A Guest Post by M.R. Polish

Happy Monday, good people of the blogosphere! Today is guest post day! I hope you enjoy hearing from M.R. Polish, my UtopYA Con 2014 guest. As you know, a link to this post will be featured on the blog sidebar for the next seven days. I hope you enjoy!

Since this is a special blog post, I wanted to do something just a tad bit different than I have before. So, I thought why not give away some inside secrets or tid-bits about each book/series. You know, an anything goes post! Oh, and if you have questions about any character or story, I'd love to answer them!

The Wolf Trilogy - Wolf Spell, Wolf Dream, and the upcoming 3rd and final book -

 Wolf Spell took a year and a half to complete. I signed with a small pub house that closed two weeks prior to Wolf Spell's release. I had a mad rush looking for a cover designer and a formatter so it could release on time. I am proud that this happened and helped put me into the fabulous world of Indie Author! Wolf Spell was RE-written four times until the plot line was formed. Yeah, that was fun hahaha. In the beginning, I planned it so that Ian was someone who she hates, but when she actually met him, their chemistry made it hard to keep them apart. It definitely made things interesting, but worked out amazing because they are perfect for each other! (Sorry Jarak fans)



Wolf Dream didn't take near as long to release, but I also wasn't under a publisher this time to draw it. When I start a story, I like to just do it, get it done: write, critiques, edits, betas, edits, format, then publish. Wolf Dream was absolutely a lot of fun to write. I loved the new characters and enjoyed them immensely. Davin, (whom you will meet in this book) surprised me by being how he is. I love how characters take on their own personalities, and he really did that! I always plan a scene or character, but they tell me how or what they are/do. *Spoiler* I cried when a certain someone died. *3rd book spoiler* BUT that character comes back in book 3 so it's okay, it is not the end of them you will see ;) They will get their happily ever after too!


The third book (which is currently untitled) has some amazing action and magic that have filled the pages of the previous two, but this time someone else has magic too. (Read the 2nd book to see who lol) I am sooooo excited to share the last Wolf book with everyone! I even have a few surprises leading up to the release that if you are a fan of this series, you WON'T want to miss! You can sign up to be included in the special pre-release epic awesomeness here:


Ageless Series - Ageless Sea, Endless Shores (not yet released)

Ageless Sea, I planned for almost a year before I actually sat down to write it. I knew exactly what the story wanted to become, and I was so excited to create a new world with Syrenae (Mermaids) and twist in Greek Gods. This was the first book I saw the ending before I got there. Usually, they don't show themselves to me till the very end.

Things about this book that I freaking LOVE: Magical Tattoos, romance, Syrenae (Mermaids), Greek Gods (Mythology), and magic.

Endless Shores is a current work in progress but I have to say that since they are on this fantastical journey to find the God's, things are heating up! Between, love, hate, kidnapping, desire/passion, adventure and more of everything that I love in the 1st book, this is working up to be an AMAZING sequel!


Mysts of Santerrian Series - Mark of the Dragon, Untitled book 2

Mark of the Dragon was co-written by myself and my dad Bill Morgan. I can't tell you enough about this book to even dig into the secrets lol. Dragons are amazing and I knew for a long time (over a year) that I wanted to write a dragon book, but each time I started I couldn't get it to work right, so I did what all girls should be able to do, I went to my dad. "HELP!" lol... anyway, with his incredible talent and my fluffing skills, this book was created. A secret about this book is that there is more than meets the eye. hahaha. Yeah, there is so much more to their world than what you get to experience in the 1st book. The 2nd one, which is a current work in progress, and we promise we are striving for awesomeness that you all loved with this one, will have sooooo much more in it! We are very excited about what is to come and the excitement and adventure that is happening with the characters.

Change of Possession - a stand alone romantic suspense. 

The cover for Change of Possession has not been released. I am excited to show it off October 21, 2013!!! This stand alone romantic suspense is a new adult with intense twists that hopefully will leave you guessing. When I write romance, I don't do detailed sex scenes, that is not me. I do, however, write fade to black. - Inside secret - This one cut it close, and as my best friend said, "it made her blush", but I stand true to my fade to black scenes only. I am super excited to release this book November 3, 2013... which is right around the corner!!!

You can find M.R. Polish at the usual Stalking Grounds, aka, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Amazon...

www.mrpolishauthor.com

Facebook

Goodreads

Twitter: @_MRPolish_

Amazon Author (also includes links to all books on amazon that are currently published)

About M.R. Polish

M.R. Polish was born in Idaho, a long, long, long, maybe not that long, time ago.... Writing has always been there for her. Growing up, her mind was filled with stories, some she shared and others she filed away to write down later in life. It wasn't until 2011 that she decided to publish her stories for everyone to enjoy. Her first award and when writing became more than just an idea was in the 5th grade. She won the scary story contest for the school newspaper. It is one story she still has tucked away for memories. Her teacher told her she could be anything she wanted and that she had a talant for writing, being creative and drawing people into her stories. M.R. took that to heart and continued to write, although mostly in secret until recent years.

Now you can find her enjoying life with her family - wrangling her four kids, setting traps in the house with toys for unsuspecting victims (aka, her husband) and writing down all her crazy and fun stories.


"Life is too short to stand by and watch everyone else live your dreams. The bigger the dream, the bigger the adventure!" ~ M.R. Polish

I hope you all enjoyed this tell-all guest post! If you have any questions, leave 'em in the comments below.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

M.R. Polish Author Interview

Hello, blogospherians! Today, I have Ms. M.R. Polish here with me. She’s an author who’ll be attending UtopYA Con in June of 2014. What? You’ve never heard of UtopYA Con? Well, you need to check out this link:

UtopYA Con

Now that you’ve all figured out what it is we authors will be attending, mark your calendars so you can pick up a ticket and join us! 

Without further ado, I bring you an interview with Ms. Polish. Sit back, relax, and enjoy a cup of coffee while you read. **Beware! Coffee may spew out of nose or be sprayed orally; be careful around electronic devices. Jo Michaels Blog is not responsible for damage done to devices while interview is read.**

Jo: Howdy, M.R. Good to have you with us today!
MR: *Snicker* Howdy… I love that word! I'm so excited to be here! Thank you for having me. 

Jo: Anytime. Now, I stalked you online (purely for interview research, of course) and I see from your bio that you have four kids. Congratulations! I’m the mother of five kidlings myself. I know how hard it can be to find time to write because of that. Do you find it difficult with that many nose-miners running around? How do you stay sane?
MR: Is sane a word? HAHA…. Well, as you know with five kiddos yourself, the only way to get through it is to love every minute of it, and I do! Being a mom is my greatest blessing.

Jo: I have no idea if sane is a word. I lost my sanity about eighteen years ago. That many kids is an adventure and it takes a special kind of person to handle it. How old are your kids and what are the biggest challenges you face on a daily basis?
MR: Well, I have a 10 yr old son, a 7 (almost 8) yr old daughter, a 5 yr old son, and a 2 yr old daughter. Right now my biggest challenge is juggling potty training, scouts, and ballet classes. My husband and I take regular dates to keep things fresh so that helps keep a lot of challenges at bay.

Jo: Dates are always good. Gotta keep the marriage connected! I read that you won a writing contest in the fifth grade. Share with us how that made you feel at the time.
MR: I had the biggest shiz eating grin. (Yes, I said shiz…) I can remember the feeling because I still get it every time I finish a book, publish one, or get a review. Remember the most exciting feeling you’ve ever had then times it by ten hahaha.

Jo: Holy shiz! I kinda like that. *grin* Break down your journey in writing for us. Tell us about the first story you wrote and how your mindset has progressed since then.
MR: Well, it started off with short visions or clips that I could see and write down. Now I see things long term and deeper; like what will happen to a character IF that happens.

Jo: Who’s your biggest cheerleader?
MR: My husband and kiddos.

Jo: What knowledge have you gained from their support?
MR: I've learned that no matter what the world thinks, I'm the best to them. I’ve also learned more about what inspires them and that there are no boundaries to our imaginations.

Jo:  They sound awesome. Your book cover for Ageless Sea was nominated for best cover at the UtopYA Con in 2013. Did Jeanette Mathews or Jenny Laatsch design it and why do you love it?
MR: Yes, Jenny Laatsch was my cover artist. She is spectacular and incredibly talented. I love that cover because it depicts the story completely. The tattoos are perfect, the water, the necklace (which she drew by hand), the custom drawn clothing…. Gosh, there are so many things I love about it hahaha.

Jo: Tell me about your editor, Kristina Circelli. How did you meet her, and is she a super harsh (eek!) editor?
MR: Hahahaa…. Is she reading??? I love Kristina. She came to me by a reference and since I met her, I knew she was the perfect editor for me. She makes sure my characters are on track and I don’t stray from my story. I can say red might be her favorite color. Although, it’s because of her that my stories are polished.

Jo: As an editor myself, I do my markups in pink. It seems less aggressive somehow. Maybe because it doesn't look like I slit my wrists and bled all over the page after seeing all the errors? *grin* When was the last time you plugged your name into Google? Do you have any thoughts on being listed with Mr. Polish automotive care?
MR: HAHAHAHA! I did that once and was like, "What is that?" I haven’t Googled myself in a long time, but I have to say that M.R. Polish and Mr. Polish get confused a lot. I have had a few readers surprised that I was a girl and I have also been called Mister Polish.

Jo: Mister Polish. Hmmmm, perhaps a good thing to put on a t-shirt? I could see it now: Mister Polish - Woman Author. Would be a great conversation starter, eh? *grin* What are your long-term goals with your writing and how do you intend to achieve them?
MR: I have lots of goals and dreams. My writing is something that makes me happy and I want to go far with it. Achieving my goals is a little harder than just dreaming though… I can say that I wouldn’t be where I am or where I want to go without my awesome readers.

Jo: Readers are the backbone of the author community. Without them, we toil for nothing. *bows to readers* I see you concoct magic potions in your spare time. Where might one find references to help them mix and bake their own?
MR: *Looks around to make sure no one is listening* Okay, but it might surprise you. I find all my spells in my magic book that I found while visiting the unicorns, but before I went to see the leprechauns. The fairies keep it hidden for me so no one can find it. You do, however, have to fight a werewolf to have rights to any spell book, so you might want to prepare yourself.

Jo: Leprechauns. Nasty little boogers. They give my protagonist some trouble in The Bird. Haha! I found you here: http://utopyacon.wordpress.com/2013-exhibitors/ashley-laveringm-r-polish/ and I’m wondering about living in Nevada. Do you see many UFOs out there? Ever been to Area 51?
MR: LMBO… Area 51 is real and sometimes at night you’ll see strange lights in the sky. Seriously, not fictitiously. I haven’t seen Area 51 myself, but living here is very crazy.

Jo: Is there any way you could bring us an alien or two from your home state? That would go well with the theme for 2014. I’ve never seen a real alien (unless you count the ones that abducted me in ‘98…) and would love to get up close and personal with one. Maybe do an interview! What do you think?
MR: That would be awesome! Maybe me and the kiddos should go alien hunting and capture one to bring! Do you think TSA would let it pass through security though?

Jo: It couldn’t hurt to try. Or, maybe it could. Not sure I’d want to be strip-searched over having an alien for a seatmate. I couldn’t find a map of your blog on any of the pages. How long have you been blogging and what has it done for you as a writer?
MR: Honestly, I suck at blogging! I do, however, love to help show off other authors and promote them on my blog as well. I use my website, www.mrpolishauthor.com, for myself and my blog for everyone.

Jo: So, you’re an Indie author. Congratulations! You’re part of the most elite publishing and writing group on the planet! Okay, we may not be elite, but we’re huge, and size is everything, right? Seriously though, what’s your favorite thing about being Indie?
MR: Everything! I love the hours, the fact that I have a say in my books/covers, I get to meet and make friends with some of the most amazing people.

Jo: I also love being Indie! We all rock. Did you ever try (or are you still trying) to get a trade publisher? Why/Why not?
MR: I was contracted with my first book, Wolf Spell. It was through a small house but two weeks before it was to publish they closed their doors. They gave me full rights to my book and I started my Indie career right then. I was nervous and had no idea what I was going to do. I had to get a cover and publish it myself, all the fans I had excited about the release of that book were ready so I didn’t want to disappoint them. Thankfully I had Ashley Lavering, who is my bestie and knew what I had to do.

Jo: This may sound weird, but I know of another author that was two weeks or so away from publishing and the company closed up shop on them. What are the odds of that? What’s one thing you hope no one ever finds out about you?
MR: Well, if I told you then it wouldn’t be a secret.

Jo: Ouch. You got me! I was trying to sneak that one in there! Okay, what’s your theme song?
MR: A theme song huh… (It changes periodically lol) Who Says by Selena Gomez.

Jo: M.R. Polish is different and it’s intrigued me. Why do you use that as your author name rather than first name, last name? Or did I just answer my own question?
MR: Well, I write using my first initial and middle initial and then the most obvious, last name. It’s actually Misty Polish, I don’t care who knows my name, but I write with my initials so I can keep work and personal separate. So, for example, on Facebook, Misty is my personal profile and anything with M.R. is public.

Jo: That makes sense. Good idea! Now, Tell us about your featured book for this week!
MR: My newest release, Wolf Dream, is the second book in my Wolf Trilogy. It is a older YA paranormal and I am super excited about sharing it with everyone. I love that story and the characters.

Description:
Saying Goodbye Isn't the End... 
The Reaping Spell has weakened her greatest enemy, but now Esmerelda faces a different threat - one that haunts her dreams. To finally defeat Nicholas and end his madness for good, she must travel back to Spain with the help of her powerful friends.
What she doesn’t know is that in his weakness, Nicholas made a deal with the Death Keeper – his soul in exchange for Esmerelda’s life. Worse, she soon learns that the ones she trusted most have become part of her nightmares. The only one she can trust is the man who holds her heart, and together they must fight Nicholas to the death.
Fighting to stay awake so Nicholas can’t find her in sleep, Esmerelda prepares for the battle that will finish this war. One of them must die for her nightmares to end - unless the Death Keeper, with plans of his own for Esmerelda’s soul, gets to her first.
Amazon: Kindle - $2.99 Paperback - $9.49 
B&N: Nook - $2.99

Jo: You guys can pick it up at the links shown. Well, that’s all the time we have for today! Any parting shots? 
MR: Thank you so much for having me! I loved this so much! I can’t wait to meet you at UtopYA 2014 and hopefully I’ll be able to sneak an alien on board with me.

Jo: I can’t wait to meet him/her. Here’s hoping they don’t detain you too long. *grin* Thanks for visiting with me here on the blog! I look forward to meeting you in person at UtopYA Con 2014! 

Connect with M.R. Polish! 
Website: https://www.mrpolishauthor.com  
On Twitter: @_MRPolish_ 
On Facebook: M.R. Polish  
On Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/mpolish/boards/ 

Do you have any questions for M.R.? Post them below! 

Well, that’s all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!
  
Jo

Smashwords Author Interviews

Happy Friday, good people of the blogosphere! You all know I talk about your search rankings and Google returns a lot here on the blog. Well, today I'm talking about author interviews. Not only because Monday launches my great new series of interviews for authors attending UtopYAcon 2014, but also because I got an interesting e-mail last night from Smashwords. They're starting to allow an author to go complete an interview on the Smashwords website. Anyway, strap in and let's discuss.

Click this link to be taken to the interview page:
Smashwords Author Interviews

You'll notice you can answer up to ten questions (either pre-written or write your own) and give 5k character responses (~ 600 words) for each. I wonder if Smashwords considered that we're authors and 5k characters is a drop in the bucket for us? Did they consider that if we use 600 words for each answer, the resulting interview would be 6k words long?

I'm not too keen on asking myself interview questions, but I may try it out. I don't want to come off as cheesy, and that's one of the things keeping me from pressing the start button on the bottom of the page. The other is time. Those authors with agents or publishers kinda have a leg up on Indies here because those authors have someone to ask the questions for them. I'm not sure how I feel about that. Here are some of the prefabricated questions:

• What are you working on next?
• Who are your favorite authors?
• What inspires you to get out of bed each day?
• When you're not writing, how do you spend your time?
• How do you discover the ebooks you read?
• Do you remember the first story you ever wrote?
• What is your writing process?
• How has Smashwords contributed to your success?

After all, without Indie authors, Smashwords would never have taken off the way it did.

While they're great for getting my book in the hands of certain retailers (iBooks, for one), I haven't made as much there as I have on Amazon. It's starting to feel like a waste of my time (their meatgrinder requires special formatting). With all the new things Amazon keeps coming out with to support their digital and print media (have you heard of Kindle Matchbook?), I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place.

You all know I'm one for boosting your exposure any way you can. But I'm also very outspoken about wasting time. This one is leaving me scratching my head. After all, I already have a bio page on Smashwords.

It's never been about the profit for me, don't get me wrong. I'm talking about getting my books into the hands of readers that could possibly enjoy my stories. My royalties are a gauge of how well that's working.

As an aside, Smashwords also just released their Series Manager tool. I took the two seconds to put The Abigale Chronicles in, but if it had taken any longer than that, I'm not sure I would've bothered. Amazon has exclusive rights to the Mystic series so, unless I decide to drop them from Select in the future, I don't see it helping much.

Whatever you decide, there are the links for ya!

Don't forget to come on back Monday to meet M.R. Polish, the first author up for an interview in my UtopYAcon 2014 Unofficial Author Interview series! You'll also have a chance to grab a copy of one of her books. Check out the graphics!

If you're planning to help us out with promotion, feel free to grab the buttons above. These are the ones that must be used because they contain the correct verbiage.

What are your thoughts on all the changes Smashwords is making?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo