I released my thirty-second novel yesterday, not including at least another dozen shorts, novelettes, etc. That number is staggering. And, honestly, I’m not surprised that I’m just a little tired. 😜
Grand Romantic Delusions and the Madness of Mirth (Part One & Part Two) was supposed to be a single offshoot book in my new Conduit World – a ‘fun’ side story. But that ‘fun romp’ not only turned into a robust duology but transformed from an idea about a royal matchmaking event to a treatise on grief, duty, and found family that took me just over a year to write. Though, combined, it is the length of three of my ‘regular’ books.
The release was quiet but lovely. And, as always, thank you so much for all your support.
So, moving forward …
I chatted about this before, but I’m refining my focus for 2025. With new words, and new books being paramount. More specifically though, now that I’ve released three books in the Conduit World, I can see that I need to market these urban fantasy why choose romance books differently. So there will be upcoming changes around how I publish my Conduit World novels when I release the next book (I’m still mulling over the exact logistics) (likely Amazon/KU only, paired with purchasing direct from me for an early release). But I’ll give you plenty of heads-up as I always do.
What’s next?
Snag (Conduit 2)! I’m currently writing the first draft of Conduit 2, having set an insane deadline of the end of March (aka the 1st quarter of 2025). Yes, I’m scheduling in quarters for 2025 (and perhaps beyond) so I don’t get quite so overwhelmed, hopefully.
I know the world feels like it’s on fire for all of us. But, more specific to me, I cannot believe that the USA is making moves to invade their most staunch ally and friend, Canada – and no, this is not some bluster or joke. [If you have no idea what I’m talking about, please take a moment to look for reputable news sources outside of the USA.] It’s almost unfathomable. I have no idea what life will look like if we go to war. [I could elaborate here, but I really don’t want to end up with an even worse headache than I already have when nothing I say or do will solve any of it.]
In the short term, my costs – proofreading, art, book covers, marketing services, etc – have increased by 45+% due to the financial strain this is putting on our economy in Canada. I’ve had to stop commissioning art and extras. And, unfortunately, my sales have also dropped. (Crazily, Nov and Dec 2024 were the worst sales months I’ve experienced since I became a full-time author)(I’ve been VERY lucky). Some of that drop is due to my larger readership (beyond my core readers 😘 ) being hesitant to pick up the Conduit World books (for various reasons). And some of it is due to people just not having money for extras right now. Including me.
Amidst all of this turmoil, it doesn’t help that writing, not to mention talking about/marketing my ‘little’ books, seems utterly frivolous. But all I can hope is that my books offer you the reprieve from the world that they give me while I’m writing them.
Sorry! This got a little heavy. But I guess I’m always reflective the day after a new release. 😀
Love and Light, as always. And thank you.
Meghan
MCD’s ‘Shelfie’. Just missing one paperback … but it’s on order!
A lovely reader mentioned that though she is an eBook reader (like me!) she likes to make mini ‘trophy’ books with the full wrap book covers, which made me realize that I never actually share mine (😭), so I will make an effort to do so on the book detail pages moving forward. [Please remind me if I forget).
Without further ado, here are the two paperback wraps for the Mirth Duology. If you’ve purchased my paperbacks in the past, you’ll note I’m moving away from the more traditional synopsis/author info back covers into quotes, which I think are prettier.
These covers are hand lettered by Alicia (aka Serif and Somnia on Instagram), and I can’t wait to get my hands on the set (book 2 will be available to purchase on March 13).
Grand Romantic Delusions and the Madness of Mirth, Part 1 (purchase links)
Grand Romantic Delusions and the Madness of Mirth, Part 2 (purchase links)
By reader request (😘) I’ve made Mirth, Part 2 available for preorder direct from me. Because I haven’t spent the time to figure out how to charge in multiple currencies (yet), the book is more expensive for my fellow Canadians (sorry!), as well as Austrailians and New Zealanders. For US and UK-based readers depending on the exchange rate, it might be slightly less expensive for you to preorder through me. Again, I see more of your hard-earned cash if you order through me, but I totally understand purchasing through a fav retailer (or if you already preordered)!!
MIRTH
Not even twenty-four hours after I walked away from my own matchmaking event, I’m sliding out of the converted classic Rolls-Royce Phantom that I absconded with from my father’s collection of cars. With a brief stop for some food and to stretch our legs, Roz and I have driven all the way from Waterfell Castle, my father’s seat of power, to Prague.
And yes, this pampered princess can actually drive. Fleeing kidnapping or assassination attempts would be rather difficult if I couldn’t, according to the head of the royal guard. Though Anne, my father’s chosen mate, had seriously freaked out when Raoul got my brother Armin and me both learning to ride motorcycles even while we were technically too young to have our licenses. Raoul and Anne hadn’t been bonded then, as they are now with each other, my father, and Eleanor — the two of them exchanging bites in the shifter way. And Anne had pretty much lost her mind seeing us grapple with bikes far too big for us.
Speaking of disgruntled protectors, my royal guard, Roz, slams the passenger door shut and crosses around to the front of the car to join me. Even while doing more than her share of the driving, my combat mage has had her lips perpetually pressed together in disapproval the whole trip. Ignoring the fact that I could have wandered off without notifying her at all, as I had done countless times before, trailing in Armin’s wake. Granted, he and I didn’t usually drive partway across Europe without letting anyone know where we were.
It’s midmorning. We’ve arrived earlier than I planned. Though the former estate is set on the edge of the city, the sound of the bustling metropolis is muted by the tall walls and the even taller, ancient-looking trees sporadically growing all across the front of the property.
Roz sweeps a dark-eyed gaze around the mostly empty visitor car park, then scans the ostentatious brick building set back on the property.
The Prague Phrontistery. Well, the main building, at least.
“It’s still spring break,” I say, only slightly exasperated as I retrieve my black designer backpack from the back seat. “They have security.” We had to cross through the wards at the gates.
Roz only grunts in response. Her thumbs are already flying over her phone as she sends out updates, most likely to my other personal royal guard, Greg, as well as their supervisor. The cat shifter is still in London at my request. Getting a phone to the children, Tommy and Kitty, whom I’ve inadvertently — and possibly inappropriately — taken under my protection. I should know the name of Greg and Roz’s royal guard supervisor, but I don’t. Though I have a sense that Roz might report directly to Raoul.
“The guard at the gate didn’t even ask you for ID,” Roz says sourly, not looking up from her phone. “And he’s new since we did our last security checks.”
“Well, that’s probably a good thing,” I say casually. “Since I don’t actually have any ID. In the traditional sense.”
Roz throws me a look. I just grin at her, then deliberately point to my thick-framed black designer sunglasses, indicating the purple-hued eyes hidden behind those vintage shades more than the glasses themselves.
She grimaces, her own dark-brown eyes only partially shaded behind sleek aviators. “Sorry. We’ve never traveled like this before.” She sweeps a hand down her body. She’s not in her royal guard uniform. Her casual outfit — dark jeans, leather jacket over a thin sweater, and kick-ass boots — was what she was wearing when I gave her exactly no notice before I stole the car.
In my defense, I was rather … distracted.
Right after I stole Armin’s ashes from my father’s study.
Right after I realized all the ramifications — or at least all the ones I hadn’t already spelled out for myself — of being my father’s only heir. All the reasons that I needed to accept and bond with a well-established bond group. I would need to help my father hold the intersection point. I would need to be grounded and steady enough to hold that point myself when the time comes. Because an imbalanced intersection point has worldwide ramifications. It’s a massive responsibility. One I was born and bred to undertake.
Honestly, giving Roz any notice at all was rather generous of me. Especially given that I took off from Lake Thun Castle without her, forcing her to race after me to Waterfell.
I sling my backpack over both shoulders. It’s comfortingly heavy. Anchoring. Still, it seems as though carrying a marble urn around in a backpack should be disconcerting.
I’m wearing a black cashmere-and-wool duster that falls to my lower calves and comes with a glorious cowl hood, over perfectly stretchy, straight-legged dark-wash jeans. The duster is more of a coat than a sweater, and I’ve layered it over a cobweb-thin, long-sleeved, tight-fitting sweater, then paired the entire outfit with sleek, square-toe ankle boots with a generous heel. I had found the entire outfit in prettily wrapped boxes in my rooms at Waterfell and thrown it on before I left. Clearly, the clothing was another courting gift from Sully, either sent to the castle before or during the matchmaking event so I wouldn’t be overwhelmed by too many gifts from him all at once.
And yes, despite leaving Sully and all my other suitors behind without a more formal goodbye, I greedily accepted the absolutely perfect outfit.
My heirloom pearl necklace lies warm against my skin. Armin’s emerald ring weighs down my right hand. But I already know I’m no longer the princess to whom both were gifted years ago. I’m also not all shiny and new.
I’m floating in the becoming between my recent past and my near present.
And that is … okay. I can slow down — my mind, my heart. I can take the time to … grieve. Hopefully in a healthier way than I’ve been doing so far. If only for the few days I promised my father.
Adult 18+ While choice vs. duty is a strong theme in the Mirth duology, Mirth doesn’t have to choose between her suitors, and they’re more than happy to lend a helping hand to each other as well.
Love, compatibility, and companionship aren’t a factor in my future. But I just need a moment, a few days, to accept everything else that comes with my blood and my position. Even if it never really was a choice — any of it — I need to embrace my fate as if it is. And that includes finally accepting the deadly power I wield.
The Mirth duology is set in the Conduit World. While it’s not necessary to read all the interconnected series, the ideal reading order is as follows.
Grand Romantic Delusions and the Madness of Mirth, Part 2
Snag (Conduit 2)(coming next!)
Adult 18+. While choice vs. duty is a strong theme in the Mirth duology, Mirth doesn’t have to choose between her suitors, and they’re more than happy to lend a helping hand to each other as well. Content notes and a list of tropes can be found on MCD’s website (on the book detail page).
Tropes/themes: alternate/secondary world, magic, shifters, mages, matchmaking, forced proximity, found family, best friend, first love, love (lust?) at first sight, rejected mate, fated/chosen mates, choice vs. duty, slow and fast burn, multi-POV, why choose, multiple partners, polyamory (MMFMMM).
Note: There is no limited edition for this release (so no direct sales/BookFunnel). Sorry! I haven’t commissioned extra art or written a short for it (yet). I might do a limited edition printing of the duology later in the year (or in 2026). But I’m not supposed to be doing extras in 2025, and I’m already not curtailing myself terribly well.
Hello all! Some of you already know this, but I’m about to put in a paperback order to replace some of my older proof copies, and since many show up damaged (and therefore unusable) I often have to order extra anyway I thought I’d open up a waitlist for anyone interested.
There is a bunch more info over on the Google Form but in short: this is just a waitlist, I’ll contact you with shipping quotes, etc, and then you can choose to purchase or not. I’m closing the form on Jan 31, because I hope to ship on March 2 (when I go into Vancouver/Chit Chat, I can access better shipping rates). I’ll order as many books as I can, then cull the damaged copies to see how many of the ‘wish list’ I can fulfill.
MASSIVE SPOILERS BELOW! Sorry!! Second books are difficult to tease without spoilers.
“These people …” Coda’s fingers are flying over their keyboards again, likely trying to gain access to whatever tech is beyond the passageway. “They care more about your purple eyes than your rank or, like, the societal standards or whatever normally keep you relatively safe. You don’t have your entourage to protect you, Mirth. Wait for them, then we’ll all look for the boy.”
“I never actually needed anyone to protect me, Coda.” I squeeze Kitty’s hand. “I’m in disguise, you see. The pearls, the perfect smile, the sweet demeanor. The crown. Underneath, slumbering deep, deep down, I’m the one to be truly feared. And there’s only one way to wake me …”
Kitty squeezes my hand back, not the least bit scared of me.
– Mirth, Part Two – fourth draft
Are you new to the Conduit World? Content of note can be found on the individual book pages. The suggested reading order is as follows:
Mirth and I were forged from the same pocket of the universe. Everything my mother did to protect me, to care for me, steered me toward the destiny unfolding before me. My path tweaked and prodded according to my mother sight just enough for me to be standing here and now.
The revelation is overwhelming.
Mirth tugs on the bond between us. Just lightly. But it definitely snaps my attention back where it belongs right now. Had she been blocking that connection? Shutting it down along with the immense, intense power that now pours from her?
It doesn’t matter. Because now I know for certain it’s there. Now I know for certain why the burgeoning friendships with my other bond mates are so … unburdened with expectation. Now I know why other relationships were, are, difficult. Why I never really bothered to look for anything more than the most casual of connections.
Why I held Mirth in the garden at Lake Thun.
Why I gave her the peaches.
I can see all the strands of essence between us now, including the power spilling over the edge of the stage, creeping across the floor toward the nearest audience members. I’ve always had a sight for power — a genetic gift from my awry mother — but it’s never been this intense, or exact, before.
The why of that twists through my chest. As if Mirth herself is reaching within to grab hold of my heart. And lungs, because I’m not certain I’m breathing at all.
We strengthen each other, our gifts, just by being in close proximity.
The bond between us thickens, then grows taut.
“Lord Williams,” Mirth pronounces. It’s an outright claim, thrumming with power. “You’re standing on the wrong side of this all.”
Centuries of seeking the missing sections of our souls stretch between us, but only seconds have actually passed.
– Mirth, Part 2, Chapter Ten – fourth draft
Are you new to the Conduit World? Content of note can be found on the individual book pages. The suggested reading order is as follows:
As we roll into January 2025, I’m setting all my goals for the first quarter and slowly lining up all my marketing, etc, so I can just concentrate on writing – I’ll be doing a social media/email morning blackout again starting on Jan 2. But before I ‘disappear’ to get Mirth, Part 2 back to the editor by Jan 20 for line/content edit, I thought a giveaway would be a fun way to ease through the transition between the calendar years! 😁
Would you like to win a (slightly foil-damaged*) Tenth Anniversary, autographed, limited edition paperback of Dowser 1, six postcards, two bookmarks, four stickers, a chocolate soy candle (hand poured by MCD), and a single-origin chocolate bar**?
Yes?
Yes!!
To enter, simply comment below with your favourite quote or scene, or any favourite bit really, from the Dowser Series!
*I have very few of these Tenth Anniversary limited edition paperbacks of Dowser 1 left. This one is not numbered (the Kickstarter paperbacks were all hand-numbered) and it has some slight foil damage.
**This is one of my fav bars from my fav Vancouver-based chocolatier!
Notes/Rules: OPEN INTERNATIONALLY. One entry per person. One winner will be selected by random number generator. Only entries that follow the stated requirements will be valid. Email addresses are not collected for any purpose other than to contact the winner. No purchase necessary (all my books are in libraries and Dowser 1 is currently free on all retailers). The comments are moderated. I will approve your entry just as soon as I have a moment.
The chocolate maker is not affiliated with this giveaway. This is not a sponsored post, I purchased (or made) all the items included above.
Giveaway closes Thursday, January 2, 2025 at 5pm PST.
Post background: in case you missed it, about a month or so ago I realized I was sitting on over a decade of stories (all workshopped, edited, etc) that I will never have the time (or the inclination, really) to rewrite into novel form. I asked my readers if they’d be interested in reading some of these stories in screenplay format and they said “yes!” Hence this primer on How to Read a Screenplay!
Also if you prefer to just skip to it, my ‘first’ screenplay, Deception, is now available! 😘
***
If you haven’t read a screenplay before, the trimmed-down formatting can be a little puzzling – I use this word deliberately because screenplays are definitely presented in ‘pieces’. But once you understand how those sections all work together, the entire story will (should) unfold smoothly.
So! If you read too quickly, it’s easy to get confused about who is talking or if the location or time period has shifted. Reading slowly, as well as pausing to absorb and visualize the descriptions is helpful (Warning, descriptions, etc, are NOT repeated after the initial intro of a character or setting). Let the script unfold in your mind like a movie. Each beat is a different shot, or camera angle, edited together with the dialogue to create the full narrative. The world-building is minimal because the action and dialogue are meant to carry/convey the story.
Location/set/costume design, as well as visual effects, and score (music) are added to turn a screenplay (aka the basic story) into a movie.
Things of note
One (1) page generally equals about one (1) minute of screen time, not including huge action sequences (which are often only a few lines but can be 5-10 minutes on screen).
Screenplays are formatted as PDFs for ease of reading on a computer and printing on regular ‘letter-sized paper. I’m offering my screenplays as PDFs (not ePubs) to preserve formatting. You can read on your eReader or phone, but a larger screen might work better (?). Also, you can print the screenplay out (note the page count though, usually 100-120 pages).
Logline: aka the ‘elevator pitch’. This is a tight one-line summary of the plot. Usually focused on the ‘hook.’ Some writers will include a ‘comp’, such as Hunger Games meets Jaws with a dash of Downton Abbey. I don’t.
Three-act synopsis (aka pitch sheet/one sheet for the producer): I’ve included the pitch sheet or one sheet in the back of each of my screenplays. The one sheet is a full synopsis of all three acts. This is how I would pitch a screenplay to a producer because they want to know the entire story before committing to reading the actual screenplay. Therefore, and warning to not skip ahead, it is rife with spoilers!!
Elements of a screenplay
The first page of the screenplay, Deception, by MCD
After the title page and the synopsis page – which wouldn’t normally be added to a screenplay I was pitching to a producer, but I’m adding for ease of reading for my readers – the first thing you will come across is the:
SCENE HEADING
Also dubbed the slug line. The scene headings are written in all caps and INT or EXT for interior or exterior. This is followed by the name of the location and a designation of day or night.
Under the scene heading, you will find:
ACTION
This section describes action that can be seen or heard. Sounds Effects that are important to the story but are heard off-screen will appear in ALL-CAPS.
CHARACTER NAMES
In the action/description character names are written in ALL caps on first appearance, as well as above their dialogue. A character who is off-screen or speaking in voiceover is designated by O.S. or V.O.
PARENTHETICALS
Often found under the character name to provide context or instruction for the dialogue delivery.
DIALOGUE
Dialogue blocks are centered on the page. Parallel dialogue (overlapping dialogue) is written in side-by-side blocks.
FLASHBACKS
Will be noted in all caps after the scene heading.
INTERCUTS
Two separate scenes are cut together to increase tension and quicken the pacing of the story.
Note: I’m usually not a fan of flashbacks (or intercutting for that matter). And I actually now actively avoid them as a literal device, or try to be clever about how I provide that info to my readers, see Amplifier 4. But flashbacks, etc, are very much used in film to get the most story across to the viewer in the shortest amount of the time. And both flashbacks and intercuts appear in the first screenplay I’m posting, Deception (aka Abigale Awakes).
Okay! I’m going to try to revive #TeaserTuesday with a longer excerpt on my blog and a shorter excerpt on my socials. It’s a bit tricky because Mirth, Part 2 is filled with massive spoilers.
Side note: I’m also doing #WIPWednesday with Conduit 2 on my socials. 😁
The momentary hush that had fallen over the audience cracks wide open. Toffs start jumping up from their seats, scrambling for their belongings.
Getting in my way.
Mirth’s blazing gaze runs over all of them a second time. They literally freeze in place, mouths agape, and hands clutching at clothing or each other. All that power at their fingertips, all the privilege in the world, and Mirth’s mere presence has them too fearful to even flee. Let alone fight back.
And Mirth isn’t compelling anyone to do anything. Not yet.
A form of empathy, she called it.
I chuckle to myself, elbowing the assholes who’ve stumbled into the aisle out of my way. Empathy. That was the fucking understatement of the fucking century.
– Mirth, Part 2: Christoph POV
Are you new to the Conduit World? Content of note can be found on the individual book pages. The suggested reading order is as follows:
