July 6, 2012

Summer 2012

Filed under: — MJ Allaire @ 9:14 am

Hello everyone!

First of all, I hope you are enjoying your summer. I live in New England and it’s pretty hot here already. I love the beauty of summer - the countless flowers, colorful butterflies, green grass and trees, and lightning bugs! - but I have to admit I’m looking forward to the cool weather of fall already! Be careful how much sun you get and make sure you drink lots and lots of water!

Now I’d like to apologize for not updating this blog in a timely manner. I can’t believe it’s been almost two years since I’ve written anything here! I’ve just got so much going on and not enough time to do it all… and some things (like this blog) have fallen by the wayside. I’ll try to be better about updating it, I promise!

I’m sure some of you are wondering about book five… All I can say is I’m working on it. What I believe will be the final book in the series is coming together very well and, if all goes like I suspect, this book will be bigger than book four. Please be patient as I work on it. I want to give you, my wonderful friends and fans, a story you will never forget. Right now it’s looking like it won’t be available until 2013. I’ll keep you posted.

Good news if you enjoy my writing! I’ve written a short story that has taken me away from the young adult fantasy genre and into the thriller side of the literary track. At this point I think it will be called Sweet Dreams Pet Cemetery and I’m going to try to have it finished and printed in time for the Big E. More on this soon.

Two years ago I mentioned that Ryan and I created Bookateer Publishing, our publishing company, and we re-released Dragon’s Blood, The Prisoner, and Dragon’s Tear under this name. We also offer publishing for other authors as well as editing and cover design. Although right now our “company” consists of just Ryan and I, it’s keeping us busy. Some of the books we’ve published are:

Weathercock by Melissa Crandall (young adult/adult fantasy)

The Beast in My Breast by Vivian Matthews (memoir)

The Bathroom Book of Romance - Book One by Barry Eva (Romance)

If you are looking for an editor/cover designer/publisher, please keep us in mind!

In 2010, all of my books became available as e-books on a website called Smashwords. They are all available on Amazon as soft cover and kindle books, but Smashwords offers multiple formats (Sony, Kobo, Diesel, pdf, Kindle, etc). For the month of July, my books are all discounted to HALF price on this wonderful site, so if you’d like my books as e-books, please visit the link above!

As for me, except for not having enough hours in a day, I’m doing really well. Ryan and I are engaged and getting married in October! For those of you who know me personally, this is a big step for me, because I thought I would never remarry. I’ve found myself a wonderful man, and I thank God every day for him. I plan on holding onto him forever!

As for YOU, enjoy your summer, read LOTS of books, and check back here frequently for more info!

Although I don’t blog very often, I check my Facebook page every day. If you haven’t done so already, be sure to friend me there!

Happy reading, everyone!

Hugs, MJ

August 22, 2010

BIG News for Denicalis Dragon Chronicle Fans!!

Filed under: — MJ Allaire @ 7:45 pm

Greetings Denicalis fans! The end of summer 2010 is almost upon us and my, my, MY what a flash before my eyes it has been! I hope you all had some time off whatever it is you do the most - be it school, work, writing, etc! My vacation is coming up soon - I’ll be taking some time off to be a part of the Big E in West Springfield, Massachusetts! The Big E will be open for 17 days straight, from September 17th thru October 3rd. If you happen to be there during that time, make sure you stop by the Connecticut building on the Avenue of the States and look for the CAPA bookstore! I may not be there but be sure to check out the dozens of books on the bookshelves - ALL written by our talented Connecticut authors!

Now, I’d like to apologize for not updating this here blog more often. I’m incredibly busy doing LOTS of things! The most important of these is I’ve FINALLY finished book 4 in the Denicalis Dragon Chronicles! Dragon’s Breath went live on June 20th and I’m seeing some wonderful feedback already! It’s by far the most important book in the series - I’ve killed off a few characters (”Oh, no!”) and introduced some others. It’s double the size of The Prisoner, and weighs in at a meaty 540 pages! What a relief to finally have it done! Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), it is NOT the final book in the series. I’m about to start working on book 5 (as yet unnamed) and hope to have it out Fall 2011.

Other news!

I’ve created a few more websites, although some of them don’t have a whole lot of info on them. I’ve got big plans and desires for them though - now if I could just find the time to organize what I want! Someday…

Check them out if you have a minute or five:

www.grizlegirlproductions.com - this site has “All things MJ Allaire” - books, ebooks (coming soon!), dragon towels and trinket cases, Denicals Dragon Chronicles t-shirts and more!
www.getkidstoread.org - I want this to be a site for both authors and teachers - where they come together and arrange school visits, etc to keep kids READING!
www.booksbyteenauthors.com - this site will feature books and short stories written by teen authors. Hopefully we can give a boost to those young authors who are out there!
www.bookateerpublishing.com - this site is MY new company site - and it’s the site that will host my lastest publications…

Drum roll please??…..

Coming in September (but of course available for pre-sale NOW) - the first three books in my fantasy series - Dragon’s Blood, The Prisoner and Dragon’s Tear - are being printed NOW and will be republished under my own name, Bookateer Publishing! I’m hoping in the very near future to be able to offer publishing services to the many, many authors out there who are finding out just how hard it is to get published traditionally. We will offer cover design, galley design and editing. This should be up and running by the end of 2010! If you know someone who says “I’ve always wanted to write a book but don’t know how to get published,” please send them my way! Make sure they tell me they heard about Bookateer Publishing from THIS blog and I’ll give them 20% off the publishing services (NOT to include book purchases)!!

If you’d like to see pictures of the new covers, go to my facebook page and check out my photo albums. 2010 has been a great year for me but I really can’t wait to see what 2011 brings!

Enjoy the rest of your summer and make sure you keep reading!

Summerly hugs, MJ

August 20, 2009

Sneak Peek at Epilogue for Dragon’s Breath, BOOK 4!!

Filed under: — MJ Allaire @ 7:20 pm

Below is what I’m toying with as the epilogue into Dragon’s Breath, book four in my Denicalis Dragon Chronicles series. Feel free to comment with ideas, thoughts, opinions, or just a simple hello if you like! And if not, that’s ok too - enjoy!

     Dark, shadowed shapes stand quietly around an object on a beach in the gloomy twilight of a new day. Their heights vary, ranging from tall to short, much like bamboo pieces of a pan flute, one taller and one shorter than the one next to it. Two non-human creatures stand on either side of the line of seemingly human shapes in respectful silence.
     The unrecognizable shapes are standing in a mournful huddle around a horizontal form before them, where it lies motionless on the sandy beach not far from the place where the water meets the land. The shape is that of a once vibrant yet now lifeless corpse.
     A thick gray blanket of clouds hovers above them as an unwelcome cool mist covers the huddled group with a thin, damp blanket of moisture. The sparkling, liquid edge of the nearby lake is still somewhat choppy, pulsing in the slow, rhythmic process of settling down after an earlier commotion. This liquid oasis is the former home of the Castle of Tears.
     Other than the group surrounding the corpse on the beach, there appears to be no other form of visible life anywhere around them. The eerie growls heard earlier in the thick blanket of fog are now silent, and the previous murky cloud of wispy tendrils which covered the lake earlier has dissipated with the dawn of a new day. Even the spinning, fish-spewing funnels are nowhere to be seen anywhere across the once dark, menacing body of water.
     The mourners watch in silent disbelief as the nearby shoreline suddenly comes to life, giving birth to dozens of sand crabs as they erupt from their hiding places like lava from mini volcanoes. The beach creatures of varying shapes and sizes, with short, spindly legs, pay no attention to those huddled around the body where it remains motionless on the beach. The well-armored platoon of crustaceans works quickly, as if driven by a single mind, each taking its place next to an empty location adjacent to a sling brought by one of the larger non-human shapes – a dragon. After working in unison to spread the sling out like a flattened alia leaf, the crabs turn together and make their way to other unmarked yet unquestionable locations next to the horizontal form, still motionless on the shore just a few feet away.
     The sad group watches the scene before them in silence, somehow knowing what was happening – what MUST happen – to their former comrade, each of them struggling with their emotions – stifling cries that beg to be released… 
     Each understanding that Grief is a powerful emotion and demon…
     Each hoping this demon is one that can be overcome with vigilance, time, and a little bit of luck.
     The only sounds heard as the sand crabs take their unmarked places alongside the corpse are the gentle lapping of the waves on the beach, restrained liquid cries for the loss of one so special - one so young - and the click, click, clicking of the sand creatures as they speak in a foreign tongue to each other…
     Perhaps telling tales of other senseless deaths…
     Perhaps asking each other why something so unfortunate, so wasteful, had to happen to this particular human on this particular day…
     Perhaps offering sympathies in a strange language that, no matter how hard the humans tried, remained misunderstood.
     Once the sand creatures completely surround the motionless corpse, they move in unison to raise it up off the sand. Then, inch by slow inch, they carry it like an offering to a king, over to the sling, where they gently lay it down on the thick, woven mesh of dark brown fabric.
     The dragon watches the proceedings in silence.
     Upon completion of the grim chore the horde of sand crabs shuffles in a scattered line to the border of the lake, just shy of the water’s edge. As the tide rhythmically pulls away then returns to the beach, small waves lap at their armor-covered legs with repeated, liquid caresses, yet the sand creatures seem to not notice.
     The sound of a sniffle breaks the thick silence as a trail of unrestrainable tears cascades down one of the mourner’s cheeks.
     Today they have lost a friend.

Please feel free to let me know what you think! Good or bad! Does it get your attention? Does it hook you and make you want to read more?

Happy reading my friends, and enjoy the last few days/weeks of summer!

Hugs, MJ

May 4, 2009

Update on things…

Filed under: — MJ Allaire @ 7:13 pm

Hello everyone!  It’s been entirely too long since my last post here and I apologize!  My life has been incredibly busy the past few months and as I muddle through my endless list of things I need to do, all I can do is take life one step at a time.

Most importantly, book four in the Denicalis Dragon Chronicles - unfortunately - is still in the beginning stages.  For my readers who are patiently waiting for it, I say “THANK YOU!”  In spite of it not being anywhere near completion, the ideas are definitely churning somewhere in this thing of mine called a brain, so please continue to be patient and I promise I’ll get it out there to you as soon as I can.  As I get closer to the end, I’ll update the websites, so please check back often on the status!

Speaking of websites, I’ve created a few more websites to help spread the word about my literary journey and publishing accomplishments!  You all know this one, www.mjallaire.com, which is now primarily about me as an author. In addition to this site there are now a few more out there as well!

www.denicalisdragonchronicles.com - I created this specifically for the Denicalis series.  On it you will find the information you’re used to - summaries of the books, an events page, as well as links to my other websites and other info, so please stop by and visit when you can!

www.myblissfullife.net - The inspiration for this site is the main reason why Book Four (Dragon’s Breath) is taking longer than expected - all I can say is when you have an idea hit you for a story, you need to run with it while the running’s good!  This heartfelt story is about one woman’s journey from a civilian, single teenager to an active duty military member, to a dependent wife of a Navy submariner, to a single mother trying to rebuild her life for herself and her children after divorce.  It’s an inspirational tale and will enlighten you to what life in the military is really like.

www.bookateerpublishing.com - This site was created as a joint effort with my fellow author and very good friend, Tom Santos!  Hopefully before the end of the year we will be ready to take on every aspect of self-publishing!  We have our own ISBN numbers and are both nearly ready to publish our latest novels, so in a matter of months this site will be up and running!  We aren’t looking to publish anyone else just yet, but it’s definitely a possibility in the not-so-distant future!

If you’ve been watching my events page, you’ve seen that I’ve been very active visiting schools and doing other events over the past year.  The Big E (in September) was a wonderful experience in 2008, and I’m looking forward to being even better in 2009! This past weekend I did a huge event in Groton - the Kids Karnival - and had an absolutely wonderful time!  My fellow vendors were awesome and my fellow author, Doreen Tango Hampton (I Like Gum, 2007) was a hoot to work with, as always.  This coming July I’ll be on the Groton Submarine Base along with 20+ other authors doing book signings at our “The Book Nook” booth, so if you’re in the area July 2nd, 3rd, 4th & 5th, come on out and say hello! 

Since I work a fulltime job as well as write (and market, and raise kids, and do housework/chores), writing is something I do “in my spare time” (you have NO idea how sarcastic that phrase is in my head) - so please bear with me as I do the best I can.  I promise I’ll get this new book out soon and will then focus as much of my attention as I can on Dragon’s Breath!!!

Happy Spring everyone!!

MJ

September 22, 2008

My Big E Book Sales!!!

Filed under: — MJ Allaire @ 7:14 pm

I am finally home after spending 3 wonderful days in Springfield Massachusetts at the Big E, and all I can say is what an absolute, totally EXCITING weekend it was!! I’m still flying from it and am sure I will be for a while. I talked to so many people (readers, parents, teachers, etc), sold SO many books (although I did come home with some of each, which is a good thing because now I have enough to do the event in New London this coming Saturday where a cruise ship [and hopefully a ton of readers] is coming in)… it was just a wonderful experience! 

My son was there with me part of the weekend, helping to move books etc as I needed to (THANK YOU, MIC!!!), and as we were heading out to the car last night when we were leaving for the last time, I looked at him and said, “I feel like I’m leaving my kids behind”. He looked at me kind of funny and I explained that after selling as many books as I did, talking to teachers and librarians and parents about promoting reading, visiting schools, etc etc etc, and spending nearly 12 hours every day for THREE days straight just trying to make a difference….. I felt like I was leaving something really important behind (and if you think about it, I really was). Honestly I feel like my total experience this weekend was one of THE most rewarding and accomplished things I’ve done since I started writing!!! And what’s even cooler than that is even after three 12-hour days of go go go, talk talk talk, sell sell sell, I didn’t want to leave. I wanted to go right back in there and just keep doing it!!! It’s exhausting and very overwhelming at times, but damn, I just didn’t want to leave!!!! 

Debbie and Mike Kilday were two of our staple contributors & organizers of this year’s event, and I want to just send a MUCH deserved shout-out to them both!!!! Debbie has been there every day since the beginning of the Big E and WILL be there every day until it’s done, and her husband Mike has been there almost every day. After dealing with arranging books, logging the sales, etc during the day, they then go home and tally up all the sales from the day. Debbie is our full time cashier, which was ABSOLUTELY AWESOME!!!! I told her (and Mike) over and over again this weekend that the booth is BEAUTIFUL this year and having HER for the full-time cashier really makes it easier for the featured authors to talk to the public, make the sale, and move on to the next reader without having to worry about dealing with the $$. 

At the halfway point for the Big E - around day 8 - the book sales in our booth had surpassed the amount we made last year total!!! Our readers ROCK!!!! I worked with Doreen Tango Hampton and Elaine Alexander on Saturday and we stayed very busy nearly all day. I worked again with Doreen on Sunday and we had an absolutely WONDERFUL time working together sharing many laughs, ideas, and just having a great time together…. thank you ladies!!! 

We had a near record-breaking number of people who came to the Big E on Saturday (you can check the attendance stats at www.thebige.com/attendance.html and couldn’t have asked for better weather .. it was absolutely beautiful, the sun was shining, it wasn’t too hot .. it was just a GREAT day!!! 

As it turns out, I also had a record-breaking weekend for my OWN sales as well! According to what I was able to keep track of (and I’m sure it was actually more but I’m not sure how much), I believe I sold 250 books between this weekend and the sales from books last week that were in the booth before I got there!!! 

WOW!!! 

I had new readers who bought the set of three books in my series as well as readers who were looking just for book three, Dragon’s Tear. I had anywhere from 8-year olds to retired grandparents buying books … and all I can say is thank you to my readers, the parents, teachers, librarians, etc that I talked to this weekend!!! You guys ALL made my weekend one of the most memorable experiences of my life!!! 

As I look back, all I can think of is what an experience it was!! I’m still flying after talking to a woman who said that the books are very hot in her school right now - (she was actually very surprised when she realized I was the author lol.) I asked her where her school was and she said ALBANY, NEW YORK!!!! I told her that I’ve never been there and she said, “Well, your books are there and the kids LOVE them.”….. 

WoooooooooooooooooooooHooooooooooooooooooo!!!! 

And to quote my good friend C.L. Freire….. OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!!!! 

A funny thing from this weekend .. I spoke to a woman and her husband yesterday who said their daughter was really disappointed that she couldn’t be there to meet me, but she wanted to buy my books for her. I asked her how her daughter knew me or heard of me and she said she works at BORDERS IN SIMSBURY, CT (which I’ve been to about 4-5 times doing book signings LOL) and she’s been wanting to meet me but always has to work or something else gets in the way … so they bought her a set and I signed them for her … 

OMG OMG OMG!!!

At 6 pm last night (9/21/08) it was the end of mine and Doreen’s shifts and two new authors came in to be the featured authors. I decided to sign more books to leave since they’d been such a hit, and I was standing in the back of the booth. As I looked around every so often, I would notice someone looking at my books on the shelf and of course the marketing/selling side of me MADE me go talk to them (LOL) to let them know I was the author and which was book 1, book 2, etc. I was thrilled when I actually sold a copy of book 1 (Dragon’s Blood) to one lady when she saw her 10-year old wanted it and then she said she would get the other two from me but had to wait for him to wander off to the lego place before she could. I told her if she didn’t get the chance, here is my business card with my info on it and she can always call/email me and I’d be happy to sign them and mail them directly to her. Now that I think about it, I did that a LOT yesterday … :)  

If you’d like to see some of the pictures, I created a Big E 2008 photo album on my MySpace page, so go to www.myspace.com/mjallaire and look in my Pics. My books were on the top of the brown bookshelf as soon as you walk into the booth. Indiana Jones was COMPLETELY made out of Legos and I just had to get a picture of him. He was really amazing!!! I can’t imagine how much time and legos it took to make him!!!! Kudos go out to the lego builders, too!!! Well, the weekend is gone and today I had to go back to work. I just wanted to share my Big E experiences with you and tell you that if you’re an author out there struggling to get your books out there, you CAN make a difference and it CAN be done!!!! Do everything you can to get your name out there!! If you’d like info about our CAPA group, visit the CAPA website at www.aboutcapa.com or email me at mjallaire.sbcglobal.net and I’ll be happy to share anything I know. My next blog will have some info in it about what I do to get my books “out there”… so stay tuned for that!!Well, the weekend is gone and today I had to go back to work. I just wanted to share my Big E experiences with you and tell you that if you’re an author out there struggling to get your books out there, you CAN make a difference and it CAN be done!!!! Do everything you can to get your name out there!! If you’d like info about our CAPA group, visit the CAPA website at http://www.aboutcapa.com or email me at mjallaire@sbcglobal.net and I’ll be happy to share anything I know. My next blog will have some info in it about what I do to get my books “out there”… so stay tuned for that!!Infinite kudos to Debbie & Mike Kilday, the ENTIRE Capa BIG E Committee, and all those wonderful Connecticut Authors who are participating in the EXCELLENT and HUGELY SUCCESSFUL event this year!!! 

Well, the weekend is gone and today I had to go back to work. I just wanted to share my Big E experiences with you and tell you that if you’re an author out there struggling to get your books out there, you CAN make a difference and it CAN be done!!!! Do everything you can to get your name out there!! If you’d like info about our CAPA group, visit the CAPA website at or email me at and I’ll be happy to share anything I know. My next blog will have some info in it about what I do to get my books “out there”… so stay tuned for that!!Infinite kudos to Debbie & Mike Kilday, the ENTIRE Capa BIG E Committee, and all those wonderful Connecticut Authors who are participating in the EXCELLENT and event this year!!!Today is the first day of fall, so get out there and enjoy the cooler weather, make sure you ALWAYS have a book with you, and as always, 

HAPPY READING!!! 

Hugs from me to all of you, MJ  

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