Someone asked me recently WHY I self-published my new and FIRST book and there are multiple reasons behind my decision but the one that stuck out the most was the control. Taking control is something that I continuously do and with this decision, I have complete control over everything, including but not limited to: price, percentage, and rights. I can choose the cover, the price, and where it is sold, not to mention that my royalties are higher. I eliminated the publisher and possible agent so therefore, instead of 30-50 percent, I get 70 percent, which makes a BIG difference in my decisions.

That’s not saying that I won’t publish through the traditional methods but for now, I’m happy. When I write, the feeling of total contentment is reached. I sit there and create a world where the hero/heroine wins; where the characters develop strengths, goals, and changes with each motion of their lives. That doesn’t mean that I control WHERE they go in life!! They seem to be telling ME lately! If they don’t like something, they REALLY let me know and my plot is altered. 🙂 It’s still a wonderful feeling and I pray that the more experience that I gain, the better that I will be. Success to me, isn’t about money. It’s about the appreciation for my work and the writing itself. It’s the feeling that I get knowing that I accomplished what I set out to do and to develop and create wonderful characters that grow and learn through the battles of their lives. It’s a way for me to live in this reality and NOT go insane. 🙂

Hi everyone! The excitement just keeps coming! In the last few days since I have posted, I now have a cover designed for my book, up to about 145 pages from 64 pages, just by editing and altering the endings, and within two weeks or less, should be an AUTHOR! It has been my dream for so long that I might go into shock!! 🙂 This first anthology will be dedicated to my darling friends for believing and supporting me, no matter what. I know my parents love me but they have never understood my passion for writing. I am now surrounded by wonderful people that do. Tune in later to see if I survive the shock!! 🙂 🙂

Good morning everyone!!

Today, I’m excited for a few reasons. First, I am VERY excited to announce that I have bought my first book cover and can’t believe it’s happening so fast. Reality is really starting to kick in and the doubts are beating down my door. Am I good enough? Will people like my work? Will they be satisfied with what I have to say? These are just a few questions, NOT the whole list.

Second, I am in the final editing stage of my Anthology, Murderous Connections, and can’t wait to be done with this project and start another one. The passion for writing has never been more powerful and for that, I am grateful. The words are clicking, the characters starting to come to life, and my recent class on Place and Setting has been a blessing. I know the editing stage is critical to the revision process but I am still finding it a pain! J

One bit of advice that I have for everyone. Please follow your dreams and let NOTHING keep you from fulfilling them. To be happy in today’s society is hard enough. Doing what you love with make life that much more special.

Have a wonderful day!! 🙂  🙂

A friend asked me a few days ago if I ever wrote paranormal, such as shape-shifters and with so many projects on my plate, well…………I had told her no but was planning on it. HOWEVER, I am writing a novella (possible short story) within the desired genre. A small excerpt is posted below, NOT all I have written but don’t want to give TOO much away. 🙂 I hope you enjoy the sneak peek. 🙂

The Chosen Ones

A chilly breeze ruffled through the leaves with an eerie quietness, the trees rustling with movement, yet no sound pierced the silence. A dense fog, a thick mist of pure gray, coated the hard ground; a warning.

She stood on the cliff, the ocean a raging mass of waves and violence. A vision of white, her pale skin glowed from the shimmer of the moon and black clouds rolled across the sky.

Within seconds, the light from the moon began to glow a bright red, the stars dimming. Another streak of lightning and thunder exploded throughout the sky.

She lifted her face and raised her arms, a silent cry of deep sorrow on a face framed by blue eyes and long black hair.
Her gray dress whipped around her slender body, the wind and rain tearing at the thin fabric. No jewelry adorned her slight frame, no art marked the skin.
She stood and waited; her heart calm and steady in the midst of the ferocious elements.

Eyes closed, a soft chant filled the air; a curse to those that had taken the lives of the innocent. “The Powers that be, please hear my prayers. Protect those that come and do not know of what they are; of what they possess. Help them fight what stands before me.”

Suddenly, the air grew hot, thickened, and steam rose from the ground.

She wasn’t alone.

The beast lurked in the shadows and watched her, red eyes gleaming, hungry for what she was.

She lowered her arms, head tilted as the presence behind her burned, a mass of fiery rage and hatred that seared the ground and turned the grass black. The heat, intense, almost scorched her exposed skin. If she had been human, she would have melted; the agony and fire consuming her body. The wolf circled and snarled, pacing the border of the trees.

He stood outside the line that had been drawn. One day soon, he would be able to cross that line. She heard the menacing thought and opened her eyes. She turned to watch him, her gaze dispassionate. The animal hissed and howled, the fog struggling to slide across the protection that encircled her. She lifted a hand and waved it gently. Small sparks flew from her fingertips and she watched as the line between them thickened. The fog retreated, slithering back towards the shadows.

The animal snarled and lunged in rage just as the wall of power flared to life.

He crashed a few feet away, stunned.

“You can’t hurt me here,” she said softly, eyeing him. Her own eyes turned gold.

The animal got back on its feet and shook his large head. Their gazes locked, a silent battle that time had not won.

They were coming; the chosen ones. Their fates had been sealed once they had discovered a piece of the stone.

Hundreds of years ago, in order to stop the beast, the stone had been shattered and thrown, the pieces scattered around the world, hidden.

Until now.

Good morning everyone! It is the start of another week and another day of creation on my end. 🙂 Writing has always been a passion of mine, ever since I was sixteen years old. It’s nothing that has ever left me. I’ve dealt with writer’s block for many years. When I began college, I went for the path that was most expected of me; the path that made the most sense. Thousands of dollars later, my MBA in finance was completed. That was in 2011. Then I started to think, am I happy? Is this really want I want to do with my life? I love my job, my co-workers, and the work that I do. I love the stability of knowing that I can support my daughter and parents but am I truly, completely happy? The answer, I was not surprised to find, was no. What was the one thing that I had dreamed of doing since I was sixteen?

It was writing.

So taking control of my life once again, in 2012, I started my second Masters in English and Creative Writing and honestly feel that my path, for the first time in years, is headed in the right direction. I’ll probably be in debt for the rest of my life but do I truly regret my decision? The answer is a firm NO. I love writing. I love to create different worlds and getting to know my characters. They lead me on journeys that astonish and shock me. They control what I write, how I portray their lives, and how they resolve their conflict. I feel like I have friends forever and monsters that I defeat, if that makes sense.

In today’s society, there is no control. In fiction, there is, to a point. Like I said, my characters, at times, do not follow directions well and yet I know that’s the process of a true writer.

I have a wonderful support group, with common goals and ambitions and honestly feel because of them, I have defeated the hated enemy of writer’s block. I haven’t written this much in years and hope to continue for many more.

I hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Desiree