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About Mel Stone
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Author Updates
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Blog postThankfully, this author is not on chapter one! She's on chapter 20. And she is so dang close! She's scared to put out a release date because she's positive that she'll miss it. (But August is her goal!)
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Blog postI know that when you release a book into the world, the world becomes its editor.
I know I'm just begging for my reviews and inbox to be full of people wanting to set me straight.
Word tried to autocorrect me.
Google told me I'm wrong.
So did the Cambridge dictionary, Collins, MacMillan, and dictionary.com.
They all say the phrase is, "chip off the old block".
But that's not what it was in 1825.
I have been heavily relying on G -
Blog postThe groundwork has been laid. The characters are in position. Let the haunting begin! I'm excited to start into the actual "Ghost" part of The Ghost of Spring. To keep me in a spooky mood I've been reading ghost stories, listening to spooky podcasts, watching scary shows all month. It's like Halloween in spring!
Who do I turn to for my spookfest?
Stories - Darcy Coates. Her short scary stories are amazing, and I'll never look at mannequins the same way.
Podca -
Blog postThe almighty word count. Did you know my first book, The House that Death Built, was originally over 170,00 words? Yeah, that was a behemoth that I whittled down to 112,00 words. And I was told it was still too big.
But you know what? I trust readers.
I trust them to make the final call on if a book was too big and boring or too small and not enough and after reading reviews for the last 6 months, trust me, you guys don't pull ANY punches. :)
My boss at my 'real-life I -
Blog postOriginally I wanted to title my next book The Ghosts of Winter. I Googled it and was quickly shown that the title I wanted had been used. A lot.
Today I'm happy to announce the title reveal of The Ghost of Spring. I don't have a release date yet, but I promise it will be this year. I'll keep giving updates as they happen.
Lilacs will play a big part in the next book. I love lilacs. It smells like spring and life to me. Growing up, my Grandmother had a huge hedge of lilacs and -
Blog postI can't believe I forgot to give you guys a link here on my blog. Someone should fire the entire marketing department! Oh wait, that's me. :)
Anywhooooo, I have copies available for From the Ashes of June here: https://booksprout.co/arc/54523/from-the-ashes-of-june
I've been debating with myself with the current climate on how hard I should be pushing this book. It's a bit of a sensitive subject at the moment. But I feel it's a tale that needs to be told. It's about those who -
Blog postWhat a ride this year has been! I published my debut novel, The House that Death Built, and 5 months later I published a prequel novella From the Ashes of June. That was tough. Probably won't do it again. EVER.
I am so thankful to fans who leave me nice reviews and emails and messages that you like my work. It makes ALL the difference between a good day and a bad one. And this year has had plenty of bad days to share.
I've learned a lot this year about writing, marketing, prod -
Blog postOne of the best parts of writing mysteries is the clues. You want to leave just enough to make the reader intrigued, but not informed. You want to push them to read more, to find out why, and by the end of the story you'd better have answered all clues or they will let you know.
They let me know.
Dear readers, I didn't leave a big enough answer for a clue I left you. And I'm sorry. Many readers of The House that Death Built have posted in their reviews they didn't get their qu -
Blog postIt finally happened. Last night I turned on the furnace. Thermostat wars 2020 between me and my hubby have officially begun.
The holiday season is about to begin. It's going to be different this year than from any other. Different doesn't mean bad, just different. It's a difficult lesson that I'm learning and hopefully, you've embraced it with less kicking and screaming than I have.
My free novella, From the Ashes of June, is still a go for next month. In the meantime, I wante -
Blog postBack in the day, I used to write fanfic with some fabulous life long friends. One of us took it upon herself to be our editor. (Bless her face, that was awesome of her.) And every time she gave back my manuscript it was dripping with red ink. Bleeding. I always felt a little frustrated with my notes.
Now that friend is a NYT Bestselling author, (You are amazing, BoJam, I LOVE YOU!) and I look on those pages of red ink with fondness, because she was (and is) a friend that wants me to s -
Blog postI'm almost finished with the rough draft of "From the Ashes of June". And it is really rough! I've never done anything like this before. The amount of research and the emotional toll of writing about people being horrible to one another has been hard on my brain. I've only been able to write a couple of hours a day before throwing up the white flag. Today I came to the pinnacle of the historical setting, 'Black Wednesday'.
June 7th, 1780 was the day the King gave permission -
Blog postMel, where's our free story?
It's coming!! I promise!!
This is about Sophie and Nathaniel (You all remember Sophie right?)
It takes place during the Gordon Riots of London in 1780. I almost shelved it because of what is going on right now in the world, but my author friends smacked me upside the head and said, "It needs to be told!"
So here we are, and it's been an emotional rollercoaster for me to write. Instead of putting in my usual hours of writin -
Blog postMy second biggest passion after writing is fiber arts. I love the feel, the smell, the absolute warmth you have just by looking at someone else's creation. One of the tropes I dislike is a heroine's disdain for needle arts, that she's somehow enlightened because she eschews that what every other woman does.
UGH!
Fiber arts is an amazing legacy passed down to all women from their mothers, grandmothers, great grandmothers, and beyond. It's something to embrace. I love taking a s -
Blog postIt finally happened. My first critical review.
I've been waiting for it, anticipating it, bracing for it.
And it still threw me for a loop.
You hated the characters, that's ok. You hated the story or how it ended, I'm ready for that too.
This what I got - "I am heartily sick of seeing the pronoun “I” misused, as I am of so-called writers not having the professional integrity/courtesy of properly learning their native tongue."
SAY WHAT?????? -
Blog postBoo here. Since Mom went to the mountains and left me behind, am writing her blog this week. Am such a good pupper!
This week I give you a list of why you should tell all your family and frens about my mom's new book, "The House That Death Built".
#3 - It's a really good book! One reviewer said, "had me on a crazy roller coaster that I didn't want to stop." That made my mom so happee, I like it when reviewers make my mom smile.
#2 - Mom wants to sta -
Blog postI grew up on Grimm and Mother Goose. Not the cutesy, happy versions, but the nitty-gritty, "Holy cow! Why are you reading this to children!" versions.
When I was asked where did my idea for "The House That Death Built" come from, the answer was easy. Did you ever hear of a fairytale villain by the name of Bluebeard? Yeah. That's where it came from. You'll find out that I am very contrary by nature. I love to play devil's advocate. (No, I really really LOVE it. ENTP -
Blog postYou might have heard me mention my 100-pound lap dog, Boo. It's short for Boudica. I figured a mastiff/lab/dane would fit a powerful name like the Celtic warrior queen. Not so much. Even the cool skull and crossbones collar I got her did not inspire any fierceness in her.
So, my nice stylist is making house calls and came over to fix all the neglect that we've heaped upon our heads with social distancing. She dripped a little color on the floor and before she could wipe it up, Boo sni -
Blog postYou know that place. That place where you just melt because it's perfect. For me, it usually involves high altitude, snowy peaks, and ice-cold lakes. But today I found a different spot.
I've been working hard starting down this indie author road. There is SO MUCH to do! And unless you hire everything out, you are the one that does it. For the past few months, I have been researching book covers, book size, interior design, marketing platforms, social media accounts, website design, b
