Very Merry Un-Birthday

I’m excited to announce the release of my latest work, a short story based on my first published novel, The Huntress. This short titled Very Merry Un-Birthday is the fifth in the Huntress short story series published by DLSIJ Press. It’s available at the DP Online Bookstore as an ebook.

In Very Merry Un-Birthday, Regan continues to baffle her shipmates with her strategies to strengthen familial bonds, in a story that combines humor with heartwarming character interactions. While this short is part of the growing Huntress universe, it can be read separately, as can each of the short stories. There is a chronological order to the shorts, but it’s not critical to read them that way. For readers who want the timeline breakdown, however, the Huntress universe progresses as follows:

The Huntress
A Stone’s Throw
A Far Cry
Heart of Stone
Leave No Stone Unturned
A Very Merry Un-Birthday

I’m always thrilled to receive feedback, so please feel free to post or email me your opinion of this work. (michelleoleary1@yahoo.com) For the fans of Mea, Stone, Regan, and the rest of the Huntress crew, there is a sixth short waiting in the publishing wings and a seventh in the creation stages. So keep an eye out for more!

Peace and Love,
-M
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Bringing Readers and Authors Together

One of the big challenges for authors is connecting with an audience, finding readers who are interested in their work and are willing to follow their exploits. Many readers are looking for the next great read and like to explore different authors and their works.

The following list are reader sites that allow authors to either create their own pages or input information about themselves and their written work, often offering some interactivity like comments, blog posts, and works-in-progress.

Amazon's Author Central: https://authorcentral.amazon.com

Authors Den: http://www.authorsden.com/

GoodReads: http://GoodReads.com/

Library Thing: http://LibraryThing.com

FiledBy: http://FiledBy.com

WeRead: http://WeRead.com/

Shelfari: http://www.shelfari.com/

Hope this helps both readers and authors! If anyone knows of other similar sites, please share.

Peace and love,
-M
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Writing Inspiration

I’m sure every creative writer has been asked at one time or another, “Where do you get your ideas?”

For many writers, the answer is as much a mystery to them as to their readers. It’s easy enough to say that the world around us is an endless source of inspiration, from the goofy neighbor that’s just asking for characterization, to books and movies that offer infinite imagination, to historical and current political and social issues. Sure, the world is a hotbed of ideas. But how does a long-ago bloody battle and creepy historical figure get translated into a full-fledged, infamous story about vampires? Where is the point in a writer’s mind where interesting facts become a fictional story?

For some aspiring writers, this is a question of deep, abiding interest. How do they take information and morph it into an absorbing story? It’s a very good question that unfortunately has as many answers as there are writers. One of the basic foundations of creative writing is to write what you know, which is a great place for any new writer to start. But this method is complicated when entering the realms of fantasy, science fiction, paranormal, horror, etc. Personally, I’ve never visited another planet. But most of my characters have.

For me as a scifi writer, books and movies play a large part in building my foundation of knowledge and creative imagination about science fiction. But I still can’t tell you how I go from a kernel idea to a convoluted storyline complete with cast of characters. (I suspect magic. Or perhaps a mental defect.) As a very visual person, I often “see” the action in my mind, like a movie unfolding. This helps to put me into the world, to build the scenes and flesh out my characters. It also helps me remain in a specific point of view, or smooth out a switch in point of view, which can keep reader confusion down and enhance their immersion in the story…but I digress.

Or maybe I was just avoiding the question. Because the truth is storylines and ideas often pop into my head from no source that I can pinpoint. And with my highly character driven writing style, my stories often seem to get written without much discernable input from me. Scary? Um, yeah, I’ll admit it can be disconcerting. But it’s also the most fun I’ve ever had.

For those still looking for a source of inspiration, keep reading and keep writing, as often and as varied in subject as you can. Very likely inspiration will find you. ;)

Peace & Love,
-M
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