time Archives - MirandaShanklin.com

Getting back out there

February 19, 2017 / Miranda Shanklin / Leave a comment

When I pulled the Soul Series down so I could re-edit it, I didn’t think out the fact that I have issues with formatting ebooks. I can do the print books with no problem. Sure they take time, but I can do it. When it comes to the ebooks though, I can’t seem to figure it out.

When I did the first two I was able to fumble my way through and get them up on Amazon but still had a few issues. Thankfully, I found an author friend that is helping me now! She is formatting my ebooks for me at a very reasonable price! That means the ones on Amazon are fixed and I got them uploaded to Smashwords, Barnes and Noble and Kobo today!!

To top off this good news I got an email from my editor telling me that she is almost done with book 3. She has it for final read through so that means when I get it back it won’t take me long to make the few corrections and get it out! Things are moving along there.

I am starting a new book that has nothing to do with the series as well that I hope to have out this year. It is about a girl that struggles with depression and how she deals with it. It won’t be all depression, I promise! Her life will have plenty of ups and downs, funny and sad, light and dark. I plan to balance it out and keep you intrigued! I plan to have that out in the next few months if all goes well.

Well, I better get to it if I plan to get all this done!

~Miranda

Pieces of the Heart Release

February 14, 2017 / Miranda Shanklin / Leave a comment

Get your copy today!!! All proceeds from this anthology go to autism research. I am so excited to be a apart of this project.

Fifteen incredible authors have come together with stories of love, passion, pain, and triumph in support of Autism research. Pieces of the Heart by Authors for Autism is a collection of romance short stories of various genre and styles. Contemporary, fantasy, comedy, and drama, all combined in an assembly of sweet short reads to fill your heart with emotion. All of the proceeds of every sold copy of Pieces of the Heart will be donated toward Autism Research. This is a cause near and dear to every author involved in this project, and they are all excited to share these beautiful stories with all of you.

Maggie Adams- Guilty Pleasures
Shannon Bell- Not Your Average Prince Charming
Robbie Cox-Author- Another Page
Chrys Fey- Cancer Can’t
Joan Hazel- Show, Don’t Tell
Violet Howe- Breaking the Promise
Brenda Hunt- A Love for Sarah
Sam J D Hunt- Nicco the Eternal
Elaine Kaye- All Aboard
Tamsyn L. Key- Hunted
Michelle Louise- The Will to Love Again
Tara Ann Moore- Marigold
J. Nichole Parkins- The Girl in the Well
Cherron Riser- Through Frozen Shadows
Miranda Shanklin- I Got Scared

Here is the link to Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Pieces-Heart-Authors-Cherron-Riser-ebook/dp/B01N7SOAJ5/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1487037969&sr=8-3&keywords=pieces+of+the+heart

Join us for the release party on Facebook on Thursday 2/16/17. There are so many amazing authors lined up all day and evening. https://www.facebook.com/events/154670471688547/?acontext=%7B%22source%22%3A4%2C%22action_history%22%3A%22%5B%7B%5C%22surface%5C%22%3A%5C%22group%5C%22%2C%5C%22mechanism%5C%22%3A%5C%22surface%5C%22%2C%5C%22extra_data%5C%22%3A%5B%5D%7D%5D%22%2C%22has_source%22%3Atrue%7D&source=4&action_history=%5B%7B%22surface%22%3A%22group%22%2C%22mechanism%22%3A%22surface%22%2C%22extra_data%22%3A%5B%5D%7D%5D&has_source=1

Pieces of the Heart Cover Reveal!!

January 17, 2017 / Miranda Shanklin / Leave a comment

I am participating in an anthology that will be released on February 14, 2017. All the proceeds will go to Surfers for Autism. I am very excited about this book!! I am so honored to be a part of this project. My contribution in this book is titled I Got Scared. It is a contemporary romance. Not my usual paranormal romance but I loved writing it and it is a story that is very special to me as it is dedicated to and based off a very special person to me.

I am in love with the cover! We worked together and had some amazing choices! It was hard to pick. We did finally come to a decision and it was even harder to wait until it was time for the cover reveal. I didn’t even download it to my computer until the weekend before so I wouldn’t be tempted to share it early. I know you are just as excited as I am to get to the best part of this blog post and are ready for the cover reveal. So here it is 🙂

Make sure you pre-order!! Here is the Link:

https://www.amazon.com/Pieces-Heart-Authors-Cherron-Riser-ebook/dp/B01N7SOAJ5/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1484586132&sr=1-3&keywords=Pieces+of+the+Heart

My own two feet

October 26, 2016 / Miranda Shanklin / Leave a comment

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

It’s all in how you look at it

April 25, 2016 / Miranda Shanklin / Leave a comment

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

Remember what?

April 4, 2016 / Miranda Shanklin / Leave a comment

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

Re-Release of Soul Journey

March 21, 2016 / Miranda Shanklin / Leave a comment

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

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

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!

March 21, 2016 / Miranda Shanklin / Leave a comment

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

Rollercoaster

March 14, 2016 / Miranda Shanklin / Leave a comment

This week has been a very emotional one. Some of it made me so proud and some very sad. I have had a rollercoaster of emotions week.

I have finally gotten caught up at work after the unplanned week off for my surgery. That was a great feeling of relief. I hate to miss work. I know my boss depends on me and there is so much that is just on hold if I am not there. He pays me very well to do the job he needs me to. I love my job and am emotionally involved in the cases. While my boss is very patient and understanding about what I have been going through he also needs me to be there and have my full attention. I am proud of the work that I do. I am human and I do make mistakes but I try to keep those a few as possible. Therefore my boss knows he can depend on me and I am very proud of that fact.

We had to say goodbye to someone that was a very important part of my children’s childhood. She was someone who I have known for a long time. As she took care of my children while I worked I came to consider her a good friend. It was very hard to say goodbye. Our whole family went to pay our respects and say our final goodbye.

I finished the edits on Soul Journey. I was so very stressed about finishing this up. As I was making the final edits and doing my final read through I was desperately trying to find every last mistake or typo. It was like I was publishing it for the first time all over again. I have expanded scenes, added new scenes, reduced scenes and taken scenes out. It is still the same story line but told in a better way.

I then learned how to format my book. I had paid someone to do my formatting for me the first time. This time Savannah took the time to sit down with me for a whole Saturday and teach me how to format. I love to learn new skills so I was excited for this. It was so much easier than I thought it would be. I was so relieved to see that it was more time and detail than actual work. Don’t get me wrong it is definitely work, but once you figure it out it’s not as hard as I thought it would be.

On Saturday I had a very busy and stressful day. As the assistant coach for my daughter’s competition dance team I am always stressed on a competition day. We have taught the girls what they needed to know. We have been making corrections on their dances for the last few weeks. We have given them all that they need to be successful (aside from the amazing talent they provide for themselves) and it was time to get on stage and shine. As I was getting my daughter ready I was watching to make sure that the other mothers were doing alright. I flitted around giving advise and showing them how to do something if they were struggling.

It was time for the girls to go on stage. I was so proud of each and every one of them. They all did an amazing job! While I am very proud of them all, as a mother I had to feel a special intense pride for my daughter. Their group numbers did very well but her solo performance had me tearing up in the audience. She never wants me backstage with her when she is waiting to go on stage. She wants me in the audience watching her. As I sat and watched her do her dance with all the skill she has I was so proud of her that it brought tears to my eyes. She performed her dance and lit up the stage.

Of course with my health problems my busy and stressful day on Saturday and the stress of the rest of the week came with a price. Yesterday I did laundry and not much else. I did have my best friend come over and teach me how to do makeup. For the villains ball in April she had to teach me how to do the makeup for my character. She also taught me how to do a smoky eye. I have never been good at eye makeup and needed the lesson.

This week should be a normal week so I can get back in my routine and prepare for Atlanta. Just waiting on the last shipment of books and then I can start to get everything packed up and ready to go.

Til next time, remember to stop and enjoy the things that make you the happiest.

~ Miranda

It’s almost time!

March 7, 2016 / Miranda Shanklin / Leave a comment

As you all know I have been working on revisions and polishing the Soul Series. Well yesterday I was taught how to format it! Formatting is one of the last steps in the process. That means that it will be coming out very soon!

This is exciting news for 2 reasons. The first being that I will be uploading the 2nd edition of Soul Journey this week! The second being that you only have a limited time to grab your copy of the 1st edition of all the books. I will be pulling the 1st editions of ALL OF THE BOOKS IN THE SERIES. If you want a 1st edition better get it now because they will all be gone this week!

I am excited that this process is in the last leg for book 1. I am also anxious about the rest of them. Book 2 is in the editing phase and will be coming out soon. The schedule I have worked out will have the books coming out about a month from the one before it. I have it all planned to where all the books will be released before the Writers on the River Event I am participating in on July 9, 2016.

While this is an exciting time it is also a busy time. To get all of this done I will be working quite a bit until it is done. I don’t mind and actually enjoy this working! I love making the books the best they can be!

I know this is a short post but I gotta get back at it so I can stay on schedule!

~ Miranda