This week only, for less than the price of a cup of coffee, you can read the #1 International Bestselling Fantasy, Necromancer Awakening. This special price will end on Thursday, so download your copy today!
See what the critics have been raving about!
UPDATED JULY 2, 2017
Writing is not a solitary endeavor. Not by a long shot. When a writer finishes a draft of a story, it is usually impossible for them to be objective about what they’ve written. Beta readers take a recently completed story and view it with a level of objectivity that the writer does not possess.
But if you’ve never worked with a beta reader before, you shouldn’t jump in blindly. Beta readers can help you bring focus to your story in ways you never imagined. But they can also be less-than-helpful if you’re not specific in your directions. Worse, they can be downright problematic if you’re not careful.
In this article, I’ll go over the four things every writer should know about beta readers before involving them in your project.
[Update Jan. 5, 2021: I’ve updated the pronouns used throughout this article to be more consciously aware and sensitive to Eddie’s chosen pronouns. Please leave a comment if you happen to come across any I missed.]
Many of you are aware that I had the opportunity to see Eddie Izzard in concert last week as part of her “Force Majeure” tour. What I didn’t mention on social media that night, however, is that I had the great privilege of attending a Q&A session with her after the show.
Most of the questions that evening were the usual, non-professional interview type questions: What’s the one thing you’d tell your younger self if you could go back to the past? What inspired you to become a comedian? What shade of lipstick do you wear? You know…the usual. But the last question of the evening made me devote my full attention to the answer.
Times are tough, and sometimes a book that costs $2.99 is just too far out of reach. As a former Pizza Hut employee and bingo ball caller, please believe me when I say I understand that completely. I’d like to help, at least for a short period of time, because I believe in this story, and I want as many people as possible to experience it!
I’m happy to announce that Necromancer Awakening is on sale now for $0.99 on Amazon. I’ll leave that price up until sometime tomorrow night (Monday night). At that point, the price change will be in Amazon’s hands, and anywhere from 1 hour to 12 hours later it will return to its regular price of $2.99.
So please grab your copy now! It’s very rare that I plan these things in advance, and I don’t know when or even if I’ll be doing it again!
Choosing the right point of view (PoV) for your story is the most important—and sometimes the most challenging—decision you will make before you begin the writing process. It isn’t a decision to take lightly. Through your story’s point of view, your reader will experience your world, your story, your characters, and your very purpose for writing the story to begin with.
It’s a good idea to become familiar with the various point-of-view options before you set about creating your masterpiece.
[Updated September 20, 2018]
Nothing strikes fear into the heart of a writer quite like these two words: Writer’s Block. Whether you’ve been writing for 20 days or 20 years, you’re likely to find yourself staring blankly at the computer screen eventually. But, what’s the solution?
In my writing journey, I’ve come across at least 8 things you can do right now to break through that feeling of emptiness and helplessness.
Hello Necromancers! Remember me? Mel Massey, author of the EARTH’S MAGICK series has invaded the lair of the Necromancer once again. The next installment for the EARTH’S MAGICK series just came out – DECKER. It’s a companion novel to the series, all about the life of one of the part human characters named Decker. He’s over 2,000 years old and has a penchant for fighting (and beheading folks). As well as a desire to train Mela, the main character of the EARTH’S MAGICK series, in all things pertaining to war.
After I wrote DECKER, I had to submit the cover art information to my publisher. I knew I wanted Decker to be on the cover – correction – I wanted him to be the cover. However, that was a tall order. Decker is an ancient warrior with a unique description. I knew the limitations of the cover artists. What was I to do? I asked myself if I could compromise on the cover. The answer was no. However, I didn’t want to be THAT author and make unreasonable demands on the artists either. So, I went shopping for my very own artist.
Decker Book Cover, by artist Dustin Compton
I posted to Facebook asking people to send me artwork, or friends who were artists. I received a few options but nothing really jumped out and smacked me. Then, I received a message from Dustin Compton along with his website address saying he’d be happy to discuss working together. I was blown away by his work. Dustin is a horror artist and his creations were dark and macabre. Just the way I wanted the cover for DECKER to look. I was terrified to ask what he charged. I sent him an idea of what I wanted then waited. I was preparing myself for a letdown because I knew I didn’t want to spend $100’s or $1,000’s of dollars. When he wrote me back and quoted me his price, I was over the moon. I could do that! How exciting! What a relief…
Dustin and I worked together for weeks talking about Decker, talking about options for coloring, pose, swords, everything. He was a joy to work with. Along the way, he sent me his work in progress sketches, and was very patient as I oohed and ahhed over them. Then asked for changes. Ha! We finally had the amazing image you see on the cover of DECKER after a month or so of back and forth. That’s exactly how I envisioned my beloved warrior to look. I sent it to my publisher and the rest is history. I’ve received loads of compliments on this cover and I feel the need to toot Dustin’s horn now. His talents brought my Decker to life and he deserves a lot of credit for that. Therefore, I sent Dustin a few questions I thought the rest of you might want to know about him, his work and his business. Here you go:
[UPDATED 8/16/2014]
In a recent article I wrote that detailed the various lessons I learned from publishing my book Necromancer Awakening (now an Amazon Bestselling fantasy), I stated that having a platform is every bit as important as you’ve heard it is. Since that article was written, I’ve received countless questions asking me how I did it.
Because ziggurats are cool, and I like to say “Chichen Itza”.
In this article, I’ll show you some basic steps you can take to get started on building your own platform.
[Updated April 29, 2020]
I was asked to participate in the “Writer’s Process Blog Tour” by a wonderful friend (and #1 bestselling author!) Nicholas Rossis, author of the Pearseus epic fantasy series. When you get a chance, take a moment to visit him at http://www.nicholasrossis.com/.
Thanks, also, to JL Morse for including me in the tour!
The Writer’s Process Blog Tour requires that I answer 4 questions about my process and works. In today’s post, I’ll take a stab at those 4 questions in the hope of shedding some light on the rusty innards of my mind.
There are few things more elusive in the craft of writing than the notion of “Voice”. But what many new writers fail to grasp is that “Voice” is far more than just what a character says. It’s about how they say it and how they feel about the world around them.
In other words, it’s at least partially about their attitude.
You have an attitude. You may not realize it, but you have one. I’m sure you’ve heard the words “don’t give me that attitude!” on more than one occasion. I’m willing to bet you’ve answered a question with a smile on your face, all the while concealing the seething rage beneath your calm exterior.
Am I right? Of course I am! I’m human! Attitude is a major part of what defines our very existence.
So just what is this elusive attitude, and how do we go about achieving it in fiction?
