Full Moon Dreaming: Guest Blogger MA Church

Monday, September 10, 2012

Guest Blogger MA Church

Happy Monday! I'm very pleased and excited to be bringing back my good friend, fellow author, and soon to be co-author MA Church for another visit. Today she's talking about the story she wrote for an upcoming Storm Moon anthology, Carved in Flesh. The story is Faded Love, and I'm here to tell you it's really good.

Michelle, why don't you go ahead and answer those questions we discussed while I find us something special to drink.

~If there was one piece of advice you could give a new author, what would it be?

Don’t give up. This isn’t an easy profession to get into, but the rewards are well worth it. It takes a lot of time and effort—and with anything worth doing, there are highs and lows—but don’t give up! Every author I know has dealt with rejection, been bashed with bad reviews, or struggled with writers block. I have cried at things said or done that upset me, been madder than a wet hen, and so excited I couldn’t string two words together.

Sometimes I may have to take a step back and breathe, but I do not give up.

~ A lot of your writing contains non-human elements. What draws you to that?

The freedom. LOL. If I want a character to spout wings and fly off, I can do that. Or, I can take a myth and turn it on its ear. I’ve had vampires who walked around during the day and eat food. I took a Greek God who was supposed to be married according to the legend, and made his wife his sister lol—and made him gay. I don’t like being confined to a stereotype and well… I just like nonhuman characters. J

~If we could see your writing space, what would we see?

*Snort* Walk into my den and there you go—my writing space. I sit on the couch with a few pillows in my lap to prop up the laptop, and write. I have notes spread out on the coffee table, my drink sitting to one side, and my writing buddy to the other. And oh yeah, my cell phone is usually somewhere in the middle of all that lol.

My dream writing space would be a room in the house I could make my own. I’d paint it whatever color I wanted, could shut the door if I wished, feel free put my covers up… set my background on my computer to whatever I wanted lol… I’d have privacy. Right now I have two teens running in and out, which means I have a house full of teens.

Of course, the room I’m eyeing still has my oldest in it! LOL.

~Do you own a pet? If so, tell us about him/her!

Kitty-Kitty is our cat and my writing buddy. He showed up Halloween last year and adopted us. No kidding. It was like he knew he’d hit the jack-pot lol. The last cat that owned me, lol… well, that was almost twenty years ago. Between my allergies and our son’s asthma, we had to get rid of that cat.

This one is something else! He chases his tail, comes when called, and is super friendly. The other one? He was named Devil for a reason lol.

~What are your hobbies?

*Laugh* I don’t know that watching NFL football qualifies as a hobby. Maybe more of an obsession? Get between me and the TV and I’ll scream the house down lol. Especially if the Steelers are playing. I do like to walk when it’s not too cold, and I like messing around in the yard. I read when I’m not working or just need a break from my own stuff lol. *Grin* the kiddo and I like to shop—which may or may not end on a pleasant note lol.

http://www.stormmoonpress.com/books/Carved-in-Flesh.aspx

Carved In Flesh- an anthology due out September 14^th by Storm Moon Press

People often say that the true perfection in the human form is in its imperfections. Scars are visceral reminders of a person's past, a sign of an event that can never fade. Whether it was gained in combat, a traumatic experience, or part of a ritual with a lover, scars are the ultimate labels. Carved in Flesh features short stories in which at least one character sports physical scars—visible to the naked eye, and prominent enough to spark a conversation.

Faded Love by M.A. Church

Excerpt:

“Will?” Ashley’s hand was gently held and pulled down. Why did Will’s voice sound so funny, like he was hoarse? “Will? What’s going on? Where am I? What’s on my face?”

“Listen to me. You’re in the hospital.”

“Hospital? Why the hell am I in the hospital?” Straining, he was finally able to make out the pale walls, and smell a scent he had always associated with hospitals: cleaners and sickness.

“You don’t remember… anything?” Will bent over Ashley, still holding his hands. God, Will’s skin was so warm, and his was so cold. “Tell me what you remember.”

“Was on my way home from that shoot. You called. I was going to call you back… Will?” Ashley’s voice rose and cracked. “Then, nothing until now. What—what… Will?”

One of Will’s strong hands managed to loosen itself from Ashley’s death grip and brushed Ashley’s hair back from his face. “You’re in the hospital. There was an accident, a bad accident. You were hit on the way home two days ago.”

“Fuck me! Two days ago?” Ashley bit his lip as pain spiked in his ribs. “How bad? Who hit me?”

“It was pretty bad. You have bruised ribs from the impact with the steering wheel, your arm is bruised—not broken—and more bruises over your body. I forgot the driver’s name. They hit you on the passenger side, slammed you into a street light. Two people in the other car died.”

“Died? Jesus.” Every time Ashley tried to lift his hand to his face, Will stopped him. “What’s wrong with my vision? Why can I only see out of one side?”

Gripping his hand, Will hesitated. “You were struck so hard your head hit the driver side window.”

Ashley gripped Will’s hand. There was more, he just knew it. What little he could make out of Will’s concerned face told him that. “And? Tell me, dammit!”

“The window busted. There was glass everywhere. Oh God, Ashley, I’m so sorry. You were cut. On your face… and—and… there’s going to be a scar.”

“A scar?” Ashley whispered, and then his voice gained in strength as horror stabbed at him. “A scar, on my face? My face? No! Oh my God, no! How bad, Will? How fucking bad?”

Tears soaked Will’s voice. “From the hair line to under your chin. Jesus, Ashley. I’m so sorry.”

The screams from Ashley’s room brought most of the nursing staff at a dead run.

~~~

Keep in mind I picked that excerpt. Strom Moon may use something else. J This was the picture that inspired the story. I took one look at this and knew immediately what I wanted to write. And God, this guy is so damn sexy lol.