One of th possible Celestia is Falling back covers

Happy Monday Mourning!
In my opinion, the worst day of the week! I always feel like I'm three days behind on Monday, even if I'm not!
I'm almost done with Celestia is Falling. I'm doing my final read-through and it get's sent off today or tomorrow morning. So, like I promised here's a possible back cover to the book. I have three, so I'm not saying this is the one, but it's a candidate.
Anyway, for everyone dying to know what the book is about, it'll give you a basic idea.

Celestia is Falling; (Book one)

In life there are few constants.
We're born.
We die.
And we all have secrets.
Emma Starling is no different. She's on the run and trying to escape the murder of her brother, and the death she chased on the Philadelphia streets that stained her soul. To make it out alive and wash away the blood on her hands, she's forced herself into self imposed exile . Nothing matters now but keeping her sanity and patching up her life.  
Celestia is her new found sanctuary and the best part? No one thinks about murder in the sleepy utopia. That is until a serial killer comes to town, targeting the women he deems guilty of the oldest sin. 
What's a skittish sheriff to do?
Nothing less than call in the FBI before it gets out of hand.

Greyson Croft comes to Celestia on the trail of his own serial killer, and what he finds is something he never expected.
Love at first sight.
Now he has only one chance to keep his woman alive. If the killer doesn't get her, he has a chance of catching her himself.
Love conquers all, but can it beat back a homicidal maniac bent on Celestia Falling?

 

 

 

Tomorrow I'll answer some of your questions that I've received this weekend via email!

 

Have a really great day and keep reading!

 

Much Love, Mayhem and Murder.

 

Morgan.

Update on the next book

I've had a slew of emails this weekend already regarding my next book. Celestia is Falling will be out in a few weeks. It's not part of the FBI series, and will stand alone as book one in it's own coming series of books. It is a romantic thriller. I'll be posting the synopsis for the back cover tomorrow!

As for the Elizabeth, Callen and Ethan's books- They have one slotted for summer. I know you want them all right now, but I can't keep up!!!  I promise you'll all find out what's going on in their lives in Darkness of Truth (Book 6)  At 500+ pages each book, it takes me a couple of weeks to get the book out. Bear with me! 190,000 words isn't a 40 hour job, but I love (and appreciate) your enthusiasm about it!

Keep coming back to the blog to get the details on my upcoming Blog tour! It's fast approaching!
I believe there's 11-13 different Blog venues slotted for the schedule. It should be a blast!

Much Love, Mayhem and Murder.

Morgan.

April Showers...

Bring days where I want to blow off work and bake cookies for the kids.
(maybe eat some too...)

Morning all! It's a chilly, wet day in Morganville. I've been up working and I'm in the mood to shut down the laptop and watch movies all day with the kids.
Maybe that's a sign I need a vacation.

Anyway, pushing forward... Doing the read though of Celestia's Falling in an effort to stay on track for the weekend. I'm taking a holiday in Salem MA in a few days, so I'm trying to wrap up everything that needs to be taken care of before hand.

This book is going off in three days, and before I leave I'll have done my detailing of Darkness of Truth.  I like to keep Tammy busy when I'm away... (Idle hands are the devil's workshop- that always makes me think of my granny!)

I had some great emails from you all! Thank you for reaching out to just tell me your opinion and ideas! I wish I could use some of them, but sadly, Elizabeth's journey already is written in the stars. But thank you!  I love how you all are taking an emotional investment in the characters!

I did receive an email from a disgruntled reader upset about the sex in the books. I'll address that here and now. (Once again!)

I'm sorry that you believe that my novels can be written without the graphic sex. This is why they're classified CONTEMPORARY ROMANCES. If you want romances that are less sex and more feeling, you can search for Christian Romance Novels and not have to deal with sex and language. Granted, I understand your perspective, but try and understand mine. If you read the book description on Amazon, BAM or Barnes and Nobel, you will see that it's tagged with a warning about graphic sex. I do that to appease the readers that don't want any surprises in their books.
Lastly, I'm the author and I like sex in my romances. I think it acts as a cohesive bond between the two (or three) characters. Since my name has to go on them, I stand by it.
Off my sex soap box and back to the grind!

This weekend I'll be posting a synopsis for Celestia's Falling.  Keep checking back!

Much Love, Mayhem and Murder,

Morgan.


 

Crazy day in Murderville!

Happy Thursday everyone!

It's been a crazy hectic week here, and I feel like I'm way behind on just about everything (including the blog and updating my website!). I'm still answering all your emails and I love hearing from all of you!

Today I'm wrapping up the final proof for Celestia's Falling.  By Monday I'll be handing it over to my 'go to girl' and she'll be doing her first read through. I hope she enjoys it, because writing it was fun!
I decided to take the story a little different route. I know so many of you have told me that you love Elizabeth and her toughness, but this time I'm going to be making the heroine a bit softer. I don't think I can ever replicate Elizabeth and run another series with someone that's just like her. She's completely unique and individual.
Instead we're going to be meeting Emma. She's pretty much the polar opposite of Elizabeth. Less crass, less hardened and more gentle. She's going to be running into the man of her dreams. I have to say, creating Grayson was an adventure too. He was definitely made for Emma.
Can you say 'SOULMATES'?
He's old school.
Possessive.
He believes women are delicate creatures to protect and nurture (Elizabeth would kick his ass!)
I wanted him to be the opposite of the heroine and play off her weaknesses. I think I've done it!

When they come together a few things are going to happen. Sparks will fly, tempers will flare and they will have to learn how to deal with the intricacies of a relationship amid a serial killing .

I'm in love with them!
I hope when you meet them you love them too!

Now as for some questions from you the reader.

Morgan,
I loved how you made Tori so fragile at the end of Fire Burns Hot, but will we see how tough she is coming up in the next book?
Marla.

Marla, WE WILL!  At the end of Fire Burns Hot, we find her battered, emotionally broken and in pieces. In the next book, Darkness of Truth , Tori comes into her own strength and ends up being the one Julian needs. We're going to see a complete transformation in her as the next book opens. She's found love, is blossoming and ready to handle life.
I'm excited about it!

Morgan,
You said you have a few series coming out. Will they be like the FBI one?
Tania

Tania, in some respects yes, and some no. In the FBI series, we have a family that's running FBI West. It makes the books fairly easy to write because they all work together. I have the scope and magnitude of the FBI to use in the novels. In the next series (The Croft & Croft Adventures) it will still have Grayson as an FBI agent, but Tori won't be joining him. I have a plan for them when Celestia's Falling concludes. When book two in the series, Vegas is Dying  comes out, you'll see what I mean. (I can't give away too much- it'll ruin the book.) As for the next series, we'll be following Tori and Julian. I've created a way to spin them off and give them their own little realm. Again, I can't tell you too much, since the book that kicks their adventure off isn't released yet. By the end of Darkness of Truth  you'll see what I mean.
Hang in there for a month or two!

Morgan,
On your blog you mentioned a cyber book tour. When is it?
Christiana

Christiana, the dates are going to be announced in a couple days. The person handling my tour hasn't given me the final itinerary yet, but as soon as she does, I'll post it all. Then you can follow me from the comfort of your own home.

I will say this. There was an interview that was conducted, and it was between the Blog host, Ethan and Callen. Entertaining, fascinating and funny stuff. That alone is worth following me around the internet! You get to see the world from the eyes of the men in Elizabeth's life.

PRICELESS!!!!

Okay, more questions another time! I have three books on the schedule and only 24 hours in a day.
Get ready for more steamy excitement this summer with Ethan, Elizabeth and Callen. Tori and Julian, as they start their adventure and Emma and Grayson finding each other and falling in love.

Much Love, Mayhem and Murder.

Morgan.















 

Thank you! Thank you!

I have been buried in lots of great emails from all of you!
I'm so darn happy that you're all loving Fire Burns Hot.  As a writer, it's amazing to know your baby is loved and cherished!
So many of you have sent great emails asking a ton of questions, and starting Thursday, I'll be going over some of them.
Right now I'm neck deep in Celestia's Falling and on a deadline to get it to my fabulous proofer by next week! She's itching for some work, and I aim to please!

Tammy and I are contemplating bumping the book schedule up a little, since so many of you devoured Fire Burns Hot over the weekend. Seriously! You all finished it in two days? I love my readers!!!! Awesome!
That's some feat, since its over 500 pages.

If possibly, I'm thinking of releasing the next book in the series Darkness of Truth  in July instead of September. I can't make any promises, but WE will do our best! If that's the case you may see the entire schedule bumped a bit forward.

Keep visiting this site and keep reading!
If you get my book on amazon, leave a review! I want to hear from you!

Much Love, Mayhem and Murder.

Happy Sunday!

Good morning all!

I hope you're having a really great weekend! Thank you to everyone that has been buying my new release and emailing me about it. I appreciate your kind words and perspectives!

I received some emails the last few days (I will be replying to everyone today, I'm a little behind on some work.) I do want to thank the reader that gave me an excellent review on Amazon for Fire Burns Hot. It turned out it's a guy and that's awesome!
Your reviews made me laugh. You rock!

I appreciate everything that you all say and post! I may not mention it non-stop, but it's always in the back of my mind. Keep your reviews coming! What you post helps others decide if they'll love Elizabeth, Ethan and Callen too!

On a side note, a fellow author who is hosting my Blog Tour is promoting her first mini-novel. Here's her blog. Pop in and check her out. There's a link to Amazon there.

KC Cavanaugh.

As soon as I have a list of my upcoming blog tour sites, I'll list them here for you. As for the next book in the series Darkness of Truth (book 6) Expect it out sometime this summer. Sorry to make you all wait so long, but there's other books in the works before it. I'm doing my read through of Celestia's Falling  right now, and then it's off to Tammy for proofing. (No release date on that yet, but I'm projecting that it'll be the beginning of summer. I'm aiming for Memorial Day, but we'll see.)

Everyone have a great weekend!

Keep on reading!

Much Love, Mayhem and Murder!

Morgan.

Released!

Fire Burns Hot is now available on Amazon!


I've also sent the free download to the winners.

Enjoy!

Morgan

Fire Burns Hot!

Good Morning Everyone!

I received some emails regarding the release of my newest novel, and I'm here to answer them for you!

I just approved the cover art and the interior, so Fire Burns Hot should be available sometime today! I wanted to get it out before the weekend, only because I know I love reading on Saturday and Sunday.
(it's supposed to rain here on the East coast, so that means fuzzy blanket and a book.)

The paperback version will also be out today, for those of you that like to hold your books in your hands and save them for years to come. (me too!)

I hope you all enjoy the story of Julian and Tori, along with our regular antics of Elizabeth, Callen and Ethan!

Don't forget to follow me on my Blog Book Tour that's coming up in may! I hear that there's going to be an interview with Ethan and Callen, so you may get some insight to what it's like to love and share a bed with Elizabeth!

Much Love, Mayhem and Murder!

Morgan.

Free Kindle WInners!

The contest has ended and the following people have won a free Fire Burns Hot (book 5)Kindle download!

Susan Rickards
Ammy Frankel
Trisha Belamy

The autographed copy of the book goes to Harley Nader. ( you also get a kindle download for answering both questions right!)

Here were the questions and answers!

Question one:

What is the name of the woman who came between Callen and Ethan on the Rez twenty years ago?

Kaya Cheek

Question two:

What is Timothy Blackhawk's deceased wife's name?

Naomi Blackhawk

To the winners: Send me your email addresses attached to your Kindles and I'll get you your download as soon as the book releases today!

Much Love, Mayhem and Murder.

Morgan

Fire Burns Hot Release date.

I just authorized the release of Fire Burns Hot. (Book 5)

It should be available tomorrow night or Saturday morning!


I hope you all Enjoy  it!
After a 48 hour marathon, I'm going to crash!

Tomorrow is the drawing for the free e-book giveaway! You have until midnight tonight to get me your trivia questions!



Much Love, Mayhem and Murder

Morgan

Fire Burns Hot Free Giveaway!

Hi all!

As mentioned previously, I'll be giving away a few kindle downloads of my new release, Fire Burns Hot on the day it comes out.

In order to be eligible, you need to:
1) Be a follower of this blog - There's a button on the left that says 'join this site'. You need to click on it and add it. You can use a yahoo addy, AIM, or google email account.

2) you need to click on the tab above that says 'April's Trivia Contest'
In it, there are 2 questions. You can email me the answer to either one at author.m.kelley@gmail.com. If you get either right, you are entered into the drawing. If you want to answer both, and you get them right, there is a separate drawing for the E-book and also a signed copy of the book from me.
You need to get both questions correct, in order to be entered in the drawing. (for the signed edition)

The day the book is released is the day you'll be given the prizes (The book will follow since I need to sign it, get your address and mail it to you.)

I'm giving away 2-5 kindle e-books of Fire Burns Hot, depending on how many email replies I get with the correct answer.

Please don't post the answers in the comments!

Good Luck and look for  Fire Burns Hot  to be released in the next five days or so!

Much Love, Mayhem and Murder!

Morgan

Fire Burns Hot Update

The proof was gone through and the corrections are made!

Now I just have to do a final read through! If I don't find anything, the book will be out for the weekend!
Yay!

Everyone have a good day! I'm off to go read Deep Dark Mire (for enjoyment and to get back into the Elizabeth mindset) and then roll into Fire Burns Hot!

Today's a good day to curl up with a coffee, fuzzy blanket and a book!


Much Love, Mayhem and Murder!

Morgan

Blog Book Tours, Book Release and Book Completion

Morning all!
Sitting here with my coffee and about to start my day.

I have a few things to get out there and make public to all my readers.
I'm going to be kicking off my Book Blog Tour next month. It's like a meet and greet, but all done via the internet and blogging site.
Since time is a commodity for me, I can't get out and do a bookstore tour yet. This is my next best option to getting out, talking to everyone and keeping you up to date about what's happening with my books and new series.
It's being hosted by Eternal Connections Book Blogging Tours. If you want to host please contact them, and they'll tell you all the details.
That being said, I'll be posting a listing of blogs and dates where I'll be popping up on the big ole' web.

One of the other things was that yesterday, some of you were victims of April Fool's Day pranking. I love that you all nearly went crazy with the emails and postings worried about me. If you missed it, here it is.
Morgan Kelley Update. I hope those of you that fell for it have recovered! My email nearly blew up! I was feeling the love.

Fire Burns Hot  should be released around Monday next week. I give this date tentatively, because any time I give a date, something happens. I'm aiming for Monday. Let's put it that way. I only have to sit down and do a final read through of the book to approve it.

So, tomorrow there's going to be a trivia question posted for a couple free kindle downloads of Fire Burns Hot. I may even offer up a free signed copy, if more people participate.

So here's the deal. Click on the little bottom on the left side of my blog that says Join this site, and then give the question I post. It'll be found in one of the books. If you've read them, then you'll know the answer.
Email me your 'official' answer to author.m.kelley@gmail.com, and I'll put all the correct answers in a pool and pick a few winners. I may do up to five free give aways, depending on how many people participate.

Lastly, Celestia's Fallling is done. Yes, you read that right. It's done. I finished the Epilogue this morning at three a.m. Now it gets printed out, proof read, details corrected and then off to Tammy for her read through and critique. As soon as I ship it off, I start adding details to Darkness of Truth (book 6) to get that one released this summer.

Lots of work on the horizon! Remember, keep checking back for Book Blog tour details!


Much Love, Mayhem and Murder,

Morgan.





 

As per your MANY email requests

Yesterday on KC Cavanaugh's Blog, there was a big discussion over my upcoming new release, and the fact I don't give out too many details before hand. Well, today I'm going to spill my guts, as requested! Here's the official front cover and a brief synopsis.

I hope you're all looking forward to it's release as much as I am!

Fire Burns Hot (book 5)

In Fire Burns Hot, we continue the story of Ethan, Elizabeth and Callen, but are introduced to two more characters trying to find each other and love.
Julian Littlemoon likes women without baggage. He lives life carefree and to the fullest. Then on that fateful day, he meets Special Agent Victoria Christensen and everything changes. Not only does he fall hard, but he'd do anything to heal her broken spirit- no matter what the cost.
Tori Christensen is an ex-Army soldier, haunted by one moment that changed her life forever. She managed to dodge Julian once before, but this time she's fighting the truth that chases her. Facing him on her turf should be easy, but Julian complicates everything in her well-ordered life.
Now they're working together again, trying to find a serial arsonist with the propensity for killing strippers just to watch them burn. Partnered up with her boss, Elizabeth Blackhawk, Tori has to stay one step ahead or she just might be the next woman going up in smoke.

Sometimes love is forever, and sometimes it's just until the flame goes out…



I'll share Celestia's Falling when we get closer to it's release.


I'm also going to be giving away 2 free Kindle e-books to two lucky readers on the day of Fire Burns Hot  releases. There's going to be a trivia question, and the all the correct answers will be going in for a drawing!

Stay tuned for the release and the prizes!!!!


Much Love, Mayhem and Murder

Morgan.

Hippity Hop

Happy Overdose on your Kid's Easter Basket Day!

Eggs are hidden, baskets are made and torn into and it's another Sunday,
While you were wrestling your child for the only Cadbury egg, (yeah you!) I was up early working. Nothing like beating your kids out of bed on Easter morning to deal with death.

Hmmmm....

Today I have a couple of questions from emails that the readers have sent me, so today is going to be question day.
As for books, I'm still working on Celestia's Falling. I have fifty pages left to get through and I'm done! I should wrap it up today and begin my official read through.
YAY!  

Okay, on with the questions, so we can get back to eating chocolate!

Morgan,
I have to ask, do you sit in your PJ's all day and work? If I was a writer I'd live in mine!
Kara.

Well, interestingly enough, the answer to that is no. I have two kids, and they have doctor appointments, dentist appointments, play dates, sleep overs etc. I live on a quiet street where my neighbors know my real name and not that I kill people for a living, so I do get dressed.
I wish I could sit in my flannel skull PJ's all day.
It just doesn't happen.

Next question!

Morgan,
You say on your blog you get up at 2 am daily to work, but what does your normal day look like?
P. Hart

My alarm goes off at about 2 a.m. I lay there in bed and think 'what the hell? It's time already?'
at about 2:15 I wander down to the keurig and have cup number one.
I read my emails from the night before and check my book related sites.
At about 2:45 I read the news, so I at least know if North Korea is planning on blowing up my house or not.
At 3 a.m. I begin working. If I stopped in the middle of a scene, I have to re-read to the beginning of the chapter and pickup my train of thought.
I work until 7 a.m. 
Coffee break.
My sister drops her kids off to go to work (see... normal un-murder like)
I feed 4 kids breakfast.
Off to the bus.
Home from the bus.
More coffee.
I do the laundry, dishwasher, beds etc. Whatever needs to be done.
Start working.
Coffee break
working again until 3:30 when I get the kids off the bus
Dinner with family
More working
bed time for kids at 8 pm
More working
I outline the next days scenes for the last hour.
In bed by 9 ish or10 at the latest.

REPEAT.

If it's a weekend, I sequester myself in my office and work all day, I only stop for coffee. The husband takes over kids Friday when he gets home until Sunday when they go to bed.
On weekends I work 3 a.m. until 6 p.m.
I generally log 30 hours of working on the weekends and 40 hours during the week.

There you go.
That's my day in a nut shell.


Thank you both for the really great questions!
AND the emails!

Keep them coming, or just post something on the blog. I promise I'll get back to you!

Happy Easter!

Much Love, Mayhem and Murder.

Morgan.


 

Coming Events!

Good Morning and Happy Saturday!

Just starting my day and wanted to give you an update!
My hopes are that I can get Fire Burns Hot out in the next week or so, and do a swap with Tammy for proofing.
Celestia's Falling is almost done. It just needs the last 100 pages and a good read through by myself first.
The cover's been redone. I kept revisiting the black one and it wasn't sitting right with me for the next books in the series.
So here it is....

 

I opted to keep the same cover art, but went with a little break in color. I'm glad it's done, because I hate finishing a book and having to be up in the air about the cover.

 

Once Celestia's Falling is released, I'll begin working on the sequel and Darkness of Truth (book 6) for the rest of the spring and into the summer.

Tomorrow I'll post a synopsis for the series for the first time! It's going to be similar to the FBI Romance series, but yet a little different.

 

 

I Think I'm good on the next book's cover. Vegas is Dying is book two in the Croft & Croft Romance Adventures. I genuinely like the books direction and that makes them easier to write. Just like the FBI series, I fell in love with Elizabeth, Ethan and Callen, and I'm crazy, stupid in love with Emma and Grayson.

 

I hope when you all meet them, you fall in love with them too!

 

In May my books will be featured on The Cavanaugh Connection. It's a blog for writers, by writers. http://cavanaughkc.blogspot.com/ Check it out!

K.C. has some free book give aways by signed authors in her monthly contest, plus she features up and coming authors and their books. I'm offering up the first two books in my series, plus a signed book. Who doesn't love free stuff?

On May 2, 2013 my FBI Romance Series will be featured along with the prologue and teaser for Fire Burns Hot. (book 5).

Then on May 25, 2013 she'll be interviewing me too. You never know what juicy little secrets I'll throw out there for the world to see. Make sure you pop in and check it out! (Maybe I'll spill some details about Darkness in Truth (book 6)

Thank you all for your emails last night, tomorrow I'll be answering 2 questions I received in my blog. I wanted to do them today, but I really need to get Celestia's Falling done by tomorrow.

Have a great Easter weekend!
(Bite off lots of bunny ears for me!)

Much Love, Mayhem and Murder.

Morgan.












 

Back to the grind...

Happy weekend to you all!
After a slow work day yesterday, I'm back in the saddle and pushing forward with Celestia's Falling. It'll be done by Sunday, and then tweaked before it's shipped off for proofing. It looks like it's going to be about 450 pages when it's done.
 Give or take a few. Not bad for the first book in a new series.

I'm going to release Fire Burns Hot (book 5) in the next few days, and then start adding the details to Darkness of Truth(book 6). If all goes on schedule I'll start writing the next book in the series for Emma and Grayson's story, Vegas is Dying and the first book Stolen in Moonlight for Tori and Julian's story.
I hope to get them completed before vacation in August.

Busy next few weeks ahead!

Before I head back into the book, I promised I'd answer the other question I received yesterday, so here it is.

Morgan,
Are you going to kill anyone off in your FBI series? Please don't Kill Elizabeth. It's nice to see a tough woman kicking butt.
~A. Camden.

Yeah, there's a possibility that someone's going to die, and I already have an idea on who it's going to be. Not too long ago, Tammy and I had this conversation. It's also been a reoccurring theme with my other girlfriends. I've been warned that if I harm even one hair on Ethan or Callen's gorgeous heads, I'm a dead woman.
I'll be voted of friendship Island.
I'm contemplating taking out someone in Home Sweet Evil (book 7) or book 8) and that's all I'll say. Book 7 is going to shake everyone up in the family when they personally become the targets of a lunatic. It's going to deal with loss. I have two possible scenarios in my head, and I just need to work out which one feels right to me.

I value everyone's opinion on the characters in my books, but I have to be honest. These books write themselves. I start with an idea and as it progresses down the trail, it twists and turns into something completely different. I never intended to have them take the path they did, but i'm glad they did.

My girlfriends give advice (and I generally ignore it)
I mostly use them as my insanity barometer. I can tell when I've gone too far to one side or the other by their reactions. When I told them I was going to give Elizabeth two men, the shit hit the fan. BIG TIME. Now that I'm contemplating taking out a key player, the Natives are all riled up, so to speak.

I also get comments from the readers, and most of the time they're great. Don't get me wrong, I get a few comments or emails that tell me I ruined it, blah blah, sanctity of marriage, yada yada.
I value their opinion, but honestly I don't take what anyone says into consideration.

Today I had a book return for Deep Dark Mire and an email that said:
 "I liked your books because of the love between Elizabeth and Ethan, and now you made her into a cheap trashy novel."

Thank you for your opinion, but I disagree. I think Elizabeth is anything but trashy. I think she's a woman dedicated to a family of men, and specifically has found her heart is divided in half. I wanted to explore the question of 'can a woman love two men and make it work?'
Trashy implies Elizabeth is having random sex with lots of people. She's committed to two men, and I get that it pushes people's comfort zone, but that's part of my job. To take the things that we don't have in our lives and give the reader a peek into it.

Does that mean every series I write will go that route?
No. I had NO IDEA that Elizabeth would be shacking up with two men. No clue. It just happened. One day I was talking to Tammy and said, 'I think I'm going to do a different kind of family' and she said 'oh boy'.

Elizabeth is strong enough to handle two men, mentally, emotionally and physically.

I can tell you now that  Tori and Julian will have their own series (You meet them in True Love Lost, Deep Dark Mire. - Fire Burns Hot,  and Darkness of Truth  are their story)  Julian wouldn't put up with his 'woman' with another man, and honestly, Tori is a one man kind of guy. SO they are going to be completely monogamous.

In Celestia's Falling, You meet Emma and Grayson. He wouldn't put up with another man either, so that's not going to happen in their books either. In fact, Grayson is old school, possessive, territorial and doesn't give a damn if people hate him for it. Tori isn't anything like Elizabeth, and couldn't carry that kind of relationship.

Ethan and Callen were a 'perfect storm' and everything lined up just right for it to happen. Will one of them be sacrificed on the murder altar? It could happen. (let the angry emails begin!)

In my opinion, you can't kill someone and bring them back and keep your street cred. I know authors have done it, but once they did, I lost desire to read them. Most of the time they brought them back to appease the audience. Sorry, that's not me. I value you all, but I have to own what I put down in words, or not do it at all.


So there you have it. A really great question, A. Camden. Thank you for emailing me!

Keep them coming!

Back to the grind. Enjoy your Easter weekend!

Much Love, Mayhem and Murder.

Morgan.






 

Only time for a Quickie...

Yeah, Yeah, I know.

Sorry this Blog is late and short, but I'm balancing three books at once right not.
Celestia's Falling (1)
Fire Burns Hot (5)
Darkness of Truth (6)

I'm a bit under the gun and way behind schedule. I did get all your emails last night and replied, and I have two very good questions.

I'll answer one now.

Morgan,
Is Doctor Tony Magnus in love with Doctor Chris Leonard? Will they ever find love?
~ Karen.

Funny you should bring that up. I was approached with the idea of making Tony gay, and I decided to not go there. I didn't think I could pull it off and still keep the integrity of the story. So, No. Sorry, but he will have a love interest, as will Christina (Darkness of Truth) and Chris Leonard (Book 8)(sorry- its not named yet)

Later tonight I'll answer the next question which was FABULOUS!

I'll tell you what it's regarding. One of my clever readers wants to know if someone in the FBI Romance series is going to die soon.

Hmmmmm.. Ethan?  Elizabeth? Callen?  We shall see....

Who am I?

I get a plethora of interesting questions from emails.
Some ask about the books and some ask about me.
I thought today I'd tell you a little about me, since I've had the pleasure of meeting all of you through the emails and messages you've sent me.

Here goes.

First and foremost I'm a mom. I have a daughter and a son. In the front of my books you'll often see a dedication to Isabella and Alexzander. They're my greatest masterpiece.
She was named after Queen Izabella of Spain and my son was named after Alexzander the Great.

I live in Pennsylvania in a very small town. It's tiny and much like the one I described in Salem. Population 8000 ish.

I'm married.

I have one vice in life and it's coffee. I drink way too much of it, but when you get up at 2 a.m. to work, you need it.

I love gardening. My obsession is rose bushes. The big joke with my friends is 'If you need to hide a body, take it to Morgan's.'  Next to my kids, my heirloom 7 sister's rose bushes are my pride and joy.

I love bacon. (ok, it's my second vice. Followed by cheese burgers)

I hate to run, but I still do it. I wish I could be like Elizabeth and do a 6 mile run happily. By 4 I'm miserable, angry and sweaty. I don't think while I run, I curse and swear there has to be an easier way to keep eating bacon and burgers.

I'm almost 40. That didn't hurt too much. I remember sitting in my college dorm trying to decide what to be when I grew up, and now I'm there.

I don't eat bread. Or rice and potatoes. I spend most of my life living low carb, simply because at my age (yeah, I know) my blood sugar doesn't like when I eat them. Thus the love affair with bacon, cheese and meat.

My favorite food is peanut butter. I could eat it on anything and often do. I also eat it right out of a jar with a spoon. You can tell how stressful my day has been writing by how empty my jar is...

I have two sisters and a brother, but I'm the oldest. That has it's advantages and disadvantages. I get the old jokes alllllll the time. Oh and how I'm going to die if I don't stop eating the bacon.

I'm a type A control freak. I have to micromanage every damn situation to death. My cabinets look like a crazy person organized them and my underwear drawer is color coded. I kid you not.

I have a cat. His name is Mr. Frodo. We found him wandering, and in honor of the Lord of The Rings books, he was given his name. I didn't think he looked like a Bilbo Baggins, so he was dubbed Frodo.

I'm Native American, Italian, and Irish.

I believe in happily ever after.

I personally reply to every email that you send me. Sometimes multiple times. Go ahead. Test that out. You know you want to. Even if it's just to say Hi! I will reply.

I speak Spanish and am passable with French. When I went to Paris, I had to pick it up fast. I know the basics and can understand most, but can't conjugate for my life.

My parents think I'm weird. Not in a bad way, but sometimes when I tell them how I'm killing the next person, my mom get's this look on her face like she wonders where she went horribly wrong.

I have 5 tattoos. My back holds 4 of them. Ok, it covers my back, practically. I also have my next appointment to get my ribs done on May 8th. My arm is next. (See above regarding my mother. THIS is her big gripe. I'm altering her work of art.)

I love Christmas, even though I personally celebrate Yule. This year my tree is going to be bright red and have all black Victorian ornaments all over it. Every three years I get a different tree and change the theme. This year is Gothic Christmas. My husband isn't as amused as I am.

Favorite color: Apple Green. My kitchen is that shockingly bright color, highlighted in electric blue.
Favorite place in the world: Alexandria Egypt.
Favorite drink: I love a fun martini or two.
Favorite splurge: I collect ugg boots.
Favorite kitschy item: I have black heels with red blood splatters.
Favorite Author: Edgar Allen Poe
Favorite car: I like mine. I have an H3.

There you have it. Morgan Kelley in a nutshell. You now know more about me than you probably ever wanted to. I know it had nothing to do with books today, but essentially I am part of every book I write. So there's my technicality.

Now I need to finish working on Celestia's Falling It's going to be a series, and I have my work cut out for me.

Much Love, Murder and Mayhem.

Morgan.







 

Quiet day in Morgan's world.

Morning all.

It's a fairly quiet day here.

I woke up at two and continued working on Celestia's Falling  I'm at the halfway point and there's no turning back now. It should be finished with the first steps of production by Friday.
Since it's Easter this weekend, I was contemplating taking it off, but instead I'm going to work through it, doing a final read through on Fire Burns Hot.  I'd like to get it released as soon as possible, and then do the detail fill on the 6th book in the series. Since Darkness of Truth is already written, it should be painless to clean it up and ship it off to be proofed.

I've revamped my list of books to release for the rest of this year. I'm pulling the paranormal series I planned on releasing for this summer. I'm just not feeling it, so back on the shelf it goes and onto other projects.
I think this is the new timeline... (and the characters involved)

Fire Burns Hot  (April)           Elizabeth, Ethan and Callen
Celestia's Falling (June)                 Emma and Grayson
Darkness of Truth (June)        Elizabeth, Ethan and Callen
The Blood Seduction (July)            Jolie, Jacques and Flynn
Stolen by Moonlight (Sept)            Julian and Tori
Home Sweet Evil (Oct)           Elizabeth, Ethan and Callen
Vegas is Dying (Nov)                    Emma and Grayson
Affair to Fear (Dec)                        Julian and Tori

If I can pull this off, it would mean releasing 11 novels in one year. Since my books average around 190,000 words for each novel, that's more than 2 million words in 365 days.(or over 5,500 pages of print) That gives me a headache just thinking about it.

Right about now, Tammy my proofer is reading this and freaking out. (I love a early morning meltdown.) Don't worry, we'll get through it. (I'm shutting my phone off the second I post this blog)
Let those be my famous last words!

With this timeline, I'll be running four series at the same time. It should be fun, and I hope I can keep all the names straight.

I love an adventure!

Much love, Murder and Mayhem

Morgan

Celestia's Falling... behind.

Hello all!

Greetings from 'buried in murder' land. Today I'd hoped to get a big jump on Celestia's Falling, but I fell a little behind with other things. (Darn kids wanting food in the house!)
I'm about one hundred pages into the first read through and had honestly hoped for it to be done by tomorrow.
Not going to happen.
I've found a flaw in it, and I'm working on resolving it before Tammy get's her hands on it. (If I try and sneak it by her, she'll kick my ass.)
Seriously, she will...

Anyway, I'm going to hit it hard this week in hopes to get it to her for next week for proofing. I'm on a schedule and I really hate when I fall behind. I feel like a slacker if I don't keep my self-imposed deadlines.
Sometimes being your own boss is brutal!

That being said, Fire Burns Hot was dropped off to Tammy this morning to be proofed this week. (I literally dropped it on her porch and ran for it. I kid you not...) So, she's got it in her capable hands, and we'll see if she gives me the thumbs up or down. Either way, the release is projected in April. As soon as I get an idea of when, I'll let you all know. I'm aiming before April 26th. I'm going to be taking a few days off to head to Salem, MA.
I'll be wandering around in all my witchy glory!
I'm going there to get some ideas for my paranormal series that I'm rolling out sometime this year. (and I'm on burnout and need a vacation. Who doesn't want to stay at a B&B in the witch-town USA?)
I'm dragging my husband there, much to his horror and boredom. Maybe I'll post some photos when I get back! He'll be the one holding my purse with a cranky look on his face.

Happy Sunday to everyone! Keep reading!

Much Love, Murder and Mayhem.

Morgan.

 

One of my most favorite things...

There's nothing I love more than waking up to emails from anyone that's reading my books.
I truly love the interaction with the reader. (I do reply to the emails too!)
Whenever I find that a reader has enjoyed the story and is dying for more, it validates what I do as a writer.
Sometimes the emails question my sanity (I also find myself doing that too!)
Then there are ones that tell me they wish they were Elizabeth! (I want to be her when I grow up!)
Others just tell me they love my books.

I enjoy hearing from all of you! Please, keep the emails coming! I swear that I'll get back to you as soon as I get them. (I work out of my phone, tablet and laptop most of the day- so unless I'm asleep, I reply as fast as possible!)

Today I rolled out of bed around five a.m.(usually I'm up around two-ish, but today is my day to sleep in) and I found an email from a delightful woman named Carol from Australia. She made my day and validated everything I believed to be true.

           Elizabeth, Ethan and Callen are amazing together!

As I drank my coffee, I was smiling and so grateful for the amazing support and words. So, Thank you Carol! I appreciate you taking the time to drop me an email. I know it may seem like an insignificant thing, but honestly, it is awe inspiring!

Thank you!
Thank you!
Thank you!

To Everyone that emails me, Thank you too!  You make murder lots of fun!


Much Love, Murder and Mayhem,

Morgan

Another day, another murder...

Morning all!

Happy Friday!

The weekend is here and there's a bunch of things on my agenda.
 Fire Burns Hot is going to it's final read-through, and baring any horrific issues, it will continue onto the final process before release.
Yay!
Then it's a break from Elizabeth, Ethan and Callen for a few months. Book six in the series is written, Darkness of Truth but won't be shipped off for editing until May or June. I have some 'Blackhawk' downtime going on to focus on other projects. I'm on a time crunch, since I'm losing part of August and most of September to vacation. I'll be bringing my laptop and tablet to work when it's raining at the beach.

Today I'm neck deep in the next book coming out, and I'm excited. It's running smoothly (and I just jinxed myself-watch and see.) and I'm enjoying everything about it.
The cover is done and ready to go and for me that's a huge deal. Covers are the first impression of the book and matter a great deal.

I'm excited and enjoying the process of this book immensely. My bestest girl liked the cover and gave me the okay, so I'm thrilled to have that part of it all wrapped up.
Right now the book is in the detail process.

When I write a novel, I get out the stripped down version and on my first read-through, I put in all the details of the sex scenes, the descriptions and any other tidbits I feel it needs. I'm working on that  job right now.

Celestia's Falling is bare bones at 266 pages. I'm thirty pages in and already added lots of details. Will this book be as big as the others? Probably not.
I'm hoping to end in the 400 page neighborhood. Essentially, I'm doubling the book in details and scenes. Sometimes it happens and sometimes Tammy (my proofer) goes nuts and strips it back down.

It's a craps shoot.

Needless to say, I hope you all have a really great weekend! Be safe keep on emailing me and reading!!!!!!

Much Love, Murder and Mayhem.

Morgan

 

 

 

The Killing Times is done!

Morning all!
Just back from my celebratory coffee from Dunkin' and thought I'd get a blog in before I start work for the day.
Today I released The Killing Times back onto Kindle and paperback format in it's second edition. It takes Amazon up to five days to update their site with the new cover, but the new one looks great and is ready to go. In fact, here it is....

.

Anyway, back to my Dunkin' and my work.

Much Love, Murder and Mayhem.

Morgan.







 

Today's the day!

Morning all from the snowy Northeast! It's a good day to sit by the fire and work, so I'm not going to bitch and moan that it's nearly April and we're still getting snow.
Okay, maybe I'll complain a little bit later when I have to go shovel.

Today I pulled the kindle version of The Killing Times  from production. It's being corrected and uploaded today and tomorrow, plus it takes a day for approval and upload of the new cover. Bear with me and I promise I'm working non-stop to get it back out by Friday for the weekend.
I swear!
I started a line by line read through last night and was back at it at 2 a.m. this morning. It's looking to be a slow moving day, as I have four kids under the age of 11 at the house today while school is delayed.
(here comes the bitching...)
I hope you all enjoy the new cover picture and don't forget to download the updates in 'manage my kindle'!
Some details have been added and the rest has been re-edited.

If you got hit with the snow have a safe day and enjoy!

Much love, murder and mayhem.

Morgan.
 

Monday Mourning.

All good things must eventually come to an end.
Yeah, vacation is over.
I was up at three a.m. toiling away on the projects that I put off for the week.
I just released the next book in the Vampyre series. The Blood Retribution. It'll be out on kindle and paperback by Wednesday.
My only regret about the series so far, is I don't have the publishing rights to my first book until 2016. Yeah, I signed a contract with a publisher and now I'm locked into them holding that book hostage.
Bleh.
Oh well, it's a lesson learned when dealing with publishing companies. That's why I ran for the hills as fast as I could with the rest of my books. I now finally re-own the rights to The Junction  and in January, I retain the ownership to Serial Sins. Both will be reissued with new covers and on kindle.
Yay!
Today I get The Killing Times back from the re-edit. I'll be pouring over it to get the second edition for the book released by Friday. From what I've been told, there were some editing issues and everything is currently cleared up. As a writer, I don't have the ability to edit my own work. When I'm reading I don't see the basic mistakes. So, that's why I always use a second set of eyes.
Since I haven't been ripped to pieces on the other books, I'm going to assume they're fine...
Yeah, that statement will come back to bite me in the ass, I'm sure.
I also picked the new picture to be the cover art of the second edition book. I really like it, but then I really liked the first book too.

This is by Alexei Novikov out of Sweden. I like his work a great deal.

 

This was my final choice, and the one that will be taking the place of the artwork. I got good reviews on the cover and a few bad ones. Some didn't like how the first book wasn't a picture and the rest of them were and others liked the colors and unusualness.
Which goes to prove that you can't please everyone.

We had some really great sales this weekend. I'm guessing the weather helped here in the Northeast. I did notice that my books were also purchased in Japan, Germany, Great Britain, and Ireland. So, to all the readers outside the US, enjoy and email me! I look forward to hearing from you.

Back to the grind today.
Yay!

Much Love, murder and mayhem.

Morgan

 

Update on The Killing Times (book one)

Hi all!
Just a little note to keep you all in the loop. Last week it was brought to my attention there were some errors and issues in the first book in the series. (I apologize profusely!) It's in the process of being re-edited to clear up any typos or issues that may detract from the reading.

It's going to be released under a new cover and a new edition. If you downloaded it via kindle, you'll be able to get the update.
If you go into your 'manage my kindle downloads' on your computers, it'll have a little message that an update is available. Look for it in a couple of weeks.

Again, I apologize that it had errors in it.
Working on making it better for you all!


Much love, Mayhem, and murder!

Morgan.
 

Things that go bump in the night or in Morgan's Brain!

Just sitting here with my coffee and my laptop answering emails.
I thought I'd post a blog and then head back to my last two days of self-imposed hiatus, before back to the grind on Monday morning.

Today I had a question regarding adding paranormal to my storylines. I guess that's going to be today's topic of Blogging.

Morgan,
I just read book two in your series and noticed you teetered on the edge of giving Timothy Blackhawk psychic ability. Will there be more in your books yet to come? I Love a book that gives us a glimpse into ESP and other psychic gifts.
~ Tania

Okay, here it is. I've tossed around using a paranormal twist in my upcoming books. Will it be in the FBI series or the Private Investigator series? No it won't.
Will I be launching a new series using the paranormal and magic?
Yes.
I currently have a book in production for a little twist on Magick and Witches. (Which if you know me, you know both are near and dear to my heart)  I have just completed the cover the other day and am planning on a fall release. There's going to be approximately three books in the series. I'll post the cover for you all to see.

This book is about ninety percent written. If all goes well, it'll be out in early fall, or perhaps for Halloween. I love a good book about witches just in time for Samhain.

Now to address a book with FBI agents with paranormal abilities. I know it's been done before, and I'm not ruling it out, but I have to come up with something so outside the box that it's fresh and new. If I can pull that off, then possibly  next year one will make an appearance. I have an idea, but can I make it into a series? That's a whole other story.
Literally.
I have something cutting edge in mind, but I need a way to make it uniquely me. (I like to shake everyone up a bit.)

There you have it, Tania. I hope that answered your question!

Much love, mayhem, and murder.

Morgan.







 

Best Questions Yet.

I get lots of great email questions and here were two of my favorites this week.


Out of all of your novels, who is the most like you?
~ Jessica.

Why a Native man as the sex symbol?
~Pietra

Okay, the first question.
Everyone that knows me personally tells me that Elizabeth is my personality doppelgänger. I really don't see it. If there is one character that I relate to the most, it's Christina- Ethan's head lab tech. I'm a total nerd, love science and always need an answer. I get that Elizabeth and I resemble each other and yes, she's brash, sarcastic and hard core just like me, but I'm really not her.

And question two.
When I wrote the books, there was only one thing in my mind.
The portrayal of the Native American community had to be spot on. I wanted to incorporate the Rez.(the reservation) I wanted to make people aware that Natives are steeped in tradition. (The war bonnet and women wearing it is a HUGE NO!) I was tired of seeing the Natives kicked around in media as being drunks, who sucked the gov't dry of money and resources. We don't all drink. We certainly don't all live off casino money, and we don't all wear war bonnets and carry bows and arrows. It's irritating that if someone were to speak of any other ethnic group with stereotypes, there'd be a huge explosion, but hey, Natives are free game.

For the record, I have been known to correct people who refer to Native Americans as Indians. INCLUDING my daughter's teacher. It's simply a pet peeve for me.

I'm Native American and I always get the weirdest questions regarding it, so this is my attempt to bring part of me to the forefront and share a culture that's often overlooked.

So, when I decided to write a novel, I wanted to dip into the Native heritage and show people that the 'leading man' could be Native, sexy and be everything a non-native could be. (Plus in my head Ethan and Callen are hot!) I tell my husband all the time, if someone that looks like Ethan or Callen comes a knockin', I'm a walkin'.
Oddly, he's not even worried.
Hmmmm.

So there you have it!
 

First read through complete!

Today I met with Tammy over coffee.
Over the last week she's been working on the first read through of Fire Burns Hot. That's always the worst part of the process (for me and I'm sure for her too!)  It's where I get the first feedback on the story. She doesn't like knowing much about the book prior, so before she sees it, the 180,000 words have only been alive in me. At this point I'm a hot mess.
Will she like it?
Will she hate it?
Will she tell me I've lost my damn mind?
One of the best things about Tammy is her blatant honesty. Don't ask her if your ass looks fat in the pants you're wearing. She's going to tell you the truth. So, every time she takes the next book, I'm on the edge of my seat worried out of my mind.
I can tell how bad it's going to be by the amount of calls I get in the week she has the manuscript. When it's really quiet I'm nervous, and when she does call I'm even more scared.

This week she told me to take a vacation.
In Tammy-ese that means she's either concerned for my sanity or hers.
Possibly both.

So, taking her advice I'm on vacation. As some of you that emailed me noticed, I still answered your questions. That's because I live out of my phone. As for the writing aspect, I had given myself until today to finish Darkness of Truth.  Needless to say, it's not done. I'm about sixty pages until completion. Even though it's not slated to be released until fall, I can't start writing the spinoff series until I have that book wrapped. Once it's finished, I can begin the next series.

I wouldn't want tammy to be bored out of her mind at the beach this summer. That and I have plans to take almost a month off to head to Myrtle and be a beach bum with my kids. I won't be taking my phone or laptop with me. I'm going to have wine, lay in the sun and be at one with the waves.
        (That's my real vacation. It should run smoothly, unless a body washes up on shore.)

So for everyone that's asked me when the next book is out, the timeline I've listed in my blog is still accurate. Fire Burns Hot  will be released sometime in April.

 

Romance... Thriller... Romance.... Thriller

Where to even begin? Nothing is more frustrating as a writer when you get a review that makes no sense.
Today I was actually told my novel was a good mystery, but too much sex. If the person wanted a romance, they would have bought one...

Okay, let's address why this confuses me. If you read the description on amazon on all of my books, you'll find two things. 1) They are called ROMANCES. It's right there in bold print. 2) there is a disclaimer at the bottom of the description that warns you of the sexual content. I am simply put, a romance author. My books have a thriller twist, but for the most part are a ROMANCE.

Hmmmm....  For the life of me, this is befuddling. I'm frustrated as a writer on how I can be more clear on this detail. Don't get me wrong. I appreciate that it was called a good book, and a good mystery, but as a writer I'm here to please you the reader. I want every experience to be a fun one, and worthy of the hours it takes to read the book.

So how do I do it?
How do I make it perfectly clear that my books are first and foremost romances? I'm a romantic at heart and believe in the magic of love.

Can someone answer this for me?

Editing issues and reviews

Okay, it's been brought to my attention that there are some editing issues with the first book in my series The Killing Times. I've heard your comments and I'm going to take care of it this week. The book is going to be pulled and re-edited with a fresh set of eyes.

I apologize if this was a problem for any of my readers. I completely understand and get it, and want to make the reading experience as smooth as possible.

Generally, my reviews are good, and when I get a bad one, I take it very serious. If you the reader think the book is a little rough, then I'm going to work on fixing that. As for the sex in the book, I'm not touching it. Sorry. The language? I tend to slip and drop some profanity when I'm all stirred up and so does Elizabeth, so that's not going either. As for the killing details, yeah, sorry. That's not changing either. For a reader that actually believed book one to be gruesome, don't read the rest of the series. The first book is the least descriptive.  I don't plan on altering that either.
I know I can't please everyone, but I'll try to cover the majority.

It's being bumped up on my list this week to take care of it, and should be reissued and ready to go by next week. I'm also thinking of a new cover for the second edition. If I'm going in to fix it, then I'll address the issue of the cover artwork being blah.

Bear with me folks. I promise to get it taken care of ASAP.

Much love, murder and mayhem,

Morgan

 

Spin off series

As I sit here, I'm working on plotting my spin off from the FBI Thrillers. I still can't believe it came together this easily. It honestly happened  out of the blue. I gave life to two characters beginning in book three True Love Lost  and book four Deep Dark Mire  and poof! Julian Littlemoon and Special Agent Victoria Christensen were born and destined to be together.

When I created them, I only intended to have them be a storyline. I never thought they'd explode into their own series.
Well they have, because I fell in love with them too. I think if you're going to write a million plus words about a couple, you have to enjoy them and be in crazy mad love.

 As I finish Darkness in Truth  (book 6) this week, I'll begin their own series of books starting with Stolen by Moonlight (book 1). The story line is already bouncing around in my mind. Now I have to make them as much fun as Ethan, Elizabeth and Callen.

I'm going to attempt to have three books in the series out by Christmas. If there's nothing I hate more it is picking up a book, reading it, and the sequel is not out for nine more months. That's beyond frustrating!

Also as a note of mourning. I've killed off a character from the FBI series this week too. It was a hard decision, but back in December I just knew I had to do it.
This person had to die.
I hope the readers forgive me!


Much Love, Murder and Mayhem.

Morgan
 

When is it going too far?

Okay, here it is in a nutshell. If you read my books, you generally notice my prologue is a tad bit gruesome for the customary romance. That's why mine is a hybrid. I like to blend the two. I usually go 'balls to the wall' with the prologue, making it as realistically gross as possible, and then ease up the rest of the book.

I know some people don't like the nature of it all. I have a group of test subjects (AKA my friends) that I bounce the prologue off of often. When Tammy (proofer extraordinaire) calls me and is freaking out about a scene, it then gets tossed to my next two guinea pigs. Sarah and Holly. I don't often talk about my other girls, but today i'm going to for a change.

Prime example is the book Fire Burns Hot. Tammy calls freaking out that its beyond gross and she can't go any further. (Yeah, read my previous blog about me pushing her out of her comfort zone) What do I do? Panic? Cry? Curl into a ball and rock back and forth on my office floor?
Nope.
I send it to the back up team. Sarah and Holly get an email usually titled HELP!  I'm sure they cringe,knowing what's coming. I paste the whole damn thing in there and send it off.
Here's the general conversation:

Tammy: You went too far.
Me: You don't say. On what this time?
Tammy: Crispy skin with subcutaneous fat bubbling to the surface while her skin went taunt around her mouth.
Me: Hmmmmmm. Really? Because I thought I could have been worse.
Tammy: OMG!
Me: We've had this discussion before, didn't we?
Tammy: You need a second opinion. WAY too far this time.
Me: Okay.

I bang out an email begging for help from the other two ladies in my life.

Me: Guys, Tammy said I went too far. Did I?
Sarah: I read that and literally laughed. Here's my favorite part. 'Crispy skin with subcutaneous fat bubbling to the surface'. It's gross but so you. I love it.
Holly: Too far? No, not really.

If you knew my friends, you'd understand how funny this all is. Tammy is probably the wildest person I know. The girl makes me blush. But toss in some crispy skin and she's ready to break up with me. (I actually get money from her husband to make her nuts. Its pretty lucrative)

Sarah won't read my books in the dark. Yet Crispy skin with subcutaneous fat bubbling to the surface makes her laugh. I swear the woman is my sister from another uterus.

Holly is damn hysterical. Sometimes I want to gross her out just to see if it's possible. Even pregnant she has stronger stomach than I do. I swear she wants to chant 'more guts! more gore! Come on you sissy girl, kill them better than that! What are you? A man?'

Thank you ladies for bearing with me through it all and being an awesome set of women. I love you all and appreciate how you tolerate my craziness.

Needless to say, I apologize in advance if body soup or Crispy skin with subcutaneous fat bubbling to the surface freaks any of you readers out. I'd like to say I was going to tone it down, but let's be honest.

I just won't. I do promise if you make it past the prologue, it does get less gross and then into the romance and personal aspect of the book.

I swear!

Much love and Mayhem,
Morgan




 

Weekend is here.

Good morning!

It's a chilly day here in the Northeast of the country, but it's still a great day. Why you ask?
Because I'm more than halfway through the next novel. It's been a brutal week of 16 hour days and pushing myself through exhaustion. I've already logged an 80 hour work week in five days. One more week like that and I can wrap the book. YAY!

Thank you Caffeine Gods!

Today is also a free download day of The Killing Times  for the kindle on Amazon. I like to give it away once a month to friends of people who read the book and enjoyed it.

I've resolved a few loose ends in Darkness in Truth that were left hanging in book three True Love Lost.  I think I tied them up in a way that's going to make the reader happy. Then again, whenever I get too confident on what makes you all excited, I get surprised. I guess I should say that I'm happy with my vision of what's happened to the characters.

Today I'm also contemplating how long I plan on running the Elizabeth, Ethan and Callen story line. With two new projects on the table, I may have to cut back on how many novels I drop in the FBI series this year. Last year, I began this series and planned three for this year. Since last fall (six months ago) I've dropped five novels. Which isn't impossible, but at almost 200,000 words each, that's a lot of writing.

Rarely do I drop the cover before I release the book, but I thought i'd give you all a look at the next two planned covers. Here's my plan for Book five in the FBI series, Fire Burns Hot.

 

I also have the next cover planned for Darkness of Truth. It's still in the beginning stages of design.

I'm good with the cover art, but I still have to write the synopsis of the back cover. So ignore the gibberish. It's just there to fill the space.

 

 

I had originally changed the cover style for book five and my proofer, Tammy nearly went shit nuts on me. I kid you not. The first thing she said was "NOW it doesn't match the others." I will go on the record and say this once again. "You were right, Tammy." I shouldn't have screwed with the covers.

That being said, when I meet her this morning for bacon, she's going to be a happy girl.

 

I've found I've been telling her she's been right a lot lately.

Like every damn day. I am so off my game.

 

Okay, here's my random email question for the day. I like to toss one or three out there with every blog to reassure you all that I do read and answer them. It's me. I don't have an administrative assistant yet, and I can't get my cat to use spell check. So until he cooperates, i'm on my own.

 

Here we have it.

 

Why did you opt to blend the relationship between Callen, Ethan and Elizabeth? Is there a reason that you decided that a threesome would work in your books? ~ Jayne.

 

Okay, I get this question a lot. For those of you that haven't read past book 3 True love lost,  stop reading now! I may give away more than you want to know. Everyone is always fascinated with the idea that a couple can be more than just the customary man and woman. Whether it be a gay relationship or a threesome, it's always our nature to be fascinated with what isn't the norm. I wanted to show the reader that in literature, you could show a meaningful relationship between three people that didn't involve erotica. I decided to go with two brothers, because there was already that bond between them. Despite what happened between Ethan and Callen in their past, I wanted to prove that they could come together in life and love. To do this, I had to make sure Elizabeth was a strong central point. If the woman can't hold up to the overbearing, dominant male personas than it wouldn't work. I also went there to be outside the box. There are so many romances out there with guy meets girl, girl and guy have drama, guy sweeps her off her feet and they live happily ever after.

If you've read past book three, you realize I like my characters to have 'semi real' situations in their lives . Elizabeth is a normal woman. She had a life outside it all and she also has the same emotions as all of us. Anger, fear, weakness and strength.

I think that when we step outside the box, we open ourselves up to so much more in life, and I wanted my books to be different. I get pushback on the sanctity of marriage, on crossing the line and going too far. In fact, Tammy (my go to girl) nails me on it every book. If you could hear the conversations you'd probably laugh.

I found that when I put something into the book and it's outside her comfort zone, I've achieved my goal. When the phone rings and she tells me I made her squirm or uncomfortable than I hit it on the head. She's my barometer on going too far and not far enough. I have to admit when I stir her up I get a good giggle.

 

Much love and mayhem,

Morgan

              

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Progress. Progress. Progress and Emails.

Today is the fourth day in writing the new novel 'Darkness In Truth'.  I'm two hundred pages in and 60,000 words. I feel like my brain is mush. I can't even complete a thought. I won't bore you with the details, BUT I will tell you that I just killed off a character from a book.
Can't tell you who but I think it's a twist you'll all appreciate!

I did have some email questions today.
Here they are;

What TV shows do you watch and do they help you plan a book?
~ Marna

Believe it or not, I don't watch TV. I don't even have cable. I honestly don't have time. Don't get me wrong, I love a good episodes of Bones or NCIS, but I just don't sit down to watch them. I go to bed by nine p.m and am back up again at 2:30 to start working again.
I do tend to watch TV when I go away on vacation. It's my little luxury.

When you're not writing what are you doing?
~ Kirstin

Since September 2012 I've only taken two days off. One was Christmas and the other Valentine's Day. On Christmas I played with the kids and on Valentine's Day I played with the husband. Why should Elizabeth Blackhawk have all the fun. I get a great deal of crankiness from my proofer when I don't take time off. (She has ulterior motives. When I'm not working we go out to breakfast and gorge on bacon. When I am working, she gets the irritating text message from my phone telling her I'm busy)

Is Elizabeth anything like you, or you like her?
~ Sarah

* Insert laughter here *
I could only hope to be just like Elizabeth. I would love to be like her when I grow up! Other than the Black curly hair, body type and the height, Elizabeth and I have nothing in common. (My friends will tell you I'm sarcastic like her, but I just don't see it. *wink wink*)  Now, if you're referencing the two men, well that's a well guarded secret and if I tell you, then I have to ass kick you, Darlin'.
Oh Crap! Maybe I am just like her and I'm in total denial!
Let's look at the evidence.
Elizabeth loves a big greasy burger.       So do I.
Elizabeth owns cowboy boots.                So do I.
Elizabeth uses profanity frequently.        Yep, guilty.
Elizabeth is in love with Natives             I am Native.
Elizabeth has attitude issues                   Yeah Yeah
Elizabeth loves her Glock                       I'm a Ruger girl.
See there are differences! I am Not Elizabeth.


Thank you all for the emails. I look forward to them every day. I'll try to update the blog daily, but while I'm in book mode, I can't make promises.

Love, Murder and Mayhem
Morgan.



 

As per an email request. Book list

Today I woke to three emails asking for a complete list of my books in order.
I have them listed on my website www.morgankelley.com, but here they are again.

Stand alone Romance/Thrillers

The Junction

Serial Sins- This one is still available on Amazon, but with a different publisher I will be retaining      the ownership rights in January 2014 and it will be made available on Kindle and new book format.

Celestia's Falling  - out spring 2013

Romance/FBI series

The Killing Times (book 1)
Sacred Burial Grounds (book 2)
True Love Lost (book 3)
Deep Dark Mire (book 4)
Fire Burns Hot (book 5) - This one is with my proofer right now and will b released around the end of March or first week of April.
Darkness of Truth (book 6) - This one is being currently written and slotted to be completed late next week. Projected release is slotted for May or June.
Home Sweet Evil (book 7)-  This one is in outline phase and will be out early fall or Halloween, before I take a break for the holidays.

The Blood Series

The Blood Betrayal- This is book 1 in the vampyre series and the publishing rights aren't mine until 2016. At that time it will be re-released in new cover and kindle version.
The Blood Redemption (book 2)
The Blood Vengeance (book 3)
The Blood Retribution (book 4)
The Blood Seduction (book 5) - due out in the fall. September-ish
The Blood Sacrifice (book 6) Christmas release date.

There is a spin off series in the works for this year too. It's going to branch off from the Romance/FBI series.

The Private Investigator Series

Stolen by Moonlight- (book 1).


Magickal series trilogy.

Dark Elements - Book one - To be released in September.

Thank you for sending your emails! I love hearing from everyone and promise I will email you back, even if it's to just say thank you!

author.m.kelley@gmail.com


Murder and Love,

~Morgan







 

Negative review and what's on the agenda

Today I started working on book six in the FBI/Romance series. Darkness of Truth.
So far I've gotten twenty thousand words down. I'm aiming for my customary 190.000 words.
We're taking the assignment back to Red River, and for those of you that read 'True Love Lost' you know what I'm talking about. We're going to run into some of the characters that we met there the first time.
There's conflict and there's drama a plenty.
In this book, Elizabeth is pregnant again, and I won't spill the details since book five 'Fire Burns Hot' isn't out yet (Hang in there. It's due out by the end of the month) I wasn't due to release it until fall, but because the project ran so smoothly, it's out with the woman that runs my ass over the coals (AKA Tammy my proofer.)  She starts working on it tomorrow, and then cover is done and designed. YAY!
Anyway, I'm releasing book four in my vampire series this week The Blood Redemption too, so my plate if full.

I had a bunch of emails from some readers. They posed quite a few questions. One of my favorite was regarding the negative review The Killing Times got on amazon. Here's the answer to that one.
Clearly, the reader was disappointed in the fact that it was heavy on the romance. Yeah, romance books are like that. If they had less romance, they wouldn't be a romance. Anyone that scrolls down to the details of the book can see its classified Then there was the comment about the depth of the characters. Well, you see... When you write a series of books, if you give it all away in the first book then why write sequels?
The whole point of this series is to watch Elizabeth, Ethan and Callen unfold before us. If I put their entire life story in one book, then that would be one hell of a BIG read. The Killing Times is the smallest in the series, at 389 pages. Every book after is at least 500 pages. Depth of character develops over the entire time frame. Not just in the first book.
While I appreciate everyone's opinion on my books, ultimately I know where they're heading from the beginning. Do I lose sleep over the negative?
Nope. If anything it helps me understand the perspective of the reader.
Writing is a craft and even the best have room for improvement.

Off to kill some people and hide the bodies for Elizabeth, Ethan and Callen!


Update on the proofing of Fire Burns Hot. I just had a call from Tammy, my wonder woman. She scared the bejezuz out of me. Apparently, the prologue was a tad bit gruesome.
Yay! (I apologize Tammy, but this isn't your first rodeo. Get back on the horse and get to reading!)
I do like riling up the readers at the beginning of the book, and then soothing it over with a sex and love band-aid!!!