My First Time...

Today, I’ll be attending the Wisconsin RWA conference. This is my first event, and it’s with a mixture of excitement and trepidation that I’m going. Oh, and did I mention this will be my first book signing for Until Darkness Comes and my first agent pitch? Lots of firsts, and I guess that’s okay, someone’s gotta be the newbie, right? I’m not sure what to expect but maybe it’s better that way.

I look at where I am, where I was, and where I still need to go on my literary journey of success, and I’m reminded that we’re all at different places in our lives, and in our careers. I guess the most important thing is to enjoy the ride. J

I've been slaving over my Bonded in Exile pitch. I think in the last 2 days I've rewritten it at least twenty times. I decided to post it today, and would love your feedback. Here goes:

Bonded in Exile is a 143,000 word paranormal romance, about an exiled angel who accidentally becomes bloodbonded to his enemy, a female Nephilim. Silas must decide if saving her is worth risking his eternal life, because Emily is either his road to salvation, or the catalyst to unleashing hell on earth.

Emily has no idea what, or who, she really is and discovers her entire life had been nothing but a lie.

Silas wants nothing more then to go home to his world, and has been exiled to earth with his legion, hunting the wicked Nephilim for centuries. One is left, and she holds the power to send them home.

But not all the angels want go back, dissension is brewing, and a mutiny is inevitable. Silas has no choice but to bring the Nephilim under his protection to prevent her from falling into enemy hands. He struggles against his growing attraction to Emily that's getting stronger by the day. Emily's heart starts to soften toward the angel who makes her feel alive in ways she never imagined. She wants to help Silas and stop the evil threatening to take over the world, but in doing so, she'll be required to make the ultimate sacrifice and give up the angel who's captured her heart.

Have a great day! Wish me luck!!

Melynda Price

Is There Life After Marketing?

Available in eBook or Paperback on Amazon

Until Darkness Comes, my debut novel, released last week, and I’m quickly discovering that writing the book was the easy part. Wow…so much to do in so little time. Blog touring and marketing can seem like a full-time job in itself. I remember a time when I had countless hours to write, and I now find the thing I love, my passion, is taking a back seat to other demands. I guess like with all things, it boils down to balance, and with time comes efficiency.

I find it interesting when I talk to other authors, they all seem to have their “favorite part.” For some it’s the writing, some it’s the editing, and others, it’s the marketing. I’d love to hear from you and find out what do you love most about being an author? J

I have been blessed by the support of my editor, publishing company and fellow authors, who have all taken the time to invest in me and support the launch of Until Darkness Comes. Thank you, everyone, for your support!

Have a great week!

Melynda Price



Celebrating the Release of Until Darkness Comes

                                                 Available April 1, 2012 from 5 Prince Publishing

A guardian angel… A forbidden love… Eternal consequences… 

    Olivia Norton was born with a gift—a gift heaven has sworn to protect, and hell is bound to destroy. Her perfect world is turned upside-down when two handsome strangers, Max and Liam, step into her life. Olivia soon discovers that her ‘Mr. Perfect’ is actually a perfect nightmare.

    The rules of engagement have changed and Liam, Olivia’s guardian angel, is forced to cross dimensional borders, or risk losing the woman he’s sworn to protect. Suddenly, thrust into a world unlike anything he’s never known, Liam isn’t prepared to come face to face with the young woman whose life he holds in his hands.

    But nothing is as it seems, and secrets abound that will ultimately force him to choose between two impossibilities. Max will stop at nothing to finish what he’s started, and Olivia is soon plunged into a battle between good and evil. Her very life hangs in the balance as two forces fight to win her heart.

I'm pleased to announce the upcoming release of my novel, Until Darkness Comes. This is the first book in my four-part Redemption series, and was written to appeal to readers that enjoy series such as Twilight, Hush, Hush, and Wicked Lovely. An excerpt is available on my website.

Thanks for stopping by :)

Melynda Price

What's Hot and What's Not

                    

I read a book a while ago by Donald Mass called "Writing The Breakout Novel". It was a great book with fantastic information, but he said something in it that surprised and really stuck with me. He said, (not verbatim) that it isn't marketing that makes a book a bestseller, it's word of mouth. I've often pondered this statement and, in a way, I can see how he's right. It appears certain books have won the lottery of popularity and become what seems like an overnight sensation. Are they good books? Absolutely. The best books I've ever read? No. For every hot, best seller, I can think of 4 others that are just as good but never got the notoriety they deserved. So what makes these books such a success?

Take the Twilight phenomenon. The book was published by a small publishing company and it was Stephanie Meyer's first book she'd ever written. She had a literary agent who sold her book to Little Brown.

Compare that book to the Shack. This book was also swept up in the fantastic read spot light. Millions of copies sold and this book was originally self-published.

Compare that to the newest and hottest read, everyone I know is toting a copy (my two kids each have their own so they wouldn't have to share), The Hunger Games. This book was published by a larger company, Scholastic Press.

Each of these books are vastly different than the other, from genre to publishing company. In fact, the only thing similar about them is the that they're over-whelmingly popular.

So what does this tell me? Two things: First, write a great book. Second, getting your novel swept up in the gotta-read-it frenzy is part luck, and just like Donald Mass says, word of mouth. So I guess there's hope for us all :)

I'd love to hear your thoughts on what it takes to write a national bestseller.

Have a great Saturday!

Melynda Price

It Only Takes One Yes!

                    

"It only takes one yes." This is the advice a fellow writer and good friend of mine told me once, and she's right. It does only take one "yes" to make your dreams come true. But its finding that "yes" that's the challenge sometimes. I enjoy hearing stories from other authors sharing how they got their big break, but as much as I enjoy hearing of their success, I just as much enjoy hearing about their failures. No, I'm not cruel and sadistic, although misery does love company, but I believe there is a lot to be learned in those rejections.

Rejection teaches us patience, and perseverance, while developing growth and character. It's easy to quit, easy to give up, but it takes strength and courage to repeatedly put yourself out there, hoping to catch that one "yes". You pray that your work will find its way into the right hands, of the right literary agent or publisher, who's in the right mood, at the right time.

It's taken me almost a year to find the right home for my novel, Until Darkness Comes, tentatively scheduled for release March 21, 2012. To the published, I'd love to hear your experiences breaking into the literary world. To the unpublished, I'd just like to remind you to never give up. It only takes one "yes" :)

Have a great week!

Melynda Price

Writing YA Today

"What is a chode?" I asked this question of my sixteen year old daughter, when I heard her and her friend laughing at the new nickname they'd given one of their male friends. When she told me, I was honestly surprised; mostly because she actually knew what a chode was, and then I felt another grey hair spring forth. Am I really that old?

Writing a YA series has been a great learning and growing experience, but it had also been very challenging to walk the line between what's appealing and relating to today's teens, while keeping them engaged without crossing over into adult. I've read many YA paranormal romance and some authors are much better at this than others. The way I see it, in this day and age, the YA audience could probably teach me a thing or two, so I'm not as worried about writing conservatively as I am about writing a great story, with real dialogue and real life issues.

My goal has always been that the YA audience will identify with my characters. They're not perfect--some of them curse, use alcohol and drugs, have premarital sex, and generally make many of the same mistakes our teens today make. But one message comes through strong in my paranormal romance Until Darkness Comes, and that's the power of love and forgiveness.

Hope you all have a great Saturday. I'd love to hear what you think about writing YA today :)

Melynda Price

What's So Great About Paranormal?

This is my first blog for Fabulously Young ePubs. My name is Melynda Price, and I am a lover of paranormal romance. It’s all I read; it’s all I write. Why paranormal? Because the possibilities are endless. It’s an amazing experience to dive into a world where the unseen is seen. The unreal suddenly becomes reality, and the rules and laws that bind us to this world no longer hold true.

The challenge in writing paranormal is finding the balance between “Wow” and “Oh, come on!” A good paranormal book will open the readers’ minds to a whole new world, and when it’s finished, they’ll sit back and think “What if…”

In a time when paranormal is so hot, it’s a challenge to write a story that sets your work, as an author, apart from the others. You’ve got your core group of YA paranormal bad-boys: The Vampires, Werewolves, Fey, and Fallen Angels. Putting a twist on these characters that hasn’t already been done can be quite a task. But again, that’s the beauty of paranormal—if you can dream it, they can do it.  

Unbelievably believable—that is what I strive for in my writing, and that is what I think Until Darkness Comes has to offer its readers. It’s a culmination of fiction with inflections of Biblical history  that weaves a tale of deception, temptation and romance.

I’m currently editing Shades of Darkness, the second book in my four-part Redemption series. Until Darkness Comes is currently under contract with Noble Romance.

A little about myself, I live in Northern Minnesota with my husband of seventeen years and two children, ages 16 and 10. With fall suddenly upon us, and winter quickly bearing down, I find myself looking forward to many snow-filled days where I can escape into a world where the impossible suddenly becomes possible and an amazing adventure is only a few keystrokes away.

Thanks for reading. I hope you have a fabulous Saturday!

Melynda Price 

Melynda Price Joins Fabulously Young ePubs

I'm very excited to be joining Fabulously Young ePubs. My blog will be the first Saturday of every month. I'm looking forward to blogging with all of you. I write YA paranormal romance. The first novel in my Redemption series, Until Darkness Comes, was recently contracted with Noble Romance. Currently awaiting a release date.

You can follow me on facebook or twitter or contact me at Melynda@Melyndaprice.com

Thanks and have a great day!

Melynda Price