Skye McNeil-Author

We made it to October! Pat yourself on the back if you can. I happen to enjoy October weather, though not as much as July. The colorful leaves, pumpkin everything, Halloween decorations, and assortment of cinnamon candles are the main reasons behind my adoration. Plus, it’s also one month until my birthday 🙂

After a tumultuous month of editing, I’m taking a break from that for a bit. The feedback in regards to one of my new books was confusing as some editors told me it was good, yet needed minor edits while another editor told me to redo the entire first chapters. Needless to say, I need a breather from narrative obstacles.

What am I doing to occupy my time, you may ask. Oh, well, you know, drinking pumpkin spice lattes, making cookies in the shape of ghouls, and, oh, yeah, PREPPING FOR NANOWRIMO!!!!! If you’re new, NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month aka November. It’s where you write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. Pretty badass if I do say so myself. I strive to participate each year, though last year I was preoccupied with pimping my novel.

I’m quite excited for my NaNo story as it is set in Des Moines, obviously, and revolves around the legal profession. Here’s the skinny: criminal attorney assigned to a murder case. That’s all you’re getting for now, but let me assure you, it will be kickass. I find that stories involving the legal world are my forte. Hmm, I wonder if it’s because I’m in that field…..mayhap.

Anywho, I have a gosh darn good title (no spoilers) and two main characters sure to blow your socks off, especially the male MC ;-). Think tatted up rock & roll drummer with wavy brown hair, a nose piercing, eyebrow piercing, and caramel colored eyes to drown in to start. Yum. He makes a pretty good murder suspect. I won’t forget my Amazonian, independent criminal attorney that sports green eyes and a side of sass. Wow, a lot of  my women are sassy. I wonder what that says about me? 😉

Thus far, I have designed a messy web of the plot and character influence. My fingers are itching to begin writing, but I will refrain! To sum up: hunky bad boy, kick ass attorney, murder trial, oh, and did I mention the handsome cop best friend? Didn’t think so. Yep, there’s one of those sizzlers in this story.

An editor recently asked me why I write. Whew, how do I begin to explain? Here is what I told him, “Without writing I cease to be true to myself. Writing is my passion, and I am grateful to be given the opportunity to pursue my dreams.” That is the reason I don’t give up despite the horrid days that writing brings. I’m not making much money doing this, but it’s what I love. At the end of the day, I have to chase every facet of what makes me, me. I hope you can say the same too. That is why I participate in crazy competitions to further my writing career. Every little bit helps. You never know where your work will be noticed.

I may be in and out of consciousness in November, so you’ll have to excuse me if I skip while I hammer out a novel in a month.

It’s autumn! Try the pumpkin liquor. It’s awesome.

~Skye~

September has arrived at last! So begins the pumpkin spice lattes, football parties, school, and oh, yeah, editing from hell.

August in Iowa focuses on the Iowa State Fair. If you’ve never been, you should. Just so we can add to the millions of visitors. Honestly, I don’t understand the appeal of wall-to-wall strangers, extremely obese animals, sunburn, and deep fat fried food. That being said, the fried Oreo’s are AMAZING!

Now, as I start a new month, I hope it’s better than the last few. Publisher wise. I’ve been trying to get one of my books under a different pseudonym published, but so far all I have is rejection. Obviously, I wasn’t expecting a home run. Ok, I lied. I totally was. Surprisingly enough, I’ve had more responses from publishers than I have for my Skye submissions. I find that intriguing and a little depressing.

As a rule, I retain all of my rejection emails. Why, you might ask? So that when I’m a big time author, I can provide a little hope for the other writers out there that want to give up when they receive that ‘Dear John’ email that’s so original I want to puke. I read somewhere that writers need to get a yearly amount of rejections so you get your name out there. The jury’s still out on that.

This week, I’ve received two rejection emails. One from a large publishing house. And holy crap, it was actually an email NOT just an automatic response that says ‘your writing sucks ass’! Between the two personalized emails, I’ve come to see that my MC isn’t ‘likable’ according to them and my timelines are fuzzy. I take their rejections and though they depress me, I learn from them. Point being, yes, my MC is a bitch, but I guess I need to make her a little more like a person if I’m going to draw readers in. To the second, I am currently re-reading and hacking where needed to make sure the times aren’t confusing.

Rejection emails are ok. It means you are getting your work out there and someone is reading it. Take the feedback, but don’t hole yourself away and cry into a Ben & Jerry’s. (Of course, I’ve never done that. That would be ‘likable’.) I realize that while I need to stay true to my writing, I also need to take the criticism too. I’m a perfectionist, so swallowing that pill is super difficult. I don’t want my characters to fall flat, but I also want my story to get across to the readers. This particular story has a LOT of me in it, so that’s why I took the rejections a little hard this time.

I know it’s no fun to get rejected especially when it’s your heart and soul they’re smashing with the key strokes. At the same time, those rejections make or break a writer. You either learn from your mistakes and succeed or you continue to ignore the subtle help the publishers are giving you. Don’t remind me of this euphoria when I receive another email from hell.

My goal is to not have those emails filter through my inbox. I only want the good ones, but taking the good with the bad is all part of the writing process. So, here’s to a fresh month, less rejection emails and more publishing offers 😉

Keep that head high and proud.

~Skye~

I survived a vacation in the Rockies. No bear attacks or anything. Believe me, it was difficult at times since I was with my family pretty much non-stop. I am adjusting back into normal life in Iowa. It sucks. I hate it. Let’s just stay on vacation forever. Yeah, that’d be great! As I haven’t won the lottery, that’s not happening. For now. It’s been muggy as hell here, thanks for that, corn. But alas, a rainbow still shines over the Des Moines metro. I feel like someone should be singing a campfire song right about now. Anyone? No one? Ok, back to business.

Today, I finished my latest story. At the moment, the title is “The Editor’s Barista”. We shall see if it stays. I gave a little run down of the plot and characters in last month’s post, so feel free to catch yourself up. After hitting that last key stroke, I began to wonder the future for my story baby. Yes, I still have to take my machete to it and edit, but after that, I want it to blossom into greatness. Here’s a little hint, it takes a publisher and/or an agent for that to happen. How am I doing on those, you may ask. Super. Just fantastic. She says while sarcasm literally drips from her forced smile. It’s difficult to get started when your feet are weighed down by reality. I hate reality. It should leave for vacation and never return.

Like many other writers, I have a daytime job. Sadly no, I am not a superhero who rips off her clothing to save the day with the written word. That’d be pretty epic, though. I’ll look into that. As I watched my newest Netflix binge show “Melissa & Joey”, I was disturbed when Mel tells Joe to “Go date a paralegal” since the normal girls he dates are bimbos and he needs to start from the bottom of the business sector. If you didn’t already know, that is the job title that currently pays my bills. I wasn’t really sure how to take that directive. Is it a bash on fellow para’s because we’re not attorneys or is it implying that we’re merely stepping stones to someone better? Needless to say, I wasn’t thrilled with my job being thrown under the bus. Although, if Joey Lawrence was in my dating pool, I would not turn him down.

The episode last night got me thinking about my career. Yes, I’m thankful to have  a job and all that, but is it my dream job? No. Listening to people complain all day and being a babysitter and bitch to 3+ attorneys is definitely not my idea of a ‘dream job’. Naturally, my dream job is renting a little office in the hub of Des Moines and write while overlooking the skyline. Pool access would be a plus and a coffee shop nearby. Oh, and locks. Let’s not forget multiple locks. Not because it’s dangerous, ok some parts of DM are but that’s a different story, but because I’m so sick of interruptions. I literally do not get any ‘me’ time. If I’m writing at home, I have pets and family members constantly jumping into my imagination. It’s weird how that works. And at work, cough cough I don’t write at work, there’s a slew of distractions every minute of every hour. So yes, I want a peaceful little office space with quiet neighbors, preferably mega hot guys who lost their shirts in a dreadful fire. I like some distractions. Really, maybe just an office in a suite so I can have a little company, but then bar my door when I’m done. I would need like one or two funny people. Surprisingly, I’m not this witty on my own. Shocking, I know.

We can’t all be famous writers. Just like in Congress, I think some of the older authors should step down when they reach retirement age so the younger group can move in. And no, I’m never ever EVER talking politics on here. Just no. But really, if maybe a few fans wanted to hop off of the bandwagon of the famous authors and check out us small, budding writers, they wouldn’t be disappointed. Just because we’re not on billboards or commercials doesn’t mean we’re a lost cause. I can’t believe that. Not when my life orbits fantasy island on a daily basis.

So, here’s the thing, taking a chance at your dream job is scary as hell. Putting yourself out there for the entire world to ridicule and ignore is pants-wetting scary. I don’t want to be super famous and be on a first name basis with Prince Harry. Ok, who am I kidding, of course I do! It’s called a ‘dream’ job because that’s what it is for most people. Thankfully, I get to fly around in my dream every time I pick up a pen or type on my laptop. Don’t let the fear of falling hinder your flight. I don’t know who said that, but I’m sure someone famous did, so don’t think I’m plagiarizing because that’s happened a lot lately.

Keep that dream job in sight. I know I do every single day.

~Skye~

Summer has once again graced our Iowan lands and it’s about time! There is nothing I love more than to bask in the sun (with SPF 1000 of course) and feel a warm breeze. Along with that, comes the dreaded humidity, which on a good day, makes my curls look either like a frizzy mess or droopy strands. It’s Iowa; love it or hate it. I’m a bit caught in between that line. So, since it’s a balmy 94 today, I am greatly looking forward to splashing in a mountain creek this weekend. Yep, it’s that time again. Vacation!!! Woooo!! Yaay! OMG, so stoked! Ok, calm down there, Skye, you have to go back to work after a week.

As if anticipating my venture to the cabin on Mt. Princeton (the only Prince I’ll ever need), my subconscious graced me with a new story idea last week. The dreams strike again, and I’m glad they did. Since jotting down the dream idea, I’ve been writing almost nonstop. To put it in perspective for you, I filled one notebook in a day. Yeah, I’m going to need a new hand pretty soon here.

Back to the story, it’s a romantic comedy. One of my favorite genres! I won’t give too much away, but I will say it involves an editor that loathes romance. As irony strikes, she is the top editor for new romance authors. Enter Army Rangers veteran and all around hottie with a body, who also happens to be a writer. When the heroine inadvertently RSVPs to her sister’s mountainside wedding with a plus one, she is forced to find a date and fast. Good thing for her, she is a bit klutzy and finds the perfect patsy who also makes a horrible cup of tea.

Nope. That’s all you get! Don’t make me change the story plot (because I totally will) 😀

Suffice to say, I’m pretty darn stoked about this story. I’m still in the “fun” part of writing. You know, when you are excited about the characters instead of yanking your hair out in the editing stages. That will come eventually. Goal: to finish before vacation. Ha! That’s not happening, so I’ll cross that one off my list. Realistic goal: kick major ass and get a publisher before the end of the summer. Yeah, I reach for the sky. It’s what I do 😉

I leave you now to pack for my vacation, to write my characters into oblivion, oh, and to work. Yeah, I should probably do that too.

Find that silver lining!

~Skye~

It’s April. Yay. The wind is currently howling outside my building, and I’m desperately wishing it was 75 out instead of 43. Springtime in Iowa is similar to a teenage girl. The mood changes as quickly as the weather. That’s Iowa, though. Hate it or love it. We all live here still for some odd reason. It must be the cheap real estate.

Do you ever lose yourself to a character in a book? As in, you become the character you’re reading about. For me, if a book doesn’t do that, then I stop reading it. This happens more often than not. An author needs to be able to pull me entirely into the book so that when I come up for air, I think I’m that character. It may seem weird, but it’s the way I am. I’m sure I’m not alone either. As a writer, that is what I want for my readers. The ability to create characters and a story that pulls you into their lives so thoroughly that you look up and have no clue what life you’re living.

Losing yourself to a story is the beauty of reading. I can escape from droll Iowa and spend time in sunny California for a while. At the moment, I am doing exactly that. I’ve been working on my DDD sequel lately, and I keep second-guessing myself. What if this one isn’t up to par with the first? What if no one likes it? Blah, blah, blah. I have to keep reminding myself that this story isn’t the first one. The characters are different. The scenarios and story line are polar opposites, and there is nothing wrong with that. Though, sometimes I wonder if I should be charting my stories better. ;-p

As I write, I jump into that story’s alternate dimension and habitat. For  me, it’s hard to come back to reality at times. Some days, I would much rather be sprawled out on the beach instead of bundled up in my living room. Dimension hopping is the only way I can function as a writer. I need that escape. I crave that first touch from the sun’s brilliant rays as I check out my awesome surfer boyfriend recreate Baywatch. Suffice to say, losing myself in a story is a way I find myself. I want that for my readers as well. I want them to feel so connected to the story that they react to the pitfalls and mountain tops as the character would.

I’m well aware that I live vicariously through my stories. If anyone tells you that you shouldn’t do that, get rid of them immediately. You don’t need that kind of negativity in your life. You go jump ship in Bali or fly above the Alps. You be you. Don’t conform to anyone else’s standards. Life was meant to be lived and for heaven’s sake, get lost in a book!

~Skye~

Winter is slowly coming to a screeching halt in Iowa. At least, I hope it is. I’m so done with winter and cold. It’s depressing. Bring on the sunshine and days so hot you just sit in front of the AC. I’ll take that any day over freezing temperatures.

While minding my own business as I often do while working, an idea formed for my sequel to Donuts, Diamonds and Assorted Details. Obviously, I charted a sequel previously, but this one trumped by last sketch. I whipped out my handy-dandy mini journal from my purse (I always carry one. I mean what writer doesn’t?) and started jotting down the story plot. I easily filled four pages and felt the need to write that son of a b down in a real notebook. So, I yanked out one of my spare legal pads, I bought it calm down boss, and started writing it all out. That was on Friday, today is Wednesday and I’m excited at the prospective story. My hand feels  like a zombie, but it’s worth the pain. The first draft for me is to mainly get the story out in the open and keep my creative juices flowing. The magic happens somewhere in between editing and first draft.

Thus far, I’m liking the direction of the story. It deals with characters from the debut novel, but obviously this is someone else’s story. Can you guess who? I like to have twists along the way in my stories, and I think I found this one. We’ll see how it comes out. The title? Yeah, good question. I have no idea yet. I scribbled down a few, but it’ll reveal itself eventually.

Publisher updated: Yup, got nothing yet. Soon-ish is the goal. It would be fabulous if I got one interested in this series, but I have a couple other books up my sleeve as well.

Forgot to mention, I edited DDD a bit after I got it back from my previous publisher, so now it leaves the door ajar for the next books in the series.

Keeping it short and sweet today. Thanks for the read. Don’t forget to subscribe and tell your friends as well.

~Skye~

I had a blog post all ready to go about two weeks ago and keep forgetting it. I’ll post it at a later time. Right now, I want to address my current publisher status. Beau Coup Publishing is dissolving on January 31, 2016. This news was extremely saddening and quite stressful when I found out second-hand. Not my preferred method, but social media tends to leak things before the important people know. I think I’m currently going through the 5 stages of grief since Donuts, Diamonds and Assorted Details was just published in October. Don’t ask me what stage I’m in. I don’t really know at the moment. It’s difficult for me since I’ve been trying for 8 years to snag a publisher, then I find one and my book is getting incredible reviews and then not even four months later there is a huge let down. I don’t blame anyone for this. Businesses disappear just as quickly as they are erected. If I could afford to create a kick ass publishing house, I totally would, but I’m really not that tech savvy.

I received a sixth 5 star review on Amazon yesterday and it pains me to know that in a few days people won’t have the opportunity to love the book as much as I do. That being said, I have tossed around the option of going full Indie and putting it up on Amazon by myself in e-book version alone. I’m really not fond of that notion, but I may end up doing it for the time being. We’ll see. I’ll post the reviews on here at the end, so you can see the glowing notes 🙂

So, since I just sent my release to BC, I’m currently publisherless. Is that a word? It is now. I choose to see this as an opportunity to move forward to bigger and better things. (Don’t tell my wine at home. We’re still hooking up later.)

To be honest, ever since publishing DDD, I’ve wanted to pull my hair out because of a typo I saw that somehow made it through and because I wanted to add another paragraph or two to the ending so it leads to a sequel. I actually have three more books in mind for these characters, so I really would like to add that tidbit. One of my colleagues knows a person involved in a much larger publishing house. Obviously, I’m not holding my breath. I’ve received my overabundance of stock reject letters from publishers, but I still find myself holding out hope. It really is about who you know.

To recap: my publisher is no more; DDD is soon to be off Amazon; I’m excited to work on DDD to include openings for a sequel; I’m anxious to begin the process of wooing a new publisher; and I’m moving forward. Staying in my current place won’t benefit my writing career, so I’m stealing Walt Disney’s quote to keep my head up during these times of uncertainty.

“Around here, however, we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we’re curious…and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” –Walt Disney–

~Skye~

As promised, all of my Amazon 5 star reviews. Thanks to all those that took the time to review my book. It means so much <3

Well, a new year has begun yet again. Bring on all the resolutions that last two weeks! But seriously, they only last until Valentine’s Day comes around because obviously you want to look good for that romantic day. If you haven’t picked up on my sarcasm, please re-read.

I’ve been furiously typing one of my stories, which remains untitled, and wonder if this will be the year of the novel boom. Obviously, I’m extremely pleased how the year 2015 went as I now have one of my works circulated in public. There is still the desire to really explode my novels and get my name out there. One of my ultimate goals is to be on Jimmy Fallon. Don’t judge. I like him as a talk show host and he was hilarious on SNL. Obviously, I don’t expect to be the next J.K. Rowling, though everyone keeps referring to her when they talk to me about my writing, which sort of irks me. I don’t write fantasy (which she does amazingly) and she doesn’t write romance (not under that pseudonym at least) so we really can’t be categorized in the same writing family. In other words, please stop clumping authors in one big group. We write different things. Unless you’re telling me I write like Jane Austen, I really don’t want to hear the comparisons.

Any-who, I’m pretty excited about the untitled work that has been consuming my mind, so if I seem scatterbrained, you can blame Untitled. This book is unlike any other I’ve written, and I attribute part of that to my need to expand my stories beyond what I write now. It’s a bit scary to try new things, but hey, you have to grow right? It seems I run into more writer’s block while writing this style because I’m not completely sure how it comes across. I don’t typically read first person stories because the few that I read were poorly written, so big turn off there. I don’t want that to happen with this story. I want my readers to be immensely turned on by the characters and by the story. I’ve let a few people read snidbits of scenes to get their point of view and so far so good. Of course those were men and the scenes were of the more, shall we say, interesting parts of the book. Either way, it is terrifying to write something in first person because people automatically think, “OMG, this is totally about her!” No, just no. It’s not, but there could be some parts that are true. I understand now why J.K. tossed that name aside to write other stories under a different pen name. Food for thought, that one.

Side note, have you ever been so involved in your writing that you accidentally answer someone in the same tone your character would? Yep, happened to me at work (shh, don’t tell). I was re-running some character plots in my mind and my boss asked me a question. Instinctively, I answered in a British accent and I didn’t even realize it. He gave me an odd look then asked if I just used an accent. Yeah, definitely didn’t realize I did that. Do I do that often? Probably. I talk to myself, as most writers do, and I find I will read and speak in an accent. Wishful thinking, but at the same time, it shows how incredible the brain is. There’s your odd factoid for the day.

Back on track….sort of. 2016 is an unwritten book. One that I want to fill to the brim full of stories and leaps and bounds. Goals? At least two books published and more marketing/sales. Resolutions? Please. I don’t do those. So, here’s to more fans, more books, and more romance to make the world go round.

Don’t forget to subscribe, so you get a notification when new posts are uploaded!

~Skye~

What is sexy to you when you’re reading a book? Ok, I don’t mean lingerie or whips and handcuffs. I’m not against those in the least, but I’m asking about qualities in/of a character. Though, we can discuss the other meanings of sexy later 😉 I tend to prefer the written word (obviously) over my mouth, because once it starts going you really can’t shut me up if I’m nervous and somewhat comfortable around you. I just keep going and going and….you get the picture.

Ok, if we’re going to skim the surface of sexy, I have to name drop a little here, so bear with me. Adam Levin, Sam Hunt, Chris Hemsworth, Luke Bryan, and Stephen Amell. Mic drop. Yeah, those guys up there……super hot. They’re ‘lock me in a soundproof closet with them and throw away the key’ hot. And I know nothing about them, which is probably why I am attracted to them. They’re eye candy.  Guys, I won’t leave you out to dry: Jennifer Lawrence, Mila Kunis, January Jones, and Megan Fox. You’re welcome.

So all of these people are sexy, let’s admit that right now (except Megan Fox’s thumb. Look it up). We strive to be like these people, to read about these characters in books. What it boils down to is that eventually the sexiness of our outward appearance disappears and we’re left with our shining personality. That’s why it’s imperative to create characters that have both looks and smarts.

The following thought has kept me up the last two nights, “The brain is the sexiest body part.” Yes, I may have heard it on the Big Bang Theory, where Penny then says something about how her brain never got her free drinks. The brain should be the sexiest thing about a character. I’m not attracted to someone solely because of their looks, so why should the story revolve around that alone? I admit, I’ve been attracted to a guy just for their looks, and it went no where. (Ok, fine, it went somewhere, but nowhere that I would mention on a blog. A book perhaps…..)

When I create characters, I have to be attracted to them both physically and emotionally. The goal is to connect the reader to the character so that they hate when the book ends because there goes their fictional boyfriend/girlfriend. I can’t make them too sexy, though, because that’s not realistic. They have to have  flaws, because we all have those even if we’re named the sexiest person alive. So, does my personal preference come into play when I form these characters? Hell, yes! I’m not saying all of the characteristics are ones I find attractive, but at least a few of them.

That big, beautiful brain of a person is where it all happens. Where the character grips you and never lets you go. It could be by their sarcastic wit or their ability to make you shudder in desire merely looking at them. My personal favorite is a sense of humor. When the writer makes a character humorous, I feel like I know them and can relate to them. They would be someone I hang out with.

Laughter is sexy as hell. The brain is sexy. I would much rather have a man, who on a scale of 1 to 10, is a solid 6 if he stimulates me both physically and mentally. Beauty fades, personality is there to stay. Thus, my characters need to have a sense of humor plus a body that isn’t shy of fantastic attributes. Come, on now, you like it when the guy has washboard abs, don’t try to deny it.

The desire to have my characters develop into your new fictional crush is important to me. I want you to fawn over the green-eyed hunky attorney with fireman tattoos and a body so delicious that you just want to lick whipped cream off it. I also want you to fall in love with the slightly nerdy, computer guru, college professor with glasses, a f**k me smile, captivating sky blue eyes, and a body that is ideal by anyone’s standards. You don’t have to choose. I write both men, so you can switch back and forth as needed 😛

~Skye~