Blog – Page 3 – Melinda S. Collins

Video Fun Friday #1

November 22, 2013

I watch way too many hilarious You Tube videos throughout the week. So I decided to start sharing at least one with all of you on Fridays. So … welcome to Video Fun Friday!

Video #1: This one’s just too cute to pass up. I really need to post a video or two of my cats since they enjoy playing with water, too. 🙂

Video #2: Tom Hiddleston impersonating a velociraptor! LOVE this one! And I discovered this jewel this morning, thanks to Tracy Dawn on Twitter. 🙂

Do you have any fun videos that you’d like to share? If so, please send along! The hubs is already on this task, so I’m sure we’ve got a LOT more fun videos coming our way. 😉

Stay tuned for more videos next week! And happy Friday, everyone!

Are You a Multitasking Writer?

November 21, 2013November 18, 2013

This past weekend I experienced something that could be considered the ultimate in multitasking: cooking while writing. 🙂

Believe me, I knew this could’ve ended in one or two ways. Either everything was end up “sorta” okay, or the food was gonna be burnt, burnt, burnt.

Bad news is the hubby caught me in the act.

Good news is the food turned out GREAT.

The even better news is that I managed to get at least 700 fresh words written during this multitasking adventure. 🙂

This brought the following question to mind:

What other types of multitasking do we as writers undertake?

I don’t have kids–yet–so my multitasking skills only go as far as cooking, cleaning, watching the hubs play video games, and things along those lines. <– This is at home though. The dayjob is another thing entirely. *smiles*

So I’d like to open the floor for anyone and everyone to share what other kinds of crazy multitasking us writers can do. What about you? Do you have a multitasking story to share?

Music, Movies & Such

Tune-In Tuesday: Demons by Imagine Dragons

November 19, 2013November 18, 2013

Welcome back to Tune-In Tuesday!

I’m just now realizing how long it’s been since I’ve posted. *head desk* When the muse hits and demands you edit, edit, edit one project and write, write, write another project, you listen. And sometimes when we listen and obey we get so caught up in that work that everything else falls through the cracks. Agree?

Cool. Now onto today’s music. 😉

I’ve been loving on the band Imagine Dragons lately. As in, I’m listening to their album both on the way to work, and on the way home. And maybe a little in between around the office when it’s quiet. 🙂

So for today I’ve picked their song Demons. The moment I heard this song, I instantly thought of the hero and heroine in my novel, Retribution.

Hope you enjoy!

Happy Reading and Writing!

Special Excerpt from A Touch of Darkness by Yelena Casale & Tina Moss

October 24, 2013December 9, 2015

Last week I reviewed A TOUCH OF DARKNESS by Yelena Casale & Tina Moss. And this week I have a special excerpt from Yelena & Tina. 🙂

Take it away, ladies!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gabe might be the hero of the story and he is quite the sexy-broody-mysterious type, but if Yelena and I are honest…well…we sort of have a soft spot for bad boy, Rafe. He’s the kind of character you want to kill for his arrogance, but you just can’t seem to help but like. The ultimate in suave and sophistication, you’ll rarely catch him without a suit on, unless of course it’s in bed. We hope you like reading him as much as we enjoyed writing him! This special excerpt is the first time we meet the smooth-talking Rafe.

EXCERPT:

Several decades ago, he’d known Rafe… Yet, friends wouldn’t have been the term for their complex relationship, in fact bitter rivals fit far more. Having to come to Rafe now for help ate at Gabe.

“Still as arrogant as ever, I see.” Rafe jumped over the front of the desk in one easy motion. Soundlessly, he landed and leaned back. The mod chandelier spotlighted him. A white collar peeked from under a black designer vest. The middle button of a sleek coat hinted at a tight chest and trim waist. Long tailored slacks marked him as a half-foot above the average height. He’d star in many a woman’s fantasy, and proudly made such fantasies reality. “If you’ve come to see me, you want something, bad.” He grinned. “How much do you want it, Gabe? What’s it worth to you?”

Gabe continued to peer at Rafe without as much as a blink.

“You know, I think you should beg for it.” Rafe motioned to the floor. “That would really get my blood going. You, down on your knees, begging. Perfect.”

“You haven’t changed.” Gabe took a step forward, his face riddled with disdain. “All this time here and you’re the same, if not worse. A perverse mess.”

“Perverse? Interesting choice of words. As I remember, Ariel called it…passionate.” Rafe’s deliberate pause left the room silent before he continued, “This of course when she, how do you put it…mounted…yes that’s it, when she mounted my defense to the council.”

Gabe remained motionless.

“So, Ariel means nothing now, huh? It’s only when I push your pride I get a rise out of you. You haven’t changed either.” Rafe sneered. “All right, then, tell me what was Ariel’s defense for your infinite arrogance?”

Pushing the jibe aside, Gabe said without feeling, “No defense. She’s part of the council now.”

A roar of laughter echoed in the sparse office. “Conniving…ha…brilliant. Then, she was responsible for your fall. Oh, this just gets better and better.”

“I didn’t come here to play games or reminisce!” Gabe’s anger had reached its threshold and spilled forth unchecked. He took another step forward.

“Ah see, it wasn’t so hard. That’s what I’ve been waiting for.” Rafe beamed revealing a layer of perfect white teeth. “Face it, Gabe. You’re here to stay whether you realize it yet or not.”

Furious with himself for giving into Rafe’s taunts so quick, Gabe took a firm step back and said nothing.

Rafe waved a dismissive hand. “No matter. On to business…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yeah … I sort of a soft spot for bad boys, too, ladies. And Rafe is definitely no exception. 😉

About the Authors:

Yelena Casale was born in Kiev, Ukraine and came to New York when she was 13, which, gave her a great perspective into two very different cultures. Being very curious and inquisitive, Yelena has always been an avid reader with a wide range of literary interests. Writing has been her passion since she first learned to write, and it only grew over time. Yelena is especially fond of reading and writing urban fantasy and paranormal romance. Yelena can follow Yelena on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest.

Tina Moss is a writer of urban fantasy, paranormal romance, and historical romance. She lives in NYC with a supportive husband and alpha corgi, though both males hog the bed and refuse to share the covers. When not writing, she enjoys reading, watching cheesy horror flicks, traveling, and karate. As a 5’1″ Shotokan black belt, she firmly believes that fierce things come in small packages. You can follow Tina on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Don’t forget you can still enter Tina & Yelena’s giveaway for a $10 Amazon or B&N gift card + an e-ARC of A TOUCH OF DARKNESS.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy Reading and Writing, everyone!
Melinda

Review: A Touch of Darkness by Yelena Casale & Tina Moss

October 17, 2013December 9, 2015

I’m SO excited to share my review today for Yelena and Tina’s debut novel, A TOUCH OF DARKNESS!

Book Blurb:

Cassie’s working for a tightwad boss at a pretentious NYC diner, dealing with paralyzing pain that doctors can’t diagnose, and trying to hide her hands that glow purple whenever she …well, whenever.

So, when a mysterious stranger walks out of her dreams and into her life to spout some nonsense about her being a mythical creature, she chalks it up to one more crazy thing to add to her it’s-a-crappy-life list. Yet, when the stranger’s predictions start to come true, she discovers a world that could shake up her humdrum existence.

My Review:

Ask any writing friend who knows me and they will tell you that I am picky, picky, picky about my urban fantasies (well, any book in general, but this genre even more so). Paranormal Romances are my thing because of the … well, the romance. So when I switch over to Urban Fantasy, the story, characters, and writing needs to be spot-on in order to keep my attention.

AND THIS BOOK DID JUST THAT! 😀

Wow! Ok, so Cassie has a huge problem–her hands glow purple whenever she becomes emotionally stressed. And to make matters worse, whenever the purple-glow comes about, she also experiences debilitating pain. So when A TOUCH OF DARKNESS opens, we’re immediately drawn into the mystery of why this happens to Cassie.

Then we meet Gabe.

Gabe comes to the city from another realm in search of Cassie … and he can help Cassie find the answers she seeks. But there’s one problem–Gabe isn’t from this world, so he has NO idea how to socialize with women of this world. So you I’m sure you can imagine the delicious tension that happens between these two upon their first meeting. 🙂

Yelena and Tina have given us a new, unique urban fantasy world with vibrant settings, worldbuilding, true-to-life character personalities, and intense conflict and tension. I’m definitely excited to get my hands on the next book in the Key series. 😀

4 Stars

A TOUCH OF DARKNESS released on October 31st–just in time for Halloween! Be sure to add this great entry into the Urban Fantasy genre to your TBR list on Goodreads. 😀

About the Authors:

About the Giveaway:

Yelena and Tina are giving away a copy of A TOUCH OF DARKNESS and a $10 gift card! So don’t forget to enter for your chance to win!

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to check back next Thursday! We’re going to have both Yelena and Tina on the blog with an excerpt from this fantastic book. 🙂

Happy Reading and Writing, everyone!
Melinda

Touch of Insanity

Gotta Go Dark…

October 1, 2013

I had hoped to avoid this, but I guess you can’t fight City Hall, can you? O.o

This is the time of year that’s absolutely insane for me–mostly at the day job where I’m usually stuffing 60 hours worth of work into a 40-hour work week.

So. Not. Fun.

But I love my job and it keeps me on my toes. The only problem is that something always has to give around this time of year. Unfortunately, it’s consistently blogging that has to fall to the wayside since my writing takes precedence over anything else.

Don’t worry though! Things should calm down in about 2 weeks, which is perfect because I have a special treat on its way to the blog …

Tina Moss and Yelena Casale’s debut novel, A Touch of Darkness, is releasing on the 15th!

AND, AND, AND!

I’m going to review their book on the 17th!

AND, AND, AND!

Then Tina and Yelena are going to pay us a visit here on the blog on the 24th with a special excerpt–and if we’re really nice, they may do a giveaway. 😀

AND, AND, AND!

On Halloween, I’m going to host my own little giveaway!

Be sure to check back later this month! In the meantime, here’s to welcoming the internet darkness for two weeks! 😉

Happy Writing, everyone!
Melinda

The Write Stuff

Where in the World is ARCHETYPE?

September 26, 2013December 9, 2015

So there’s this publisher called Dutton Books, who decided to publish this book called ARCHETYPE by M.D. Waters.

GREATEST. DECISION. EVER!

No joke. There’s a reason why there’s been an insane amount of buzz in the publishing world about this book.

Check out the blurb from Goodreads:

Introducing a breathtakingly inventive futuristic suspense novel about one woman who rebels against everything she is told to believe.

Emma wakes in a hospital, with no memory of what came before. Her husband, Declan, a powerful, seductive man, provides her with new memories, but her dreams contradict his stories, showing her a past life she can’t believe possible: memories of war, of a camp where girls are trained to be wives, of love for another man. Something inside her tells her not to speak of this, but she does not know why. She only knows she is at war with herself.

Suppressing those dreams during daylight hours, Emma lets Declan mold her into a happily married woman and begins to fall in love with him. But the day Noah stands before her, the line between her reality and dreams shatters.

In a future where women are a rare commodity, Emma fights for freedom but is held captive by the love of two men—one her husband, the other her worst enemy. If only she could remember which is which. . . .

The first novel in a two-part series, Archetype heralds the arrival of a truly memorable character—and the talented author who created her.

Although ARCHETYPE doesn’t release until February, I got the chance to be a part of the “Where in the World is Archetype” blog tour that M.D. Waters’ Writing Wife, Charissa Weaks, put together.

So what does that mean? Well, it means I got to spend some time reading an ARC of this fantastic, can’t-put-down novel! But first, I had to receive it in the mail from another writer: Melissa Chambers.

To say I was giddy while opening the box is an understatement

Then, I had to read it. 🙂 🙂 🙂

When I finished, I cried, smiled, laughed, jumped for joy, texted Charissa Weaks, and went a little nuts on Facebook with nothing but raves about this book.

Then I sat down an wrote my review:

OMG! There are almost no words for how much I LOVED this book. And there’s no doubt whatsoever that you WILL LOVE it, too!

I’ve never been much of a science fiction reader, but I do enjoy any and all genres that have fantastic characters, amazing story lines, and delicious tension — and that is exactly what this book gave us! Action, romance, mystery, tension, likeable heroine from page one, plot twists so good that you’ll scream aloud, “Oh, my God!”

M.D. Waters has given readers such a treasure with this novel, and there’s no doubt its follow-up, Prototype, will be just as amazing and unforgettable.

Fantastic writing, unforgettable characters, and heart-wrenching, Archetype is sure to find itself at the top of the NYT Bestseller list upon release.

Then, ARCHETYPE and I took a little field trip to the Bicentennial Gardens in Greensboro.

Archetype and "The Student" — Archetype and “The Student”

And now, ARCHETYPE is on it’s way to the next stop on this little tour. 🙂

Wanna join in on the fun and read ARCHETYPE before it hits bookshelves on February 6th, 2014? Here’s how:

1) Possess your own blog and be willing to post about the book
2) Email Charissa Weaks about joining the tour: cweaksblog (at) gmail (dot) com
3) Read ARCHETYPE in the allotted time frame
4) Take a picture of you with the book
5) Write a note to Charissa inside the cover (this is her ARC, so tell how much you LOVED it)
6) Mail the book to the next lucky recipient
7) Blog about your experience

Not able to join the tour? No worries! You can always pre-order your copy of ARCHETYPE now:

Amazon / Barnes and Noble / iTunes / iBook / Indiebound / GooglePlay

Next stop for ARCHETYPE will be next week with Author Kristi Helvig.

Where in the World is ARCHETYPE? Current Blog Tour List
9/8: Author Melissa Chambers
9/16: Author Jodi L. Henry
9/26: Author Melinda S. Collins
9/30: Author Kristi Helvig
10/7: Author Ash Krafton
10/16: Author Jessica Lemmon
10/25: A Bookish Affair
10/31: Author Tracy Buscemi
11/11: Jessica E. Subject

Happy Reading and Writing!
Melinda

Music, Movies & Such

Tune-In Tuesday: Peace of Mind

September 24, 2013September 21, 2013

We’re taking it back this week on Tune-In Tuesday to an old favorite by Boston: Peace of Mind.

The good thing about writing playlists is you can have such a variety of music–from Boston to Thirty Seconds to Mars, from The Beatles to Muse, from Madonna to Evanescence. I, for one, really enjoy the good vibes and inability to sit still when bands such as Boston, AC/DC, and Foreigner come on the radio.

Enjoy!

What about you? Are there any old tunes that you just have to have in your writing playlist? What are some of your favorite bands from “back in the day”?

Music, Movies & Such

Tine-In Tuesday: The 2nd Law–Isolated System

September 17, 2013September 16, 2013

Welcome back to another installment of Tune-In Tuesday!

This week, we’re visited the world of my current work-in-progress, RETRIBUTION, with a song from Muse called “Isolated System”.

For those of us who’ve seen the movie World War Z, this song is going to sound eerily familiar. This song is not only the opening music for the zombie-flick, but it played throughout the film, mostly during transitional scenes.

Enjoy

Music, Movies & Such

Tune-In Tuesday: Hail to the King

September 3, 2013August 31, 2013

Welcome to a new installment of Tune-In Tuesday!

This week’s song is the title track to the new album from Avenged Sevenfold (A7X)–“Hail to the King”. When I first heard this tune, I automatically thought about J.R. Ward’s BDB series. I mean, come on, the next book due out in this series is, “The King”.

BUT…

I then thought about my current WIP–you know, the one I’m sloooowly revising and editing but will have completely polished and ready for submission by December 1st? Yes, RETRIBUTION. When that story came to mind, I listened to this tune again … and again … and again, and this song gave me such fantastic inspiration that when I arrived home, I locked myself in my writing cave and began writing his scene. A scene where we first get to see him behind the mask he shows everyone else. A scene where my skin crawled and I had to take a break because I couldn’t keep myself inside his head for too long.

For me, that’s not only a fantastic antagonist to write, but “Hail to the King” is a fantastic song for writing inspiration. 🙂

Enjoy!

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