Author M.M. Shelley

A good friend of mine recently told me about paint nite, its an event where you go to (in our case Casey's Pub) have drinks, eat and paint. I knew I had to try it out because there was a brief time in my life were I did dabble in paintings. After being sent the link to Paint Nite's website I signed up for African Sunset. Ezra Edmond was our Artist for the night, he was a lot of fun and encouraged us to do our own interpretations of the painting. This is painting was done by Ezra, however, the original one was done by Jessica Behm and she created this for Paint Nite. I took a photo of African Sunset so you could see what we were aiming for. Over at my table we were very competitive with our work which made it a very entertaining night. We did very different things with our paintings:  Grace decided to go with blues and instead of a sun she did the moon which she later called a spaceship because as you know a moon doesn't rise.  Carol went with darker hues

I've always loved the story of Sleeping Beauty, there is a timelessness about it. Its a story that we are all familiar with as there have been countless interpretations of the tale. I've been a patron of the The Ahmanson Theatre and they always mail me magazines containing info on their upcoming productions and listed among them was Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty. Although this was not just any interpretation of the story this was done was beautifully done and told in a creative new way. Its a Ballet of course, but its not only a ballet its a Gothic Romance with Vampires and Faries. I was lucky enough to watch this December 1st which was the last day it would be at the Ahmanson. I really wish I had seen it sooner because I knew that once I told my friends and family about this show they would want to see it. Matthew Bourne, the man behind this incredible production was there and he stepped out onto the stage at the very beginning, before the curtains went up, and welc

Title : From The Outback Author : Ann B. Harrison Publisher : Self Published Formats Available In : Digital Blurb : Although desperate to get out of her dead end job, Sami is cynical when she hears of an inheritance from the grandfather she never knew. But once she and her young brother arrive in the beautiful valley, she discovers they are not wanted...especially by the sexy vineyard owner next door.  Will she persevere and make a home for them, or give in and take the easy money when the going gets tough? Excerpt: A thump sounded on the bedroom door, jarring her from a deep sleep. "Go away." Samantha Grace Rose Darling groaned into her pillow. "Sami, phone." "Tell them to fuck off and let me sleep." She threw a pillow at the door seconds before it eased open and her brother poked his head in the room. "Garth, I'm warning you, go away." He sighed and she waited for the usual whine to follow.

Title : The Blacksmith’s Son Author : Rebecca Thomas Publisher : Entangled Publishing Formats Available In : Digital Publication Date : November 25th 2013 Blurb : Captain Quentin Drake returns home after his naval commission ends to find a groom being beaten in the village stables. He refuses to turn a blind eye to the lad's mistreatment and intervenes, taking the lad to his room. Only to discover the boy...is a woman. After Ally Lockwood witnesses an earl committing murder, she fears for her life. She flees his estate and masquerades as a blacksmith’s male apprentice. Her ruse is up when a handsome stranger tending to her wounds disrobes her. Captain Drake lures Ally into believing she can return to life as a woman, but it may draw the killer back on her trail. Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble Excerpt: 1835, Liverpool, England Ally’s steps slowed and she glanced between buildings. Lightning flashed in the distance, tem

Its been a busy couple of months for me as I've been working on the follow up to my book Murder on Mars. I'm planning on having book 2 ready to go by January 2014! It's called Bayou Blues and will be centered around a new mystery for Ava to solve.  I will be sharing more about Bayou Blues in the next few weeks, but in the meantime I'm pleased to say that I'm participating with Bewitching Book Tours and their Holiday Giveaway! This giveaway is to celebrate our wonderful readers who have been absolutely amazing throughout the year! Here is the info on the giveaway: 1 Kindle Fire HD 8.9 inch or equivalent value Amazon Gift Card 3 Bewitching Prize Packs full of books and book swag goodies- open to US Shipping- prize packs may contain print copies of The Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle, Would Be Witch by Kimberly Frost and Earth Angel by E Van Lowe, Paranormal Pleasures by Roxanne Rhoads, Tasty Christmas Treats by Roxanne Rhoads- books will be distributed

Dreams, the Writer’s Playground   By Dawn Colclasure There are so many things that can inspire a writer and so many sources of ideas for things to write. From books, newspaper articles, a line in a song or real-life experiences, a writer can pick and choose from a variety of sources to get ideas for things to write. Books have inspired ideas for short stories I’ve written, and curiosity about something inspired me to write an article on that very topic. I even once wrote a series of articles just because I was curious about something. But my biggest source of inspiration – as well as my favorite one – are my dreams. Sometimes I will have what I call a “story dream.” In these dreams, I am either a central character or an observer of the story happening. Sometimes the whole story will play out in the dream, or other times, a few scenes will happen in the dream and I’ll be so inspired by this story, I’ll put the pieces together, fill in the gaps, and bring that story to

Do You Know Your Zombies? By Dina Rae Voodoo and zombies were my biggest inspiration for writing  Bad Juju .  A great deal of research went into the story.  Most of the plot is filled with authentic elements of Voodoo and zombies. For instance,  the most common and believable zombie fact claims that one can turn into a zombie because of mental collapse, disease, infection, and/or radiation.  Zombies stagger around dazed and confused, causing others to panic. Then there is the man-made monster kind or the kind Hollywood and horror authors like me tend to capitalize on. Zombie interest continues to fascinate the world. Jeffrey Dahmer drilled holes then poured acid down his victim’s heads in hopes of creating his own zombie. His madness didn’t work. Can man make his own zombie? Are these monsters real? According to Wade Davis, author of  The Serpent of the Rainbow , zombies are real. They are a product of the Voodoo religion. He was originally hired by a pharmaceut

Do you fancy a good Horror mixed with paranormal and romance? Charles O'Keefe has a new book called Killer on the Road part of the Newfoundland Vampire Series. Title : Killer On The Road Series : The Newfoundland Vampire Author : Charles O’Keefe Genre : Horror / Paranormal / Romance / Vampire Publisher : Penumbra Publishing Formats Available In : All eBook formats and Print Release Date: January, 2011 Blurb : Joseph O’Reily is still adjusting to the lifestyle and the dangers that come with being a new vampire. He and Cassandra recently fought to the death with Cassandra’s estranged husband John Snow, and now Joseph has experienced his first ménage a trios, as only a vampire can. As if all of this was not complicated enough, he and Cassandra have been tasked with hunting down and killing a rogue vampire, Donald Rathmore. Another of John Snow’s creations, Donald is an evil misogynistic killer in his own right. Donald has no interest in avenging his cr

Title : Young Warlock   Author : Mathew Bridle Genre : YA Fantasy Formats Available In : All eBook formats and Print Release Date: 27th September 2013 Blurb : Compelled by his lust for the flame the young warlock is driven on a trail of destruction. Running from those he once trusted, he befriends a tattlejack, Icthus, whose gift of extracting the truth could become his greatest strength. Now all he needs to do is defeat his lust and prove his worth to all those who doubt him, including the young girl who is carrying his child. Only the old priest believes the boy, Dekor, to be something more than just another warlock. The dogs of war are gathering. The undead seek allies among the enemy horde in the north in their bid to rout the mages, break the control of the Council of Twelve and take the land for themselves. Together the goblins and the undead set out to scourge the lands of Alzear of all who stand in the