Friday, December 14, 2012

Pre-Release of "Underworld"

It's been a busy year and I am finally finished with part 2 of Dark Passage.  UNDERWORLD is now being offered for a pre-release at a bargain price on Amazon this weekend.  Check it out - http://www.amazon.com/Underworld-Dark-Passage-ebook/dp/B00ALRNK1S/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1355508757&sr=8-1-fkmr2&keywords=underworld+ml+woolley

Where has this year gone?!  I have spent my year at my day job and every spare moment working on underworld.  It's really fantastic how much research and time go into a book.  Every idea and thought that I have is written down to be explored further at a later time.  I never thought I would carry around a notebook in my purse to add random ideas and thoughts to at any given time.  To write is to get inside the heads of the characters and feel what they are feeling.  It's almost like birthing a child with all that goes into writing a book.

I hope you all enjoy Underworld and I look forward to hearing from you.  Have a fantastic holiday season!!

ML Woolley

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

New cover comission by Phatpuppyart !

Yay-  I had a new cover comissioned by Phat Puppy Art!  Their work is so awesome!  I have chosen one for book 2 already as well!  I am so excited to get book 2 completed and out there-

Have a fantastic week-


Michele :)

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Hot beaches, cold drinks and freedom from monotony

June 22, 2012

It's the end of June and Washington State, true to form, is cold and rainy.  Rain is coming down in buckets and grey clouds cover the sky.  Little kids are playing in mud puddles and the cat is asleep under the umbrella on the deck.  This would be a superb day to be at work! 

I am a person inspired by moods and weather tends to set the stage for a mood.  Here in Washington, most people take crazy pills (oops!  Antidepressants) to cope with the endless supply of rain.  It is great if you have a significant other that you can enjoy the fire with- nothing like spending the day doing nothing and yet everything ;)   I typically don't get dressed on these type of days until late in the day and then go out to find something fun to do- With Seattle a hop, skip and a jump away there is typically some indoor event going on. 

This would seem like the perfect time to write.  There is no possibility of doing any fun summer activiity and all your friends are home too (probably not dressed either) and being creative on how to make this dreary day fun and exciting.  Sometimes a cat tucked under the covers and a good book is enough.  Regardless- it is a day away from work and the drama that goes on in the world of the working woman.

Fantasy becomes a part of life for Washingtonians because you have to have a great imagination to endure 364 days of rain a year.  ;)    The truth of the matter is that my imagination is at it's best when it is sunny, breezy and the convertible is calling my name.  It's a battle of the practical me and the over the top "let's have fun" me.  I prefer the scenario #2 me.  So, when I am in the #2 frame of mind then my writing soars-  Crazy things come to mind and my imagination runs wild...  Just an FYI, I was a bit of a wild child back in the day. 

It's been awesome working with bloggers and people in the world of books.  I never realized how many truly wonderful people there are in the world.  The emails I receive are off the wall and literally make my day.  Sometimes I sit at work on my iphone reading them and tears streaming down my face.  I think a few of my co-workers think I am slightly out of my mind lol.  They don't have a clue that I am doing books now and I hope to keep it that way.  Can you imagine your co-workers or people at school reading your private fantasy life.  They truly would think I am out of my mind ;)    I hope to leave the job one day and write full time.  I daydream sometimes about that phase in my life.  I can see it all now- telling my supervisor goodbye and blowing kisses to the co-workers-  There are some great people there but always an undertone of drama which I personally find..... You get the idea -  The "gossipers" are my favorite.  We all battle the traffic (it's epic some days driving an hour on 1-5 with crazy drivers who are all trying to get to work- those of you who don't drive yet or the novelty has not yet worn off will understand some day) to scream into work at the appointed time-  After all that stress and sweat to get there we wait a half hour for the computers to warm up-  Then I have the job of listening to whispering at the cubicles next to me for an undisclosed amount of time (I will take the 5th on this one).  The droning on of the whispering literally drives me out of my mind.  So, I am buying songs on itunes and have an earbud growing out of my head.  We work on endless stacks of paperwork all day until we feel like a rat on a wheel and finally we get to fight the traffic from Seattle for an hour to get home at 7:30 pm.  Barely shower and get a few hours of sleep and I wake up at 5:00 am to do the entire scenario again. Some nights I dream about the drama at work and imagine what it will feel like to write full time.  To kiss the gossip girls goodbye and wave audios to the co-workers-  In my dream I always leave a sum of cash for the "coffee club" (we would all be dead without that jolt of java every day) and the birthday club (we all go out on people's birthdays but secretly people hate each other lol).  This dream is what keeps me working from the morning until way into the early morning on my days off-  It's like a man in the desert who knows the oasis is just over the next hill-  I tell myself "one more day-week-month-year"  ....  "Give me liberty or give me death"...

So to all of you in bloggerland-  Keep pushing forward for one day we will be laying on a beach somewhere, sipping a tropical drink and enjoying the freedom to enjoy life-  Just a few more days and it will be another weekend-

Michele :)


Happy Summer!

Underworld is part 2 of the Dark Passage Series. Peel back what we know as reality and there is an unseen world that is just waiting for you to enter. The way through the veil has been closed for many centuries but the terrors of war have unleashed great evil and the two worlds are merging. There are a chosen few who will walk the way of the dead and discover the secrets that are hidden deep within. Weapons of mass destruction are unleashed on society as world leaders face off to establish a one world government. Ivy & Jen are forewarned of the events to come and are hidden away in an underground bunker when chaos erupts. While they wait for word of when they are to come out of hiding, they explore the ancient caverns below the old house. They stumble upon the Book Of Prophesy they learn that they are to embark on a journey through the underworld to find the hidden location of the Tree Of Life that holds the secret of releasing the world from the evil that has overtaken it. In the process of finding the tree they discover the terrible secrets of the underworld. Nothing is as it seems, and they must find the answers or risk eternity on the Darkside; beyond the veil of humanity. One of the girls learns she has a powerful connection to this realm and faces the decision of embracing her humanity or accepting her rightful place in this world.

Get a free autograph of Dark Passage for your Kindle Ebook @ Kindlegraph.com

Thanks to everyone who read the book! Thank you so much for all of your feedback- There are many awesome blogs that have featured Dark Passage and I will compile a list and put them up asap. I would encourage you to check them out- they are all excellent and well worth following. Great group of people- ** ## I am going to post chapter 1 of book 2 soon- BOOK 3 is completed ;) I am working on a new series as well- I am really excited about the new series and will put out a free sample soon!

I write from my heart- using bits and pieces of various people I have worked with over the years as a counselor and social worker. In the stories, people can overcome tragedy and perhaps have a good outcome; while in life they may have had a tragic end. It's healing somehow, to write about the tragic souls I have known- they live on in the characters and are released from the hidden corners of my mind. Someone wisely told me once "write what you know - the ink on paper will act as poison draining from your soul".

Friday, June 8, 2012

Underworld- Book 2 of the Dark Passage Series to be released soon

Peel back what we know as reality and there is an unseen world that is just waiting for you to enter. The way through the veil has been closed for many centuries but the terrors of war have unleashed great evil and the two worlds are merging. There are a chosen few who will walk the way of the dead and discover the secrets that are hidden deep within.

Weapons of mass destruction are unleashed on society as world leaders face off to establish a one world government. Ivy & Jen are forewarned of the events to come and are hidden away in an underground bunker when chaos erupts. While they wait for word of when they are to come out of hiding, they explore the ancient caverns below the old house. They stumble upon the Book Of Prophesy they learn that they are to embark on a journey through the underworld to find the hidden location of the Tree Of Life that holds the secret of releasing the world from the evil that has overtaken it. In the process of finding the tree they discover the terrible secrets of the underworld. Nothing is as it seems, and they must find the answers or risk eternity on the Darkside; beyond the veil of humanity. One of the girls learns she has a powerful connection to this realm and faces the decision of embracing her humanity or accepting her rightful place in this world.

A cover is being comissioned and details are being finalized....

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Thoughts about why-

<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13553254-dark-passage" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="Dark Passage (Chosen, #1)" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1333135897m/13553254.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13553254-dark-passage%22%3EDark Passage</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5767871.M_L_Woolley%22%3EM.L. Woolley</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/303632295%22%3E5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Thanks to everyone who read the book!  Thank you so much for all of your feedback- Here is a new blog that came out today. I thought her interview questions are poingent and reflect well on the story and why it was written. <a href="http://www.littlehyuts.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.littlehyuts.blogspot.com/</a> <br /><br />I write from my heart- using bits and pieces of various people I have worked with over the years as a counselor and social worker.  In the stories, people can overcome tragedy and perhaps have a good outcome; while in life they may have had a tragic end.  It's healing somehow, to write about the tragic souls I have known- they live on in the characters and are released from the hidden corners of my mind. Someone wisely told me once "write what you know - the ink on paper will act as poison draining from your soul".  <br /><br />As a side note-  the wonderful folks who reviewed and rated, whom are also on my friends list, became friends after they read the book-  someone asked about "friends" voting-  I have never met nor spoken with anyone who reviewed or voted- aside from sending them a thank-you or a ebook.  <br /><br />I think this quote sums up the soul of a book eloquently:<br />    “Every book, every volume you see here, has a soul. The soul of the person who wrote it and of those who read it and lived and dreamed with it. Every time a book changes hands, every time someone runs his eyes down its pages, its spirit grows and strengthens.” ― Carlos Ruiz Zafón, The Shadow of the Wind <br /><br />
<br/><br/>
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/8479862-m-l-woolley%22%3EView all my reviews</a>

Monday, April 23, 2012

Fan Emails - "Gripping" "Nightmares" "Disturbing

Well these emails were unexpected and I had to put in a disclaimer to NOT read if you have unresolved personal problems or mental health issues.  Have also received mail that people have been unable to get the story out of their mind.... wow- so unexpected to hear all the various views- Extreme reviews and one lady was so disturbed she emailed and said she had PTSD from something that happened in her life.

Go figure- 

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Passion

David met Lisa at a party and the relationship began almost immediately.  They often bickered and the fights escalated to wicked heights and ended in passion. He knew from the start that the relationship was destined and their lives would be intertwined.  She was strong and knew what she wanted out of life.  She was unlike anyone he had ever met and he could relate to on several levels.  He craved her attention and was willing to do anything to keep her in his life.  He was quickly caught in her web and her scheming plans had taken a turn to the dark side.  Her lust for power had taken her into a demonic realm that threatened her sanity. 

Compromise

The look she gave him was pure malice. She was deeply angered by the news but kept her temper. Rather than say anything she picked up her purse and walked out of the office.  David followed along behind her and when he reached her he grabbed her arm.  Lisa spun around to face him.
“Let go of me.  You have no intention of helping me and I don’t need any bullshit from you”.
David could smell her perfume and the thought of losing her made him feel sick. The blood had drained out of his face and he shut his eyes for a moment.

Seduction

As though aware of what he was thinking, she turned for a moment, and smiled at him.  Her smile aroused him and try as he might he could not say no to her.  It was no secret that she ran his life.  What man could say no to someone like Lisa?  She reminded him of a snake, beautiful with shimmering skin and piercing eyes.  She was intelligent, with all the cunning of a politician, and with her good looks she could seduce the devil himself. 

She had finished talking to Margie and strode across the room towards him.  The clingy material of her dress flowed nicely over her curves and she raised her hand to run her fingers through her hair. As she did so her breasts were slightly visible from the sides. She was aware of the effect when she wore this type of dress and it was part of her seduction.  

Saturday, March 24, 2012

The Power Of The Heart

When something is broken people typically discard it.  The God, Elroi, did not see Ivy as others saw her for He looked on the substance of her heart.  He would use her to great ends because of her brokenness and she would wield great power in His use. 

Order From Chaos

The landscape varied from lush forests to dry, dusty expanses of ruin. At first glance, things appeared desolate but beneath the surface were thriving villages. The underworld provided safety and time for people to hone the skills they required to survive in this changed world. It was not like I had imagined it would be and people who survived wanted revenge. Lives had been forever altered, families destroyed and survivors became vigilantes. They manage to survive by pooling resources and refusing to give up. Order was created from chaos with the appearance of the halflings who could fade into the background and move freely above ground. The people who were part otherworld and part man were taking small groups across the barren land to the mountains. From there they journeyed through the other realm and were then free to choose their own destinies.

Friday, March 23, 2012

The impossible dream....

So it is with my journey here on earth.   I often dream the impossible dream.  Could that sliver of time, that chance meeting, ever lead to an eternity with her?  I follow her through deserted lands, ruins and the shadows of the dark world.  She is chosen and many would see her dead and out of the way.  Hungry creatures would tear her flesh from her bones and devour all that she stands for in this forsaken place.  The odds were turned in her favor, for the treasure that was now in her possession, would provide great power when she most needed it.
The screams came from the distance- and were chilling.  “Oh God.-Someone help me”.   The sounds of wicked laughter echoed and the air was charged with a sense of doom.

She heard the sounds from far off and came to help him.  She recognized Tyler’s voice.  How could she ever forget that day?

Tyler looked at her with a sense of both shame and wonder.  There was something beautiful in her eyes.  She had a look of radiance and compassion, and yet, great strength.


What had happened to the girl he knew a few years ago?  His eyes felt the hot sting of tears behind them and he felt remorse for what he had done.  He met her gaze and felt a desire to take her in his arms and hold her.                 “I’m so sorry for what happened”.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

The magnitude of his gift was beyond understanding...

No one could know the magnitude of the gift he had given her. The white horses belonged to the immortals. The animal was a part of his soul, his way back home and his closest friend. The night he gave his precious gift was a turning point in his existence. There was no where to go but through the darkness. She didn't know it, but she held part of his very soul for the animal was tied to him. The sacrifice was great but his love for her was greater still. He would give his very life for her if it was required. She had held his heart for eternity and she had forgotten what had been.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

The Moon Draws Us...

The moon is full and its translucent light bathes the landscape.  I have spent many nights under moons, just like this one, with my wife.  I can almost hear her soft laughter and playful tone.  Her face is everywhere, and I feel I am going mad, with grief.

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Did you ever wonder "What If" ?

People always tell me about the shoulda, coulda, woulda, things they wish they had done. What if we did tue things we dreamed about? Would we be happier, wealthier or more fulfilled? That's an interesting question and one many of us wonder about. *If* we had made our feelings known would we be living happily ever after with our soulmate? *If* we had taken that job when it came up would we be doing better? *If* we had gone one to a degree or higher degree would we be happier? *If* we had only tole her (or him) we lived them one last time would the outcome have been different? Its tricky, this thing called life. If we all had crystal balls we would all be happy, rich and successful. I dont buy that. What if we lived each day like it was our last and made every moment count? Life has a way of rectifying mistakes if only w press forward. If only we would do today what we have put off for tomorrow.... Happy Saturday! - Michele

Friday, March 16, 2012

Friday Night Writing!

Made it through another work week! Woo hoo for those of us who work an write on weekends! It was an interesting week and I met a couple cool people in the course if social work. They are quirky and gave me some awesome character ideas.... Writing is all about getting into the head of each character and figuring them out. When I'm writing a story I take myself into the life of the character.... I dream up a life for them, friends, family, hopes and dreams. What is it that makes them tick? Why do they murder? How do they love? Why are they the way they are? We all have unique perspectives and it's fun putting it all together.... Feeling deeply and thinking outside the box... Have a chill night all! Signing off for now... 7000 words today, 2 murders and some amazing magic- I'm exhausted living a second life ;) - Michele

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Working a "real" job and book writing?

Ok, so I am at work at my job as a Social Worker and receive not one but Two emails from publishig houses! I am taking my 15 minute break to write this. I know it's lame but I thought it was very cool so what the heck? For those of you struggling to work full time, pay the bills and write there is hope! At the end of a very long and dusty tunnel a light appears... "maybe" the 25 hours each weekend sitting at my dining room table typing will pay off? They want to see part two, which I think, is my best work... Have a chill day all of you in blog land. - Michele :)

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

We all would do great things-

Everyone I meet has aspirations and dreams... We are only limited to what we can do by our imagination. When I was younger people said I was a "dreamer" and I would blow them off. "Who cares", I would think and I would go right on doing what I wanted to do. Made my fair share of mistakes but in the end it was all worth it.... Reaching for your dreams, no matter how big, is so worth it... You won't ever regret things you tried in life but you will regret things you were too afraid to try... Who cares what the critics think? You go for it and you may be surrogate how many goals you actually accomplish...

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

It all begins in your mind....

Haha, this is really a new thing but something I have always wanted to do. There are so many people to write about and so many awesome stories to tell.! Everyone has a story to tell and mixing real people with paranormal, fantasy an romance, well, could it get any better than that? I grew up in a crazy family (don't many of us?) and somehow survived it all lol. Put myself through College and graduate school and studied people. I wanted to know what made them tick and why they did the looney things that they did. Learned a lot about myself in the process and I hope I have helped few people along the way.... Writing has been my passion since I was a kid but I never really persued it because I had responsibilities and needed a "real" job ;) Counseling and social services has paid the bills (for the most part but I have not gotten rich lol) but there is so much more I want to do. There are stories to get out there and tell about sinkage awesome people I have met along the way..... Paranormal? Call me crazy but I have had numerous experiences with the paranormal. People who I loved who died have visited me (ghosts! Yes, it's true) and I have longed to be with someone I loved deeply but had died. Passion beyond the veil of death.... Love never dies but lives on... I am a romantic at heart and love it when life is good for people. We all want to do great things, be someone extraordinary and succeed. When you read a book you can escape and be whomever you want. I always loved horse for the same reason. On a horse you could fly on the wind and leave it all behind. There is something magical about fantasy and I don't mean just the things the characters do..... It takes you to places you have never been Nd let's you dream big dreams....