I'm Going Through Changes...

Now, re-read that title. I'm NOT going through THE "change." I'm not quite there yet:)

I live with an Ozzy Osbourne fanatic. The Black Sabbath song "Changes" has been running through my mind on a constant circuit.

Last week was one helluva a week, let me tell you. I began making some pretty big decisions about my professional life and where I want to be. I had let things slide for too long and it seems as if I made some HUGE decisions in a very short period of time.

Have you ever had someone tell you that you couldn't do something? Or wouldn't be able to accomplish something? What was your reaction? Mine was to explode and cry, then I picked up my sword and said, "Yeah, well, let me show you!" NEVER tell me what I can or cannot do because I will prove you wrong. I don't like to be pigeonholed and to quote one of my favorite movies, "Nobody puts Baby in a corner." 

I don't appreciate it when someone belittles me or my talent. I may sound a bit arrogant, but it has taken me a long time to believe in myself and won't let anyone take that away from me. I can hear my dad's voice in my ear saying, "That's my girl" so I know I'm making the right choice as I move in the direction I am heading. 

My husband would love to slay this particular dragon for me, but he's respecting me enough to let me fight the battle I am waging. He's got my back and I wouldn't have it any other way.

There are only a few friends I have confided in and I feel blessed to know they have my back as well. With my little army at my back, I'm battling forward with this journey. I may have to hack through the thorns and brambles as I try to find my own path, but like I said, I have people who are willing to help me. I am truly blessed.

Be patient with me and give me some time to adjust. I read somewhere that if something isn't working for you, then make a change. So for now, I'm going through changes and I can only hope that they propel me forward.

On a side note: Be sure to check out my website for the contest I have going on. http://gemmakmurray.com

Happily Ever After

The other day I was asked about the relationships in my stories. "Why are they complicated?" the reader asked. It made me pause for a moment and think about the relationships I write.

See, my characters live in my head. With a series like Cedar River, you can imagine the noise going on there. Some days I must look like the psychic medium, John Edwards. (The other day, I was explaining a new series to my husband and had one of those, "Hold on" moments while the character told me exactly what I needed to say.) My characters tell me their story and I simply write it down as they tell it to me. I make it as simple or as complicated as they want it to be. (I'm not crazy, I'm a writer :D)

When I wrote Ana's character, I hated her. She was the biggest bitch I had ever met (myself not included). She was so hard on Bowie and I felt she was being unfair to him, but you know what? It all worked out. *shrugs*

Then, along came Adam and Luna. I wanted their story to be simple since they had overcome so much to be where they were, but it wasn't going to happen that way. Instead, they had to work at it and make decisions. They even hurt one another, but, again, it all worked out.

Now, I'm working with two very difficult characters, Brady and Silver. I've stopped and started with them more than any other characters. They are complicated and at different ends of the spectrum. He's quiet, confident, and steadfast. She is brassy, bold, and very insecure. I had to laugh when Brady told me who he had chosen to be his lady. I had an ongoing conversation with him for three days. "Seriously? She's a hot mess, you know that, right?" He'd smile that sexy smile of his and say, "Yep." Now, I am at 71,000 words and I'm still not done. (For a quiet guy, he certainly had a lot to say. LOL)

But it hit me the other day, why do I love this set of characters so much? Because they remind me of my husband and myself. The reflection I see when I look at them simply brings me joy.

So, dear reader, let me answer your question for you:
My characters have complicated relationships because love is messy and complicated. Love is never cut and dried. It's an organic, evolving thing which needs to be nurtured, pruned, and fertilized. My characters want the REAL love. Happily ever after happens in fairy tales. I've been married for almost 20 years and as much as I love my Knight in Tarnished Armor, he's not perfect and neither am I. Our love isn't perfect either. We hurt one another whether we realize it or not, but we don't walk away. We fight and fuss, but we make-up because we're crazy that way.

As Valentine's Day rapidly approaches, this is my Valentine's Day wish for you:

May you find your hot mess and see them for what they really are...someone worth believing in and fighting for. May you find the one who will walk through fire for and with you. May your love be a messy, complicated puddle of passion. XOXO 

An Author's "Second Self"

Me at 4 years of age

I was in my Creative Writing class the other day and my professor was discussing how authors take on a persona when they write, someone they want the world to see. Being the dreamer that I am, my mind wandered and I began to wonder, "Which persona is my author second self?"

I was raised in a family where I was the only girl. I had girl cousins on my dad's side of the family, but I didn't see them too often. I had a cousin on my mom's side who was 6 years older than me, but I mean, she was 6 years older than me. I idolized her, but again, I didn't see her often. I was left to be what everyone thought I should be. What was that you ask? Well, it was many things:

1. I was to act like a girl (ladylike, polite, soft-spoken)

2. I was to dress like a girl (dresses, skirts, fancy shoes, curled hair, make-up)

3. I was raised to be a mom and wife (I wasn't encouraged to dream outside the box)

4. Men only wanted to date girls with long fingernails, long hair, and skinny bodies

There are many more, but you get the idea, right?

For most of my life, I tried to live up to what people expected me to be. Last year, when I published my first book, I dreaded opening up to people. What if they didn't like me? What if I wasn't what they expected?

Then, Tuesday as I sat in class, occurred to me. All of you get to see the REAL me. You get to know the brassy, bitchy, bold side of me. You don't care that I spend the majority of my days behind a computer screen with my hair pulled up and pencils stuck in my hair. You don't care that I wear yoga  pants and holey sweatshirts around my house while I work. You don't care that I'm not a size 2 or that I don't wear make-up unless I go to school. You all get to know me as I truly am. It's the world outside these four walls and people who have known me for all these years who get the "persona".

How sad is it that I've spent 40 years of my life pretending to be someone I'm not? Lucky for me, my husband gets it. He's like all of you...he knows the real me.

Lucky for me, I found all of you :D 
How about you? Do you have a persona that you keep locked away and pull out only when a certain person is around?

A Mish-Mash of Topics

I've been dealing with so many things lately that I have forgotten to do a lot of things, including visiting with you!

With school back in session, I now have homework to add back onto my list of things to do. I'm taking a creative writing class this semester and I'm really excited about it...except for this whole poetry thing. 

Don't get me wrong...I love poetry. I spent many years of my life pouring my feelings onto paper in the form of poetry. Unfortunately, I didn't really study it. The forms, feelings, etc. of other poets have not been my focus. Now, I have to keep a poetry journal where I write 100+ words about the poem, another 100+ words about the author's thoughts, then a poem of my own that follows the form of the author. Let me just say, I'm behind.

I also had the impression I would finish Book 3 in the Cedar River series before I went back to school. Hahahahahahaha! I'm at 62,000+ words and I still am not done. I have a lot of story to tell in this book. I'm introducing so many new characters plus I have two big events to get written in. I am beginning to wonder why I set goals. Maybe I should simply forget it. It may work better.

I went to find a pair of socks and couldn't find any that were clean. That tells me the laundry was WAY behind! I rarely wear socks in the house. I'm a barefootin' it kind of gal, but lately, it has been cold enough that I've needed socks. Even my thick socks were dirty. *Sigh* So, I put in a load of laundry since underwear is the next thing to run out and I CANNOT let that happen :D

Oooh, before I forget to mention it: I put a contest up on my website on Friday. With an iPad 2 to giveaway plus a couple of gift cards, I expect to see people entering. I'm doing this because I promised my readers a giveaway when the 2nd book was released. It took me a little time to get all the legal junk together. But it will run through April 1st, so stop by and enter.

With Valentine's Day around the corner, you may need to buy a gift for that someone special. Be sure to check out my books (listed on the left hand side) for that urban fantasy/paranormal romance lover on your list.

I need a little pop of color today. My world is coated in white so I feel as if I'm living in a black and white film at the moment :D This lovely flower pops up every spring just outside my door. 

I took this in the fall. I actually had dipped my toes in that water. It was that warm. And since I'm craving warm weather, this seems appropriate. My painted toes dug into that cool wet sand and the water splashes against my ankles...*sigh*

With homework to do, I will get this posted and start my work. I hope you all have a blessed week! Stay warm/cool! (Depending on where you are in the world)

My Yooper Wonderland

Old Man Winter has finally decided to pay us a visit. We've had about 4 inches of snow on the  ground for a few days, but today...well, Mother Nature decided enough was enough. I don't know, maybe I bitched too much about the cold. Either way, I have a Yooper Wonderland outside. I'm not complaining by any means because I truly love the snow. After that nasty blast of cold we had, I'll take the snow any day of the week. Here's a little video I took about twenty minutes ago. We're supposed to have another 5-8 inches on top of what we already have. 

The dogs love the snow for the most part. Our German Shepherd believes it's her personal job to create (what we call) Weiner Angels. (She's our little Weiner Schnitzel.) Diesel thinks he needs to take Mama for a walk through every inch of snow we have. Jazzy is too old to appreciate the snow and Klondike is indifferent to most everything (she's more like a cat than a dog.)

What I love best is seeing the other critters' footprints in the yard. We've had deer, grey fox, red fox, loads of bunnies, and a few we haven't identified yet. I'm an animal nut! I can (and have) while away a morning watching two little porcupines play at the edge of the woods. They are simply precious to watch. I even caught the grey fox in our firepit one early morning. He was sniffing through our charcoal briquets looking for goodies. I felt bad for him and started leaving him little pieces of hot dog from time to time. 

Well, it's about time to bundle up and take a walk in the Yooper Wonderland that waits for me. (Dogs potty time.) So, I'm off. 

Whatever your weather is like, stay safe! I want to be able to visit with you later on :)

P.S. If money is tight at your house, but you still want to read Natural Born Enemies, I'm giving away two copies at Coffee Time Romance's Contests by the Cup in their forums: http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/board/showthread.php?t=27935

I also was a part of Coffee Time Romance's Coffee Thoughts blog this week. Because I'm a bit of a ditz, I decided to make it up to readers by offering a copy to one person who leaves a comment on any of my posts.

BRRRRRRRR

The past few days have been down right frigid. We had a night with wind chills of -30. Remember the comment I made a while ago about making sacrifices to live in such a beautiful place? I will draw the line at losing toes or fingers. *grin*

I am kidding. I would draw the line at that, but I haven't lost any extremities...YET! 

The cold, however, has inspired me...to finish Book 3. Why you ask? Because it is set during the summer. I'm a writer so my imagination runs away with me at times. I can feel the summer breeze coming off the lake and dancing across my skin. Sunshine heats the air and my cold body. The warmth fills me with life. Then, one of the dogs begs to go outside and I get cold again. 

It's when I stop writing that becomes worrisome. I have had the thought of becoming like a big ol' bear. You know, crawl back into bed, pull the covers over my head, and sleeping in my warm cave until spring? *grin* I do fight back that feeling because I happen to know winter is just beginning here. In March, we usually get our snow. A lot of snow!

This is the view from my front yard last March. I can only imagine how the weird weather will effect us this year. 

My backyard view

I probably should explain how much I love getting snowed in. For us, it means cooking comfort food, cuddling under the covers, and watching movies. It also means sleeping in and getting to skip school. Yeah, I'm a little kid at heart. Snow days are even better now. *wink*

Oh heavens! Well, the dogs are begging to go outside and that means bundling up to go out. If I don't freeze out there. I'll see you in a few days :)

Stay warm! Be safe! Stay inside and read. I happen to know of an author who MAY have a couple of books out...

Heather Geoffries and The Nordic Prince

I have been so blessed to meet the people I have met on this journey. They lift me up when I'm feeling down and help me out when I'm in a bind. But mostly, it is a support group who will share their experiences and allow you to vent when things just aren't going right.

Heather Geoffries is one of those special people. She is a brand-new shiny author. Her story is on my list of must-buys when it's released. I can hardly wait. 

Everyone, give Heather a HUGE welcome!

     Why did you choose to write the genre you write? I couldn’t resist the draw of newly discovered love and lust.

      What do you do when you’re not writing? What don’t I do? Hehe. I am a full time mom and housekeeper  to two precocious little girls, I am a full time wife to my knight-in-shining-armor-who farts occasionally, I am a full time student (I’m a Junior) at KSU,  I am a reviewer for 2 book reviewing companies. I live close to my family and spend time with them and I like to write for myself and my writing group M.U.S.E(most underappreciated super egos) in my free time.

*Another very busy lady!*

     Do you control the story as you write or do your characters run the show? The characters always drive. I don’t think they trust me to get them to the destination safely. :D They are very pushy. *I completely understand that feeling.*

    

     Are you a plotter or a pantser? *sigh* I’m a pantser. I try to get organized but after the initial getting to know the characters and basic outline my Muse grabs me and pulls me where he wishes.

       Do you listen to music as you write? If so, can you tell us a few of your must-haves? I sometimes listen to music depending on my mood and my story’s mood. Mostly I love the sound of silence after the wee ones go to bed but occasionally the characters like some romantic songs(it’s like being at a wedding reception on those days) and sometimes they like something with a beat.(ie. Pink, Lincoln Park, and club versions of some of my favorite musicals. J)

*Quiet? What is this quiet of which you speak?*

    When you’re writing do you have to have certain items? A particular pen, a certain drink, snacks, etc. Coffee. Um…Coffee, oh yeah and coffee. heh

   Is there a certain time of the day when you write more? Morning, afternoon, late night? I want to be that morning writer but sadly, the best time is at night when not a creature is stirring. I’ve stayed up until 4 before knowing the kiddies will wake me at 8. Ugh! Not the best game plan for sure.

   If you weren’t an author, what would you be? Currently I’m working on my bachelors in Psychology then I’ll continue until I get my PHD.

*Oh so, you're not only beautiful and talented, you're ubersmart. Geesh!* *G*

   What books/authors do you read to entertain yourself? I read a lot of books during the month but there are a few I seek out for pleasure:  Jim Butcher’s Dresden files, Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series, Kim Harrison’s Hollow’s, Charlain Harris’s Southern Vampire novels(the books that True Blood is based off of), Anything, Laurell K. Hamilton, Virginia Nelson(The rainbow haired one), Saranna DeWylde, Heather Long and now Gemma K. Murray.

*blushing*

 What are you working on now/next? Anything new we can expect from you? I recently submitted a sequel to Nordic Prince about his sister Amanda. I’m still waiting to hear back. If they like that one, I have at least one more sequel to that. Right now I’m working on a 1 night Stand short for Decadent Publishing where the main female protagonist gets one chance to make things right with her husband before he’s killed in a car crash. On the side I’m also playing with a couple unfinished shorts I wrote for my M.U.S.E meeting.

   Any advice you would pass on to future authors? Is it too cliché to say: Just Do It? I’ve been writing for fun for years but I doubted my ability and was too scared to submit it. Then a friend of mine saw potential and help me smooth out my story and demanded I submit it. lol.  The rest they say is history. There is also the wisdom of Dori: Just keep swimming(or writing)

*It's one of those things that I think needs to be repeated.*

*What a gorgeous cover!*

Blurb- 

When Doctor Steven Mills is dragged onto The Nordic Prince for fun in the sun by his sister, Amanda, he is certain he will be miserable. Until he meets Erik.

Erik is fun, exciting and just what the doctor ordered. Some drinks and dancing with him are more enticing to Steven than any date he’s gone on with women. Before long, the two escape the busy dance floor for the quiet—and private—spa where Eric works on Steven’s body with very skilled hands. Steven is overcome with an onslaught of new emotions and sensations and has the best sexual experience of his life.

Now Steven must wrestle with new feelings and desires and make a decision that could change his life forever.

Excerpt-

Steven looked on with curiosity.  “What are you…?”

With two long strides Erik was by his side, his lips closed over Steve’s, momentarily silencing any further words. 

Erik probed Steve’s lips with his warm tongue.  Lust kindled earlier exploded into an inferno of complete hunger, which threatened to consume his impulse to resist. 

Lightly touching Steve’s face, Erik gazed at him.  “I have wanted to do that all night.”

Steve’s will reasserted itself once more. He backed away a step.  Feeling very confused, he tried to articulate the war that raged within his heart.  “I can’t.  You’re …It isn’t…” 

Like a sensual panther, Erik stalked toward Steve’s retreating form, backing him against a wall.  Growling with an animalistic lust, “I want you.”  Erik’s mouth descended on Steve’s neck, licking and nipping, causing a pure desire, which had him moaning once again. 

Surrendering, Steve’s arms wrapped around Erik pulling him closer of their own accord.

*Sigh* I love having such talented friends, but they are so wicked! They share these incredible blurbs and excerpts, then I have to wait until the book is released! *smile* I know my heart is beating a little faster after this :D

Now for some fun:

Which Goddess best defines you? My internal personality won’t let me be a Goddess but maybe I could be a Titan—Maybe Chronos.

Favorite Dessert? Chocolate

Chocolate or Vanilla? Um…heh *see above*

Coffee, tea, soda, or water? *see above*

Do you have a favorite character? Your own or others and why? I have many-for many reasons but I will go with: Janie Smith and Chance from Virginia Nelson’s “Odd Stuff” series. Janie is a klutz and a bit naïve at times which keeps me rolling with laughter at her antics and Chance is Electric and passionate and…mmm…*drools*Pretty much walking sex and power. 

*I just downloaded Odd Stuff. I've got to wait to read it though.*

Can you tell people where they can find you online?

http://heathergeoffries.webs.com
http://heathergeoffries.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/heather.geoffries
https://twitter.com/HeatherGeoffrie
http://www.champagnebooks.com/heathergeoffries.htm

I want to tell Heather thank you for stopping by and visiting with us. Be sure to check out her links and The Nordic Prince when it comes out.