First-time author Marissa Carmel debuted last month with her YA fantasy iFeel (http://goo.gl/MnDYg). As she continues on her blog tour, see what she has to say about the expectations of being a writer and a mother.

You can read her full post on my official blog - http://empyricaltales.blogspot.com/2012/07/guest-post-marissa-carmel-author-of.html

I’m a morning person. Most days, as soon as I wake up, I’m alert and ready to start my day. After coffee, of course. That’s why I choose to write in the morning; I’m fresh and at my best. When I’m writing, whether it’s the first draft of a manuscript or a rewrite, I focus on that. I don’t even check my email or answer my phone until I’m satisfied that I’ve produced the day’s writing. It’s too easy for me to get sidetracked, responding to emails, posting on Face Book and…

In real life, when we hear of someone doing something bizarre or out of character, we often wonder, “What on earth possessed him to do that?” And, if we know the person, we might even think “That’s not like him.” But, since we know that he did it, we have no choice but to shrug our shoulders, shake our heads, accept it and move on. It happened; it’s a fact. In real life.

In fiction, writers don’t have that luxury. If one of our characters behaves in…

I’ve wanted to be a published author since I was a little girl. Like most girls my age, I read every Judy Bolton and Nancy Drew mystery; they were among my most prized possessions. When I was ten years old, I submitted a poem I’d written to my Sunday school magazine. I can still remember how thrilled I was when I saw my name printed under the title. My first byline! Now, many years later (no need to tell how many), I…

How do writers choose the titles for their novels? When I think of some of my favorite authors, Mary Higgins Clark comes immediately to mind. She often uses the titles of old songs. For example, You Belong to Me, Let Me Call You Sweetheart and All Around the Town. James Patterson’s Women’s Murder Club Series starts with 1st to Die and is up to The 10th Anniversary. And, Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone mystery series utilizes the alphabet: A is for Alibi through the latest, V…

The process of creating a character is like conceiving, carrying and giving birth to a baby who will, no doubt, have Mom’s nose or Grandpa’s ears. While I didn’t consciously model the characters in Mixed Messages or the subsequent novels in my Malone mystery series after myself or anyone else, there are bits and pieces of me and people I know in each of…

When I choose a novel to read, I want to be drawn into the fictional world that the author has created. Naturally, I look for a strong plot, believable characters and an interesting setting. Those are all important elements in fiction but, to me, the most memorable books use the five senses to make the story, the characters and the setting come alive. I can always count on my favorite authors to do that. I’ve…

You've no doubt heard the expression, “Pay it forward,” and/or seen the movie starring Kevin Spacey, Haley Joel Osment and Helen Hunt? The movie was based on the novel, Pay It Forward, by Catherine Ryan Hyde. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the story, I’ll give you a brief summary.

Trevor McKinney is a sweet, sensitive boy. When his social studies teacher tells the…

Seems like forever since I posted anything, but there's not much going on. It is the Grammys tonight though, and I am slightly interested in that. Only slightly because I'm not at all impressed by celebrity and I don't think the people/groups that win awards in general (music or otherwise) necessarily deserve them--sometimes it seems clear that popularity or politics are more involved than any real talent or quality--but I find it interesting none-the-less and am always…

Do you know the song, Getting to Know You? It was written by Rodgers and Hammerstein and first sung by Deborah Kerr in the 1956 production of The King and I. Julie Andrews sang it in the 2006 remake. “Getting to know you. Getting to know all about you. Getting to like you. Getting to hope you’ll like me.”

In “real” life, people get to know us and we get to know them gradually. We all have a back…

When I conceived the idea for my first mystery/suspense novel, Mixed Messages, my goal was to write a stand alone novel. I planned to introduce and develop my characters, tell their story and, by the end of the book, tie up any loose ends, leaving the reader satisfied. My plan is still basically the same but my goal has changed.

As I got further and further into writing my novel, I…

In one of my favorite movies, Misery, based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name, James Caan plays Paul Sheldon, the famous author of a popular historical romance series. Paul decides that, if he’s ever going to be a “real” writer again, he needs to produce something else. He goes to his usual writer’s retreat, a lodge in the mountains, and completes a new novel, as yet untitled; he’s very proud of the…

Today’s world is a constantly changing, complicated, confusing place. Every day, we’re bombarded with old and new things to worry about and fear. The economy . . . well, that speaks for itself, the constant threat of natural disasters and terrorist attacks, disease, the crime rate, something we eat, drink or come into contact with that could cause cancer; the list goes on and on. And then, of course, there are the…

First time author shares a heartfelt story about a troubled boy and how a Christmas Village changed his life.

Learn more:…

I spent a few minutes on-line this morning trying to find out how many steps the average person takes in a day.  I knew it was a big mistake the minute I typed the words into the search bar, but I thought it would be a fun fact to know.  Well, I was right: it was a big mistake.  How can anyone really know?  Who goes around counting their steps and posting the number on the internet, anyway?  No one,…

A comforting, calming feeling came over me the day Joey and I picked up the copies of A Reel Cool Summer from the printing house. We had been working on our little book for about nine months. Being separated by 5,000 miles and who knows how many time zones wasn’t easy but we made it work. We spoke almost every day and emails flew back and forth by the minute. Many times we emailed each other while on the phone. I think we said, “I’m emailing it to you right now,” and, “Okay, I just got it,…

I have nothing against 99 cent ebooks.  I’ve bought them, I’ve read them and I appreciate that now it is easier than ever for authors to put their work out there and so pricing is at an all time low.  Whether books are priced $0.99, $2.99 or $4.99, it’s  hardly a financial risk to try something different and when you can get 100 titles on your Kindle or Nook for a couple of hundred dollars instead of a thousand dollars, that has to be something to smile about.

However, I saw something…