Hello
Everyone,
Welcome back to my Keeping
Dreams Alive series. Today. I honored to introduce you to one of my fellow
authors from Crimson Romance, M.J. Schiller. I met M.J. in a group called
CRSisters. The CRSisters is a wonderful group of Crimson Romance authors who joined
together to offer support and encouragement to fellow authors through the
confusing maze of publishing and promotion of a book. To a newbie 'soon to be' published author like
myself, M.J. and the CRSisters are a godsend.
M.J. published her first book, TAKEN BY STORM, last year and she just released her second book, TRAPPED UNDER ICE. Honestly, I can’t imagine when she finds time to write---an eighteen-year-old and
sixteen-year-triplets. I have only two kids and they were space far enough
apart I only had one in high school at the same time. M.J., in case no one has
said this before, you are a super mom/super woman.
I can’t
thank you enough for taking the time to your dream with us. Would you
please tell us a little about yourself?
M.J....
I am a
romance writer/lunch lady much like Beth in TRAPPED UNDER ICE. However, my
husband is alive and I’ve never dated a rock star. So, naturally, I had to kill
him off in the book to make my fantasy come true. ( ;
My very much alive
husband and I have an eighteen year old (I was merely a baby when she was born.
Really!) and sixteen-year-old triplets. Four teenage drivers means I don’t get
much sleep.
People
of all ages have forgotten how to dream. What inspired you to dream?
This
is going to sound odd, but I was watching an awards show one night, the Emmy’s,
I guess. They were giving an award to Aaron Spelling and Jaclyn Smith quoted
him as saying something ultra profound like, “Reach for your dreams.” For
whatever reason, it struck me that night. Aaron Spelling had once been an acned
junior high student like the rest of us and became a household name because he
set out to achieve something and to use his God-given talents. That night I
decided that it was time to write that book I was always going to write.
We all
place obstacles in our path which brings our dreams to a dead stop. I call
these obstacles dream killers. What
was your dream killer and how did you overcome it?
I’m
not sure this is a dream killer or not but, when I was growing up, you weren’t
encouraged to become a writer. It wasn’t a job in the sense that you worked
certain hours and brought home a certain pay check, so it wasn’t exactly on the
list with doctors and mad scientists. I’ve always loved words and I wish I had
started writing earlier in my life.
Another dream killer, I guess, was feeling
intimidated by all those fancy-smancy New York publishers. Overcoming that
meant, for me, turning forty and realizing that those editors were probably
younger than me, less seasoned and therefore less scary. I thought, what do
they know that I don’t know? Probably a whole lot, but there were a few grains
of wisdom that I had that they probably didn’t, so I gave it a try.
How do
you keep the dream alive under extreme adversity – external or internal?
I
guess the biggest adversity you face as a writer is that little niggling voice
that tells you that you’re not good enough. You have to stop comparing yourself
to others and learn to appreciate your own skills and, if you really aren’t
good enough yet, work at it. Then it has to become a priority.
When
you reached the top, how did it feel?
Well
I’m not sure that I’m there. If you meant how did it feel the day my book
became published, it was incredible. I still can’t believe sometimes that I
wrote a book and it was published and it is real and up on my mantle right now.
How
did realizing your dream change you?
It
fueled me. I’ve been sensitive to criticism all my life, (just ask my parents)
so you’d think this would not be the field for me since you open yourself up to
criticism every day. But the desire in me to do this was so strong that it
outweighed my fears. I had to just do it and deal with whatever was to come.
Every writer, even the most famous, has critics. I remind myself that not
everybody likes peanut butter either, and look how good that is!
What's
next? What new dream would you like to reach for?
My
goal is to quit my day job. I love my job as a lunch lady, but it would be
awesome to have the time to really do this writing thing right. I’d like to
read more romance, and learn from it, read more of the articles I store away
for when I have time, market more, do more to promote other authors…the list
goes on and on.
Trapped Under Ice by M.J. Schiller
Blurb
Rock
star Chad Evans’s tortured past hides just beneath the surface. Even fans
screaming out his name in ecstasy can’t drown out the screams of his childhood.
He can usually keep it under control, but not always. Tonight the alcohol
doesn’t seem to soothe.
Part
of the crowd, Beth Donovan smiles, really enjoying herself for a change. But
her smile isn’t usually this bright. It is the kind of smile that masks
sorrow. Three years just isn’t long
enough to get over losing Paul.
When
a vicious attack behind stage brings this unlikely pair together, something
changes inside of them both. But can a jet-setting superstar and a Midwestern
lunch lady ever manage a real relationship? And even if they can, will the
person sending Chad death threats take it all away? Or is it their fate to
remain forever trapped under ice?
Excerpt
The boat was underway and they watched in
silence as it passed through the glimmering reflection of The Arch in the
water. Beth rested on the rail, and Chad stood behind her with his hands
grasping the bar on either side of her. The wind blew their hair softly, and she
shivered, regretting her decision to leave her coat in the car.
“Are
you cold?” he asked, taking his hands from the rail to rub her arms.
His
touch felt so good, she found herself leaning back against him and closing her
eyes. How long had it been since she felt a man’s touch? She turned to peek up
at him. She had to know if he felt the same way she did.
Chad
took his hands from her arms and placed his fingers behind her neck. She froze,
unsure of what he was doing. He gently rubbed his thumbs across her mouth, his
eyes taking in the curve of her lips as he touched them. Then, his eyes lifted
to hers, and she saw in them anguish and need and pain and…something more. He
bent closer, inch by inch, tantalizing her as she craned her neck, rising up on
her toes to reach him. His lips finally claimed hers with a rush.
His
lips felt, oooh, so good, and she realized for the first time how wonderfully
full they were. With a moan that filled them both, he kissed her more deeply,
his tongue exploring her mouth, his hands sliding down to pull her closer. When
he finally pulled away, she almost cried out in protest.
Where
she was hearing Paul’s voice earlier, Chad now heard a harsher voice, his
father’s. You’re not good enough for this girl, Chad. She’s outta your
league. Find yourself one of your usual floozies. You need a little one-night
action. You’re incapable of true love. You’ll wind up hurting her in the end.
This was the thought that truly
terrified him, but it was as if he couldn’t help being drawn to her. There was
something there he couldn’t define.
Where you can find M.J. Schiller's books:
You
can find MJ Schiller at:
