My writing bestie and critique partner, Charissa James-Weaks, said it best: Babies hijack your brain. Boy, is that ever true (especially during pregnancy)! If you follow me on social media, then I’m sure you’re aware of my amazing news: there’s a Baby Collins on the way! But I’m not posting to talk about the baby–at least not exclusively. I’m posting to talk about how pregnancy seriously hijacks your brain. If you remember, at the first of this year I made […]
Continue ReadingI’m Baaaack… Life & Other Updates
Oh my frickin’ God! Has it really been over a year since I blogged?!? My guess is you’re wondering 1) Where the hell has Mel been, and 2) WTF is happening? Believe it or not, I have LEGITIMATE answers for both 😉 1) I’ve been soul-searching and spending time with like-minded writers (at the RT Conference, for example), and busy, busy, busy with both my personal and day job lives. 2) I’ve FINALLY found my TRUE artistic self…among other things. By […]
Continue ReadingTune-In Tuesday: Peace of Mind
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 […]
Continue ReadingTune-In Tuesday: Hail to the King
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 […]
Continue ReadingOn Candy Crush and Writing
Ahhh, Candy Crush. I wish I could say that I have loads of self-control.That I was able to not succumb–yet again–to an online-Facebook game. But … I cannot. *grin* I mean, come in, cute rainbow-colored candies and nifty power-ups? Why, it’s like Bejeweled. But on crack. 😉 In any case, I was incredibly lazy the weekend before last. My sister and I held a Slumber Party at our house, and so in preparation for this female-only gathering, I cleaned my […]
Continue ReadingAdvice to My Newbie Author Self, Part 3: The Dream vs. The Reality
Many times as a newbie author–heck, sometimes a seasoned author–we get a whack in the head, or a face-full-o-concrete from a little thing called reality. For many of us writers, the moment we type “The End” on our first full manuscript is the moment we sit back and begin to daydream about huge book tours, TV interviews, movie deals, having our favorite band write a song inspired by our novel. Yes, I seriously imagined that last one. 🙂 The Dream Scape At […]
Continue ReadingWhat’s Your Favorite Craft Book?
Today I’m interrupting the continuation of my Advice to My Newbie Author Self series to rave about the latest craft books I’ve been devouring–yet again: The Complete Writer’s Guide to Heroes & Heroines by Tami D. Cowden, Caro LaFever and Sue Viders All fiction writers want to write stories with great heroes and heroines–characters who leap off the page and capture the reader’s imagination. Fallen Heroes: Sixteen Master Villain Archetypes by Tami D. Cowden The villain is the hero […]
Continue ReadingAre You a Pen Addict?
Hi, my name is Melinda. I’m an author and a pen addict. *waves* My obsession started when I was in high school. At first, it was fun making notes in so many colors. History was purple. Math was green. Journalism was blue. Chemistry was red. Then I went to college, and the same thing happened. Next thing I knew, when I was out of college and back home, I had a drawer overflowing with pens. I’m talking 20 different orange […]
Continue ReadingWhen Writers are Disappointed
I realize it’s been a while since I’ve posted. And usually, regardless of what’s going on in personal life, I always either post an update or at least put together a weekly mash-up of writing posts on Fridays. However….. During these last two weeks of what I’ll simply refer to lovingly as ‘life at its best’, I have been tested and pushed to my absolute max. I literally feel as though I’ve been beaten, shattered, shaken, and […]
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