KEEPING YOUR DREAMS ALIVE WITH AUTHOR, ELIOTT MCKAY

Success will come in the parameters wherein it is measured. I am not so concerned with worldly achievements as I am with bettering the world I live in. We must always give back. ~ Eliott McKay

Hello Everyone,

Welcome back to my Keeping Your Dreams Alive series. I'm honored to introduce you to the wonderful author of paranormal romance, Midnight Engagement, Eliott McKay. Eliott is one of my fellow authors from Crimson Romance.

Eliott released her debut novel in January 2013. This is what one reviewer had to say about Midnight Engagement .

Reading this book was like reading a poet who stepped out of her comfort zone and then wowed her audience with a fabulous novel. McKay's descriptive style and eloquent wording captured me right from the beginning.

I can second that reviewer’s opinion of Eliott’s voice. She is a true storyteller and a joy to read. Eliott, I’m so thrilled to have this chance to get to know you better. Thank you for being here today and sharing your dream with us. Would you please tell us a little about yourself?

Eliott…

I’m a small-town girl turned migrant wanderer. I think some long-dormant gypsy blood must have surfaced in my veins. Even my parents are afflicted. Every so often, they completely uproot themselves with little or no warning, and head off to their next big adventure.

People of all ages have forgotten how to dream. What inspired you to dream?

Dreaming is such a natural thing it’s hard to conceive of a people who have forgotten how to do it. It’s more probable that people know how to dream but have forgotten how to do… or more likely, never learned.

My dreams are inspired by an early knowledge of my life’s purpose, which is to spread joy. As a child, I was of naturally happy constitution and I feel that re-emerging in me as I set that purpose into motion —hence my personal mantra: “Spreading Joy, Writing Books." My blog, Eliott’s Life Adventures is a chronicle of my joy-spreading debacles. People who enjoy these stories will also enjoy my books.

We all place obstacles in our paths that bring our dreams to a dead stop. I call these dream killers. What was your dream killer and how did you overcome it?

In my experience, fear is the ultimate dream killer, but you learn to experience the fear and then get up and do it anyway, as Susan Jeffers writes. It takes courage and mastery, but gets easier with practice. My personal dream killers are usually related to my level of confidence, which is directly proportionate with my level of preparation. For me, it’s all about the doing.

How do you keep the dream alive under extreme adversity – external or internal?

The fires of adversity are stranger to no one. How we react is the defining characteristic of our moral rectitude. On my desk is the saying:

“I couldn’t wait for success so I went ahead without it.” ~ Jonathan Winters.

It’s perseverance that sees us through. So many people give up right before the miracle occurs. When all seems lost, my solution is to go on an adventure, the simple ones I write about in my blog. I try to do good for someone else. It fills the well, puts a stopper on my selfish thoughts, helps me appreciate the beauty in others, and restores a balanced perspective. I have always been blessed with an ability to perceive the good in others and I find joy in helping them discover a glimpse of their own greatness.

How did realizing your dream change you?

I get the same satisfaction from accomplishing small goals as I do great ones. It makes me feel free and sends a marvelous vibe out into the universe, which I like to think blesses everyone. Success will come in the parameters wherein it is measured. I am not so concerned with worldly achievements as I am with bettering the world I live in. We must always give back.

What's next? What new dream would you like to reach for?

I’m just hoping to make someone smile today… that, and “a nice MLT - mutton, lettuce and tomato sandwich, where the mutton is nice and lean…” Ha… couldn’t resist!

No, seriously, I have another book that I’m preparing to pitch. I have a good feeling about it. It’s the best work I’ve done yet, which will hopefully always be the case. This one is special to me because it turned out to be the therapeutic cure to my own broken heart. I think it could help a lot of people. I do hope.

I would like to offer an enormous round of thanks to the lovely, talented Nancy Weeks for having me on her blog today, and for being the kind of person who is concerned with the low morale of today’s dreamers. Perhaps a few dreams will pluck up due to her special efforts. I know mine have!

Blurb from Midnight Engagement:

Some people inherit family businesses, while others get hand-me-downs. Michaela got an atrocious pair of spectacles that hide her true identity — the one she doesn't know about! Michaela is part vampire and unaware of it until she is abducted to a banished city by a werewolf who secretly loves her.

Sensuality level: Your ten-year-old could read it :)

Excerpt for Midnight Engagement:

A sly alarm snaked up Michaela’s spine. Her body reacted to Conrad’s presence from across the room. She needed to be careful. Tentatively, she crept over to the side of the bed and knelt down, unsure of herself. It seemed best to test the boundaries. In a bold, yet timid move, she reached out a shaky hand, little at a time, and moved it slowly toward Conrad’s chest. The boundary lit up with a tangible buzz upon immediate impact.

Her hand, at first shocked by the current, adjusted to the tremors emanating from his person. Conrad’s eyes opened, dark pools of liquid topaz in the soft amber light. His head turned toward her with a painful twinge, which she felt. It reverberated through her along with his unspoken words: Where have you been? His voice was clear and true, as if he had spoken aloud, and Michaela somehow communicated back all the things she so desperately needed to say, how she never meant to hurt him.

“Shhh… ” he said in her mind. She felt him hope she would stay.

The non-empty space between them was filled with the hum of life. There was no privacy here, nor shame, only the living vibration of their combined beings, all-encompassing, nothing hiding. Michaela moved a hand along their barrier, pressing gently, and discovered that she could feel the contours of his body.

“Hold my hand,” came the soft command.

Michaela obeyed. Her fingers traced down the contours of Conrad’s good arm, the movement spit a trail of fizz like a welders fuse. Eyes closed, her fingers spread along his hand and twined with his. Though they were not actually touching, she felt his grip tighten and his chest wince as he did so. A bright flash released a bluish tint that circulated between them causing a joyous burst to rupture in Michaela’s chest, a feeling in which they both reveled. The very marrow of their souls mingled. It was hard to discern whose thoughts and feelings were whose, but there was an unmistakable yearning for each other.

If you want to learn more about Eliott McKay, you can find her here: 

www.eliottmckay.com

www.facebook.com/eliottmckay.author

https://twitter.com/EliottMcKay

www.goodreads.com/eliottmckay

Midnight Engagement is available at these sites

Amazon | B&N |iTunes |Crimson Romance ebooks 

Comments:

Eliott and I would love to hear from you.  To leave a comment, click on the tiny word, comment, at the end of the post. Sorry it’s so hard to see.