BOOK SIGNING!!!

Hey all you wonderful UT people who are interested in my book.

 Melanie Mason will be doing a book signing for The Line That Divides on December 10, 2014, 5-7pm at The Book Table. 

The Book Table
29 S Main St, Logan, UT 84321
5-7 pm

Please come and support this event if you can. Thank you!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

What a beautiful day! It may be raining outside, but inside it is warm and cozy filled with thanksgiving and peace. I hope we all take some time out today to show our gratitude to Heavenly Father for everything we've been given. It may not seem like a lot to us, but in the grand scheme of things he has given us everything we have even down to the very air we breathe. 

I am filled with gratitude on this day. I have been blessed with so much and I am going to do my best not to complain about anything today, but simply be grateful. I know this will be hard, especially at work, but if I try to focus on all the things I've been given then I will succeed.

I challenge everyone to only be thankful today. Even when the black Friday lines get long or the item you wanted is sold out. Be thankful for what you have, what you've been given, even the air you breathe. Be thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Seeress and the Stone

As promised here are a few more chapters. I just love fantasy. 

The Seeress and the Stone 4

The Seeress and the Stone 5

The Seeress and the Stone 6

Review: The Awakening by Dorine White

The Awakening by Dorine White

Nightmares really do come true, and for fifteen-year-old Kyler Birkwood, they are just beginning. Raised on a farm by his Aunt Martha, Kyler has no clue about the magical heritage swimming through his blood. When he discovers evidence of a mythical creature, a terrifying beast thought only to exist in fairy tales, his safe world shatters.

Left at a school of magic to hunt for clues, he is overwhelmed and disbelieved. As loved ones begin disappearing and Orcs roam the land, Kyler must undergo a journey that takes him from the High Courts of the King to the unknown forests of the East. His magic just awakening, Kyler is the lone hope for a world that will not listen.

The Awakening is an action packed adventure from beginning to end. Dorine White has magically woven a tale with intriguing characters that delight and entertain. The story pulls you in and doesn't let go until the end.

When Kyler realizes the power he holds, there is no stopping him and he will do whatever it takes to protect his friends and family. He learns quickly, maybe a little too quickly, to harness the power inside him, yet the impetuousness of youth brings unexpected help and hindrance. Not every battle is a winning one, and he doesn't always save the day. It's nice to see a hero share the lime light with his companions. I also love that he doesn't take to fighting with a sword, but searches out other methods to fight and protect himself and his friends.

Darcy is a gem. Not your typical princess. With a hungering desire to prove herself in a world of swords and magic, she literally fights her way to the center of everything. She is independent and skilled with the determination to use her talents to protect her friends. She hates the very idea of anyone being worried about her because she is a girl and yet this can also be a weakness that endangers her friends. She is willing to fight to the death, hopefully not her own. This character is very real to me and yet a part of me hungers to see the feminine side of her. Women can be fierce, but there is always a softer side and I would have loved to see more of Darcy's softer side.

The loyal friend, Henry, becomes a hero in his own right, harnessing his own powers and offering the measure of deliverance to his friends that could actually turn the tide of evil. He is a bit of a third wheel to the trio of friends and yet he has valuable skills, some of which come to fruition just at the nick of time.  I like the friendship that develops between these three though it would be nice to see more growth as the story progresses. 

As a stand alone novel it was written very well, especially for the younger audience. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the reality of the characters personalities as they interacted with each other. By the time it ended I didn't want it to end. I felt like there could be more. There were times when the story moved so quickly that I wished it would slow down and yet I didn't want it to stop. Dorine White delivers twists and turns to the plot that will keep you turning the pages.

Review of The Line That Divides from Laura L. Walker

Check out the latest review posted for The Line That Divides.
Laura L. Walker - Review

Marsha Ward - Writer in the Pines: Fresh Book Friday - The Line That Divides

Marsha Ward - Writer in the Pines: Fresh Book Friday - The Line That Divides: Title: The Line That Divides Author: Melanie Mason Genre: Historical Romance (World War II) Publisher: Walnut Springs Press Date of Public...

Successful Book Launch Party

So I had an online FaceBook Book Launch party on Tuesday. It was awesome. I had so many friends attend and I was so happy to see so many people support me. We had prizes donated by several wonderful authors and musicians and even a Q&A session with me. I love surprising people with my methods of writing.

Some of the questions asked:

Q: Do you have the whole basis for your stories when they come to you and then you fill in the hundreds of pages? Or does the storyline come in bits and pieces with even a surprise ending for you too?

A: I usually have an idea of what I want to happen, but when I write it is like I am reading the book for the first time. It's just in my head. There have been many times when something that happens in the book surprises me.

Q:  I love the research you just fall into while looking for something else. Does that happen to you?

A:  That has happened to me. Not necessarily research, but reading other books and then getting ideas and suddenly I have a story. Another secret I have is dreams. I have several dreams that will someday be books.

Q:  Do you have any writing routines or quirks? Things you must have/do in order to write?

A:  Not really. I just sit at my computer and write. Sometimes I write when I have a break on the airplane and I pull out my notebook and write. I've also noticed that when I get really tired of writing I read and read and read and read. When I've read seven or eight or ten books by other people, then I'm ready to write again. I also try to follow the inspiration I get. Just to be on the level, I feel VERY blessed and VERY inspired by Heavenly Father. I truly believe He has blessed me with the books I've written.

Q:  How fast do you write?

A:  That depends on the book. I can usually finish a book in a few months. I actually wrote 45,000 words in four days last summer. Crazy stuff. Just remember I don't have children, only dogs. Sometimes I disappear into my room for days at a time.

Q:  Do you have any other books contracted to come out right now?

A:  Not yet, but there is some interest. I actually had another flight attendant that I was working with tell me to write a story set in Victorian London and my character had to have superpowers. I didn't think I could do it, but 60,000 words later, ta da, I have a mystery. That one is actually available to read on my www.wr1t3r.hubpages.com account. It's called The Shadow.

Q:  I know you like to write fantasy. What is your favorite genre to write?

A:  I'm doing pretty good in YA, but I love writing fantasy. At this point in time I have 19 completed novels, The Line That Divides is the first to get published. I have a fantasy trilogy and then two series of YA dystopian along with a few mysteries and a YA series about Dyrads in the modern world.

Q: How did you get the idea for The Line That Divides?

A:  I read another WW2 book and I hated how it ended, so I decided to do some research and write my own WW2 book. I think it turned out pretty good.

Q:  What's your favorite part of the writing process?

A:   Writing the ending and knowing that it is finished. It's just cool when you finish it to know that everything is done that was meant to be written...then the editing starts. :(

Q:  How did you do your research for your novel? What are your favorite methods?

A:   I did lots of online research and then I spent half a day at Hill Air Force Base Aerospace Museum talking to the gentleman in charge of the B-17 bombers. My brother also gave me a book about airplanes that I used as well. My favorite method is online research, but I loved being able to take pictures of the plane at the museum. I would love to actually go to Austria and see the places I google earthed.

The Seeress and the Stone

So I wanted to attach some links for the first few chapters of my fantasy novel. Enjoy! I will post more later.

The Seeress and the Stone Prologue

The Seeress and the Stone 2

The Seeress and the Stone 3

Lessons in Prayer and Gratitude

So I gave a lesson on prayer in church today during our Relief Society class. The lesson was a good one for me to read and learn from this month. My favorite quote from the lesson is from the first section:

"...the Lord can get along without our prayers. His work will go on just the same, whether we pray or whether we do not. ... Prayer is something that we need, not that the Lord needs. He knows just how to conduct His affairs and how to take care of them without any help from us. Our prayers are not for the purpose of telling Him how to run his business. If we have any such idea as that, then of course we have the wrong idea. Our prayers are uttered more for our sakes, to build us up and give us strength and courage, and to increase our faith in Him. ... Prayer is something that humbles the soul. It broadens our comprehension; it quickens the mind. It draws us nearer to our Father in heaven. We need His help; there is no question about that. We need the guidance of His Holy Spirit. We need to know what principles have been given to us by which we may come back into His presence. We need to have our minds quickened by the inspiration that comes from Him; and for these reasons we pray to Him, that He may help us to live so that we will know His truth and be able to walk in its light, that we may, through our faithfulness and our obedience, come back again into His presence."

I am so grateful for the power of prayer in my life. So many prayers have been answered. Sometimes the answer is no, but like Maria says in The Sound of Music, "When the Lord closes a door, somewhere he opens a window." I have been very blessed in my life, that's a fact.

I wanted to post my handout as well, because I'm very proud of it. :)

Dear Editor

Dear Editor,

Whew, I'm so glad that is done! It's going to be fantastic! I'm so excited to finally see it in print. Thank you for all your hard work in polishing The Line That Divides.

Sincerely,

Melanie Mason Author


Dear Storm,

I'm so sorry I ignored you for nearly two weeks. Please forgive me. It will be worth it in the end, I promise.

Very Tiredly Yours,

Author


Dear Reading Glasses,

The fact that I even have to use you makes me feel old, and I'm Not Old! (Sigh)
Thanks for making things on my computer screen clearer.

Grudgingly,

Tired Eyes


Dear Laundry, Living Room, Kitchen, and Bathroom:

Editing comes first, cleaning later. Sorry.

Distracted,

Me


Dear Clock Ticking On The Wall,

Why is it that when I start it is so early and yet it feels late, but after I've been involved in my writing it IS so late and yet feels so early? Explain this to me. Can you also explain why you have to move so quickly on my day off and so slowly when I have to work? Especially when I have TONS of writing stuff to do? Grrrrr.

Tick Tock,

One who is ready to pull the batteries

WE WENT TO PRESS TODAY!!!

I am so excited! The Line That Divides is being printed as I write this. It has been a crazy process, but I've soaked in every minute of it. For those of you who like World War II stories I hope you'll enjoy mine.

To order online now click here.

The Seeress and the Stone Chapter 44

Here is the most recent installment of my fantasy novel.
The Seeress and the Stone 44.

Check it out!