story/book, but sometimes, these plans tend to get overlooked and you end up heading down a completely different road. And that is exactly what I have done. I have taken Giselle somewhere I thought I wouldn't cover in this series, but hey, I'm  the writer so I guess I can do whatever I like.

Artwork: I have a lovely young girl composing some artwork for the site as well as for some possible cover art for my work, so hopefully I can get something posted in the next week or so.

Well, it has been lovely, but I must go and check on the kiddies and continue working, otherwise I'll end up talking a load of nonsense and we can't have that, can WE?

Well, I'll be damned!

As things move on, I am completely amazed by the amount of fabulous feedback I am receiving from my now growing public!!! Thank you so much to all those who have put time and effort into reading the First Chapter, your thoughts and feelings about the book, makes me even more determined to see it in print!

So far I have been inundated with emails, querying me about the release date and so on, and as yet, there is no definite date for release, but myself and my agent are hoping for a release date this side of Christmas!

I for one am both excited about the prospect of my work finally being released and hitting the stores both here and in the States, but I am slightly nervous about the commitment that I will have to make to my 'first love'- being a mother of 4 children, a sometimes domestic Goddess, and full time writer, is all a bit daunting, but I know I can do it all. I refuse to put myself under any unnecessary pressure, of course, that all depends on how much pressure is put on me by any third party! But, hey, this is what I have always wanted and I accept whatever comes my way!

Now for something a little different, I thought it would be fun to get my group of illustrators to come up with something that would help represent how I see Giselle, and the results have been astounding, these images are of course unofficial, and have nothing to do with what the finished cover will look like, but, I love to do things differently! And in a few days, I'll be posting the results up here, so keep an eye out for how I see my protagonist Giselle. It will definitely be an eye opener!

Okay, well, that's me for at least a day or two...It's back to Walking With Shadows for me!

Keep safe and remember, keep recommending me to your friends!

New Directions or so it should be!

Okay,

So things are a little slow. But most things be like this in the beginning- right?
Well, ho hum, I am not one to bend over backwards and give up so easily, I am the kind of gal who is persistent and I believe that persistence will pay off in the long run!

First things first, it has been a crazy couple of days! I have been inundated with emails from people who 'love' my work or more to the point they seem to love, In The Shadows. I have to admit that I find this both exciting and a little bewildering, seeing as sometimes I tend to not believe in myself all that much, but in hindsight, I am made of pretty solid stuff and being Irish, I have been blessed with true grit.

I enjoy hearing from people who love my work and I have a special place in my heart for those who take the time out to read my excerpts and share their thoughts and criticisms with me. I am not afraid of the fact that my work my not be without fault, but I believe there is always room for improvement, no matter how confident you are of your capabilities.

Secondly, I have had some pretty interesting conversations this week and one person in particular gave me the buzz of my life. My work is my life (next to my family) and I find that my passion about writing has fallen into the hands of people who have my best interests at heart. I am so excited about the future and the next  4 months are going to be hard work, but I am more that determined to fulfill my dream and make it a reality!

Lastly, work on my new book, Walking With Shadows, has begun and I am finally hitting some serious numbers with my word count and I can't believe where I am taking Giselle and co. I still find it unbelievable that I have created my own little world and I love the people in it. My characters have become a permanent fixture in my life, but not to the point were I talk to them or give them a say in my life- now, that would be crazy- but I find them popping up in my head in almost everything I do, and I mean 'almost', but when you are as passionate about something as I am, it is so hard to walk away and forget!

As you can see, I love writing as much as I love life itself, to me working on something that gives me satisfaction as well as kicking my ass whenever I need it, gives my life a depth and purpose that I would not achieve if my imagination didn't exist, so here's to imagination and life itself!

Well, there you have it, my second post and I'm still holding it together, pretty impressive, huh?....

Anyway, its back to work for me... but I'll be sure to pop in and say hi in a few days!

Until then, happy reading!

: 0)

First Ever Post- yay!!!

Wow, this is a first for moi. 


Blogging is a new venture for me and like most things, I guess I will have some teething problems along the way, but I'm pretty sure I'll get the hang of things -eventually!


Okay, first things first. I write, and that is predominately what I do! I write Urban Fantasy Books for both YA and adults! My first book, In The Shadows, is the first in a series of books from The Shadow World series and I have to admit, it has been hard work and up until now I was completely blind-sighted by the glitz and glamour of the publishing world (slight use of sarcasm there).


It has been without a doubt an almost perilous journey having my manuscript fine tuned, read, re-read, edited, and copy edited to an inch of its life and here I sit, telling you all about it. I almost gave up and sat back, feeling the sting of rejection, but as one wise old soul said, 'A rejection is nothing more than a necessary step in the pursuit of success.' So here goes, I refuse to give in in the face of adversity and in my case the literary world better watch out!


I am glad to say, that I have received some amazing support from friends, family and complete strangers and I know that my work is without a doubt publishable! And having done some serious research, I found it startling to see the amount of authors (pretty famous ones) were rejected and had their work panned!


Some examples below:


 "The girl doesn't, it seems to me, have a special perception or feeling which would lift that book above the 'curiosity' level." One Rejection aimed at, The Diary of Anne Frank.


"I'm sorry, Mr. Kipling, but you just don't know how to use the English language." Editor of the San Francisco Examiner to Rudyard Kipling.


H.G. Wells had to endure the indignity of a rejection when he submitted his manuscript, "The War of the Worlds" that said, "An endless nightmare. I do not believe it would "take"...I think the verdict would be 'Oh don't read that horrid book'. "And when he tried to market "The Time Machine," it was said, "It is not interesting enough for the general reader and not thorough enough for the scientific reader."


Ernest Hemingway, regarding his novel, "The Torrents of Spring" was rejected with, "It would be extremely rotten taste, to say nothing of being horribly cruel, should we want to publish it." Pretty harsh, huh!


As you can see, this industry is pretty cut throat, but I'm a gambler and even more so, I have alot of fight in me!


So watch this space!