Saturday, October 31, 2009

Blog Hop Winners!

Thanks to everyone who passed our way!!
My sweet slave appreciated all the very nice comments and says he was most happy to have provided pleasure to so many!

And so many requested a copy of The Morgan Diaries, Vol 1, I hope you get a chance to read it today as it reaches its climax on Halloween night.

The Winner of Jmo's Advance Copy of Love to Stake Another Day, Book 2 of the Love Bites Series is...

Gloria Bryant! 
Come on down and claim your prize geewiz387!!  Or email Jmo at jennmorgan69 (AT) yahoo (Dot) com
Now on to the winners of the Blog Tour

AND THE WINNERS ARE...
First prize: Jewel
Banged Up – Jeanne St. James
Hearts Afire – 3E’s
Afterthought – Cat Kane
Love at First Stake – J. Morgan
No Recourse – Mari Carr

Second prize: Patsy Hagen
Bound by Deception – Christa Paige
Once Bitten – Trina M. Lee
The Challenge – Serena Shay

Third prize: Fallon Hadley
Cin – Ella Drake
Halo in her Pocket – Morgan Q. O’Reilly
Felicia’s Fling – Jolie Cain

Runner Up: Sherry
The Wicked Flame – Stephanie Adkins
Winners choice from Tielle St. Claire

Runner Up: Noelle
Intimate Strangers – Gem Sivad
For a Price – Olivia Brynn

Runner Up: s7anna
Iron – P.G. Forte
The Extremist – Juniper Bell

Runner Up: SusiSunshine
Battered not Broken – Ceilia Kyle
Wyoming Solace – Alanna Coca

Runner Up: SusiSunshine
Battered not Broken – Ceilia Kyle
Wyoming Solace – Alanna Coca

Congrats to the winners and thanks to all the players. You made the day fun and wild. I can't remember a day in the recent past when I've smiled so much. You make blogging fun!

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Halloween Hottie Hop - Stop 5

Get your ghoulie shoes on and prepare yourself to trip the Hottie Fantastic. With prizes sure to stop any of your internet TPs out there, we're certain to Treat your Trickery. To those of you coming to us from Juniper Bell's page, Welcome!

First of all, our Hottie. Okay, really he's Morgan's and she's letting him out only for today. Jmo had nothing to do with the capture of this lucky soul. Morgan treats him sooo nice!

Sigh. Ain't he pretty? And so very, very pleasing too...

Now the fun part. MorganO is holding a copy of Halo in Her Pocket behind the jack o'lantern for one lucky person.

We're not stopping there. Everyone who comments gets a copy of The Morgan Diaries Vol. 1, a compilation of the serial event we wrote in the weeks leading up to Halloween last year. Like pirates and vampires? Great! So do we and we put them together in a fun story for Halloween. Just be sure to comment and send us an email with - I Want TMD - in the subject line. Send emails to: morgan @ morganqoreilly. com (take out the spaces!)

Does that sound like enough treats to you? Nope, not to us either. Jmo is offering up for your spooky consumption a copy of Love at First Bite AND, drum roll please... This is sooo exciting!! An advance copy of Love to Stake Another Day, Book 2 in the Love Bites series!!!

Prizes galore! Everyone gets a treat!! So comment, get a free read, and be automatically entered to win one of the three books being given away. What could be simpler? Nothing, which is why you need to comment right now, before you get excited and forget.

When you're through haunting our blog, hop on over to Christa Paige's Blog for more Ghostly Goodness in the Halloween Hottie Blog Hop.


PS If you get lost on the tour, check out the map located at Site: 1 Gem Sivad
It's a Halloween party!

The bloggers below are gathering the tastiest treats for your trick-or-treating pleasure. Join us on Friday October 30th for a plethora of eye candy. All you have to do is start at the beginning, you’ll find a link to the next blog on the trail. Comment on each along the way for a chance to win the following prizes! More information to follow

I have my hottie all picked out, just don't tell Jmo! He might get embarassed.

Also, tell me if you can spot the other two Alaska authors on the tour!

Thanks to Alanna Coca for including us!


Gem Sivad – http://gemsivad.wordpress.com/blog/
Trina M Lee- http://www.trinamlee.com/
Emily/Elise – http://www.scorchedsheets.com/blog
Juniper Bell – http://www.authorjuniperbell.blogspot.com
Morgan Q. O’Reilly/Shea McMaster and J. Morganhttp://themorgandiaries.blogspot.com
Christa Paige – http://www.christapaige.com/blog/
Celia Kyle – http://www.celiakyle.com/blog/
Olivia Brynn – http://oliviabrynn.com/blog-2/
Stephanie Adkins – http://stephanieadkins.wordpress.com/blog/
Paige Tyler – http://paigetylertheauthor.blogspot.com/
Sara Brookes – http://www.sarabrookes.net/
Jolie Cain – http://joliecainauthor.blogspot.com/
Jessica – http://culinarycarnivale.blogspot.com/
Jeanne St James- http://www.jeannestjames.blogspot.com/
Alanna Coca- http://alannacoca.wordpress.com/blog/
Serena Shay – http://serenashay.blogspot.com/
Mari Carr – http://www.maricarr.com
P.G. Forte- http://www.rhymeswithforeplay.blogspot.com
Cat Kane – http://catkane.blogspot.com/
Ella Drake – http://elladrake.blogspot.com
Tielle St. Clare – http://tiellestclare.blogspot.com/
Tina Holland – http://tinaholland.wordpress.com/

Friday October 30th is also the last day to enter the Cupcake Give Away at Naughty in the Backseat (see previous blog post). Be sure to enter and win some sweet cupcake prizes!

Morgan Q. O'Reilly
Get Some Tonight

Look for my books at Barnes & Noble, Amazon/Kindle, Books-a-Million and other fine online retailers.

Friday, October 23, 2009

Nine Days of Prizes


It's a Cupcake Give Away from Romance in the Backseat and you could win a download of on of my books... or a whole bunch of books!
You can't win if you don't enter! Save the Ta-Tas!
Morgan O'Reilly
Get Some Tonight

Monday, October 5, 2009

What does it take to be an author?

This isn't the Blog I planned for today but sometimes things happen to change the warp your mind wants to take. This Blog ties in, so bear with me.

I've spent the last few weeks talking about the hazards of writing, and the inspiration a writer needs but I haven't hit on the most important thing. What does it take to be a writer? Let me adjust that. What does it take to be a published author?

Let me start off by saying anyone can write. Writing is nothing more than getting an idea from Point A—your brain—to point B—a piece of paper or a computer screen. Writing can be a diary entry, a poem, or a note to your loved ones. The thing is it takes more than transporting ideas to be a writer, well a published writer. It takes a talent that doesn't come from anywhere but inside you. Writing makes you a writer. Talent makes you an author.

That said it takes more than talent to be a published author. It takes contradictions. Huh? What you taking bout, Jmo? I'm talking divine honest to God truth. Talent gets your foot in the door, but it doesn't put you on the fast track to anywhere. That's the first contradiction in being an author.

Being an author is all about Ego. It takes a mountain of guts to put yourself out there and say this is my work to first off a perfect stranger—an acquisition editor—then to a whole slew of strangers if it gets accepted and published. Those who slew of strangers? They're the reading public who will either love your book or toss in a box to trade in at the used book store. Lets get back to the editor thing because that leads to our second contradiction.

I said you need an Ego to get into this business. But, and this is a big but. You need to be humble and willing to say to yourself, I'm not as good as I think. That's where an editor comes in. Before you start saying, you don't need anyone telling you how to write, YES YOU DO. It may be something as simple as mechanics of the craft but an author should always be willing to open themselves to new ideas. On the flip side, you should never bend when your gut tells you you're right. Just make sure it's your brain talking and not that Ego.

Contradiction number three. You are your biggest fan and your worst enemy. Say what? Hey, that's not me talking. It is a stone cold fact. This happens to me, so I know I'm not the only one. I'm trucking along with a book and I hit a stone wall. Instead of admitting to myself I've lost control of a situation and rethink what I'm doing, I keep hitting that wall, knowing if I keep banging away at it something'll give. It rarely does. Authors are stubborn that way. This comes from two simple sentences. Thinking you're good is one thing. Thinking you're great will get you in trouble. That trouble being—thinking everything you write is golden.

Well, it ain't. You've got to be willing to take advice and listen to it. Really listen to it. You may hear a lot about crit groups and partners. There's a reason they exist. We as authors need someone to say 'that needs work', or 'hey that's good'. Believe me when I say this. It's easier coming from a comrade in arms than an editor. Not sure why, but it does.

So what does it take to be a published author? Ego, a humble acceptance of criticism and the most important thing of all—a finished book. Not to offend anyone, but I hear all the time—sometimes from myself—I almost have this story done. Well finish it. That's the big difference between a writer and an author. We can push that Ego to its limit and in spite of our own doubts and the doubting of our friends and family, we know in our hearts of hearts we're authors. It's that confidence that tells us to put aside our fears and sub that book. In the end all those contradictions will pay off. The first book may not sell but sooner or later, your greatness will shine and publishers will notice it.

Then, you go from Writer to Author.

Jmo