Writing Update -February 2023

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. It’s been a busy week… In fact, I had no idea how busy until today when I realized I hadn’t gotten a post together for this week. This week I’m following up on a couple of other posts and providing a general writing update. As I mentioned there is a lot to report on. Let’s get too it.

Last week, when I mentioned I have four short stories coming out, well this week, I’m happy to share all four covers with you. I’m thrilled with how they turned out.

Also, I’m happy to share the book blurb for each of the stories:

Election Night:

Elections are stressful enough, and none more than this one. With so much riding on the vote this year, Sammy needed involvement to get her candidate elected and into the Whitehouse. Now on election night she’s had a terrible day, but plans to work on the phones until the bitter end. Already late for her volunteering, Sammy rushes for the ancient building’s elevator, mercifully being held for her by an attractive stranger. More than an election is held in the balance when the elevator gets stuck between floors, and Sammy finds out that the woman stuck with her works for the enemy camp. Who will win the election, and how will these two women make it out of the elevator in one piece?

LandsEnd:

Prom Night. The last hurrah before college. Brandon and Ed are the chaperons for the LandsEnd High School Senior Prom, hosted at the LandsEnd Yacht Club. Its a night of dreams until the ground shakes and flashes of light brighten the sky, knocking out everything electrical, casting the dance into darkness. Cut off and alone, the adults and the students have to figure out what to do and what’s happening. Worryingly, what’s that strange clicking sound off in the distance that seemed to scare off the animals?

Nightingale’s Heart:

Rahim is the head of security for Aza, a popstar, who had a fan with mental health issues break into their home a few years back. Since being hired, Rahim has ensured Aza, and their team’s, safety. However, Rahim, over this time, has grown fond of Aza, hoping for more, but never wanting to cross the line of professionalism. Could his feelings be reciprocated? Could Aza find this lug of a man who protects them more than a ‘Big Guy’ who sees to their safety? Or is this another relationship where Rahim will get hurt?

The Old Road:

Halloween; a night of tricks and treats, but what happens when you take a stranger for a creepy night of mischief and fun? Anything can happen on Halloween, even the unimaginable.

 

Once these short stories are out, I’ll be sure to let you all know, so you can get your free copy, as long as you’re signed up for my newsletter… you are signed up for my newsletter, right?

If you are in the Sacramento, CA area this weekend, I’ll be part of the Bay Area Queer Writers Association (BAQWA) anthology reading at the Lavender Library: 1414 21st St, Sacramento, CA 95811-5209, United States. We will be reading from our 2022 anthology; BAQWA Presents: Two 2022, which just so happens to have Nightingale’s Heart in it, and I’ll be reading from that short story. I hope to see you all there, as all funds raised from the book sales will go to support the Lavender Library.

Last update I have for this week, is about Mu; Legend of the Lost City. It’s finished and I have it with one of my Beta Readers. I’m pleased with how this story has turned out. I’m excited to have this wonderful tale published.

I have worked on the blurb for the story and I’m happy to share it here now:

For years, the whispers and legends of a lost city hiding in the Pacific Ocean were just that; legend. On the day Kaimi discovers, his parents, the Queen and King of Mu, murdered, Mu’s most powerful weapon fired, sending a pulse rushing towards the North American west coast.

After the 2025 Great Pacific Pulse Event, or Pulse, vomited up much of humankind’s trash in the Pacific Ocean along the North American west coast. The mysterious event causing the largest environmental disaster in human history, people are no longer certain there is nothing concealed in the depths of the ocean. Scientist Karen Linn and billionaire investor Michael Donovan want to find out what actually happened that day five years ago. Will Michael’s life in the adult entertainment industry and Karen’s moniker in pseudoscience keep them as social pariahs, or are they on the cusp of finding a civilization that has been kept out of our grasp, deep in the world’s largest ocean? How does the event from five years ago tie into the murder of the Queen and King of Mu? What lies under the sea may be bigger than anyone can imagine, and neither civilization may be ready for the truth.

Last up, have you been following my YouTube Channel? I’ve been posting weekly writing tips and tricks and I would love to get up to 100 subscribers, so if you’re on YouTube, come by and say hello. I’d like to think the information is helpful and I’ve gotten some wonderful comments and feedback, so I’d love to hear what you have to say.

You can find my channel here.

There you have it, everything I’ve been up to. As projects continue to move forward I’ll be sure to keep you posted. In the meantime, come and say hello on Saturday Feb. 25th at 3:30pm. I’d love to see you all there. Until next time have a great week.

eBook Short Story Giveaway - LandsEnd

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. This week I have a special offer for all my Scribblers (if you are reading this, that would mean you). I’m thrilled to offer each one of you a free eBook copy of my short story LandsEnd. The story was featured in the Bay Area Queer Writers Association anthology; BAQWA Presents: Horror Show 2021. Since the original publication, I’ve worked on the story, added to it, and in general cleaned it up a bit more. I couldn’t be more pleased with how this short story turned out, and now I can offer the novella to you, for free!

What’s the catch you might ask? Well, in order to qualify to get a free copy you have to follow me on BookBub (click here). That’s it. Anyone new who follows me on BookBub will receive this short story eBook, absolutely free. In order for me to know that you are a new member and found out about this offer by reading my blog, once you follow me, send me an email message (info@mdneu.com) letting me know. Once I verify you are following me, I’ll email you your free copy of LandsEnd.

Story Blurb:

Prom Night. The last hurrah before college. Brandon and Ed are the chaperons for the LandsEnd High School Senior Prom, hosted at the LandsEnd Yacht Club. Its a night of dreams until the ground shakes and flashes of light brighten the sky, knocking out everything electrical, casting the dance into darkness. Cut off and alone, the adults and the students have to figure out what to do and what’s happening. Worryingly, what’s that strange clicking sound off in the distance that seemed to scare off the animals?

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This is a short one this week. Remember to follow me on BookBub to get your free eBook copy of LandsEnd. Well, that’s it. Until next time, have a great week.

Writing Update - Summer 2021

Happy Wednesday Scribblers, for those suffering from the heatwave, I hope you are all making it through and staying safe. Today I wanted to share a quick writing update with you all, especially since I haven’t done one in a while.

What’s new and exciting? Well, this week I’ve been working on editing up Conspiracy-A New World Book 3. The novel has been under contract with NineStar Press since July 2020, but with the pandemic and everything else going on, I’m getting back to the novel and hopefully the book should come out later this year (fingers crossed). Here is the blurb for Conspiracy to wet your appetite:

A little blue world, the third planet from the sun. It’s home to 7 billion people with all manner of faiths, beliefs and customs, divided by bigotry and misunderstanding, who have been told they are not alone in the universe. Anyone watching from the outside would pass by this fractured and tumultuous world, unless they had no other choice.

It’s been a little over a year since Todd Landon’s life has been changed by the arrival of the nentraee. Continuing his duties as Special Envoy for Terran Affairs, Todd is finally feeling at home with the aliens; gaining more responsibility and influence with both races. Plans are underway for two Interplanetary spaceports and additional solar exploration. It’s an exciting time for both the humans and the nentraee.

Not everything is as it seems. Speaker General Mirtoff and Vice-Speaker Mi’ko of the nentraee are worried that Liberi Dei plot more terrorist attacks and may have inside help. Threats are clear, but who can they trust? Is it possible Todd is helping them unknowingly or worse covertly? Will these new space endeavors continue to bring the human and the nentraee together or will a conspiracy hiding in the shadows fracture an already shaky alliance?

That is the blurb for the book. As I’ve been going through the work, I’ve gotten more and more excited for people to get their hands on this next installment and see what is happening with our cast of characters. Keep your eyes posted as I’ll be sharing more information as we get close to launch day.

Also, on the burners I have finished Volaria. This book is my vampire, lycan, witch, and space mash up. The story was a lot of fun to put together and I love the characters. Currently, I’ve finished writing the book, and will send the story off to my Beta Readers for them to go through and provide feedback. Once I’ve finished with the Beta reads, I’ll be deciding how I want to release the book. There are a lot of publishing options and with this novel I may explore those options and see where they take me.

Here is a teaser for Volaria:

Tobin lives in a newly reopened district of San Jose, California. Instead of making his mandatory monthly blood donation for the vampire community, he visits Bitter, a vampire spa. The spa allows vampires to feed from humans directly. However, permitting a vampire to feed from you comes with risks, shared memories among them. Tobin’s encounter opens a window to his past and an experience he had as a child on the moon. Questions abound as he tries to unravel his past and make sense of his life.

I haven’t limited my writing to these two books. I’ve also put together two short stories: LandsEnd and The Old Road. Both stories have a creepy vibe to them, which has been fun to create. However, I’m not sure where these stories will end up. They are both finished and currently waiting for me to decide what to do with them. We’ll see. No teasers for these, since I’m not sure what will happen with them, but keep your eyes posted as you never know where they may end up.

Also, I’ve worked on some flash fiction. This isn’t typically in my wheelhouse, but I wanted to give it a go. I’m happy with how both works turned out and they hold a lot of meaning for me, but again, I’m not sure where they will land or what I will do with them.

Well, there you have it, my summer writing update. As you can see, there is a lot happening, especially with the two finished novels. I’m excited to get both works out for you, for you to soak up and enjoy.

Until next time, have a great week.