Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Monkey Wrenches & Writing Debates...

Well. I have had every intention of getting back into blogging. I even have a Patreon page waiting to be launched.

The Monkey Wrench?

No internet at my house!!!!

::Sighs::

I'm in search of an internet provider for my new place. I barely live just outside of town, in the wrong direction. And I only can use so much data on my phone HotSpot. Dang it.

So there's that little monkey wrench thrown into the gears. But I will make it work somehow! I always do. Good thing my job can be slow sometimes. I get bored sitting around doing nothing.

I wanted to pose a question to you all. It's a writing question, too!

I am in a new writing group on Facebook. Still not sure about it, but there is still the debate going around about one or two spaces after a period.

One. That is what I've been told ever since I got back into writing. From my understanding, technology took care of having to add that extra little nuisance of a space after a period.

Lots of people still claim there should be two.

So, are you Team One Space or Team Two Space? Tell me in the comments!

Thursday, September 13, 2018

5 Books That Left A Mark, Part Five...

This is it! This is the number one book of my top 5 countdown! I hope you've enjoyed this series of posts. You get to know a little more about me with each one. And if you've left comments, I get to know more about you, as well!

Here we go!

Author: David Eddings



Book Title: The Belgariad (series!)

Why it left a lasting impression on me:

Oh my, again, like with Elf Quest, where to start? Again, another author I discovered in high school. I couldn't read these books fast enough, but never wanted to read TOO fast, because that meant it would all end. Garion and Pol, they were like extended family. The world Eddings created was a rich environment and painted many a great picture in my mind as I read.

I have tried to maintain having all of these books in my library as well, even if I did have to get rid of them to move, I always got them back. This is a series I love to read over and over. I don't usually do that. Once I've read a book, I don't typically pick it back up. But these, I do.

I think it was Eddings, more than any other author, that inspired me to write fantasy. I wanted to create a world just as enticing, characters that felt like family, and when the story was over, you felt as if you were saying goodbye to familiar friends until the next time.

Leave me a comment and tell me about the books that left a lasting impression upon you! I'd love to hear from you!


Monday, September 10, 2018

I Did A Thing...

Hey guys!

Hope you all like the little update I did to my blog. It's starting to get there.

So I did a thing last week. I signed up for Patreon. I'll have my own personal page over there, but I will also be launching one for Midian Entertainment.

I think it will be fun. At the very least, interesting.

It's not like I don't have a million other projects to do. Half finished house, production manager for Midian, writing 3 novels at once. ( I know, right?!?)

Crazy.

Anyway, I'd love for you to drop by. If you are on Patreon, let me know in the comments below. I'll follow you until I'm able to become a Patron. I know some pretty talented people in this world!

Also, feel free to tell me how you feel about Patreon.

Have a great week! I look forward to seeing your comments!

Friday, September 7, 2018

Old Friends, New Posts...

Wow!

I spent Wednesday scrolling through my blog reading list and tried to visit as many of you as I could. It's been forever since I have read any IWSG posts! (Insecure Writer's Support Group). I will certainly be signing up again for that.

It was great to hear from some old friends. It was amazing to catch up and see how things have been going. I've been gone for a very long time. Longer than I expected.

It's getting easier to get back into this habit of blogging. Especially after reading posts and leaving comments. I felt MUCH more like my old self. I missed you guys!

But it is Friday! And now I will leave you with something else a little familiar:

Funnies and Favorites!

You can find this book by clicking here
So, I have certainly found some new favorites over time.

If you ever saw any of my book reviews for Jill Nojack, you'll know she's now a favorite author. I love her Bad Tom series.
And this book here


And the third one here
I have done reviews for all of them on here. But if you'd rather just take my word for it, there you go!

She's got a very clever wit, the books are pretty well paced and the story is just purrrrfect!

Sorry, totally could not help that AT ALL!

All right, now on to another favorite. I have discovered a love for (and this has nothing to do with books!) recycling in my crafts!!

I'm not kidding. I have taken making my own paper clay to a whole new level. I've been doing a lot of things lately that have been really cool!

And my final favorite thing today: my new place. We found a house last April that hubs and I just fell in love with. It had good, solid bones and structure, so we talked the owner into a sweet deal. We've been doing a lot of the remodeling on the place ourselves. We took it all the way down to the bare bones and built it back up again. I can't begin to tell you... that's a lot of damn work! But well worth it. That, of course, has been the biggest reason for me to not blog these last few months.

But now I'm back. I'm rambling as usual and I know you all just want to get to the funnies. So here they are! Have a super weekend and see you soon!






Thursday, September 6, 2018

5 Books That Left A Mark, Part Four...

Ooh, we're getting down to the wire, here. I'm counting down the top 5 books that left a lasting impression on me, and we're now at #2!

I won't kill you with a ton of commentary, we'll just get right to it.

Author: Melanie Rawn



Book Title: Dragon Prince (Series!)

Why this left a lasting impression on me:

I love, love, love this series. I stumbled upon Melanie Rawn all on my own, again, in high school. I took to her stories like a duck to water. such an intriguing story, unique spell-casters, and of course, DRAGONS!

You become part of the story right from the beginning. You follow Rohan and Sioned's lives intimately (no, not THAT intimately!) and watch as they grow as a couple, as rulers, as parents. Then you are drawn into the lives of their children as they grow as well.

These books stuck with me so much that I have bought the entire series, had to get rid of said series, then bought it all over again, just to have it. It made me sad when she started her new series, Exiles, didn't complete it, and has since gone on to other things. According to her website, though, the last two books of Exiles should be nearing completion.

Aside from all that, the Dragon Prince series will remain in my library.

Tell me about a book that has left a lasting impression on you in the comments!

Wednesday, September 5, 2018

Switching Gears...

Hello everyone!

It's kind of fun to get back in the blogging business. I've missed it. I miss the community, the feedback, the discussions.

I'm trying to get around to reading posts again and visiting you all soon. Things are hectic!

So I'm looking for a bit of advice. I've switched my focus from the fantasy genre to horror/supernatural/paranormal. It has been a blast, except for when I creeped myself out late at night. Yeah. ::Blushes::



I am not giving up on fantasy, by any means. I learned a LOT from that experience and the ones that followed. My writing has improved, I've got formatting down to a science, I've made a lot more connections with cover artists and editors. It's great.

But, I do find it hard to switch gears. I'm glad I wrote fantasy first. It does help to fill in those fictional gaps when needed.

I've also toyed around with the idea of using a pen name, but I don't think I have the time or energy to maintain and alternate persona. I think the only difference will be "M. L. Chesley" for fantasy and "Mel Chesley" for my current genre.

Have you switched genres? How well did it work for you? What do you find most difficult? Easiest? How do you maintain an alternate persona?

Tuesday, September 4, 2018

Getting Back Into A Rhythm...

Phew! So, we are finally in our new house. It's half finished with the remodel and all, but we're here. The most important part is that I am back on MY computer!

Woohoo!

Thank goodness! Using the work computer after hours was all right, but I don't have my links, I don't have my pics, I don't have my files. It's like borrowing someone's car. It does the job, but it isn't your car. You have to adjust the seats, the mirrors, then put them back. Or like borrowing clothes that just don't fit right, but make you look presentable anyway.

You get the idea.

So now I am going to be working full force on Midian Entertainment's project. That means editing, book covers, formatting and pre-release sales. I'm pretty excited to share it with you guys! I can't wait.

So what's new in your life? Share some accomplishments or upcoming deadlines. Tell me what you're working on!