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Have you ordered Jareth, First Lord?

Posted in Fiction books, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on August 11, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Black and whiteIf not, get on over to FreedomInk and secure your copy.

Jareth, First Lord is a fantasy romance on a far away world. Think psychic highland lords, frigid winters, green forests, and rushing streams.

See Viviane, a first lord’s daughter, with black curls, startling blue eyes and a temper it will take a first lord to tame.

Take a brief peek–

There was something ruthless about him this evening, and the sense of power surrounding him was augmented and hinted at danger. Shortly after they left the house, they departed their usual route.

“Jareth, where are we going?”

“To walk in the house orchard. It’s quiet, beautiful in the moonlight, and private. We shouldn’t have an audience out there,” he answered without even slowing down.

“Audience for what?” she asked, but his only answer was a smile.

They strolled amongst the trees for a few minutes before he stopped to face her. “I love the way the moonlight shines on the silvery bark of these old trees. As a child, I used to pretend there was a magical realm out here, full of wonder and mystery. I thought if I looked hard enough, I’d see all sorts of strange creatures going about their business in this special place.” As he talked, his eyes took on the magic of the night, dark, bewitching, and dangerous.

Gnarled, twisted, and tangled, the old trees looked like a crazed wizard had got loose and created a chaotic maze. Mystically enchanting, it did seem as if something magical could happen at any moment, around any corner. Viviane felt the pulsing heartbeat of great but subtle power. Wherever it was, it added to the mystery of the night. Looking up into the sky through the branches, Viviane realized tonight wasn’t just another night. She called it to Jareth’s attention. As they watched, the two moons above were aligning. In a few moments, one would completely eclipse the other, and for a little while this evening, only one moon would grace the sky.

“‘In the heart of winter, the two become one, the past put to rest, the future begun,’” Jareth said, quoting the ancient legend. “Perhaps there is a reason we came here tonight,” he told her, his eyes staring intently into hers as if he could read her soul.”

Jareth, First Lord 

Coming in September.

Follow us on Facebook.

Don’t forget—

       —to Share the Romance…

Mellie E. Miller

 

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Jareth, First Lord, from FreedomInk365

Posted in Fiction books, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on August 11, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Black and whiteYes, Jareth, First Lord is being re-released by FreedomInk Publishing. Newly edited, and with added chapters–including the wedding and wedding night–Jareth is leading the way for the second book in the series, Viviane, First Lady.

And the Pre-Sale Event is now open! You can now pre-order your copy of Jareth, First Lord from FreedomInk.

And the PreSale price includes a 1st print book + a Redds button featuring the cover art of  ‘Jareth, First Lord’ courtesy of the CEO at FreedomInk!

To pre-order you copy go to:

http://www.freedomink365.com/jarethfirstlord.

 

Excerpt:

“Before you follow the breadcrumbs back to your rooms, may I tempt you with a glass of wine? It’s not late yet and there’s still a nice fire in the fireplace. It would be a shame to let it go to waste by not enjoying it,” he suggested.

“Lord Jareth, I don’t want to keep you from any business you have. You must be busy these days. You needn’t entertain me to the detriment of your estate or clan.”

She looked as if she would enjoy the fire, but was too shy to say so. Something must have reminded her of her late husband,  a deep sadness suddenly filled her eyes with tears. Jareth reached out to comfort her and she flinched at his touch.

“Viviane, I know how much grief you still carry. I would enjoy your company tonight, if you can manage,” he continued. “I keep my evenings free to unwind from the day. It has been most generous of you to share your evening, but if you feel you must leave, I’ll understand.”

Viviane stood motionless for a moment, tears threatening to spill over onto her face. Jareth was afraid she was going to run to her room, fling herself on the bed, and cry herself to sleep. For some reason, her emotion was affecting him more strongly than it should. Maybe it was the personal tragedies they shared.

“Thank you, milord, but spending another evening in tears won’t help anything, will it?” she replied, dabbing at the few tears which had escaped. “It hasn’t so far, anyway. Perhaps a glass of wine and a warm fire would be better, if you’re sure I won’t interrupt anything else you had to do.”

“Wine and a fire it is, Viviane. And no, crying yourself to sleep every night doesn’t help, though it sometimes seems you have no choice. I know how much it hurts, the loss. It gets easier to bear after a while. I don’t know that you miss them any less, but you find a way to live with it and move on.”

 

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Under the Finish Line

Posted in Fiction books, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on August 3, 2014| Leave a Comment »

2014-Winner-Square-ButtonI made it! With 50,081 words on Defender of the Red Dragon. What am I talking about?

Camp NaNoWriMo, July 2014!  There are now two camps during the summer, in April and July, complete with virtual cabins and cabin mates. We had a lot of fun this month and several of those in our cabin crossed the finish line.

In my opinion, anyone who signed up and gave it their best–even if they didn’t finish their  word goal–is a winner. It takes effort and determination to sit and write everyday, whether your goal is 50,000 or 15,000.

Congratulations to all those in my cabin this month. Hope to see you in November for the main event. If not, look for me next April for the spring Camp. Maybe we can all sign in to the same cabin!

And would someone please remember the hot chocolate…

 

Excerpt from Defender of the Red Dragon

 

Ruth was almost too tired to shower before she fell into bed. But on her way past the painting, she gave it a smile, said goodnight to the warrior by the throne, and gave the dragon a goodnight stroke down the nose.

She had no idea what woke her at one o’clock in the morning, but she was instantly awake, her heart was pounding, and her eyes searched the shadows.

As her eyes brushed the painting, she had the briefest wish that the young warrior was there to watch out for her. Sliding her feet to the floor, she quietly put on her robe and started toward the door.

A choked cry and the sound of pounding feet reached her first, accompanied by the sound of steel against steel. As Ruth looked through her living room toward the door, she saw it was standing wide open.

But for a moment, before her eyes adjusted to the light, she saw the shadow of a man, well over six feet tall, replacing a wicked-looking blade in a sheath at his side. Behind her she heard a sound like sea shells on stone. Glancing at the painting in the dim light, the dragon blurred for a moment before it came into focus, encircling the throne.

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The Finish Line is in Sight!

Posted in Fiction books, Uncategorized, tagged , , , on July 28, 2014| Leave a Comment »

CampNaNoWriMoCamp NaNoWriMo is almost over. Three more days of writing time. I’m proud of one of my cabin mates–PalmerMorel.  He has already finished his goal!

I have only 2680 words left to finish mine for, Defender of the Red Dragon. I hope to reach that finish line tomorrow and validate my count for a win.

To anyone out there who hasn’t tried NaNoWriMo, it is a great motivator to write everyday and to set goals. In April and July, you can set your own word goals and shift them if need be. The standard count is 50,000 words in one month, which is what I’m doing this July.

The biggie is in November. No cabins. Just you, and your manuscript, and 50,000 word goal.

So come along and join us next time. Not ready for November? That’s all right. Join us in the spring and set a smaller goal. It doesn’t matter what it is, as long as you’re writing. 

Wish me luck! 50,000 words or bust!

Mellie

Excerpt from Defender of the Red Dragon–rough draft.

Enough musing, Ruth thought. Time for bed. After saying good night to the warrior in the painting and stroking the dragon’s nose, she slipped wearily between the sheets and nodded off, her mind still on moons, tides, dragons, and knights.

Thunder boomed and echoed through the darkness, as her house trembled to the sound. Great bolts of lightning seared the night sky. Shaken from slumber by the storm, Ruth quickly grabbed a robe and went to fill up some pitchers with water, in case the power went out. She unplugged the coffeemaker just in case. She’d had several fried during thunderstorms as power surges came in through the power lines.

The air had cooled significantly, so Ruth snapped the front of her robe most of the way down and tied the belt snuggly. With all the noise, there was no way she would sleep for a while. Lighting a candle, she took the book from her nightstand and sat down to read.

The storm continued to escalate. Lightning bolts became sheets of electrical display. Though she’d seen sheet lightning before, it was a rare occurrence. The air had a different feel, and she felt a heightening of her senses.

It was around three in the morning. Restless, Ruth paced the floor. Admiring the painting again, she reached up to touch the dragon just as a tremendous bolt of lighting struck across the street.

Everything went black around her and her ears rang. “That was awfully close,” she thought, as she tried to find the door frame to steady her. “I must be a little dazed by the sound of the lightning.”

As the ringing subsided, she heard faint sounds of people talking, while the air was infused with the scent of roasting meat.

She still couldn’t see anything, but discovered she had her eyes tightly closed. She remedied this and found she was crouched down behind a large barrel in a dark alley. She must have blacked out for a time, because she could see daylight overhead. While there was no rain, she could hear thunder in the offing.

Where in hell was she? She rose to her feet and brushed at the dirt which clung to her robe. At least she was dressed, sort of. But what should she do? She could see no one else in the alley, and she wasn’t sure what she would find in the street. The voices came from inside the building next to her. It must be some sort of café or something.

Shocked and dazed by recent events, she simply stood in the alley and tried to think it through.

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Bleed Red Ink

Posted in Fiction books, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on July 27, 2014| 1 Comment »

Here’s a little ditty I sent to my editor the other day, RuleBreaker Editing. It had been a day….

Red Ink

“You’ve been writing in that corner now from dusk until dawn.
You know you’re getting tired as you stifle that yawn.
But the story’s almost perfect, at least that’s what you think.
What it really needs to do now is to bleed some red ink.”
Mellie Miller

July 9, 2014

Love you Rulebreaker!

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Looking for Promotion Ideas?

Posted in Fiction books, Uncategorized, tagged , , , on July 26, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Everyone understands promotion is important to authors. But where do you go? Check out this article from Jerri Hines.

Write a Good Book and they will read…with the right Promotion!

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News From the Front Lines

Posted in Fiction books, Uncategorized, tagged , , , on July 21, 2014| 1 Comment »

Black and whiteWell, sometimes it seems like I’m waging a war. These characters of mine and their stubborn tendency to remake the story in their image….

While I’m working on this month’s Camp NaNoWriMo project, I thought I would give you a taste of  April’s novel. It still has work to be done, like editing–but I’d like to share a little bit about it anyway.

http://www.amazon.com/author/melliemiller

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/gamblers-folly-mellie-e-miller/1116472748

Hope you enjoy!

Ciao!

The Seduction of Lady Calloway

In an alternate timeline in England, Lord Kerrick Calloway’s wife has become a problem. The government in Europe is run by the church. As liaison between the church and the state, Kerrick must follow the church’s law explicitly.

How could he know, before their marriage, that his wife, Liora, had been raised in heresy? Following church rulings concerning sex and marriage changed at least a century out of date, she seldom agreed to sleep with him.

As a descendant of a line of confessors, Kerrick knew what would happen to her if this knowledge came to the attention of the church. He also knew what they would do to him if he didn’t bring her to the church to confess.

In an attempt to save his wife and his life, Kerrick takes her away to an isolated family counry home for a time of study and seduction. His hope is to win her over to the new teachings of the church, root out the heresy in the little village where she grew up, and finally have a wife who could enjoy being with him.

Liora is terrified by the thought of having sex with her new husband. Handsome, well-situated, and kind, she finds it nearly impossible not to enjoy being with him. But since she firmly believes that enjoying sex, even with her husband, is no different than being a prostitute, she finds it more and more difficult to give her body to him without sinning.

It’ll be easy, she’d been told. It isn’t really enjoyable for women anyway. Just let him have you when he must and you can at least save his soul by keeping him in the marriage bed.

But how could she give herself to him to save his soul without consigning hers to hell?

Excerpt:

“Paradise preserve me,” Kerrick muttered, shaking his head. Hadn’t today been aggravating enough already?
“What’s wrong?” Liora, his wife asked. “Why are you angry?” Shrugging her shoulders, she began to turn away as she waited for his answer. His arm shot out toward her, his hand grasping her jaw firmly, tuning her to face him.
“Why? I just want to know why I can’t have a proper kiss from my wife! After working all day, it would be nice to feel that my wife cares for me, rather than tolerates me.” Releasing her with disgust, he started toward his study.
“I don’t know what you mean,” Liora replied. “Every day I meet you at the door with a kiss.”
“You call that a kiss? That’s the sort of kiss you’d give to a brother or father, not the kiss a husband expects from his wife.”
“Well, what’s the difference? I greet you each and every day to show that I love you. Does the kiss matter that much? At least you get a kiss.”
“Yes, it does matter that much!” he shouted in anger. “A man expects a few niceties when he gets home, and a proper kiss from his wife is one of them.”
“Why are you going on so much about a kiss? You know I love you.”
“Do I?” Kerrick asked, exasperated. “And how am I supposed to know that? Your kisses are brotherly at best, unless I press the issue. And in our bed, half the time, I feel I’m committing rape. You agree to sleep with me, but show no passion for me. Can you even feel passion?”
Suddenly wanting to know if she could show anything at all, he pulled her to him roughly, one arm firmly around her waist, one hand twined in her hair turning her face to his. He kissed her savagely at first, his mouth hard on hers, until it became more sensual than demanding. At first she tried to struggle free, and then, for just a brief moment, he felt the beginnings of awakening arousal before she stiffened into her usual stance—endurance.
“Don’t, Kerrick,” she pleaded with him as he released her. “Please, never do that. I can’t bear it.”
“Can’t bear what? The thought that you might feel something for me? You didn’t have to accept my proposal of marriage.”
“Decent gentlewomen should not give in to the temptations of the flesh. Men can’t help but fall prey to their desires, but women must not, for the sake of both their salvations.”
“Where did you learn such rot? I thought all those bizarre sects had disappeared decades ago.”
“How dare you say such things? The Holy Writings of the Prophet teach us that the pleasures of the flesh are evil.”
“Yes, when indulged outside the marriage bed. But we exchanged vows. That changes things considerably.”
“No, it doesn’t. Would you be married to a whore? Women, even married women, who give themselves to the seduction of carnal pleasures are whores, or just as good as. I should think that a man in your position would be happy to have a chaste, gods-fearing wife.”
“I can’t believe what I’m hearing,” Kerrick stated in amazement. “You really believe that?”
“I do,” Liora responded.
“Then why did you even get married? Didn’t you know that sex is part of that bargain?”
“I married you because I love you,” she answered. “And one of a wife’s duties is to redeem her husband by keeping his lusts contained within the marriage bed, not out buying the favors of prostitutes!”

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Help Them Tell Their Story

Posted in Fiction books, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on July 18, 2014| Leave a Comment »

CampNaNoWriMoEveryone has a story.  And some of us choose to share. Some write non-fiction from their own lives, others write non-fiction of other kinds. And some of  us write fiction and make it up as we go along.

Whatever story you decide to tell is up to you.

And that’s where National Novel Writing Month comes in. With two summer virtual camps and the big event in November, it is a wonderful aid to get started and keep writing for an entire month. You set your own goals and use your stats page to keep track of your progress.

There are all kinds of tools to help you on your journey on the resources page, as well as forums to answer questions or simply interact with other writers.

There is also a Young Writers Program for teachers and students, and the Come In Library program.

To top it off, NaNoWiMo is a nonprofit organization.

And that’s where you come in. It takes funds to keep all this going. The people you help are the writers of tomorrow.

If you can lend a hand, know that it will be put to good use and greatly appreciated. Here is a link to my fundraiser page.

http://www.stayclassy.org/fundraise?fcid=311374

Thank you for your support,

Mellie

 

Mel and Gambler's Folly

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Red Ink!

Posted in Fiction books, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on June 17, 2014| 1 Comment »

Black and white“Aaaarrrgggghhh! You can’t do that! Not to my baby!” she cries.

That would be me or any other author out there who’s just seen the red ink all over their newly edited manuscript.

If you’re self publishing, I want you to give serious thought to hiring an editor to look over your work. Not because your story isn’t a great read, but because an editor can take that great read and make it sparkle. Your tension draws the readers in, but your editor can make the air crackle from the electricity in the air.

Yes, as an author, it is hard to send your newborn book to someone who will pull out a sharp knife and slice into it, amputating some parts and modifying others. And when you look over the manuscript initially, your heart will want to bleed red ink in sympathy.

But once you get past the shock and horror and begin to read your book with the edits in place, you’ll understand the difference between a good story and a great one.

If you’re like me, you get stuck in certain word patterns or using particular modifiers. You’ll catch some of them as you do your own editing, but not all. After all, you wrote these words and sometimes it’s difficult to read the story as your audience will.

Or you’ll write something, feeling certain your audience will understand the reference, without realizing you forgot to fill them in on this bit of back story.

Your editor will catch this and go, “Where the hell did this come from?” Maybe not in so many words, but they’ll make a note of it and ask for clarification.

I’ve worked with the  Dawn Miller of RuleBreaker Editing for quite a while now. She’s edited all of my books, as well as documents for my husband. Gambler’s Folly wouldn’t be the story it is without her.

Neither would Jareth: First Lord, do to be re-released in August.

And you know she’s going through Viviane: First Lady right now, so I can send it to my publisher, FreedomInk365,  later this year.

If you’re a first time author, especially if you’re self-publishing, get yourself an editor. Some of them have discounts for new authors. Others, like RuleBreaker Editing,  will edit your first chapter for you for free, so you can see what they can do for you.

Yes, you’ll want to cry that first time. Yes, your manuscript will bleed red ink. But you’ll both get over it.

Editors. Those people we love to hate, but who make such a difference in the end.

Check it out!

Ciao!

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Harlem Bound!

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on June 16, 2014| 2 Comments »

Changing the worldYes, FreedomInk Publishing is Harlem bound this summer. CEO Katandra Jackson and several of the FreedomInk authors will be going to Harlem, NY in just 27 days to promote reading.

And who doesn’t like that idea?

Reading is very important in our world, and yet so many people fail to use this marvelous tool.

Why?

If you can read, you can learn anything. And in this electronic age, you don’t even have to haul a bunch of print books around with you. Any good e-reader will allow you to have thousands of books available to you at any time.

So help FreedomInk go to Harlem. If you can lend your support by June 20, your name will be on the T-shirts as a sponsor.

Let’s help FreedomInk.

http://bit.ly/1e7PJq3

Ready or not, here we come!

Ciao!

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