The Edge of Insanity

 Started writing again after a long break.

Let's see where this goes....

Time to Pick a Side!

There is no middle ground here.

 

Praying for Florida!

Hurricane Harvey Relief

              

Good Afternoon!

I hope you are enjoying a bit of sunshine where you are. The clouds have lifted and the sun is finally shining bright here in Houston, Texas. But it's been one crazy, unimaginable ride this past week.

My heart goes out to ALL those affected by this nasty storm.
Keeping you in my thoughts and prayers as we go forward.

Although I've lived in the Houston area for over 20 years now, Victoria,Texas will forever be my home. I've also made many wonderful lifelong memories with family and friends in Rockport, Port Aransas and Corpus Christi over the years. And there were many other beautiful cities that felt the brunt of Harvey's destruction as well. No power. No water. No homes to return to. The media may be focused on the flooding in and around Houston, which has been heartbreaking, but please don't let the other cities and small towns be forgotten. My heart aches at the pictures I've seen of Harvey's destruction. 

Not being able to be there in person to help out is so frustrating and one of the reasons I've joined this great group of writers wanting to help out.

For the next two weeks, we will all be donating our royalties to charities across the affected areas of Texas. I'll be donating all royalties from the sales of my books from September 4th - September 17th to United Way Hurricane Harvey Disaster Relief.
( https://www.unitedwayvictoria.org/civi…/contribute/transact… )

Please click the link below to find out more about the participating authors and charities. Find a new author, read a great book, and help those who've lost so much due to this devastating catastrophe! Gifting the books to others works too. Thank you!

https://www.carriepulkinen.com/authorshelpinghouston/
Although only Betrayals of the Heart is listed on the Authors Helping Houston page, I will be donating the royalties from all my books during this time. Click link below to find my books and links to the different retailers. 

www.melissaohnoutka.com

Wishing you all the Best!

July Romantic Suspense Contest and Giveaway!

Today, I have a fun surprise I’d like to share with you.

I’ve teamed up with 20 romantic suspense authors to give away a huge collection of novels to 2 lucky winners, alongside a number of bookstore gift cards, PLUS a Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet to the Grand Prize winner! 

You can win my novel BETRAYALS OF THE HEART, plus books from authors like AVERY FLYNN,  LINDZEE ARMSTRONG and AUTUMN JORDON.

Enter the giveaway by clicking here: bit.ly/2tfsN70

Good luck, and enjoy! ;)

Cover Makovers!

New year, new adventures on the writing journey. And it's only April! 

Love these new cover redos now available in ebook format for 2017! :)

Same suspenseful stories, just with a fresh new look.

All are available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, etc.

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

Faithful Deceptions

Money dictates the rules of this game and the victim could be anybody— regardless of sex, age, or race.
  When high-end antiques dealer, Hailey Devlin, discovers her business partner's boyfriend has bankrupted their company, she sets out to expose the thief. Unknown to Hailey, her target is involved in a brutal trafficking ring where human lives are sold off to the highest bidder and she fits the next customer's order perfectly. She awakens to a world she can't remember. An alluring man claims to be her husband-a man who seems both to want and reject her. Is this amnesia or something much more sinister?

Target of Betrayal

Kathleen Landon thought her life would finally get back to normal after the bizarre death of her husband. But a "chance" meeting with an old boyfriend throws her and her family on a dangerous and emotional journey full of secrets and betrayal. Her husband's death wasn't an accident, but an attempt to cover up a horrendous crime spree being operated by a traitor inside the FBI. Now she and her children are running from a cold-blooded killer. Can she trust the U.S. Marshal sworn to protect them. Or is he using her as bait to capture her husband's killer?

Betrayals of the Heart

Makayla thought she'd fallen in love with the man of her dreams. But after the honeymoon, a horrifying reality sets in. She is a prisoner, a slave, a pawn for a malicious man’s games. When her precious son is born, the need to escape intensifies. Little does she know that the man who helps her escape is working undercover with orders from the FBI to bring her in—a sure method to end not only her life, but her young son’s as well. Can she survive the lies and betrayals?

Goals - Why Make Them?

So, I was going though old post on Facebook and found this one from 2012.

Talk about surprise the heck out of me. Looks like I've been slacking off for a few years now. LOL Now of course two of the books were already written and only had to be edited before publishing. But I did write a short story as well as a full length novel and 50,000 words for NaNoWriMo in that same year. Sheessh...

Makes me wonder where all my time is going these days. But it also makes me want to get my bootie in gear and be more productive. So even though I might night achieve all the goals I set out to do, looking back and seeing what I did accomplish is a great motivator. So much so here's a brief summary of what I did get done for 2016. :)

** Submitted and received a contract with Entangled publishing for Sinful Secrets. (YEAH!) Finished writing the first draft of Wicked Games in June, which now sits awaiting edits. Attended the RWA National conference in San Diego. Survived the many rounds of edits on Sinful Secrets over the summer. Went on a wonderful writing retreat with three awesome writers. Wrote 50,000 words during NaNoWrio on Sam's story, the next one I'll be presenting to Entangled. Sinful Secrets was released November 16, 2016 and I learned all kinds of new promotional ideas. And then finished off the year going through some really tough health issues with hubby, but all is well now.

Looks like I did get quite a bit of writing done. Just need to tackle those pesky edits and I'll be in business again. Sigh.... Wish I knew how to like this stage more.

What about you? How did your 2016 play out?

Entangled Publishing

Wishing you all a happy and blessed weekend!

      

Giveaway Alert!!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Celebrate your love of Romantic Suspense!

bit.ly/rom-suspense-feb-13

Have you read my novel BETRAYALS OF THE HEART?

For a limited time, you can enter to win my book and 40 of these Fantastic ROMANTIC SUSPENSE novels from an amazing collection of authors, PLUS a BRAND NEW KINDLE FIRE!!

...

Enter the contest by clicking here: bit.ly/rom-suspense-feb-13

Good Luck!

The Art of Craft - Characters

So it's a new year. A time to try new things. And I'm going to hit while the iron is hot! LOL You know, while I'm in the mood to change and be adventurous.

As a writer on a mission to fill those blank pages with words, I find the learning curve never stops. There will always be a better way to say something, a new and creative way to describe a scene, or action and still be true to your unique voice. This is another part of the journey I like. Watching my words turn from mediocre to gut wrenching, emotional charged prose warms my little heart. Writing is, after all, feeling on a deeper level, right?

I'm so excited! A few of my new craft books I ordered arrived today. Can't wait to get started!

First up:

Writing the intimate Character - Create Unique, Compelling Characters through the Mastery of Point of View.

Yes, please!! :)

Let me devour the knowledge within these pages and I'll get back to you!

Have a Happy Week Ya'll!

Wait! I'm not Ready!

2017 has arrived!

How did this happen? I just finished Nanowrimo, like yesterday. Seriously. I need a huge kick in the pants to jump start this year that has taken off without me. So not fair.

Wishing everyone a Wonderful New Year filled with love, laughter and many blessings!!

And in case you've been living under a rock like me, in hopes it might somehow slow down time, here's another look at my latest release from Entangled Publishing.

All Joanna McNamee wants is to make her event planning business a success, but someone keeps sabotaging her events. The last thing she expects is to see Ryker Kane, the man she’s been crushing on since college, show back up in her life. Talk about awkward. She decides acting as if they’ve never met is the best option. But when a man tries to kidnap her in order to get his hands on her father’s secret formula, she must put the past behind her and trust Ryker. Or lose everything.

Click here to read the first chapter and order your copy: Entangled Publishing - Sinful Secrets

Or visit www.melissaohnoutka.com to find out more about my other books and what's in the works.  If you've already snatched up a copy and enjoyed it, please leave a review. Not only do I love hearing from my readers, but you'll be helping me out with marketing as well. 

Thank you all so much!

      

Giveaway Alert!

Click on link to enter for your chance to win a $25 Gift card and a free ebook copy of Sinful Secrets! You can read the first chapter by clicking on the Sinful Secrets link. :)

Enter Contest Here:
Night Owl Reviews - Sinful Secrets Giveaway!

Read First Chapter

National Novel Writing Month 2016

Yep, it's that time again!!!

Halloween, you may ask? Well, yes that, too. But while all the neighborhood kiddos are running around in the dark, all decked out in costume on my front lawn, and wondering why the heck no one is answering the door, I'm getting ready for a month of awesome writing!

Of course I have candy. But it's all mine! I'm going to need every last piece to survive. And since all my kids are grown, too old to Trick or Treat, I'm giving myself permission to ignore the chaos this year. Trust me. They'll live. LOL

So who's doing NaNoWriMo?

Come on. I highly recommend it! It's fun! And any progress is well worth the time, effort and stress of trying to get that word count in. I've participated since 2007, have several published books under my belt, as well as others that will someday get the attention they deserve. (Note to self. Add this promise/goal to calendar.) In some form or fashion, NaNoWriMo helped me get on track, stay on track, and move forward. The accountability is priceless!

Join me and let's watch those word count trackers move!

My username: mdohno

Good Luck!!

It just so happens, Sinful Secrets is a NaNoWrimo creation. :) It's due to release from Entangled Publishing on November 14, but you can pre-order it today!

Pre-order Here!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Sinful Secrets

by Melissa Ohnoutka

Giveaway ends November 14, 2016.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Enter NOW for a chance to win a FREE Print Copy!

Sinful Secrets Due out November 14!

So excited! Sinful Secrets is up on Goodreads and available for request on Netgalley!! Please feel free to share, add to your lists and request a copy to read from Netgalley!

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32316574-sinful-secrets

As promised, here's the cover!

Blurb:

Event planner Joanna McNamee is scrambling to ensure her father’s company Christmas party goes smoothly, but one disaster after another has her convinced someone is trying to sabotage her career. With the help of a man from her past who she’s still not sure she can trust, she puts the pieces together and realizes her business is the least of her problems—a cold-blooded killer is out to destroy her father and take her as his prized possession.

     

The last thing Deputy Ryker Kane expects is for a simple truck hijacking to throw him back into the middle of the Black Widow case he’d been forced to abandon, not to mention right into the arms of the sweet woman he’d let walk away ten years earlier. When he finds Jo Jo kidnapped and drugged, he has to use all his wits and skills honed from years as a detective to save them both. Despite the secrets between them, Ryker’s bound and determined to give them a second chance at love.

Sinful Secrets Coming Soon!

 Mark those calendars for November!!

I'm over the moon excited to report I have a release date for my next book! Happy dancing all over the place. So cool!

Sinful Secrets is on track to release with Entangled Publishing on November 14, 2016!! That's two days after my birthday! Yay! What a great gift! :)

As soon as I get the cover, I'll share I promise!

Even though I've self-published four full length novels on my own and two short prequels, this has been one thrilling ride. Not having the control I'm used to was tough at times, but all in all, it has been a great experience. And I've learned so much in the process thanks to my wonderful editor, Robin. :) The story is still heavy on the suspense, but has more romantic elements than I'm used to writing. Honestly, I'm so proud of the way it turned out.

You can't beat this wonderful feeling!

Now on to the next one!! LOL

Progress is Golden!

As summer winds down, the brutal heat trying to wear me down and zap what energy I have left, I find myself scrambling to catch up and get all the things done before the kids head back to school. Surprisingly, the last two months have been quite productive and I'm happy with the tasks I've managed to accomplish despite this crazy weather and my hectic schedule.

The RWA Conference in San Diego was a blast! What a beautiful city! And the people there were all so nice. I didn't get to do much sight seeing though. And due to a mishap with my darn phone, which we will not discuss on the internet, I lost most of the pictures I'd taken. Of course I left my real camera at home. You know, because my cell phone has transformed into my everything all in one gadget and is way too attached to my hip. Talk about a great lesson! LOL I now know I can live without immediate communication with family and friends for at least four days! Ha!

Thank goodness for my great friends and the best roomies ever (for a ton of numerous reasons) for sharing and helping me salvage some of my own pictures. I'd texted them copies!!! LOL :)

Walking Our Path to the Main Hotel

RWA Awards Ceremony 

Having Way Too Much Fun!

Book Signing Madness
with some Pretty Awesome Authors!

I so needed a week to recover, but my edits for the next book came the Monday after I got home. Back to work you slacker!! No breaks for you! LOL

Finished up this last round yesterday. Shouldn't be long now. Hope to have a cover to share real soon!!

San Diego Here I Come!

Looking forward to catching up with old friends and making new ones. Oh, yes. And learning some new tricks to improve my writing and marketing strategy from all the wonderful workshops. :)

This will be my first time in San Diego, so I'm hoping to get some sight seeing in as well. So much to do, so little time. LOL

Hope to see you there!

It Is Done!

Happy to report I typed those two little, but oh so rewarding words today!

Let the real celebration begin!! :)

And then the edits! LOL

The Downhill Slope - It's a Great Thing!

Crossing the 70,000 word line on the work in progress really makes me want to celebrate! :)

I can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel. Still have quite a ways to go to finish and tie up all the lose ends, but at least I can breathe again. My goal of finishing by the end of this month is looking more promising by the minute. The muse, as well as my characters, is playing nice, which is a rarity.

A scene that took me be surprise this week and had me questioning my heroine's state of mind has really become a turning point in the story. Thought I'd share a snippet. Now it's first draft quality so be warned. LOL

***

Ella fought to keep breathing. Her head hurt. Her chest ached. And her brain felt like mushy oatmeal. What Darien did to her parents would haunt her for life. What he’d almost done to her might be the last straw to do her in for good.

She stared passed the man who’d stolen her childhood, stripped her of her dignity and made her feel dirty and immoral. Like she’d been to blame for her uncle’s lustful ambitions. She stared on into the kind blue eyes of a stranger. The man who’d rescued her not once, but three times. She stared on trying to figure out what to do next. Did she dare trust him? Was she capable of letting a man be her whole world? Did she dare give him that much power over her?

Hand trembling, her finger so damn close to the trigger if she drew in a deep breath the gun would go off, she fought for clarity. Fought for the answer that would set her free. Heaven help her she wanted this to be over. All of it. And she now held all the cards. She looked down at the gun and then back at the man in front of her. If she pulled the trigger, the last of her problems would disappear. Without an army of minions, her uncle couldn’t come after her. He wouldn’t be able to track her. To find her. To hurt her ever again.

“Ella?” Seth’s face crinkled in that cute way she found so appealing and her heart flip flopped before lodging between her ribs.

She choked back a whimper. Who was she kidding? She loved this man. Every single inch of him. Heart and soul she was lost to him and him alone.

So weak and disoriented from her near drowning experience, her tortured body needed relief. She too collapsed to her knees, dropping the gun to the ground.

Seth was there in an instant, kneeling down in front of her. His strong arms embraced her smaller frame, holding her upright and for the first time in so many long, lonely, unrelenting years she felt at home. He was her family now. He was the one who could heal her brokenness.

“You had me scared shitless there for a minute.” He stroked the hair away from her face, lifting her chin with his forefinger.

“I’m so sorry.”

“After what you’ve been through, little lady, I don’t blame you one damn bit.” He plopped down beside her and pulled her into his lap, his kisses feathering the hair on top of her head. “You saved my life.”

“How about that.” She tried to laugh and coughed instead, reminding her how close she’d come to death herself.

“I thought I’d lost you,” he said, his voice tight, raw. Increasing his grip around her waist to keep her from turning around to look at him, he pulled her closer, his breathing unsteady. She snuggled in closer, the racing beat of his heart tattooing all kinds of promises deep into her soul.

And then she dared speak the words that would change her life forever.

“I love you, Seth.”

Love these surprises along the way. Although this one had me more than a little worried. I mean, how can you have a "happy ever after" in a romance if the heroine ends up shooting the hero. ACK!! Maybe it had something to do with it being Friday the 13th?

Oh, well!!  It's all good now! :)
Onward to the finish line!

Tricks of the Trade - Writing Locations

Never fails.

I swear the minute I reach the middle of a new book my muse becomes uncooperative and takes a vacation. I've been plugging away on this new book with little trouble for weeks and loving the way the story is playing out.

Then wham! Muse decides to play hard ball.  Almost 50,000 words in. Okay. Let's put on the breaks, shall we?! Make her work for it!

Geesh...what'd I do to piss you off this time? LOL Was it me thinking I actually might finish by June?

Well, I've learned a few tricks of my own on this oh so twisted journey. One of which is switching the locations I write in to stir things up. Sometimes more than three times in one day when times get really tough. So far, the muse appears clueless to my antics, so I'll keep using this trick till it doesn't work anymore.

This afternoon, I stepped outside into my new office. A beautiful sunny day greeted me with a cool breeze, the sound of leaves rustling peacefully overhead as the steady trickle of the pond echoed in the background. I'll be honest, all I really wanted to do was lay back in the hammock and nap the afternoon away. But wouldn't you know, the crazy muse had other ideas. Sneaky thing that muse.

Crossed the 50,000 mark and still going strong. Shhhh.... Let's keep this our little secret. :) No reason to test fate.

I also received a cool new coffee mug full of goodies from my publisher this week!

"Professional Author at Work". Love it!

My new favorite cup! :)

Yes, it was a really great day!
Here's hoping there's many more to follow.

Would love to hear how you get those creative juices flowing again. You know, in case I need a new strategy after this post. LOL