Thursday, December 10, 2015

Guest Blog + Giveaway: Mystical by Michael Weekly

UFI welcomes Author Michael Weekly. Thanks for Joining us!!

Top 3 tips for novice writers

Writing is tough and it’s an emotional rollercoaster ride. You have to be ready for anything. Have your sword sharpen and out to kill anything or anyone who disturbs your thinking process. It’s not as easy as people may think it is. You see movies of writers so excited to get down to business (at times this is true) but really it’s frustrating, time-consuming, and just a battle you’re going to have to fight. My name is Michael Weekly I’m the author of Mystical, and here are a few tips I wish someone would have told me before I started writing.

Let’s face it, most of us literature geeks spend most of our valuable time with fictional characters. The ones who write spend majority time in their writing caves, a dark place no one ever leaves. We sometimes forget to go out and be social. We’d rather be social with our characters and our fictional boyfriends/girlfriends instead. Which is why the first tip is to…
  1. Make Friends
Please keep the screaming down, I know this is the hardest thing to do nowadays. Back in the good ole days, all you had to do was write up a note asking someone to be your friend, and what did the receiver have to do? Circle Yes or No. That was it! It was that easy, however, If you wish to be an author one day or If you already are. You need to get connected with other readers and writers. It’s good to always be on social media. Establish yourself on the amazing, yet, scary internet place! Trust me word of mouth is your biggest promoter. There are a ton of free sites you can put some of your work online and get feedback from other authors and readers. One of these awesome places would be Wattpad! I would know, because that’s where I started.
  1. Write Now Edit Later
It’s tough, it’s real and it happens. Most new writers like to edit while they write. I say no to this automatically? But why Michael why should we not edit our books at all? Because my friend, it is time consuming and more stress for you when you can do that when the book is finished. What you should be worried about is actually getting your thoughts and ideas on paper. You’ve done the biggest challenge already and that is actually writing the story. I’m so proud of you for doing that at least! You were brave enough to get your thoughts talking and active. Don’t waste your creative juices on editing and trying to figure out what a semi colon is when you can be killing a character off in your amazing story.
  1. Read
I remember reading a quote from a blog recently. This is what it says,  "My first rule was given to me by TH White, author of The Sword in the Stone and other Arthurian fantasies and was: Read. Read everything you can lay hands on” — Michael Moorcock. Strange thing is, this is very true. If you’ve never read anything or if you hate reading why are you trying to be an author? Go back to the books that gave you the inspiration to write in the first place. Fall back into the beautiful worlds. Hey? You never know it may help you writer’s block one day.

My name is Michael Weekly please do feel free to check out my Urban Fantasy: Mystical! It was released on December 8th! I would love to see what you think about it. Writing can be tough but as long as you tackle the things that can get in your way. It can be a wonderful experience and you won’t regret re-reading your book and thinking, wow? I wrote this SH*T!

What are some things you guys would say to a newbie that wants to write?
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Michael believes he is a mad scientist experimenting with his own imagination. He enjoys world building and having alluring conversations with his stubborn characters. He is your author of The Mystical Series. Specializing in many genres such as Fantasy, Urban Fiction, Dystopian, Young and New Adult.

Most of his inspirations come from fairy tales, music, and his curious what ifs. He’s never thought of being an author, writing was just a hobby to him. However, one day his thoughts and ideas kept interrupting his daily life. At work he’d come up with story lines and decided to join the reading/writing app Wattpad, and there he would write. Realizing the enjoyment from creating characters and worlds doesn’t stop him from ever jotting down a potential story.

You can find him anywhere to snuggling in a comfy seat with hot cocoa Netflix binging, or taking a soothing walk along the forest lines. Possibly diving in a tank with sharks, but that would be too insane.

He is a shopaholic east coaster living in Virginia with his fury companion Coco.
Where the two live happily ever after.

Find Michael and his books
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Mystical
Mystical #1
Amazon
When Eliza Rose found out she was a witch, she thought she’d be casting spells…

However, it turns out Eliza is on her way to becoming a mystical assassin. But first she has to start college with her best friend Dawn Roberts and her feline familiar Jared. If you think college is stressful, try finding your best friend being seduced—nearly to death—by a venomous fairy. Something is horribly wrong, and Eliza must find out what it is.

Knowing who’s who in the Mystical world can be a burden—or save her life…

Murderous mermaids, seductive fairies, and manipulative elves are terrifying enough, but pure witches can become corrupt…and they’re the most dangerous creatures of all. Eliza struggles to discover the source of this chaos, but is repeatedly attacked—and saved by a shadowy figure. On a very personal note, Eliza must learn whether corruption is beginning to claim her mother.

Her strongest ally might be handsome, enigmatic Donovan—but he is hiding a shocking secret…

Donovan wants nothing to do with his old gang—not after the things they’d made him do. But when he meets Eliza, he’s both frustrated by her amateur skills and impressed by her emerging strength, and he feels compelled to help her grow into the assassin she’s meant to be.

Every answer has a price, and there are beings born to corrupt the pure.

Eliza fights to master her skills before it’s too late, while Donovan must determine whether Eliza can be saved…or if she must die to keep her out of the hands of those who would use her powers to reign over all of Mystical.

Excerpt:
I kneel down and pull out my silver dagger slowly from my black boots. Tugging the dagger out carefully with my index finger and thumb, I structure a plan to save the girl in my head. One of the things mom said to herself when I eavesdropped repeats in my head: “Mystics, they are disguised amongst people.” I narrow my eyes and lock them on the creature before me.
I attempt to move and save her. Instead, I clench my hands into a fist, my throat is dry, and  my heart drops inside of my chest. My hands are shaking, and I’m struggling to breathe properly. I can’t lunge forth. I’m too nervous.
I press my lips together. Anxiously, my eyes slide from left to right as I try to think of what I can do to save this innocent girl. I glance down as soon as I hear something moving below me. Gravel on thin strands of weeds puckers out of the ground slowly and slithers up my calves. I cringe as the feeling of the moist dirt on my skin stings my legs.
The sweet wind his wings create brush against my face, intoxicating me and causing my neck to numb. I become drowsy, my vision becomes blurry, and I forget about trying to save her. I’m paralyzed in this peaceful reverie. The smell of fresh roses controls my thoughts and actions. My eyes daze and, though I blink twice to wake myself up, I don’t want to fight against this calm feeling.
It feels amazing.
The weeds continue to wrap around my legs, holding me in place. I shake my head, trying to fall back into reality. I press my lips tightly together and focus on cutting off the weeds slowly. With each slash, it feels like my movement and reactions are slowing down. It must be the scent causing the nerves in my body to act strange. I cover my nose and continue cutting the strands of weed silently. Each cut increases the growth beneath me. The mud from the gravel thickens, gluing me further in place.
The girl moans in pleasure while the weeds attach to me and cling onto the fabric of my clothing. The noise she is making and the weeds from underneath me are overwhelming me. My heart picks up frantically, and my lips feel dry.
The strange creature caresses his prey’s bruised body. There are glowing hickeys all over her skin. He allows the weeds to slither around her neck slowly. He leaves another colorful hickey on her skin. He kisses her neck, eventually pulling on her skin with his sharp teeth.
The scent of his tongue sliding slowly on her neck flows over to where I’m being held captive. My lips part as her eyes roll back into her head. I can feel my mind and thoughts drifting away with her. I want the creature’s lips on my skin just as much as his prey does.
Think, Eliza, think. Stay focused.
I shudder as the cold wind tickles the tiny hairs on my skin. The guy stops kissing the girl and the moans fade away. He looks up and scans his setting. His eyes lock on my hiding place. I increase my cutting movement as fast as I can. He smirks at me with colorful drool dropping to the ground from his white blade-like teeth. His red lips glimmer in front of me in the shadows.
He lets the weeds take over the girl’s body, preserving his meal for later. She is still stuck in ecstasy. Her eyes slide in my direction. Even though she must be in pain, she’s smiling. Weeds form around her body, slither up, and then slap across her eyes and mouth.
The creep holding her captive flutters toward me slowly. He reaches out as weeds beneath the ground and roots spring up and wriggle around my ankles and neck. They travel up against my thighs and then slap across my mouth, preventing me from screaming. I am lifted up against the wall, just how the girl is in front of me.
I raise my dagger to try and cut the weed covering my mouth, but I lose my grip and it falls to the ground. I panic, struggling to breathe, but the same scent crawls into my nostrils. Its sweet taste overpowers my senses. My heart beat slows down drastically as my eyes follow the monster, who is floating in front of me, grinning wickedly. He touches my skin with his soft hand, sizzling and calming my emotions.
My heart skips a beat. It’s finally my turn.
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