IWSG: Seize Someday Today!

What is the Insecure Writers Support Group?

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!   Be sure to check out some of the other writers/bloggers at this link: Insecure Writer's Support Group

Seize Someday Today!

Today is October 1 - Wow!  Another month gone, and we're left with only three months in 2014. How in the world did that happen?  I swear someone, somewhere has cranked up the clock!  So where does that leave you with your writing plan?  Are you turning out the pages like you'd hoped?  Story humming and characters misbehaving just like you planned?  If so, good for you!  You're in control of your writing and forging your own future. It's a good feeling, isn't it?

Implementing a writing routine that works for you is imperative to finding success as a writer.  For those of you still struggling with your writing schedule, ask yourself some questions.  Are you procrastinating...sitting down to write only when the mood strikes you or when you've run out of anything else to do?  Does everything else come first, before your daily writing schedule?  Are there always reasons (or excuses) why you can't start that story today?  Are you, once again, promising yourself you will start writing tomorrow, next week, next month, or someday?!  Well guess what...there are seven days in a week and "someday" is not one of them!  Surprised?  I was.

Someday is Today!

Over the years, I exhausted every excuse in the book for not writing "today".  I was just too busy - work, kids, appointments, chores, but I always believed I'd do it "someday".  In most recent years, I've finally faced my demons and recognized, with regret, my excuses for what they were - excuses.  All successful writers, published authors, even famous authors, are BUSY...time is of an essence to everyone.  They face the same daily living hurdles that we all do.  The only difference is - they have made writing a priority, a daily routine.  They have taken control of their writing life & future.  I finally came to understand and embrace the fact that to accomplish my dream/goal of writing & publishing my story, I had to fully commit to writing.  I needed to establish a daily writing routine, and make it my priority - someday had to become today - every single day.  I'm happy to say, after finally banishing my excuses, I've established the writing ritual that works for me and am now more productive than ever. Other than the occasional extreme situation, I hold my writing time sacred and refuse to make apologies for it or be pressured by feelings of guilt, from others or myself. Recognize standard excuses for what they are - excuses - and move beyond them! Own your writing time and space.  You'll become a happier, more productive writer.

**Finding the time and a good place to write seems to be one of the biggest hurdles for new writers.  However, it is an imperative first-step to establishing a regular writing routine & starting on the path to becoming a successful writer.  Find a time and space for writing that works for you, and own it by letting family and friends know this is your time and space every single day.  Seize someday today!

                                                     

Hunter of Shadows Book Review

Mass Market Paperback, 383 pages

Published November 29th 2011 by Pocket

Series:  By Moonlight, #5



Starring: Silas MacCreedy & Monica (Nica) Fraser

Also featuring:  Max Savoie & Charlotte (Cee Cee Caissie)
 






Synopsis:

The secrets he knows about her could get him killed.
Transferring to the New Orleans Police Department, Detective Silas MacCreedy has a hidden agenda: to secure his clan’s place once again in the Shifter hierarchy. What he didn’t count on was stumbling upon a sexy assassin who could shred his best intentions and lead him into a dangerous dance that threatens to engage his heart.

But the ones he doesn’t know . . .

Monica Fraser knows just how to make a man beg—for his life. But she has no clue how to fight her attraction to the fiercely intense detective who seems determined to get in her way, both professionally and intimately.

. . . could kill them both.

When emotional attachments to the past and an unexpected glimpse of a different future have her questioning her deadly purpose, Nica must discover the truth about her secret abilities in order to free herself from the forces that control her. But that freedom comes with a price—trusting those she’s been ordered to eliminate.

My Review:  

I'll begin by admitting that I was sulking when I started reading Hunter of Shadows.  Why? Because my beloved Max Savoie is not in a starring role...nor is Detective Charlotte Caissie. What is the author thinking?!  Why is Silas MacCreedy & Monica Fraser in the spotlight?  I know who they are but why should I be interested in their story?  Being the devoted fan of the By Moonlight series that I am, I sighed & turned to page one to find out.  And late that same night, I finished it...yes, in one sitting.  Seems the author knew what she was doing! Ha!  Imagine that! :)

Silas MacCreedy is a newly transferred detective in the New Orleans Police Department - a shifter with special talents, intent on carrying out a special mission.  Who is his target?  Monica (Nica) Fraser is a mercenary shifter with deadly abilities and intentions - for hire by the highest bidder.  Who is this deadly assassin sent down on a mission from the North?  Who is she in New Orleans to kill?  Silas & Nica soon begin a seductive dance around each other, professionally & personally - a dance that may prove deadly to both of them.  What do you do when you fall in love with the person trying to kill you?  Could you destroy them to protect yourself & your loved ones?  While the heat sizzles & sparks between them, Max & Cee Cee join the party.  (Yes, I did jumping jacks & shouted hallelujah while offering thanks to Jesus & Nancy Gideon!)

The story that ensues is one of great depth, pages filled with intrigue, danger, suspense and a magnetic chemistry between characters that I've come to not only expect from Nancy Gideon, but look forward to.  While Max & Cee Cee's story is not exactly front and center in Hunter of Shadows, fans of the series will not be disappointed as their involvement in this book is still an intricate part of the storyline, with some important secrets and developments being revealed.  The addition of the very sexy Silas MacCreedy & Nica Fraser has added another interesting element to this series, as their story unfolds & intertwines with the lives of Max & Cee Cee, as well as the other characters we've come to love.  Yes, Nancy, you got it right!

Hunter of Shadows is a Must Read for fans of the By Moonlight series, paranormal romance, & romance/suspense.  The chemistry between Silas & Nica, as well as Max & Cee Cee, sets the pages on fire while the intriguing suspense will keep you turning pages well into the night!  A Page Burner!  

Rating: 5 Gorgeous ♥♥♥♥♥'s...And that's the truth!

Cross My Heart...xxx

Sandra

*Note:  I read & rated this book when it was first released but have just finished a reread and added my review.

♥Fav Quotes♥

"It's not nice to hit a lady," she chastised with short jabs to his midsection.
MacCreedy twisted, trying to throw her off, growling, "If I thought you were a lady, I wouldn't have done it."
♥♥♥♥♥♥

"I'm not sure of what you are, but innocent isn't part of it."
♥♥♥♥♥♥

"What's your name?"
He grinned.  "Hero."
♥♥♥♥♥♥

"Do you still want me to go?"
"No."  Her hand reached for the zipper of his tux pants.  "I want you to come."
♥♥♥♥♥♥

"What'd she do?  Run over you with a rototiller?"
"She let her big, very nasty dog off its chain."
♥♥♥♥♥♥

"Don't you ever think to blackmail me, or I'll make gravy from your cowardly marrow and eat you for lunch with a side of red beans and rice."

Next book in By Moonlight series #6

Remembered By Moonlight Cover Reveal!

It's no secret to my friends that my favorite book series ever...EVER... is the By Moonlight series by author, Nancy Gideon.  I fell in love with the books & characters in 2010 when fate guided my hands to pick up a copy of Masked By Moonlight as I cruised the book aisle at my local Walmart store.  I went home, devoured it, drove back to the store and purchased the other two books out at that time, Chased By Moonlight & Captured By Moonlight.  I returned home & blew through those by the end of the next day...that left me waiting for the next release.  I have anxiously awaited each release since then - eight books in all and now the release of book #9, Remembered By Moonlight, is almost here.  October 13, 2014, is a red letter day circled on my calendar.  The By Moonlight saga continues!  And as a teaser, Nancy has shared the gorgeous cover of her newest book with us.  As you can see, it is everything that we could hope for and more.

                 Because the road to . . .

Clever, cool and preternaturally lethal, Max Savoie is leader of a secretive shape-shifter clan, heir to a mobster’s legacy, and the love of New Orleans’ top cop . . . but he can’t remember any of them. The only way to recover his past, and his rightful place in the arms of the woman who risked all to save him, is to surrender to a mysterious visitor who could use him as a weapon against all he’d loved.



                     Happily-Ever-After . . .

After rescuing her mate from his ruthless captors in the north, hard-hitting Detective Charlotte Caissie is now painfully vulnerable—a stranger in his eyes . . . and in their bed. The key to his memories is locked in a tortuous past. To reclaim the strength of their passionate bond, Max must learn to trust her enough to face that darkness at her side before the threat it hides exposes the secret Cee Cee carries.

                  Is never smooth.

When an investigation into grisly deaths in an underground Shifter fight club points to more than just dangerous clan rivalries, Cee Cee enlists Max’s help to find a traitor in their midst while there’s still time to turn a deadly invading tide. But the cost of saving their treasured future may mean sacrificing his past. Especially when the enemy they pursue . . . might be Max, himself.    

The Moonlight series introduces a paranormal world of shifters - pages filled with suspense, romance, angst & love!  I had the great pleasure of being a beta reader for this book and can say without reservation that Remembered By Moonlight is a Must Read!  I'll be posting a review soon!

Max Savoie returns - A gorgeous man & a dangerous predator...King of the Beasts.  Powerful, sexy, vulnerable...determined to find answers & reclaim the things he's lost.  Can he find his way back to those who love him?  Remembered By Moonlight continues the saga of Max & Cee Cee - a couple ripped apart by a devastating act that erased Max's memories.  He's back & determined to find answers & delve out punishment - but first, he must figure out what to do with the sexy stranger in his bed.  She says she's his mate & bears his mark to prove it.  But can he trust Det. Charlotte Caissie?

For character & plot development, the By Moonlight series should be read in order of release.  Settle in for the ride of your life!  Here are the first eight books:

Eyes Open for Story Ideas!

Like most writers, I'm always looking for  my next story idea.  Something that plants a seed in my mind that just might germinate & develop into a new character, scene, book.  Something that makes me stop and look - makes me think "What If...?"  Like everyone else, I grasp ideas wherever I can - past experiences, real life, travels, music, and the occasional crazy dream (Sadly, no dreams leading to the next epic book - Yet!)   However, it appears I've been missing a virtual smorgasbord of ideas every single day by not paying close attention to things occurring around me.

This quote from Orson Scott Card caught my eye the other day and stopped me in my tracks...Really!  Is that true?  Everybody (except those envied few) walks past a thousand story ideas every day without  recognizing a single one as a potential new story idea?  Wow...that's mind-boggling.   One Thousand story ideas...That made me stop & think!  Am I truly that blind to the people & things going on around me?  I "see" them...I interact with a few of them...but am I seeing them through a writer's eyes?  Am I opening myself to possibilities?  The answer is "not nearly often enough". 

Yes, I  keep a notebook handy for notes & ideas that occur as I maneuver through my day.  People interest me, and I often wonder what their story is...the couple arguing in a restaurant - the girl working in the bakery downtown - the man looking lost standing in the produce aisle.  But way too often, I am so engrossed in my own life, (my daily must-get-done list) that I often fail to really take note of people/events through a writer eyes.  I need to hone my observation skills & soak up the ideas that are there for the taking every single day.

Orson Scott Card drew my attention to something that I knew all along - story ideas surround us every single day - just waiting for the right person to notice and tell their story.  Be that writer!  I don't know if there are 1,000 of them each day but I know there are opportunities to discover that next great idea every time you venture out into the world.  Be alert...take note...open your eyes & mind to everything around you.  Let them in.  You never know what might happen.

The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer's Support Group posting day.  IWSG is a place where writers share and encourage each other.  Please stop by to check out what other writer's have to share this month at:  IWSG