Writing Every Day In November

After reading that title, you may be wondering what is NaNoWriMo. Well, I’m here to tell you that NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month (often shortened to NaNoWriMo). It’s an annual, Internet-based creative writing project that takes place during the month of November. Participants attempt to write a 50,000-word manuscript between November 1 and November 30. For the first time, I will be participating in the project. This is going to help me get out the sequel to Let Me Set You Straight out so much faster. Of course, I’m sure the novel is going to end up being a lot more than 50,000 words. LMSYS was slightly over 121,000 words. But, I think that this will help me gain some momentum that I will be able to maintain. Then, the sequel, tentatively titled Desperate Deceptions, will be out soon.

Stuff To Look Forward To

Of course, this means I will have less time to read and procrastinate. Don’t worry. I’m going to make time to post some interesting things here because I love you guys.  Also, I had a really good time writing those spooky short stories so I would like to continue to do something similar. I’m also planning a short prequel to Let Me Set You Straight featuring Dane. I plan to give that away for free, so make sure you’ve signed up to my mailing list.  Another freebie in the works is a bonus scene between Dane and Jayla. It’ll be fun and sassy.

As you can see, I’ve got a lot planned and I still have to homeschool a 16-year-old. Please send prayers for stress relief and endurance. Thank you in advance.

Random Thoughts

On a totally different note, a whole different song actually, is anyone else fascinated by Meghan Markle and Prince Harry being pregnant? I can honestly say that I never cared a lick about the royal family before.  I mean, I am a romantic and theirs is a fairy tale story. But I think it also has to do with the fact that he married an African-American (well half anyway) ‘commoner’.  I have to admit, I now find it all very riveting. It made me think about, how self-centered we can be. Yes, I’m including you so I don’t feel as bad. But, are we only interested in things that we somehow relate to or somehow have some bearing on us? Let me know what you think in the comments.

Happy Halloween 2018! Here it is! What you have been waiting for: the complete #spookyshorts serial. Are you ready to embrace the fright? I put this out on Instagram@may_rose_maxwell and on my Facebook page https:www//facebook.com/May RoseMaxwellFanPage/,  in 5 parts but you get it all here, now. I will post it in sections as I did there for dramatic effect.

Love – #SpookyShorts pt1

Peter’s knees almost buckled from fear. He was standing in his bathroom getting ready when the feeling struck. It felt like he was having a heart attack. His hands were like ice and his mouth was like the desert. Baffled, he looked around, but everything was as it should be. He listened closely, but only heard his heavy breathing. Peter closed his eyes and tried to concentrate and that’s when he smelled her. It was the scent of pancakes, sweet and savory at the same time. That aroma of sugar and cooked butter, it was his Selena he smelled and her fear he was experiencing. He wasn’t sure how he knew, but he was positive she was terrified at this moment, and that knowledge freaked him out.

He ran to his phone and tried to call her. Voicemail. “Dammit, Lena, where are you?” He tried again with no success. He texted her. No moving dots. Her fear pressed upon his chest like a vice, although her terror was so mingled with his own he was having problems distinguishing between the two. He was at a loss. Plopping down on his bed, he held his head in his hands. Selena needed his help. He had to do something.

Part 2

He closed his eyes again and thought of her and all the reasons why he loved her. In his mind, he pictured her, the tiny mole under her left eye, the tiny smile she gave when he told a bad joke. Suddenly, the smile changed into a grimace and her eyes widened in surprise. It was like he was seeing her in real time. His whole body tensed with the need to be wherever she was, to protect her.  That was when the room began to tilt and he was dizzy and disoriented, like when you were young and spun around too long with your eyes closed. He opened his eyes to find himself surrounded by grass, trees, the dusky sky, and the overwhelming urge to puke. But before he could bend over and lose his breakfast and his mind, he saw his Selena being held up by her neck against a tree. She was scratching at the hand gripping her throat as the man who held her lowered his head closer to hers. 

“Selena!” Peter screamed as he took off running towards his reason for being. The man’s head stopped its descent and swiveled in Peter’s direction. It was like a punch in the gut and it stopped Peter in his tracks when he saw his own face staring back at him with the most wicked of smiles.

Part 3

Peter touched his own face. He felt foolish checking to see if he was still himself. But he couldn’t help feeling like he was looking in a creepy mirror. 

“What are you?” 

The man dropped Selena and tilted his head to the side. He glided in Peter’s direction. “Hmm, what are you? There’s something extra there. You’re sure to be a tasty morsel.”

“Why do you look like me?”

“Oh, that?” The faux Peter’s face began to morph. First, he was Selena, then another female that Peter didn’t recognize. Then faster and faster the faces changed from person to person making it impossible to make out any specific details. What made it more disturbing, because Peter was definitely disturbed, was that the thing kept talking.

“We Soul Stealers have the ability to change our appearances. If it’s a person whose soul we’ve stolen we can totally become them memories and all. When I feed, I enjoy taking on the appearance of my victim’s loved one. It’s like dipping my meal in a sauce of fear and betrayal, a unique and delicious flavor. The betrayal gives it a little more bite than fear alone. Of course, that will be impossible to use on you, since you’ve seen me be you. A shame really, but I’m thinking your flavor will still be special since you aren’t completely human yourself. 

Part 4

The soul stealer was now in front of Peter, but before he could figure out what he wanted to do the point of a sword protruded out of its chest and then disappeared as blood gushed out of the hole.

“Move! Run, Peter! Even though that might’ve looked lethal, I only stabbed through one of his hearts. He will heal.” Selena was now dragging him by his arm. 

“What is going on Lena?”

“There’s no time to explain. You’re going to have to call out his hearts!”

“You’re gonna have to explain that!”

“Here’s what you need to know.” Lena stopped talking as she pulled him down behind a bush. “You need to hurry before he picks up our scent. You are an Attractor, and you can draw yourself to things and you can draw things to you. I’m not sure what unlocked your powers. It must’ve been something extreme, but the fact that you appeared here out of thin air means they are definitely unlocked. Which means that you can easily kill the soul stealer. Ordinarily, it’s not easy to get both hearts before the other one heals.” 

The information was overloading Peter’s brain. “Attractor? Soul Stealer? Two hearts?”

“Yes, two hearts. One holds his soul the other holds the souls he steals. We can go into more detail later. Now, you have to concentrate and desire for both of his hearts to be in your hand. I know you can do it because you drew yourself here and we’re on the other side of town from your apartment. Do it, Peter! Do it now!”

Part 5

Everything seemed incredibly unbelievable right then but Peter had faith in Selena and the fact that he was no longer at home didn’t hurt. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the soul stealer.  That crazy face morphing came to his mind. It sent shivers down his spine and would haunt him for years to come. His concentration faltered when he heard the thing hissing his name. It was getting closer.

“Babe you have to hurry. It’s already healed from my attack.”

Peter tried to cut off all outside stimuli. He held out his hand and tried to picture two beating hearts. This time he concentrated on the thing’s voice. There was a heart-wrenching shriek, literally, that made Peter attempt to cover his ears with his hands. He stopped when he felt warm moist flesh brush his cheek. In his horror, he flung the two bloody lumps high in the air causing reddish-black blood to fly and splatter everywhere. Selena quickly sliced them in half with her sword. He couldn’t hide his look of disgust as bits of muscle, sinew and ooze landed on his face and chest with a wet splat. She half smiled at him and shrugged.

“It’s not so bad. Hydrogen peroxide helps get the blood out.”

So there it is! I hope you have a Happy Halloween 2018! I hope this added to your fun.

Let me know which story was your favorite.

So, it’s Halloween’s month and I decided to do some writing that helped me procrastinate from writing sequels because procrastination is my superpower. But c’mon everybody loves Halloween and being safely scared. Anyway, I was inspired by something I saw where people wrote 2 sentence scary stories and so I decided to do my own version. It’s more like paragraph short scary stories, something you could read in under 2 or 3 minutes. Then I decided to have an emotional theme for each story. I posted them on my Instagram Page @may_rose_maxwell and on my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/MayRoseMaxwellFanPage/ . But I thought that I should also post them here.  I called them #spookyshorts and put them out on Tuesdays and Fridays.  I have yet to put out the last one, which will be like a serial. It will be in 5 short parts. I will post all five parts here on Halloween. Here are the six that I’ve already put out.

#spookyshorts No. 1 – Joy

Jeffrey bounced on the soles of his feet feeling light and free on his trip home from school. His delight allowed him to ignore the pain induced by his classmates’ mocking of his tattered clothes and his pimple riddled face. He’d collected everything he needed and he was ready. Halloween was finally here and with it came the voices. He merrily awaited their devious instructions.

#spookyshorts No. 2 – Fear

Wanda swallowed and tried to get rid of that salty taste that let her know that vomiting was a real threat. Her unease weighed down on her chest paralyzing her in her position under the covers. She knew it was the monster under the bed scrabbling across the floor and moving towards her headboard. But they’d made a deal and now the monster was supposed to be still and quiet and let her sleep. She felt its presence as the covers at her side lifted. Squeezing her eyes shut, Wanda’s only other movement was the hairs that stood up on her arms and the goosebumps that rose over her flesh. Her mind raced to try to think of her next move when she felt the quick dip of the bed next to her. 

Gathering all of her courage she whispered, “you’re not allowed on my bed.” She felt the hot fetid breath on her neck as the monster turned its face in her direction. It’s voice grated like a metal spoon scraping the bottom of a pot. She braced for its reply.

“I can’t leave. There’s a giant spider underneath the bed!”

#spookyshorts No. 3 – Pity

Jared could admit it, he was afraid. There was no shame in it. Everyone was afraid of something. But the strength of his fear had his 6’3″ muscular frame crouching on his knees, offering up heartfelt prayers. He accepted that this was his karma. He knew how he’d lived his life. The universe was just giving him what he deserved. All he was asking for, was a little mercy. Just a little help to carry the burden he’d earned. It was his last chance. He wouldn’t try again. Despite his efforts to forgo any expectations, he couldn’t snuff out the light of hope that flickered in the darkness. The door slowly creaked open, a foreboding omen. There she was with a look in her eyes that was meant to convey compassion and sympathy but instead oozed pity. The unspoken truth coated him like black tar, impossible to wipe away. But he needed the words. The hope refused to die.

“Please, just tell me.” He begged.

“It won’t be so bad. It’s just more than we were planning.”

Confusion. “Honey, I’m going to need you to just say it.”

She strode over and knelt next to him. She touched his face and gently kissed his cheek as if to apologize. “Twin girls. We’re having twin girls to add to the three girls we already have.”

Jared felt every muscle in his body tense before he was comforted by the sweet relief of passing out.

#spookyshorts No. 4 – Horrified 

Amber startled out of her sleep. Her head whipped from side to side searching for the cause. She’d been antsy for the past week. It was hard to describe, but she’d just had a perpetual bad feeling. It was like she was being watched. She would’ve brushed the whole thing off as ridiculous if it hadn’t been for the strange things that had been happening. For instance, when she’d gotten into her car a couple of days ago the radio station had been changed. She always listened to the classical station to help keep calm while driving. The station had been on a sports radio station, she would never listen to. Nothing else in the car was out of place and there were no signs of a break-in. The doors were locked and the car alarm had been set. Then there was the coffee that mysteriously appeared on her work desk on the morning she was running too late to pick one up herself. The cup was from the place she always got it from and appeared to be made just the way she liked it. None of her co-workers knew where it came from and she ended up throwing it away. Finally, there was the Halloween Party flyer that was stuffed in her mailbox. The invite to the club would’ve seemed innocent enough if it hadn’t been for the words, ‘See you on Halloween’ that had been circled in red marker. It had freaked her out so much that she spent all day yesterday, Halloween day, shut up in her apartment without opening the door. So, it was with great relief that it was the morning after Halloween and the day had gone by without incident. She felt well rested and surprisingly at ease. Still, she got up from her bed to check around her apartment. Everything was right where it should be. She wiped her sweaty hand on her leg as she turned to go back to bed. Her hand froze as it touched her thigh. She gasped as she looked at herself. She blinked several times, but nothing changed. Instead of seeing the comfy pajamas she’d worn to bed, she saw that she was wearing a sexy, red negligee that she’d never before laid eyes on.

#spookyshorts No. 5 – Relief

Amanda couldn’t believe it. She’d built up so much anxiety about this final. She really needed to ace this test to pass the class; and she needed to pass the class, to graduate on time. Of course, she’d gotten the most egotistical, cocky, immature professor that had ever existed. To make matters worse, somehow her sarcastic, impossible to keep its comments to itself-mouth, had gotten her on Professor Jerkenstein’s bad side. But as she looked over her essay, she couldn’t help the relieved sigh that passed through her lips. The test had been surprisingly easy. Maybe it had come from the department and it wasn’t one he had made up himself. A low whistle drew Amanda’s attention to her right, where her professor stood looking at her essay. She smiled at him with only a hint of smugness. The strained baring of his teeth could hardly be called a smile. 

As he walked away he cleared his throat and announced, “Class, please be sure to read the question carefully. This test is 50% of your grade.”

Her heart dropped into her stomach as her eyes shot back to her paper. What had she done wrong? She knew it couldn’t have been that easy. She gawked at her watch. There wouldn’t be enough time to fix any mistakes. What to do? Her eyes darted back at her professor with a plea for help just in time to catch him wink and mouth the word ‘psych’ at her.

#spookyshorts No. 6 – Despair

I keep digging through coarse cold dirt and cutting gravel. I feel the pain in my fingertips. I can’t see them but I know that if I could they would be bleeding and damaged. But I refuse to slow down. It’s pitch black all around me and far above me, I can see a pinprick of light. That’s where I’m struggling to be. Once I get to the light, I can figure out where I am and what to do. It seems so far away and I’m so tired. I hear the water before I feel it, but then I do feel it. It’s rising all around me, pressing in on me and dragging me down. I struggle to keep my head above water. It’s overwhelming, the darkness, the pressure, the helplessness. I want to cry out but I have no voice. I’m both frantic and resigned. I need to keep going, people rely on me and yet the task feels insurmountable.

The beeping of the alarm clock, which my insomnia has rendered useless, jars me out of my thoughts. Maybe today I’ll make it out of bed, open the blinds, feel the sun on my skin. I’m hopeful. I’m hopeful that maybe today I can shake off the melancholy and despair or reach out for help or at least hold on until tomorrow when I’ll have another chance. Another chance to be, another chance to keep existing.

I know that one might’ve been a little too real. But sometimes nothing is scarier than real life. If you or anyone you know is feeling depressed or suicidal reach out, hang on. National Suicide Prevention Hotline – 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

I hoped you liked them. I tried to vary the tone of each of them. My overall theme was that everyone is scared about something at sometime.

Let me know which one you liked best and why. I would love to get your feedback!

Also check back for the final one. As romance is my wheelhouse the emotion will be LOVE!

Everyone has something or someone that inspires them, that gives their imagination wings to fly and soar and accomplish all they were meant to be. When the characters in my head start taking form, I sometimes look up images on the internet that will help me to bring them to life and make them feel more real. I was thinking that I would share some of the inspiration for some of my ‘friends’ from Let Me Set You Straight.  Here’s a haiku about inspiration and who I liked for the main male characters.

Haiku

Where, who or what gets

creative juices flowing

use it as your muse

I’ve always liked actor Theo James and he has this deep rich voice. And can we talk about that full bottom lip. So yeah, when I thought about Dane being a real person, Theo James really hit the spot.

Now for Vince I really had to go searching and I have to admit, I had a lot of fun. (hehehe creepy laugh, but I’m not ashamed) So I found model Don James and talk about a tasty morsel.  See for yourselves.

I had the most trouble trying to find precisely who inspired Hudson. He’s this artsy film maker director that’s charming and distractingly attractive. Enter model Derek Jaeschke:

.

To round out the main men, I had to find someone for Xavier. I was so happy to find R&B singer Tank. C’mon ladies he’s the perfect rough and tumble and protective Xavier

.

So those are the guys. I find it kind of exciting to find people to play my characters and it gets my creative juices flowing. In the next post I will talk about the ladies.

If you’ve read Let Me Set You Straight, comment who you’d cast as Dane and the gang.

Til next time hugs and love,

MRM

Hi, I’m May Rose Maxwell and this is the website/blog for my first contemporary romance novel, Let Me Set You Straight. Well, actually it’s for all of my books, but I currently only have one published. However, like the title said, the rose is blooming, so this is only the beginning. Let Me Set You Straight will become a series featuring some of the side characters. They have become like family and I am determined that they also get their happily ever afters.

Let Me Set You Straight was a labor of love and it is with great humility that I offer it up to you for your enjoyment. It is a little surreal to think that it is actually out there. My hope is that it will take you, my readers on an escape filled with love, laughter, friendship, family and of course a happy ending. If you’ve read it I hope that you enjoyed it and  will adopt the characters into your life, they’ll love it.  

You could actually click this link  here  and leave a review because I would love to know what you thought of the book, and it could help other readers make an informed decision.

You might be wondering what you’ll find on this site. As you can see it’s still under construction, but it’s my intention to let you know what things I’m working on, release dates on future novels, as well as teasers and gossip about the characters. This is a gossip site after all. 😉 There will also be snippets from books that are already out and information about promotions and giveaways. So you should definitely subscribe to my newsletter.