Category: - Mell Eight's Writing Blog

Out Now: The Coup and the Prince

5/22/2019

The Coup and the Prince

The coup should have been simple: oust the tyrannical regents and restore the rightful heir to the throne.

No one expected the rightful heir to be dead, or for his younger brother to be missing. But as vital as it is they find the missing prince, it's more important they start rebuilding the ravaged country. Or so Aiden believes, until he stumbles on a terrible crime ring and a pair of beautiful green eyes that threaten to derail everything he's been working toward.

Out Now: The Sentinel's Prophesy

4/3/2019

The Sentinel's Prophesy

In ancient times, five dragons fought against an immense and powerful evil. Unable to defeat it, they imprisoned it in ice. The Oracle vowed to watch over the land and protect it from further threat. Her brother, the Sentinel, promised to oversee the ice prison and ensure the creature never escaped. Thousands of years have passed since that time, and still the Sentinel sits in his lonely tower, watching and waiting.

A simple farmhand, Corey doesn't know what to make of the way his aunt and uncle abruptly drag him into a journey across the frozen tundra, or why he's had to abandon his life to live in the tower. The only consolation from his new, strange, and confusing life is the mysterious man who lives alone in the highest room of the tower...

Out Now: If A Butterfly Don't Fly

3/13/2019

If A Butterfly Don't Fly

Merridy has always loved music, but can't sing. The only job in the music business he can get is as a security guard for The Bard and Sons, a premier record label. He keeps their secrets and patrols their hallways, always secretly wishing for a big break he knows will never come.

Changeling's Court is a brand new band struggling to cut their first single and record. Merridy chances upon a scrap of their lyrics without accompanying music notes and can't help composing a simple ballad for them. If he's found out he'll probably get fired.

Instead, he finds himself in a strange new world of magic and faeries—and danger.

Out Now: Heartbeat

10/3/2018

Heartbeat

A vampire's heart only beats for one reason—one person. When Denton's dead heart starts thumping at the first sight of Orion, he can't believe it. But Orion, a shy, sheltered, submissive wolf, is more of a challenge than anticipated. But Denton hasn't come this far by being a quitter, and he's certainly not giving up when his mate is involved.

Out Now: Ground of Insurrection

6/13/2018

Ground of Insurrection

Life on the prairie isn't easy, especially since the prairie has a habit of eating people it doesn't like. Ruse knows the dangers, but there's so much more to the prairie than death.

The nearby country of Ammet, however, only sees an exploitable resource to be conquered. Caught between the political machinations of Ammet and his love for the prairie, Ruse can only hope he doesn't wind up killed by one or the other.

Out Now: Kelpie Blue

3/21/2018

Kelpie Blue

Mama always said, don't go near the lake. Rin already knew the forest was filled with dark things, but aside from Mama no one had warned him about the lake. One day, Rin wanders off to the lake, where a beautiful blue horse asks him to go for a swim, and Rin learns too late it may not be a swim he survives.

Out Now: Hadash Aviv

12/13/2017

Hadash Aviv

New beginnings come in many different forms. Aviv's started with a bomb in Gaza and a friendly American soldier who turned his life around. But pomegranate trees only bloom in the spring and aviv is a long way off. Can a chance meeting at a new year's party finally bring Aviv's new beginning into flower?

News: Writing, Editing and More

12/3/2017

12/03/17

What is it about getting a big stack of edits that makes me want to run the other way? I don't know if this is a me thing or an authors in general thing, but edits suck. They're this necessary evil staring at me from the abyss. I know I have to work on them, but I can't help putting them off. What this means is I took one look at the edits for Kelpie Blue, gulped, and then scurried back to the safe realm of writing. I have completed writing The Red Apple Witch when I should have been working on my edits.

Those of you that have been following me for a while know that The Red Apple Witch is a fairy tale I started writing soon after Cinder-Elle came out in 2012. Every once in a while I poked at it, but for the most part the story lay stagnant in my computer. Then I had the idea to combine a bunch of my fairy tales into one compilation and I said to myself, I have to finish this one too. Well, I've finally done it. The Red Apple Witch still needs a lot of editing, especially the older parts of the story, but I am so glad to finally say it's complete. This means I have five fairy tales complete and just about ready for submission, one tale that I need to rework the ending (Thunderbird), and two more that I need to write. I recently read through A Heart's Dream, which I've been stuck on for a bit, and realized the reason I was stuck was I was trying to force the story to be 30k words when it was really only calling for 15k. The other story I need to work on is Trip Trop Trail, which is a Billy Goat Gruff retelling with a twist. I have the main points figured out, but I can't decide whether I want it set in the modern day (which would be the only one of my fairy tales in that setting) or if I should do a more fantasy-like setting instead. Once I figure that out, I'll be able to start writing.

Supernatural Consultant, Volume Two came out recently. This is the second print compilation of the series and it picks up where Volume One left off. It includes Dragon Detective, Dragon Soldier, Dragon Adventure, and Dragon Home. You can buy your copy at LT3 today and it's also available at your favorite print retailer (but it's cheaper for you to buy from LT3).

Kelpie Blue is also available for pre-order at LT3. They're having a very nice sale right now, so you can get it for 32% off: https://lessthanthreepress.com/books... It comes out on March 21, 2018, which will be here soon. (And, yes, I have been working on those edits. Don't worry.)

Out Now: Dragon Lesson

10/11/2017

Dragon Lesson

All Lumie wants to see is Goldie's beautiful smile, but the only expression he ever shows Lumie is tears. When Goldie asks him for a favor, Lumie leaps at the chance to finally see Goldie happy.

Goldie wants to live a life free of the fear that has chained him for so long, but breaking free once and for all may come with a higher price than he and Lumie are prepared to pay.

Out Now: Justified

8/9/2017

Justified

The world of vampires and werewolves is in upheaval. The magical community is under attack by a great evil power trying to destroy them all and their strongest fighter is oblivious with his nose glued in a spell book. Yani has given up hope in getting Aaron back on track. He knows he instead has to focus on his own future and the lives of those he loves, even if it means losing Aaron, the love of his life, forever.
Yani's life isn't the only one in flux. As the battle heats up and lines are drawn, the rest of his friends must fight for their own survival in a world with no answers to the terrible magic attacking them.