Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Guest Post with author Michelle Scott

Hey all,  today I'm handing things over to Michelle Scott.
Enjoy!


Last week, I did the kind of thing I’d only do to make my daughter happy: I joined a gym.

For some strange reason, God blessed me – a nerdy, book-reading, rather lazy individual – with an athletic kid. As in she actually enjoys playing sports. As in she loves to exercise every day. As in she wants everyone else in the family to exercise alongside her. Hence the gym membership.

I write about hell in my books, and I’ve envisioned it as a gloomy, dingy office building with endless corridors leading nowhere. But the first time I got on the elliptical machine, I discovered an entirely new kind of hell. After five minutes on the machine, I had sweated through my t-shirt and was panting like I’d run a marathon. It then occurred to me that, rather than the depressing office building, hell would really contain a stadium full of ellipticals. (I’m going to work on that for the next book in the series!)

After a while, however, I fell into the rhythm of the exercise and when I did, an amazing thing happened: I started to unwind. Mentally, I mean. There was me, my music, and the machine, and everything else kind of faded into the background. It was strangely Zen-like.

See, writing it hard work. Obviously not physically difficult, but definitely mentally stressful. Trying to come up with plot threads that will keep readers engaged or trying to figure out how a character can get out of her contract with the Devil takes a lot of thought. It can boggle the mind.

So working out has become a way to keep my body in motion while at the same time letting my mind relax. Yes, it’s easy to focus on the pain, but it’s also easy to let my mind float free. When I’ve finished an hour at the gym, I’m physically exhausted but mentally alert. It’s like my mind has been power-washed of all its niggling concerns and stresses, and I walk away from the gym feeling refreshed.

Plus, as an added bonus, I’m also able to eat more chocolate since I’m working it off. Next to exercise, chocolate is the writer’s best friend.

About Michelle Scott:

Michelle Scott received her MFA from Wayne State University. Her stories have appeared in such places as “Tales of the Unanticipated”, “All Possible Worlds” and “Realms”. Straight to Hell, the first book in her Lilith Straight urban fantasy series, was released from Carina UK. Michelle lives in southeast Michigan with her husband and three children.

To keep up with Lilith and the other members of the Straight to Hell cast, visit Michelle’s blog, Urban Fae.

A bit about Straight to Hell:  

Straight to Hell, the first book in the Lilith Straight series, is available at Amazon and Amazon UK.




And now, enter the phenomenal giveaway with Michelle Scott and her urban fantasy Straight to Hell.
Enter to win 1 of 2 Amazon copies of Straight To Hell between April 16 & April 24.
This giveaway is open internationally & winners will be announced April 25/14.
Winners have 72hrs to claim their prizes or a new winner will be chosen.

13 comments:

  1. HI!!!!!!!!! I going to have to check this one out. It sounds really good!

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  2. I'm excited for this giveaway. Definitely going to be checking out this book, sounds intriguing!

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  3. Thanks for the giveaway and invite

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  4. Hey, Jonel. Thanks for the giveaway, and I enjoyed the guest post with Michelle.

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  5. I've entered as many as I can work out to do! Thanks for the invite!

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  6. Hi! Bonjour! Guten Tag! Hola! nuqneH! =D

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  7. Thanks for the contest :D

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  8. Sounds great, thanks for the give away.

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  9. Thanks for the chance! :) This book sounds really good!!

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  10. Normally I would say not for me - but somehow you make it sound so interesting - I really want to take a look at it

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  11. I won 'Straight To Hell" I'd like to be able to get it on my Kindle or PDF form. I wasn't sure where to claim it at.

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