• Blog

    How can it be June and other questions for the universe?

    December 28, 2019

    6/3/2015

    Time flies whether you’re having fun or not, right?

    Miss Chick Lit Winner
    It feels like this is one of those blink and you miss it years. One minute it was mid may and then bam we’re into June. (June in Australia means winter and I am SOOOOOOOO not a fan of winter, hence the not having fun!)

    May was a busy month with #ChicklitMay, the Sydney Writers’ Festival and the release of Any Way You Dream It. But somehow I feel like I missed that last week entirely. Not sure what’s up with that. It’s a bit like raising a child. I’m sure my daughter is still meant to be ten and not fourteen.

    Anyway, I had that thing I have after the release of every book – a rather counter-intuitive slump. You’d think one would be euphoric but it never quite pans out that way for me. The last two books have had major editing hassles that sucked any joy I might have expected right out of the experience. If I ever manage the energy to send a book to an editor again it will be a personal triumph.

    I think I’m back in the saddle. I’m doing a #50k30D challenge with the Romance Writers of Australia and so far I’m flying along with book 6 in the Upper Crust Series (13,000 words as of half an hour ago). Of course that means book 3 will need to get to an editor (see above paragraph) before the others can follow. I hope to have the whole series out this year. Any Way You Fight It (book 3) will be out in July.

    I’m enjoying writing about this couple. Todd and Sarah have been bouncing around in my head for a while, waiting their turn. Todd and his brother Mike appear in Any Way You Slice It and Mike gets to tell his story in book 4.

    In other news Allegra placed in the Miss ChickLit pageant as Miss Retro Rad and Mr Right and Other Mongrels had it’s third birthday last week. That’s quite a milestone.

    Lots of guest posts and giveaways this month so make sure you keep stopping by the blog. Or sign up for my newsletter for more chances to win.

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  • Blog

    Any Way You Dream It – release day!!

    December 28, 2019

    5/25/2015

    Release day for a new book – always a great feeling.
    Any Way You Dream It - Upper Crust Series - Monique McDonell - Original Cover
    It’s already May 26 in some parts of the world (good morning Australia, hello New Zealand) which means that Any Way You Dream It is available right now for some.

    Amazon US:http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XBFAUWO
    Amazon Australia: http://www.amazon.com.au/Any-Way-You-Dream-Upper-ebook/dp/B00XBFAUWO

    And then the clock strikes midnight around the world and it magically appears on the e-readers of those that pre-purchased and it is then available everywhere.

    What does that mean to me?

    It means in the past months I:
    – wrote a first draft
    – had a cover designed
    – put it down and revised it and then revised it again
    – sent it to BETA readers who told me what they did and didn’t like
    – made their changes
    – sent it to someone else to read through it for a story edit
    – made those changes
    – sent it to an editor (we had a major disaster this time which set me back ten days)
    – sent it to the editor again
    – waited
    – made the final edits
    – sent it to a formatter who loaded it up for release
    – booked a blog tour
    – reached out to people for review and promotional opportunities
    – waited

    People think that indie authors skip steps, which isn’t true. In many cases it just means we’re just doing all that all by ourselves. It’s kind of a lonely process. In fact as I type this I am alone. Where’s the balloons? The champagne? They’re not in sight – I will go get myself a coffee shortly.

    It’s a bit like the day your child starts kindergarten…lots of hard work to get them ready and then you’re all alone, wondering how they’re doing.

    So if you know any authors indie or otherwise here are some tips.
    Tips for supporting an author when they release a book

    1. Acknowledge their new book -call, email, comment on their Facebook page.
    2. Buy their book and let them know you did. (Take a photo and if it is a paperback take the photo in the store).
    3. Let people know you have a friend who has just written a book – either on your Facebook page or in real life.
    4. Leave them a review on Amazon, Goodreads etc – you have no idea how much that means.
    5. Remember it doesn’t matter if it is their first book or their tenth – to them it is still exciting.

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  • Blog

    Three years since my first blog post – look how far I’ve come. (An uncharacteristically self-congratulatory blog post)

    December 28, 2019

    5/5/2015

    Mr Right and Other MongrelsI was talking to my mother today and I said I’d been at this blogging and self-publishing game for three years. I came on here to check and May 5th is the birthday of this blog. So three years exactly.

    I remember being terrified and excited and overwhelmed – not much has changed there.

    That month – May 2012 – I was bravely preparing to self-publish my first novel Mr Right and Other Mongrels. I had no idea what I was doing. I didn’t know a single person in real life who had uploaded a work of fiction to sell online. I knew almost no one (certainly here in Australia) with an e-reader. I knew nothing.

    What a gift ignorance can be.

    If I knew how much I didn’t know I probably wouldn’t have jumped off the cliff. Ask any indie author and they will talk about what a steep learning curve it is. Not only that just when you think you know what you’re doing the rules change. I’ve had to unlearn and relearn things many times in the last few years.

    Forget what you knew yesterday – it’s wrong today.

    I often think “Monique, you lazy chick. You’re just not doing enough.” (I’m not that kind to myself, I’m a little judgmental, not so great at celebrating the fabulous.)

    So here is what I have achieved in three years:

    – I’ve written and published six full length novels and one novella under two names.
    – I’ve contributed to two charity anthologies and had a piece in a non-fiction publication.
    – I’ve had a novel included in an international author box-set.
    – I’ve written another five novels that will be released this year.
    – I’ve had over 100,000 copies of my novels downloaded (sadly they haven’t all been paid for but 100,000 plus people have a copy of my books).
    – I’ve hosted countless authors on my blog and kept it running for three years.
    – I’ve handled all my own marketing and PR.
    – I’ve hired cover designers, editors and book formatters to help make my books look good.

    – I’ve guest blogged all over the internet.
    – I’ve done signings and author talks, both of which terrify me.
    – I’ve made hundreds of new friends, both readers and writers.
    – I’ve given loads of advice and support to authors looking to head down this path.
    – I’ve kept going when I wanted to quit.

    I’ve done this on my own, I certainly haven’t done it all right. Some things I’ve done I would undo. Some day, some moments, some choices would be best erased.

    Still, today I choose to focus on the positive. The list of what I have achieved looks pretty good to me right now.

    If you know another author like me who is alone, starting out and fumbling in the dark then – be kind to them. They probably don’t talk about their journey with you because they are pretty sure you’re not that interested but listen to them, support them, buy their books, leave them reviews…it does matter, at least to them.

    Monique McDonell Upper Crust Series Banner
    Comments

    Kerrie Paterson
    5/5/2015 04:23:07 pm

    Wow, what an awesome list of achievements! Well done!!
    Reply
    Monique McDonell
    5/5/2015 04:32:39 pm

    Thanks Kerrie, I think as writers we sometimes forget to look at what we’ve achieved. 🙂

    lily malone
    5/5/2015 04:41:15 pm

    I’m with Kerrie – well done Monique. I’ve read Hearts Afire of yours and I really enjoyed it.
    Reply
    Monique
    5/5/2015 05:53:37 pm

    Thanks Lily…I know your output has been amazing these last few years. I can hardly keep up!

    Pamela Cook
    5/5/2015 05:10:47 pm

    Nice to see you acknowledging your achievements Monique. And they are massive! You constantly inspire me with your ever increasing word counts, brilliant networking skills and fabulous PR abilities. Not to mention the fun books you write and keep us all entertained with. And the support you give to all your writing buddies, including me. I know it’s been tough at times but hang in there – I’m sure you’ll reap the best is yet to come.
    Reply
    Monique
    5/5/2015 05:54:31 pm

    Thanks Pam…I appreciate having you in my corner, reading my work, taking my calls and listening to me moan. I could not have kept going without you.

    Deb Nam-Krane
    5/5/2015 09:59:15 pm

    Happy anniversary, congratulations and good job!
    Reply
    Monique
    5/6/2015 08:43:41 am

    Thanks Deb…you’ve been a great supporter on my journey.

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  • Blog

    What I’ve learned writing a series and #MusicalMonday (It’s only the beginning)

    December 28, 2019

    4/27/2015

    Any Way You Dream It - Upper Crust Series - Monique McDonell - Original CoverBook two of my Upper Crust Series – Any Way You Dream It is now with the editor. Yes, I know, those of you who actually read my blog and read my books know it should have happened a while ago, but it has finally gone.

    “Why the delay?” I hear you cry.
    “Good question.” I reply.

    The truth is apparently I am really bad at writing BOOK TWO in a series. Book one is fine and book three is fine. I’ve written two series now (one under a pen name) and I’ve experienced the same issue with both. The whole series has stalled because of Book 2.

    I don’t exactly know why that is. Well, I do, I think in my effort to make the main character in that book different from the main character in the first book in the series I tie myself in knots.

    Additionally, I think book two brings about fear of success (what if everyone loves it?) and fear of failure (what if everyone hates it?) into play in a strange and disturbing way. By the third book I seem to have pushed through it and the interplay between the characters carries me through. By then I’m one of the gang (I’m probably Thelma not Daphne but I’m in the gang) and there is a gang, a group of characters I know well and enjoy spending time with.

    At least now we know. In the Upper Crust Series the good news Any Way You Fight It, Book 3 is done and will be released quickly after the second. Books four and five are also nearly done.

    I really love Chase, the hero in Any Way You Dream It and Lucy is a girl who deserves a happily ever after (HEA) so I think you’ll love the book like I do. (And Six books in the series will have been released by the end of this year, so I really hope you do).

    Now let’s turn up the music because it is Monday.

    I love this song and have since I heard it back in the olden days…it’s a great love song and it features in my first novel Mr Right and Other Mongrels…my first book baby.

    Comments

    Laurie Baxter
    4/29/2015 11:06:57 am

    Ooh, yay! Very excited to hear this! I really enjoyed book one. 🙂

    Sandie Docker
    4/30/2015 07:59:13 pm

    The curse of the second book!!! But to have 6 box released by the end of this year – yay you!
    Reply

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  • Blog

    A writer’s update on #Musical Monday

    December 28, 2019

    3/29/2015

    Alphabet Dating - Monique McDonell - 2015 CoverNew covers, #99cent sales and social media
    It looks like I haven’t managed to do any blogging for the last two weeks. I’ve had a few rather craptastic things happen which have meant my attention has been pulled in a few directions and as they say, something has to give.

    Still, I haven’t been entirely stagnant.

    * The lovely Scarlett Rutgers redesigned the cover for Alphabet Dating for me. (See Left). I just never loved the old cover the way I loved my other illustrated covers so I thought I’d give it a face-lift. I think she’s done a really great job of capturing the mood of the story.

    To celebrate Alphabet Dating is currently on sale for #99cents so if you haven’t got a copy now is a great time to do so. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CMHEVXG

    * I have kept up with my 2015 #1000wordsaday and my total now sits at 78,000 words which all in all I am very happy with. I’ve almost finished the first draft of Book 4 in the Upper Crust Series.

    *Upper Crust Series – Book 2 is back from my BETA readers and I spent today working through Book 3 to send it off. I’m still on track to release Book 2 /Any Way You Dream It for the end of April.

    * I had a great time on the weekend as one of the hosts of the March Madness ChickLit Style Party on Facebook. Sometimes I wonder about the so-called “social” aspects of social media but I feel like I got to connect to some great readers at that event, and hopefully they felt the same way.

    So I guess although my blog has been a little bit quiet I have been staying busy enough.

    And now for Musical Monday – a song that sums up the last few weeks and where I am in my life. This song is an old friend – Landslide the Dixie Chicks version.

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  • Blog

    Why I wrote Any Way You Slice It – or the girl gets the guy not the reverse

    December 28, 2019

    3/5/2015

    Any Way You Slice It - Upper Crust Novel - Monique McDonell - Original CoverI was talking to a writer friend this week who BETA read the second book in my Upper Crust Series, Any Way You Dream It (due out April). We were discussing the book series and I was explaining to her how I came to write it.

    I realised that I hadn’t actually shared the impetus here so I thought I would do that now.

    About this time last year I downloaded a novel by a very successful romance author whose novels include marriages of convenience in them. Her books do hugely well, she’s an international best seller and she writes really well. I admire her work, her output and her career a lot. ( I read a lot of successful authors books sometimes for the stories and often to see if I can find the keys to the treasure chest of success.)

    So I sat up and read one book in her series while my husband lay beside me snoring in a rather un-melodious way. (Yep I do paint a pretty picture of marital bliss, don’t I?) I thought the book was well written (and I have read others in the series since then) but I kind of wanted to throw the book across the room.

    “Why Monique?” I hear you cry. “Why?”

    These books took smart, successful business women and had them agreeing to arranged marriages with smarter, more successful businessmen – preferably billionaires. Of course the woman had a choice in the books and the ‘marriage of convenience’ is a well-known romance trope and I know it is fantasy, but it annoyed me.

    “Why?” Simple, it still seemed to me the guys were getting the better end of the deal and the women tended to need a little bit of rescuing. It wasn’t simply a business translation, they needed to save a sick relative or a family business or someone else’s reputation. These were nice, smart girls but they weren’t girls with a lot of options.

    So, I decided to write a ‘marriage of convenience’ story where ultimately it was the woman seeking the partner and yes there has to be quid pro quo for these relationships to work but I didn’t want there to be a massive power imbalance.

    In Any Way You Slice It, Piper needs to be married to stay in America because her successful business is really taking off. Aaron who offers to marry her needs something too, but really this is Piper’s story, it’s about our heroine getting what she wants, without compromising herself along the way. Well, that was what I set out to do with this book.

    I guess only the readers can decide if that worked or not.

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  • Blog

    Deadlines, set backs and expectations on #MusicalMonday

    December 28, 2019

    3/1/2015

    Monique McDonell Upper Crust Series Banner

    These are so pretty aren’t they?

    I really am working very hard to get the rest of these babies on the shelf soon. I was hoping to have Any Way You Dream It out in March but I think April now looks more realistic and Any Way You Fight It Will Follow in May.

    As some of you know I write under two names and as my pen name I also have two new books coming out in the next two months. It isn’t like I’m not trying very hard. It takes a long time to write a book and honestly, the e-space, which makes everything seem instant required speed. It’s hard to get a balance. Not enough books and you lose readers. Too many books that might be under-written or under-edited and you will also lose readers.

    As you can see by this little ticker I am writing. This is my word count so far this year. I am a little behind where I wanted to be because I lost a whole chunk of a novel (10,000 words) and had to rewrite it to meet the deadline. So I lost 10 days. When you consider that I’m only one day behind so that’s not too shabby.

    58,000 / 365,000 words.
    It’s really hard to maintain your momentum after something like that. Picking oneself up and the dusting off are not really my personal strengths so the fact I did it so well this time I’m taking as amoral victory. Maybe I’m finally growing up? Yeah, I doubt it.

    Anyway I’m busy writing book 4 in the Upper Crust series while the Beta readers work on Book 2 and hopefully Book 3 this week. I always feel so nervous sending the books out and usually they tell me what I already know to be true. You can usually feel where the lags are or where the story doesn’t quite gel but that outside voice saying what you already know is so very helpful

    I really need to get a newsletter out. The mailing list is the big thing so I better do something to grow mine. It would be nice to go back to the days where writing was all about the writing I sometimes think. There are aspects of the marketing side that really don’t overly appeal to me.

    Enough of my ramblings (I should be writing anyway). It is of course Musical Monday and I heard a great song yesterday and of course now I can’t remember the name. In my defense I’m just home for the doctor and we established I’ve probably been living with a sinus infection for six months so I think all in all I could be a lot more ditsy.

    And because there is indeed a school reunion in Any way You Dream It, here is a lovely schoolyard song for Musical Monday – we’re kicking it old school today.

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  • Blog

    Maintaining Momentum on #MusicalMonday

    December 28, 2019

    2/8/2015

    Monique McDonell Books and ChampagneAnother Monday rolls around.
    I missed the last couple but the end of summer and back to school activities distracted me and something had to give. That’s life isn’t it? It always feels like something has to give.

    The truth is my one and only child entered Yr9 (9th grade) and every time I think of the fact she has only 4 more years of school and will soon be 18, well I feel a little bit sick inside. The truth is time is flying by at an alarming rate and as I’m powerless to stop that I find the need to balance any decisions I make about how I spend my time around that disturbing notion. I don’t think I’ll look back and think “I wish I’d written a blog post rather than taking my daughter to lunch” and if I do, I can live with that.

    What I haven’t let slide is my commitment to writing #1000wordsaday. As you can see by my slightly faulty counter (I need to find a new one – let’s add that to the to-do list) I have managed 44,000 words since January first. That includes a novella, extra scenes in Book 2 in the Upper Crust Series and the same on books I write under a nom de plume.

    I’m an all or nothing girl. I’m in or I’m out. That’s me, for better or worse. Some days I have written 3,000 words that’s true but mostly I’ve just tried to consistently write the 1,000 words every day.

    A couple of tips if you are doing this:
    – it easier if you don’t skip a day
    – stopping in the middle of a scene can mean you don’t struggle when you start again
    – editing is a separate thing so don’t use that as a reason/excuse to not write
    – a little bit of caffeine never goes astray (and a glass of wine will probably stop you in your tracks)
    – being a member of the Facebook group I set up has been essential to my success, accountability helps.(Feel free to join).

    I was hoping to have Book 2 in the Upper Crust Series out in February but I’m bumping it back to March. The world won’t end but the book will be better for it.

    I’m actually working on Book 4 in the series and I saw a song on Rage last night. (Australians will know what Rage is). Leave me home alone and I will stay up till 2am reading and watching Rage…my inner 18 year old is determined to live on. Now of course I can’t find the band anywhere…2am brain is not the best one…so instead I give you this one of my always makes me happy songs.

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  • Blog

    Why write stories with a happy ending?

    December 28, 2019

    12/14/2014

    Monique McDonell Books and Champagne
    It’s Monday and I usually do a Musical Monday post but as I went to write this the city of Sydney, my city, is under siege and so I thought I might write about something else.

    When I started writing lots of people were surprised that I decided to write chicklit and stories with an upbeat, romantic bent. Not because I’m not an upbeat person, I actually am, but because there is a huge perception, especially in more intellectual circles, that lighter fiction, happier fiction has less value and is less worthy. The truth is I know lots of people who don’t think my writing is worthy and others who think I’m wasting my talents (on the one hand it is nice they think I have talents, on the other hand that’s not exactly very supportive). In fact, some of those would cite the fact that I’ve written several books (if asked) as evidence of that, because one angst-ridden novel is far more valuable than several lighter ones (in their opinion).

    The truth is – and it has certainly taken me a long time to reach this point – I don’t care what they think, and furthermore I think they’re wrong. The world needs more joy, more hope and more optimism.

    Sadness begets sadness, joy begets joy.

    If some of the world’s great writers wrote stories with less abuse, less torture, less war maybe we would have book clubs sitting around discussing love, kindness and forgiveness. Maybe if there were more redemptive tales we’d feel that there was hope for redemption.

    Maybe if the nice guy came first every now and then maybe we’d be more likely to be nice in real life.

    I write stories with happy endings because I want everyone to have one. Do we all want to walk around thinking we’ll never find love, that good won’t triumph or that misery is living in the house next door? I don’t.

    It might seem naive or foolish to some but negative thinking, exclusion and greed are everywhere. I can turn on the television, go to the movies or peruse the best seller list and there they are. The world isn’t improving as a result.

    I want to focus on the power of friendship to improve your day, how a small flirtation can lift your spirits, how planning a grand adventure, a new start or a change can be a thing of wonder. Maybe I write stories like that because I need to believe that is true, or maybe I’m just lucky enough to have experienced that in my own life so I don’t think it’s wrong to expect it in novels.

    I’ll continue to write about and hope for happy endings not just for my characters but for people everywhere.

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  • Blog

    Random writing facts on a Musical Monday

    December 28, 2019

    11/9/2014
    Monique McDonell Paperbacks - Hearts Afire, Building Attraction, A Fair Exchange, Alphabet Dating, Mr Right and Other MongrelsToday I’ll just share with you some random facts about my writing life.

    * I write best between 10am-1pm and 4-7pm. This is good to know because if you’re organising your day to get a big word count, or solve an issue in your writing it’s so much better to work during your best times. Some people think they’re morning people (I do not think this about myself even a teeny tiny bit) but when they analyse their actual output they discover that the morning may not be their most productive time.

    * I really love the thrill of creating a new story. I like getting to know my characters and their friends. I like beginnings in life as well and even though I can be a tad wimpy I like new experiences. Starting a new story is like going on an adventure and I do like an adventure.

    * I’m reasonably disciplined with my self (I’ve worked alone for a lot of years now) but I can’t force creativity. I need to write a story about a chicken/a love triangle/ a murder will probably shut me down. For whatever reason I can’t just create a premise, some people can I guess.

    * I like a challenge. At the time of writing I’ve done 27,000 words of my NaNoWriMo in 10 days. I took 2 of those days off. That’s a pretty good effort. I’m not a competitive person (in fact competition makes me anxious, it is why I don’t enjoy sports) but I do compete with myself and so challenges like NaNoWriMo are good for me.

    * I’m doing a book stall at a local market night this week. I haven’t done one in two years and things like this scare the snot out of me. I feel self-conscious and embarrassed for some reason. Lots of authors are like that so be kind to them in these situations.

    * My first five books are all available in paperback now via Amazon…order a copy here .
    Musical Monday again and today I have chosen a fun classic – Who Wrote the Book of Love.

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