Today, I’m a the 7 Scribes sharing my view on preliminary character development – Getting to Know You in the Most Shallow Way Possible By Casey Wyatt.
And in other news, the final edits for Mystic Storm are done and handed in. If all goes as planned, the book will be out by the end of May. Yay!
I hope you have a wonderful Friday. I leave you with – my kitty in a box. Isn’t she cute?
Hey everyone! Today I’m over at Dreaming in Ink.
Please be sure to stop by. One lucky commentor will win an e-copy of Mystic Ink!
Hi everyone! This week I’m participating in Valentine’s Blog hop so I will be skipping my Friday post. But don’t forget to visit me on Friday, 2/10/12 at the 7 Scribes. I’m giving away a crocheted candy dot scarf!
For one week only – 2/6/12 – 2/13/13, leave me a comment and you will be entered in a random drawing to win an e-book of my new release Mystic Ink.
The winner will be announced on Valentine’s Day – 2/14!
Don’t forget to click the link below and visit all the wonderful sites on the Hop!
Good Luck! And happy hopping!
The blurb:
The last thing Nix, a Sea Nymph, wants to see behind the dumpster near her tattoo shop is another dead mortal. She also doesn’t want to hear Hades piss and moan about how the souls of the dead aren’t making it to the Underworld. And Nix certainly doesn’t want to be attracted to supernatural police agent, Calder Quinne when he comes to investigate. All Nix really wants is to run her tattoo shop in peace and quiet. Hey, we don’t always get what we want, now do we?
Here’s a sneak peek at Mystic Ink:
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Nix, thoughts still swirling in her mind, headed toward the side door. After she unlocked the deadbolt, her eyes automatically went to the dumpster. Nothing. Thank the Gods. Her sigh of relief was quickly sucked back in. A dark shape further down the alley caught her eye. Maybe it was a heap of clothes or a bag of garbage. Whatever it was, it was lying near the entrance of the Underworld Gate. The Gate was invisible to all eyes, except Guardians—like her, Hades, and Charon. Whoever or whatever was back there couldn’t have known how close they were to the Underworld.
“Hell. Now what?” Please, be trash that some rude asshole left in my alley.
Rather than kick it with her foot, she decided to be more prudent and find something long to use as a poker. While grabbing a shop broom inside, she registered how quiet the place was. Of course, Basil wasn’t there. He was still with Jason.
Back in the alley, Nix slowly approached, straining for a better look. The pile was inside the building’s shadow. The closer she got, the more the lump resembled a body. She cursed. “Oh, come on! Why does this keep happening?”
Broom at the ready, she gave it jab. The mass was solid and there was no crinkle of plastic. So much for the garbage bag theory. Man, she did not want to have to call the police. At the rate she was going, they would probably arrest her just on principle.
Stupid mound.
She lifted the broom, ready to strike. An arm sprouted from the pile and shot up, stopping the handle from falling.
Nix barked, “What the hell?”
The broom clattered to the ground.
A dark figure rose up. The set of the shoulders, the short black hair . . . it was awfully familiar. “Cal?”
“Nix,” he said, his voice strained and tired. His arm extended, propping his body against the brick wall.
“If this is your idea of a joke, it’s not funny.” When he didn’t respond, Nix came up behind him and placed her hand on his back. “Are you—”
The words choked off. There was something wrong. Really wrong. His energy, the essence of his life, was out of whack. Like he was missing . . .
She put her hand up to her mouth, swallowing dread as he turned to face her. “Cal, where’s your soul?”
Don’t want to wait to read more? Get your copy right now from these sellers:
Amazon:
Happy Friday! Don’t forget to visit me at the Scribes – Tattoo You.
Well, it’s finally happened.
I’m officially a published author!
MYSTIC INK is on sale now from Soul Mate Publishing, Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Paper copies should be coming in late 2012. I appreciate all the help, encouragement, and support from everyone. Please drop me a line and let me know if you enjoyed the book!
Today, I thought I’d take you on a tour of the book’s setting, real world Mystic, CT. Mystic is not an official town, but rather a historic district sandwiched between Groton and Stonington. Even though Mystic doesn’t exist as a political entity, it’s a real, vibrant community.
Mystic’s two main tourist attractions are Mystic Seaport and Mystic Aquarium (where an important scene takes place in the book).
Throughout the novel, many of the places in the book are real: Mystic Drawbridge Ice Cream Shop, Elm Grove Cemetery, S & P Oyster House, and the famous Mystic drawbridge.
Mystic Drawbridge Ice Cream. Nix and Cal get help here from an unlikely source.
Some places are based on a real buildings that I modified for my own purposes. Fawn’s Pawn’s, Devlin Ward’s pawn shop, is modeled after an old factory site that is really a restaurant complex. Toro’s Pizza is my take on the famous Mystic Pizza.
The building that inspired Nix’s tattoo shop, Mystic Ink.
In reality, if you visit Mystic, you’ll find out that there is no tattoo shop in this building.
Anyone recognize this owl? He’s not in MYSTIC INK but he was in a storefront window in a shop called Whyevernot.
I hope you enjoyed the tour and the pictures. And, if you are ever in the area, be sure to visit Mystic, CT!
What books have you enjoyed based on the location? And do enjoy books where the location is as much a part of the story as the characters?
Happy Friday! Please be sure to visit the Scribes today. My special guest is Anita Clenney, NY Times and USA Today bestselling author of Awaken the Higland Warrior and Embrace the Highland Warrior. Two lucky commenters will win a copy of her latest book.
I’m also over at the Soul Mate Blog today – What I learned from an Eagle Scout.
And don’t forget to enter to win a Kindle at the Soul Mate Author’s Blog. You can enter once a day! Don’t miss out on a chance to win!
Speaking of books, I recently joined Goodreads. My first thought after a few minutes was – where has this site been all my life?
I was like a kid in the candy shop. As an avid reader, I had a boatload of fun adding in books, reading recommendations, and visiting the different communities.
Hours later, I had added over 300 books to my “already read” list. Mind you, I only gave them a star rating and only included books read over the last few years (that I could remember). There are a ton more I’ve read over the course of my life, but I resisted the urge to add everything. After all, I’m supposed to be writing my next novel.
Once Mystic Ink is officially released in January, I’ll create my own author page. Squee! I’m very excited to be part of the Goodreads community. One, because I’m a reader, and two, as a newly published author, I can interact with other readers and writers.
In the spirit of Goodreads, I offer a book recommendation of my own. Actually two books: Blood Oath and The President’s Vampire by Christopher Farnsworth. Imagine if a vampire worked for the President? And he kicked butt and didn’t care about taking names? These books are action-packed adventures more in the spirit of Jason Bourne than Twilight. Highly entertaining and a lot of fun!
Cable TV executives pay attention. These books would make a great series! Hint, hint!
I hope to see you on Goodreads soon!
How many of you are members? And if you are, let’s be friends!
Happy Friday everyone. Please stop by the Scribes as we wrap up our first theme week – joining an organization. Check out my post – Don’t Go it Alone!
I received something very exciting this week – the cover art for Mystic Ink!
When my editor sent me the cover questionnaire, I realized that I had no idea what I wanted. In the past, I had a few ideas, but they were all kind of nebulous and strictly in my head.
The questionnaire was a reality check. Mystic Ink needed a cover because it was going to be published.
OMG I sold a book!!
Right.
I did. It’s real. I didn’t imagine it.
Take that Mr. Doubt Monster.
So, I thought long and hard, then responded with my preferences and information about the story and characters.
I was eager to see the cover for the first time. With my name on it!
Needless to say, I was thrilled with the results. I now have something tangible to look it.
Next hurdle, edits. When I get those, you can be sure I’ll share that experience too.
Tell me, when have you anticipated something? Did the reality meet your expectations? Or would you do things differently?
Happy Friday everyone! Please be sure to check out my Friday Scribe post – Go Graphic (Novel, that is). And thank you to everyone who left me condolences for my beloved Oreo.
Now to the big news.
I don’t have a release date yet. When I do I will be sure to share it with everyone.
Soul Mate is a new e-publisher and I would love your support in making them a success. Please be sure to “like” them on Facebook! and check the page often for news.
As can be expected, my focus is going to shift away from plotting and onto revisions for Mystic Ink. I’m very excited about this new venture. A big thanks to my critique partners and beta readers who helped me refine the book.
Stay tuned! And see you next week.
Casey Wyatt 