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My own two feet

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As of November 1 I will no longer be an author with Eclectic Bard Books. I will once again be standing on my own two feet. This was not a decision I came to lightly. It was not due to an argument or some dramatic scene. It was simply due to where my journey is taking me. We are parting on good terms and I am still friends with all of the authors.

I will cherish the time that I spent with EBB. They have taught me so much. There was so much that I didn’t know about being an author. You might ask, why leave? Because, even though they have taught me and if I continued to stay would continue to teach me, I have to follow my instincts. My instincts were telling me it was time to move on. Everyone has their own path and this was not mine.

I have been absent from the “author scene” for a while so that I could deal with some health issues. Those health issues seem to be getting under control so I hope to be able to focus more on my books now. Now that I am back, I feel that the right move for me is to focus solely on my books and that is not possible if I am not an Indie Author. Therefore, I left EBB to go back to where I felt I needed to be.

I have so many plans for the future. I hope to be able to accomplish all that I have rambling around in this head! If only there were more hours in the day!

~Miranda

Exciting things are happening

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Alright, I know I said I wouldn’t disappear again. But, I promise I will make it up to you! Books 3-5 in the Soul Series should be back out soon YAY!!

The really exciting news is that I am setting up a photo shoot for the covers of the Guardians of the Origin Trilogy!!! The spin-off trilogy will have covers with people that I have picked (not models but real life people that we can all relate to) in a location that is picked by me to represent the books. I am very excited about this. I get to bring my books to life in the way that I see it in my head!!

As soon as I get books 3-5 in the Soul Series back out I can get back to work on the Guardians of the Origin books. I have drafts of books 1 and 2 done. I still have to go back through them and they still need edited but it won’t be too long before I will be able to get them out for you. That will give me time to work on book 3 in the trilogy.

Book 3 might take me a little longer. I will be saying goodbye to all of these characters and I want to take my time and do it right. You deserve to have a fantastic ending to this family’s story.

I will try to be better about posting on here. I know you like to be kept up to date on what is going on. Sometimes there just are not enough hours in the day!

I’m still here

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I know it has been a while since I have posted on here. I am still here working away. I am getting the Soul Series re-edited and it is almost ready to be re-released. It will be coming back out soon! I am very excited!!

Meanwhile the Guardians of the Origin Trilogy will be coming out at the end of this year or beginning of next year. I a setting up the photo-shoots for the covers and getting the first two books ready to go to the editor and will be starting on the last book. It is all very exciting.

Now that I have my computer back and I only have one more conference this year, I will have plenty of time to get some writing done. My writing was kind of put on the back burner while I was going through the re-edits and I didn’t realize that didn’t need to happen. That was my mistake. Now I am ready to jump back in the saddle and get things moving again! I can’t wait to get these books out in your hands.

Back to doing what I love, writing, so you can get back to doing what you love, reading.

~Miranda

I love you Mom!

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I did a similar post on Eclectic Bard’s site today. The difference is that one was about moms in general. This one is all about my mom!

While growing up we fought a lot like most mother’s and daughters do. I had a mouth that didn’t know when to stop and she would get really frustrated with that. When I look back at my teenage years I wonder how I made it out alive and without her strangling me!

I was not one of those teens that were always in trouble (I left that to my brothers) but I was stubborn and wanted things my way. What I failed to realize is that I got my attitude and stubbornness from her. She had more years with it than I did so of course she was better. I never had a chance.

When I moved out of the house I started to realize how much she had always done for me. I looked around at all the work it took to keep a house going and when I realized that I was going to have to do it because there wasn’t anyone else I was in awe of how much my mom actually did.

When I moved out the first time it didn’t work out. The details of that disaster are not important here. She opened her arms at 3:00 a.m. when I showed up on her porch with tears streaming down my face. She got me calmed down and situated and helped me through the hardest thing I had gone through at that point. Now don’t look at my dad thinking he stood by. He was right there by her side helping me deal with it all. He even went with me to get my stuff a few days later, but this is a post about my mom not my dad.

When I got engaged she was so excited for me. She wasn’t able to have the wedding of her dreams so she was determined to make sure that I did. She was right there for the whole process. Her and I made centerpieces for the tables, she made my veil and was right there making sure that the decisions were made by me and nobody else. If I asked for her help in deciding the answer was always “This is your wedding you do it the way that you want to.” I would then make the decision and we would move on.

I was going to include a picture of my mom and I together but soon realized I don’t have any. She was always behind the camera making sure that she captured important memories for us. I am going to have to remedy this and get some pictures with one of the most important people in my life.

I could go on forever about how great my mom is but I’m sure that you don’t want to read forever about how much I love my mom. So I will leave you with this. I obviously love my mom more than I could ever show her. Make sure that you show your mom how much you love and appreciate her. Tomorrow is never promised. I would be lost without my mom and refuse to even think about it.

It’s all in how you look at it

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As you all know I am in the process of getting the Soul Series re-edited and re-released. The books in that series are all in different stages of that process. As those get the attention that they need I can also start looking at the spin off trilogy again. I have told you that the first two books are already done and just have to go through the editing process. What I haven’t spelled out for you is that I left the third one not started on purpose. I wanted to wait until I could give it the focus that it needs. It will not only be closing the door on the trilogy but also on the series. This will be the final goodbye to the characters that we have all come to love.

I have a contemporary romance that I have eluded to in the past that is still rambling around in my head. I also left this one on hold on purpose. This book will be the last romance story I write. I plan on moving onto paranormal suspense from there. While I enjoy a good romance story I don’t want my books to fall into the trap of being the same book over and over again with only minor changes. I plan to move on before that can be a possibility.

While I am working on all of this, it affords me the time I need for research. There are so many aspects I want to include in my paranormal suspense series and I need to do a lot of research to make sure that I get it all right.

I have a growing stack of books and I have started sitting with actual books armed with a highlighter and page tabs. My family is watching this new development with confusion. I am usually not one to mark in a book and I throw a fit if they even turn the corner of a page down. To see me highlighting and tabbing pages is something they are not used to.

Of course some of the books I bought only for research so I am fine with highlighting passages in them. The ones that I bought for both research and enjoyment only get the page tabs. I use the post-it page tabs so they will not damage the book in any way and I can write on them to know what is in that section of the book.

Although it is hard for my family to understand,  I have to read these books before I can finally start on the series that I am really excited about. I will be diving into a paranormal suspense series within the next few months. I have a lot that I want to get done but I think I will have the time I need to accomplish it all.

It would be great to not have to work at the day job and focus on my writing and all that goes into it I am not to that point……yet. I plan to be there but it takes time. While I am working my way to that I have to factor in the time for the day job and schedule things out further to assure I have the time to get it all done. For that reason I am not giving an estimated time for any of my other works. I plan to have the series re-released before the July event of Writers on the River but other than that I don’t have a timeline. I ask for your patience as I get back into the groove of it all.

For now I am happy to be progressing and hope you will all be as excited about the new projects I am working on as I am!

~Miranda

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Redemption and Regrets by L.A. Cotton

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RedemptionAndRegrets

 

teaser 1

Four years ago, I had everything. All it took was the snap of his fingers and he ripped it out from under me.

Betrayed, by my own father.

His enemies want me dead and old allies want me back in their ranks to help take what’s owed. And while I’m trying to figure out what I want, there’s her. The one I watch from the shadows, afraid to bare myself to her—the real me.

Hard. Cold. Deadly.

She should fear me—Braiden Donohue—but I’m not the only one keeping secrets, and I must discover what she’s hiding.

Before it’s too late.

Redemption will be afforded, regrets will be atoned.

Welcome back to Chastity Falls.

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My review:

I have loved this series from the first book. I am sad to say goodbye after this final book. The author did an amazing job of continuing the story.

I thought I would have a hard time getting into this book as I never liked Braiden. I was wrong. This book did the same as the others and grabbed me from the very beginning and holding on tight until the end!

I was finally able to connect to Braiden and was along for the ride as he discovered who he was and found something to hold onto to bring him out of his isolation. As he slowly finds himself I found myself hoping he would come out on the other side a better person.

I have loved this series and hope that you all enjoy it as much as I did!

5 stars

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Loyalty and Lies #1
Salvation and Secrets #2
Tribulations and Truths #3
Chastity Falls Box Set #1-3

*EXCERPT*

I turned to look at her and our eyes connected, locking on each other’s. Her cheeks flushed with color and I liked the way it looked against her pale skin. Cara dropped her eyes for a second before they flickered up to my mouth.

“I was pissed when you tried to save me earlier. I don’t need saving, Braiden.” Her eyes didn’t move from my mouth as she spoke, and my heart slammed against my chest over and over.

Cara might not have needed saving … but I did.

I inched closer to her until our noses almost touched. “I’m not the good guy, Cara,” I warned her.

She should stay away from me. I was no good for her. People got hurt around me. I hurt people.

Cara closed the gap, pressing her lips to mine. For those first few seconds, I froze, unable to move. But like a small spark igniting a fire, I became lost in the feel of her mouth moving over mine, and somewhere deep inside me, a switch flipped. Hooking an arm around the curve of her waist, I pulled Cara flush to me, causing her to yelp into my mouth. Our tongues clashed, fighting for control. I could feel her anger and frustration with every lick and touch. She was taking her shit out on me, and I was more than happy to oblige. She tasted too fucking good to stop, like coffee and strawberry bubble gum. I dug my fingers into her waist, needing her to be closer as our lips explored and nipped and dueled for dominance.

“God, I knew we were the same. I knew you understood me,” Cara murmured into my mouth. But I heard her. I heard every damn word, and they hit me like a bucket of ice water.

“Stop, we have to stop.” I released my hold on her and pulled away, putting some space between us. The flush in her cheeks had spread down her neck and I wanted to taste her right where her jawline met the underside of her ear, but I couldn’t.

I wouldn’t.

This had gone far enough. Cara thought we were the same.

We were nothing alike.

She was just a girl seeking independence, wanting to break away from her father’s rule and live her own life.

And I was the guy fathers warned their daughters about.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
L.A is author of contemporary romance novels ranging from sweet with just a hint of steam, to suspenseful reads full of angst, tension, twists and turns. Home is a small town in the middle of England where she currently juggles being a full-time mum to two little people with writing. In her spare time (and when she’s not camped out in front of the laptop) you’ll most likely find L. A immersed in a book, escaping the chaos that is life.

Remember what?

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As you have probably been able to tell, I have gotten a little scatterbrained lately. I am adjusting to the new medicine for my fibro while also getting everything at work done so things will run smooth while I am gone and packing. I think I need to simplify or focus on one thing at a time.

I have everything rounded up and packed with the exception of my bathroom bag because I will need that stuff. My hubby will miss me while I am gone but I am sure he is ready for me to leave already so he doesn’t have to keep hearing me say, I feel like I am forgetting a lot of stuff. He keeps reassuring me that I have it and we will do one final check as we load up the car tomorrow.

I gave up on trying to do edits last week when I kept reading the same sentence and did not know what needed to be fixed but just wasn’t understanding what I was reading. You can’t critically read while your mind is so distracted.

I managed to get everything at work done. I feel comfortable with leaving things the way they are right now. I’m pretty sure I will not get very many texts while I am gone.

I will always have the feeling of forgetting things no matter what I do, but I am pretty certain that the hubby has made sure that  have everything I need. He double checks me to make sure that I actually did what I said I was going to instead of mentioning I need to and then not actually do it.

I am so excited for this trip! I can’t wait to be on my way tomorrow. Things will be quite on here until I get back but I will be back with many things to tell you about.

~Miranda

Revised and making the rounds

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I know that you are all well aware that I am revising the Soul Series. The first book has been re-released and I am now trying to make the rounds with it.

I am much more organized this time around. I have a list going of which blogs I have submitted requests for a review too. I have the way that I sent the request, the date of the request, whether it was accepted and if so what day I sent the book to them, and if they did not respond.

As reviews are so very important this is a very crucial task.  I always feel so weird contacting people saying will you please read my book and tell me what you think. But, no matter how I feel about it I am still getting it done.

Everything is moving right along and hopefully will be back in circulation soon.

I know this is a short post but as I am preparing to leave in one week for Atlanta I don’t have a lot of extra time as my boss actually expects me to work this week LOL just kidding Sean 😉

~ Miranda

Re-Release of Soul Journey

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The second edition of Soul Journey is now available on Amazon!!!

 

 

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Get your copy of the revised book!! Some scenes have been expanded and there are some new scenes that have been added as well!

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It has been many lifetimes since the cycle began.

The cycle that still haunts Annisa Lawson.

A spell cast in desperation to help, which only caused heartache.

Now, Annisa has found her way out of the varying repeats of her past; only to bring more danger to herself, and those around her. Now she must learn to survive with the help of her friends: Chase, Penelope, and Landon have all gone through each life cycle with Annisa. Sometimes helping, sometimes hindering. Now that Annisa has broken the cycle of their collective punishment, she finds that she needs her friends more than ever to keep their enemies, known, and unknown, at bay. As the group of friends learn of their souls’ journeys through their many life cycles, they must also learn to control the magick they have discovered within themselves and each other, in order to defeat the most feared assassin in their world.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Soul-Journey-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00N7T7CX4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458573051&sr=8-1&keywords=Miranda+Shanklin

Spring!

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Spring has always been my favorite season. I love watching the trees and flowers start to bud and come out of hibernation. The animals get more active as the weather gets warmer. We come out of the cold and isolated into the warmth and reconnecting with people.

There are many people who can’t handle not having the sun and being cold for extended periods of time. I can see how that can be an issue. I try to stay home as much as I can and not get out in the cold any more than I have to.

Now that it is getting warmer and everything is starting over, so am I. My busy schedule keeps me running to try and keep up. I need to simplify so I can enjoy everything instead of constantly worrying about what I need to do next.

My health is not the best and I refuse to let it keep me down. Somewhere in that struggle I started to take on more than I had time for. It was like I was getting back at my body and show it that I will do what I want no matter how many times it tries to take me down.

This is all a catch 22. I try to do more to keep moving and try to keep some the pain and stiffness from setting in. However, the more stress I am under the worse my body will react. I am still working on that balance. It is not an easy task but I will eventually get there.

I am taking this Spring to be my new start as well. Now that we are on the road to maintaining my treatments and I am feeling better after the surgery, I can start to enjoy and do what I want to do. I am not going to stress myself out about telling someone I can’t help them. If I can’t then I can’t if they are my friend they will understand and simply move on and ask another friend for the help.

Remember to stop and enjoy your surroundings as they come to life after their long winter nap.

~ Miranda

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