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