Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Hitting the Top 20 and Top 100 with THREE Books Today!

I released my first nonfiction book in awhile, Passive Income for Creative Minds, this week, and it must have goosed sales for all my books or something, because this morning I had not one but THREE of my books in the Top 100 on Amazon! WITHOUT any advertising whatsoever!

Passive Income hit #65 in Amazon's Crafts, Hobbies & Home category (you can click on each screenshot to see a much larger and readable version)...


Covet hit #57 in Amazon's Dance category...


And Dance with Darkness hit #20 in Amazon's Dance category!


Thank you to all the readers who bought copies of these books and pushed them up those sales rankings in order to hit so high on the lists! I feel like that cute nerdy guy on the recent commercials when he says "my selfie just got a hundred likes on Facebook! A HUNDRED!" lol

New Book Release: Break Pointe (Marked Ones Series 1)



Break Pointe (Marked Ones Series 1)
The first book in a new series by Melissa Darnell featuring dancers, spies, danger and as always, love...


As a Marked One doomed by bad genes to die early, Edel has a limited amount of time to make her mark on stage as a professional dancer and pay off her student loans. But first she has to graduate from the Academy and be chosen to join a company. To ensure she achieves this dream, she's worked every day for the past five years training for this one goal. 

But all her hard work and dreams are threatened, along with her very freedom and her life, as family and friends reveal shattering secrets and the truth behind years of lies meant to keep her safe. Now with the dark truth revealed, Edel not only knows who she really is, but she also learns about a secret society of men and exactly what they do to broken dancers who can't repay their student loans through dancing anymore. Including her and her best friend...

For twelve years, Jayce has faithfully served his country overseas. But an explosion caused by friendly fire leads him to turn away from the soldier life. Now all he wants to do is return home and find some peace. But all hope for peace is wiped out in an instant when his father takes him to a special gathering by the local members of a nationwide secret society who use their political power for anything but good. 

Forced to choose between an easy life or going on the run and living a life in hiding, Jayce finds himself helping a girl he's rapidly falling in love with, and questioning everything he thought he knew...

Together, Jayce and Edel will have to choose between saving lives and love, risking their lives as well as others', and entering a world of political spies that they never imagined existed before. And what they start together will affect thousands of lives for decades to come...

New Book Releases: Crave Enhanced and Covet Enhanced

With Harlequin Teen's permission, the enhanced ebook versions of Crave and Covet are back and better than ever with new cover designs, tons of extras like never-before-published deleted scenes, author commentary, photos of the real life settings featured throughout the Clann Series books, music playlists, and so much more!

On Amazon
On Barnes & Noble
On Kobo

CRAVE Enhanced Author's Edition Extras...
In addition to the full length novel Crave, this enhanced version of Crave also features over 200 bonus content items, including exclusive never-before-published deleted scenes and tons of fun, conversational commentary from the author explaining her real life experiences that inspired certain scenes, her celebrity actor picks for each main character, as well as detailed background information, photos, maps and website links to give you an insider's view of the real life historical and infamous locations and organizations that much of this story was set within and based upon.

This special multimedia version of Crave has been designed so that it can still be read on any device that can read other ebooks, as well as to allow readers maximum uninterrupted enjoyment of the story with subtle links throughout that will take you to the bonus content only when you are ready to access it. Not interested in reading the bonus content? No problem! Simply ignore the small bonus content links buried within the main story's text! You can always go back later and read the bonus content when you're ready to. Also included are an author question and answer section and playlist, both of which are accessible directly from the interactive table of contents.

Get ready to immerse yourself in the world of The Clann Series like you've never seen it before with the Enhanced Author's Edition of CRAVE!


On Amazon
On Barnes & Noble
On Kobo

Covet Enhanced Author's Edition Extras...
In addition to the full length novel Covet, this enhanced version of Covet also features 168 bonus content items, including exclusive never-before-published deleted scenes and tons of fun, conversational commentary from the author explaining her real life experiences that inspired certain scenes, her celebrity actor picks for each main character, as well as detailed background information, photos, maps and website links to give you an insider's view of the real life historical and infamous locations and organizations that much of this story was set within and based upon.

This special multimedia version of Covet has been designed so that it can still be read on any device that can read other Kindle ebooks, as well as to allow readers maximum uninterrupted enjoyment of the story with subtle links throughout that will take you to the bonus content only when you are ready to access it. Not interested in reading the bonus content? No problem! Simply ignore the small bonus content links buried within the main story's text! You can always go back later and read the bonus content when you're ready to. Also included are an author question and answer section and playlist, both of which are accessible directly from the interactive table of contents.

Get ready to immerse yourself in the world of The Clann Series like you've never seen it before with the Enhanced Author's Edition of Covet!

New Covers Revealed for The Clann Series, Glass Ballet and Break Pointe

Several of my US version books got a facelift recently. Here are the new covers for The Glass Ballet, Crave Enhanced, Covet Enhanced, Capture, Dance with Darkness, and the official version of Break Pointe...







Thursday, May 22, 2014

Cover Reveal: Marked Ones Series #1: Break Pointe


The cover for the first book in my new Marked Ones Series, Break Pointe, is ready for its reveal! The cover is by the extremely fast, extremely patient, extremely awesome Ronnell D. Porter. This is my first time to pay for a cover design, and I honestly couldn't have asked for better with this. (You can see more of his amazing work at http://ronnelldporter.wix.com/design.)

The Marked Ones Series will be Mature YA/New Adult political fantasy romance, with the first book Break Pointe featuring an 18 year old dancer heroine and military war veteran hero. I wrote this story a month or two ago and was in the middle of revisions when several serious family crisis happened to delay its release (my mother in law passed away and then my father got sick and was hospitalized for a couple of days). But I'm finishing up the last of the revisions now, so fingers crossed that Break Pointe will be ready for release in both print and digital formats in a week or two. More updates later on its official release date when I know it!

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

New romance just finished!

Just finished another marathon writing session (started right after Tim went to work at 4 a.m. and finished at 6:40 p.m.) on my latest project code named M4D1 for now (official title to come along with the cover reveal).

The screenshot below shows the last chapter of it in Scrivener (the writing program I use and adore, with some of the manuscript and the synopsis notes blurred so I don't give away the story's ending), my originally intended total word count goal of 60,000, the final word count of over 112,000 words, and today's daily writing tally of 19,900 words. Not my best daily total ever (I think I set a personal record of 30K in one day on Glass Ballet, but I could be remembering wrong). But it got the job done. :)



So...does anyone know a really great New Adult romantic dystopian content editor who excels at helping the hopelessly wordy author trim the fat from their manuscripts at an affordable price? Because I really need one now!

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Book Ranking Updates & a Shout Out to Australia!

Okay, I'll confess it. I never check my books' category rankings. Not unless I'm updating my websites and have to update their distributors' book sales page links. I'm honestly just too busy writing or reading about writing or on very rare occasions trying to squeeze in a super fast read of someone else's novels (for instance, I JUST finished reading Divergent yesterday, and only because my 10K a day writing schedule for the past week caused my hands to cramp up and beg for a break!).

But my hubby checks my books' category rankings. Daily. And when one of my books hits in the top 100 of any of their categories, he makes a point of telling me about it (I think it's the cheerleading part of his master plan to motivate me to write more money so he can retire sooner someday, lol).

So thanks to him, I learned yesterday that two of my books ranked within the top 100 in their categories! If you're a reader, you probably won't care...feel free to ignore the rest of this post entirely, lol. If you're a fellow author, maybe you'll find it interesting and/or inspiring.

So without further ado...

My recently released paranormal dystopian teen romance, The Clann Series #4: Capture ranked #82 on Amazon Australia's Children's & Young Adult/Literature/Love & Romance category (screenshot below):


Also on Amazon Australia, The Glass Ballet (my latest contemporary teen romance novel) ranked #32 in Children's & Young Adult/Arts & Music/Performing Arts/Dance and #54 in Arts & Photography/Dance category (screenshot below):


And on Kobo, The Glass Ballet ranked #52 in their Nonfiction/Entertainment/Dance category (screenshot below):


Let me reiterate, Glass Ballet is a fictional novel, not nonfiction, though its highest rankings are in nonfiction dance categories. But hey, I'll take it anyway!

And a huge thank you to all my readers in Australia for putting both of these books in your top 100 of several categories!

And now I'll retreat back to my writing cave to finish my latest...a mature YA/New Adult political dystopian romance featuring (what else?) a whole lot of dance stuff, which I'm hoping to have ready for release in the next couple of weeks!

Thursday, February 27, 2014

More Blood Lust, More Magic, More Forbidden Love


Awesome news, Clann Fans! My Harlequin Teen editor greenlighted more stories in The Clann Series world! Coming soon are:
  • Conceal...a New Adult story featuring Savannah & Tristan
  • Cage...the Clann Series prequel on the original forbidden love story that started it all, Savannah's parents
  • Dance with Fire...a full length novel featuring a new forbidden love Clann Series Adult couple, Sophia and Aidan

If you'd like email updates when each of these new books is released, be sure to sign up for my new newsletter at www.MelissaDarnell.com!

Thursday, February 13, 2014

New YA Paranormal Romance Book in the Clann Series!

Pssst, Clann Series fans...we've got a new Clann Series YA paranormal romance book for you! (And here's an insider secret fact...the male model on the cover is none other than my eldest son, Hunter Darnell!)

The Clann Series #4: CAPTURE features two new characters, Tarah and Hayden, as they are caught up in the middle of chaos after the Clann is outed to the public. It's only $2.99 in digital formats (available at Amazon, B&N, Apple, and Kobo), or you can pick it up at the Amazon discounted price of $12.56 in trade size paperback format here.

Here's the full details!



Being different means a death sentence...
A series of deadly explosions in Washington D.C. creates a nightmare for the Clann...they've been outed to the world, and the world's reaction is nothing but fear. As the Clann's powerbase crumbles in the face of the public's widespread negative reaction, caught in the middle of the exposed web of lies and secrets are high school seniors Tarah and Hayden, former childhood friends fighting a rocky past and a dangerous new attraction that defies betrayal and the secrets they are keeping from their families and each other...
Secrets that could get them imprisoned or killed...or just might result in a love that could save the world.
 
Available now digital and print formats at:
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/NEVVQe
Apple iBooks: http://bit.ly/1cyspRz

Thursday, December 12, 2013

The Glass Ballet Now Available!



Finally getting a chance today to share the news about my latest YA romance novel The Glass Ballet. It's been out since November, but between Thanksgiving, Black Friday, a crazy scary trip north to buy an RV (a story which I am sure will manage to make its way into some future novel of mine!), and prepping for Christmas, this is the first chance I've gotten to talk about it. Which is awful because if ever there was a "book of my heart" as an author, The Glass Ballet is definitely it for me...for this young adult romance, I combined my all time fave love story Jane Eyre (but set it in today's world) plus my own experiences in dealing with health issues, clinically depressed family members, and dancing while a senior in high school.

The Glass Ballet is a longer novel (app. 134,000 words in length, recommended for older YA readers ages 14+) and is now available in multiple ebook formats at the following major ebook retailers' sites:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1clChy1

Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/18WCETP
Apple iBooks: http://bit.ly/1nnfua9

Kobo: http://bit.ly/LNp363


Here's the book's full description:

Mistakes from the past return to haunt them...
When an unexpected tragedy in her family sends her mother into a deep depression, 17 year old Jane Aaron is forced to run the family dance studio on her own while struggling to keep her family from falling to pieces...and keep their family’s shameful secrets hidden. The last thing she needs is a difficult new student with a grudge against the world to make her life even harder. Especially now that her health seems to be falling to pieces right along with her family.

Secrets with the power to shatter everyone they love...
Carter Fairchild thought he had it all planned out until a terrible accident leaves him handicapped and threatens his entire future. Jane is the only one who can help him recover in time. But when their feelings for each other turn into love at the worst possible moment for both of them, will they allow their past mistakes and the dangerous secrets each of them hold destroy their chance at a future together? Or will the ghosts from both their pasts have the power to shatter everything...and everyone...they care about the most?

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

New Side Effects of Writing

For me, writing has always come with lots of side effects, most of them good. These have included self entertainment (because I write the kind of novels I would like to personally read), a sense of fulfillment in sharing the truths I've discovered in life, a sense of personal success in turning some of the worst moments of my life into scenes that hopefully move and inspire readers, and of course that thrill that comes with writing a story and the achievement of finishing it.

But over the last two weeks while writing my latest YA romance, I've also discovered two new side effects from writing...intense feelings of gratitude. And utter yet blissful exhaustion.

First, an explanation about the exhaustion. My latest YA contemporary, code named GB, took only 2 weeks to write, yet clocked in at a final tally of 136,000 words. Not my longest rough draft ever (that would be The Clann Series #2: Covet at around 160,000 words for its rough draft). But considering I wrote that 136K words for GB in just 2 weeks, that's one heck of an output level, even by my personal standards! In fact, on the last day of writing GB, I beat my personal daily word count record (previously 13,000 words) in a 21 hour writing marathon that resulted in a crazy, eye crossing daily total word count of 32,000. That's in one day, not the entire length of the novel! (And by the way, I really wouldn't recommend that kind of daily output to my fellow authors out there, because afterwards it took me 3 full days to recover and I felt as exhausted as if recovering from the flu!)

And yet that exhaustion was pretty blissful because I'd finished a YA novel that I feel covers some pretty gritty, intense and important issues that too many teens face and yet aren't getting enough guidance or inspiration from the trenches on how to handle.

Which leads to the second new side effect I discovered while writing GB...intense feelings of gratitude, and not just for being a writer (because I always feel that while writing a rough draft, which for me is the reward of being a writer). Nor did that gratitude come from discovering that I could in fact write a non paranormal novel without much trouble, despite my worries to the contrary (it's the first non paranormal, non science fiction, straight contemporary story I've written in years).

No, the real reason I discovered this new side effect of gratitude from the writing process was from the issues GB focuses on, which were inspired by fairly severe real life challenges I faced during my own teen years.  

Let's face it, it's human nature to put the dark times behind us, to focus only on the present and immediate future, and to lose track of how far we've come. It's how we cope and survive. But in that moving on, we also risk forgetting to be grateful for what we have now and to appreciate the lessons learned from those challenges we've overcome.

One of the top things that make me love being a writer is the ability to take the crappy moments life has thrown my way and turn them into something that might become useful to others facing similar situations. So when I first came up with the initial premise for GB, I knew from day one exactly which issues I wanted to spotlight in this story...serious, currently incurable health problems I faced for years starting the summer before my senior year of high school, health problems that caused me to miss so many days of school that I nearly didn't get to graduate and that even changed my plans for college. But in choosing to write about those personal challenges, I also was choosing to mentally relive some of those terrifying experiences so I could try to capture them on paper. And that's when I realized just how far I have come health-wise since then, and all the reasons why I need to remember my past so I can be grateful for my present no matter what it's currently like.

...I used to never know whether I would be able to walk to the bathroom, or have to crawl.

...I used to never know when a minor ache in my hands or knees might turn into my being curled up into a semi paralyzed ball for hours or even days.

...I used to brush my hair and be terrified that my hair would come out in handfuls.

...I used to be sick every time I dared to drink a glass of orange juice, and I was forced to pop chewable antacids on a daily basis like they were candy.

...I used to be unable to trust my own short term memory...whether I could keep up with my keys or my shoes or even remember what I was doing from one minute to the next. And forget about trusting me to go into a craft store alone...I would get lost in there for four hours at a time and never even realize it.

...I used to have to sleep for twelve hours at a time just to feel even halfway rested.

...I used to go for hours and sometimes even days without being able to open even preopened jars. Or medicine bottles. Or type. Or hold a pen to write with.

...I used to have to take blood pressure meds just so I wouldn't have a stroke.

But for the last thirteen years, my life has been quite different from all of that. And I sincerely believe it's due to my awesome husband and kids (which is why you'll see them frequently mentioned in my novels' dedications). That's why I'm sure I couldn't have managed to finish writing GB at a more appropriate time, because it was around this time of the year fourteen years ago that I met my husband. And while I have had minor health challenges since that momentous day, they have been few and far in between. For instance, I've still had to take ibuprofen occassionally and am on prescription stomach meds for high acid levels, but I haven't had to take Celebrex or Prednisone in at least ten years, nor have I had to take blood pressure meds again so I wouldn't have a stroke. And while I do still have to be accompanied into Hobby Lobby so I don't lose half a day in there without realizing it, at least I can remember where my keys and shoes are!

Is all this health progress just a coincidence in timing? I don't think so.

Love is truly a powerful thing.

And so is gratitude...which is precisely what's going to help me move on to writing the next novel for my latest deadline now that I've had a few days to recover from that writing marathon for GB!

Saturday, August 10, 2013

Dance with Darkness Becomes Amazon Kindle Bestseller!

The Clann Series, Adult: Dance with Darkness just hit Amazon's Kindle Bestseller lists in two different categories...it made #5 in their Romance/Paranormal/Witches & Wizards category, and #20 in their Romance/Fantasy category! Screenshot below of its rankings as of this morning, which you can click on for a much larger and easier to read view. :D

Thank you so much to everyone who downloaded a copy of it so far and made this possible!

Friday, August 9, 2013

Freebie Ebook and Consume Blog Tour Day 4

 
The first adult Clann Series short romance, Dance with Darkness, is available for FREE from now till Monday Aug. 12th at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E8ZWB6O Don't miss picking up your digital copy while it's available for free, and please post a quick review if you enjoy reading it...reviews really make the difference in getting the word out there about books! Also please note: this story is only 15,500 words, so it's a quick and easy read!



Also, today is the 4th stop in the Consume release blog tour. Today I'm at Mundie Moms (http://mundiemoms.blogspot.com/), where you can find a letter from Savannah to her younger self. I'll confess I got a little teary eyed writing this one, lol.

And if you missed the previous stops in this first week of the tour...
DAY 1: On Monday I was at the Harlequin Paranormal Blog talking about my road to publication with Harlequin Teen (link is http://tinyurl.com/lvkwvq7).
DAY 2: Tuesday I was at A Bookish Escape (will post the link to the post when I find it).
DAY 3: And Wednesday I was at Fiktshun (http://tinyurl.com/mqj4al2) doing character interviews with Tristan and Savannah.

Be sure to check out the awesome prize package Harlequin Teen is giving away at these blog tour stops too!

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Consume Coming to the U.S. Aug. 27, 2013!


The release date for the U.S. version of Consume, the third book in the Clann Series and the final installment in Tristan and Savannah's love story, has been officially set by its publisher, Harlequin Teen, for August 27th, 2013.

To celebrate, I will be doing a week long blog tour starting August 5th. Look for more details with blog tour links and news about how to get one of my new YA novels for free...coming soon!

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Feeling the Power of Music

Between the Grammys and Les Miserables and adding new songs to my playlists to help me through Consume's revisions, I've got music on my mind big time this week. And speaking of...if you'd like a sneak peek at Consume's playlist, I'm a guest post at the Teen Librarian's Toolbox blog today with a post on the Power of Music, how it plays into writing (at least for this author!), and how it's definitely driving the Clann Series (including that sneak peek at Consume's playlist that I mentioned).
 
Here's the link if you'd like to check it out!

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Consume Cover Reveal!

The cover for Consume, the third book in the Clann Series and the conclusion to Tristan and Savannah's love story, is now officially up!
To see a larger version, you can check out Harlequin Teen's Cover Thursday post at Facebook at http://on.fb.me/11b5gV0
Look for Consume to be released in the US this coming September!

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Playing Russian Roulette...with Our Food?


One of the major conspiracies woven throughout my new YA thriller is GMOs, or genetically modified organisms.

Think this is a non-issue? Think again! Check out this excellent video below for the real story on GMOs and how America is being made sicker by the year because of them:



Friday, October 19, 2012

Covet Blog Tour: Last Day, at A Soul Unsung!

 
Today is the last stop of the Covet Blog Tour and your last chance to enter the Covet and Harlequin Grand Prize giveaways! Included in this blog stop at A Soul Unsung is an interview I did with Suz about writing tips and getting published, as well as questions about the Clann Series. Suz also included a rather embarassingly glowing review of the series and Covet that still has me blushing!

Check it all out and enter the giveaway here!
http://soulunsung.blogspot.de/2012/10/covet-blog-tour-featuring-author.html
 
Harlequin Grand Prize Giveaway Package includes:
- 2 copies of Covet
- 1 copy of Speechless
- 1 copy of Alice in Zombieland
- 1 copy of Dark Kiss
- 1 copy of Beyond the Grave
- 1 large Harlequin notebook
- 1 small Harlequin notebook
- and 3 bookmarks

Thank you Suz for having me at A Soul Unsung today!

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Covet Blog Tour: Second to Last Stop!


Today is the second to last stop in the Covet Blog Tour, and your second to last chance to sign up for Harlequin Teen's Covet giveaway and grand prize giveaway!

Today's blog stop is at Reader Girls Blog, where the Reader Girls Meghan, Caitlin, and Laurie were super sweet and allowed me to do a guest post in answer to their question "What is the allure of writing about forbidden love, especially for the YA market?"

Here's the link: http://www.readergirlsblog.com/2012/10/covet-blog-tour-guest-post-review.html

Also while you're there, be sure to sign up for both the Covet giveaway and the Harlequin Grand Prize giveaway, which includes the following:
- 2 copies of Covet
- 1 copy of Speechless
- 1 copy of Alice in Zombieland
- 1 copy of Dark Kiss
- 1 copy of Beyond the Grave
- 1 large Harlequin notebook
- 1 small Harlequin notebook
- and 3 bookmarks

Thanks Reader Girls for having me on your blog and for the awesome review of Covet!

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Covet Blog Tour: Day Three


For day three of the Covet Blog Tour, I'm guest posting at the Two Chicks On Books blog.  Today's post is on the playlists for Tristan and Savannah.  The ladies at Two Chicks On Books also added a few music videos for some of the songs featured on the playlists.  You'll also find info on how to sign up for the day's giveaway!

Check it out here at: http://www.twochicksonbooks.com/2012/10/covet-blog-tour-and-giveaway.html

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Covet Blog Tour: Day Two


For day two of the Covet Blog Tour, I'm making a stop at the Mundie Moms blog here:
http://mundiemoms.blogspot.com/2012/10/covet-blog-tour-guest-post-elements-of.html

I'll be answering the question "What are important elements of a sequel, and how did you incorporate those into Covet?"

Check out my answer by clicking here, and be sure to enter for your chance to win a free copy of Covet while you're there!

Monday, October 8, 2012

Covet Blog Tour Begins! Day 1

 
The Covet Blog Tour begins today at the Harlequin Paranormal Blog with chances to win great giveaways! Here's the link to learn more: Harlequin Paranormal Blog

Hope to see you there!

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

The Source is Now Available

9/11's lasting debate of security vs. freedom is at the center of The Source. Set in the United States in the year 2015, a rise in strange and terrifying new human abilities pushes the U.S. towards a second Civil War, where “normal” humans are taught to fear their friends, neighbors, co-workers and fellow students who might secretly be Sorcerers, an underground terroristic organization the government claims is behind a wave of attacks on Washington, D.C. However, the situation quickly turns from black and white to a very muddy gray when certain Sorcerers step forward to explain the real source of their abilities and the long running conspiracy to stop their development. As the confusion grows and the government's struggles to regain control over its citizens spreads, will the world learn to embrace the wondrous possibilities of human evolution or fight to eradicate all that is unknown and potentially threatening to us?

Caught in the middle of this war on “different” are senior high school students Hayden Shepherd, son of an ultra conservative Texas senator bent on wiping out all Sorcerer abilities, and his former childhood friend Tarah Williams, daughter of a genetics scientist. Both Hayden and Tarah hide dangerous secrets from each other and everyone else, secrets made still more explosive as the world around them divides and anyone could be a spy. When one's freedom is based on whether you are pro or anti-Sorcerer, can Hayden and Tarah's actions make a difference to help others also caught within the vortex of chaos and fear? Or will they become the latest victims of the widespread terror?

Click here to read an exerpt!

The Clann Series #2: COVET is Now Available in the U.S.

Dangerous to be together. Painful to be apart.

Savannah Colbert knows she broke up with Tristan Coleman for the right reasons. Most of all, to keep from killing him with her new vampire abilities. But try telling her heart. Now, lost in a sea of hostile Clann faces, Sav tries to come to terms with what she's becoming and what that means for her future. And that someone is doing their best to bully her into making a terrible mistake.

Tristan can't believe Sav won't even talk to him. If being apart is her decision, fine. Just don't expect him to honor it. But even as he prepares to fight for the girl he loves, forces beyond their control take them both in directions neither could have foreseen or prepared for. A reckoning is coming…and not everyone will survive.

Click here to read an exerpt!

The Source: FAQs & Research References

Frequently Asked Questions from Readers of The Source by Melissa Darnell...

Question: Where did you get the idea for The Source?
Answer: When I first began to write The Source in the spring of 2009, it originally began as a YA fantasy similar to the Clann Series, where some of the characters were gifted with the ability to do magic, and others could not. This difference became the reason for a second American civil war that breaks out in the year 2015.

But then an interesting series of events occured in my personal life that ended up taking The Source in completely unexpected directions. It began when my husband learned about a book called Ask and It is Given by Jerry and Esther Hicks, which taught that your mindset and emotions have the power to attract people, things and events into your life. Kind of crazy sounding, right?

Then my husband picked up the book The Science Behind the Secret by Travis S. Taylor, PhD. We read it and were blown away by the scientific theories that supported this belief in the ability to draw into your life what you think about based on your emotions.

At first, I really struggled with this idea, even with the scientific basis to it. As a southern girl, I had been raised to believe that if tragedy hasn't happened today, just give fate a few minutes to throw something at you (and my crappy childhood certainly seemed to support this view as well). However, I also knew that, having been diagnosed with lupus since my senior year in high school, I certainly felt better and had far fewer lupus symptoms when I thought in positive ways and tried not to stress out about things. And while I couldn't see how just hoping for good things would bring them to you without some hard work of your own (i.e. God helps those who try their darnedest to help themselves), it was easy to see how having a positive outlook can affect your decision making, confidence and motivation to work towards higher goals. So I agreed to give the power of positive intention a shot and try it out.

Right after my husband and I both started to think positively, my husband lost his job. This seemed like the opposite of attracting good things into our life!

But we vowed to keep trying to think positively. And a few weeks later, I received an email from the editor of Harlequin Teen asking if The Clann Series #1: Crave was still available. I had been in the process of getting ready to self publish it after not hearing anything from them for 6 months. But I was all too happy to tell her that it had not yet been self published and was still available. She said Harlequin Teen was interested in buying it, but it would be several weeks before their meeting to make a decision on it.

And so the long wait began. During that wait, I tried very hard to stay positive and focus on what I wanted to happen with this book. And I didn't just want to find a home for it. I really wanted to get a 3 book deal for it and two sequels in the Clann Series! This seemed a pretty far fetched dream considering I had yet to be published by any New York publishers. But I held onto the dream and even took a risk and sent the editor a short summary for the possible two sequels.

The end result? Harlequin Teen offered me a 3 book deal for Crave and two sequels, which eventually became Covet and Consume! This, along with building an ebook and book formatting freelance business, supported my family financially and allowed my husband to stay at home for two wonderful years, during which he got to enjoy being a closer part of his youngest children's lives and watching them grow up. Essentially, what seemed a scary event (losing his job) became a true blessing for our family.

And then something else happened...while writing a particular scene in The Source (spoiler alert: the bus scene where a little girl has a seizure), my own youngest son Alex had his first grand mal epileptic seizure. Let me be very clear here...I wrote the scene in The Source FIRST. And then a few days later, my own child had his first seizure. Furthermore, not a single person in my or my husband's family has ever had a history of epilepsy that we know of, and Alex had never shown any signs of having this condition either.

Needless to say, I was more than a little freaked out. It was a coincidence, but boy, what a coincidence!

Do I believe my writing somehow caused my child to develop epilepsy? I sure hope not! And on the surface, the very idea seems a tad bit nutty (not to mention more than a little egomaniacal!). But it did spur me on to consider taking The Source in a different direction where, instead of magic, the human species as a whole begins to evolve and develop the ability to not only use the power of thought to attract things into their lives, but even develop what could be considered superhuman abilities. While these superhuman abilities are completely fictional for story purposes in The Source (no, no one in my family can throw fireballs or direct the wind with our thoughts), the lesser abilities in The Source do have quite a lot of scientific basis, which was carefully researched and painstakingly explained as well as a nonscientifically trained person like myself could manage when aimed at the average reader.

Question: Do you really believe the government is conspiring to use genetically modified foods and pollution of America's water supply through hydraulic fracturing (fracking)?
Answer: LOL No, not really. I am emphatically against fracking, and I do believe anything containing genetically modified organisms should be labeled so consumers can make up their own minds about what they want to purchase and consume, as well as give their families to eat. But I actually believe any mistakes our government makes is probably due more to a lack of education among the politicians, bipartisan animosity, their belief that the average citizen can't handle the truth, and good old fashioned greed from their receiving kickbacks from companies who stand to profit from otherwise harmful legislation that gets passed by corrupted politicians.

However, I do get a delicious thrill when I think about some conspiracy theories, so in The Source I wanted to play with the possibility of a huge series of government conspiracies that could be hiding the human evolution that is the premise of The Source. When I started looking up historical events that could possibly be used to support this fictional premise, my only problem became choosing which ones to use because there are so many! I had a lot of fun finding ways to fictionally tie in as many conspiracies as I could into The Source, including one alluded to on the cover but not discussed within the story itself!

Question: And that "hidden" conspiracy reference would be?
Answer: If you look closely at the center of The Source, you might recognize the carved stone as the Mayan Calendar. However, unlike many doomsdayers out there who believe this calendar points to the end of our world, I prefer to side with the more positive view that instead the calendar is indicating an age of enlightenment all over the world. And I really think we're in it! Take a look at how the belief in the power of intention and positive thinking has reached every area of the world in all walks of life, from scientists to religious leaders, professional poker players, lottery winners, sports athletes, celebrities like Oprah, Will Smith and Jim Carrey, and so many more! Now more than ever, people are waking up to the fact that how we think and feel really does affect every area of our daily lives. If that's not an age of enlightenment, I don't know what is!

Question: In The Source, you begin with a Fact page that states several facts used throughout this novel. You also include a References section at the end, which is unusual for a fictional story. Why did you decide to include these nonfiction elements in an otherwise fictional story?
Answer: My two all-time favorite authors are Dan Brown and Michael Crichton. Both excelled at taking real facts and building fictional stories around them in such a way that as a reader I was completely sucked in. Nothing helps suspend belief like threading in true nonfiction elements into a fictional story. But a lot of that suspension of belief can be lost if as a reader you start to wonder which parts of the story are true or not. The Source is such a fantastical story that I didn't want readers to ever stop and wonder this same question. So I decided to include the Fact and References sections so readers know right off the bat what is true, what has been made up, and where they can learn more about the real world research that forms the basis of The Source.

To that end, below are several references to hopefully spur on your own journey in exploring more about the human mind and the power of thought and emotions!

(Please note that I am not affiliated with or friends with any of the following authors and experts listed. I do not know these people personally, nor will I make any money whatsoever if you click on any of these links or check out any of these sources! They are provided for your education only.)

The Science Behind the Secret by Travis S. Taylor, PhD
At Amazon
Author's website

How a U.S. District Court Revealed the Unsoundness of the FDA's Policy on Genetically Engineered Foods

Baseball Magic

Double-blind Test of the Effects of Distant Intention on Water Crystal Formation

Friday, September 14, 2012

Covet Blog Tour Scheduled!

To celebrate Covet's U.S. release on Sept. 25th, I'll be doing a two week, 7 stop blog tour soon that will include book giveaways and an awesome Grand Prize Giveaway from Harlequin Teen!  Look for daily reminders with links to each blog stop during the tour, which will be from Oct. 8th through the 19th.  For now, here's a list of the stops scheduled!

Monday, October 8th - Harlequin Paranormal Blog
Tuesday October 9th - Mundie Mom's
Wednesday, October 10th - Two Chicks on Books
Friday, October 12th - Fiktshun
Monday, October 15th - Better Read Than Dead
Wednesday, October 17th - Reader Girls
Friday, October 19th - I Just Wanna Sit Here and Read
Giveaways: each blog will be giving away a copy of COVET
Grand prize: Harlequin TEEN prize pack (photo and outline of prizes to come)

Monday, July 23, 2012

Reviewer Copies for Covet Now Available



Digital advance reviewer copies of The Clann Series #2: Covet are now available to reviewers signed up at NetGalley.com. If you are a reviewer and would like to review Covet, check out their website for details on how to sign up for free and get a free digital copy of Covet!

Thursday, April 19, 2012

BookRockGoddess' YouTube video review of The Clann Series #1: Crave

YouTube video review of The Clann Series #1: Crave by BookRockGoddess!



Thanks for the awesome review!

Wrathsqueen's Books YouTube video review of The Clann Series #1: Crave!

YouTube video review of Crave by Wrathsqueen's Books!



Thank you so much for the review!

Monday, April 9, 2012

Covet Cover Officially Announced!


The official cover for The Clann Series #2: Covet has been announced! Still no release date on it yet (it's still in the editing phase, so the date probably won't be set till we get the final edits done). But I'll be sure to post the official release date as soon as I hear it.
Also, the UK version of The Clann Series #1: Crave is now available here:
And to celebrate Crave's UK release, I'm doing a blog tour! Here's the dates and blogs below (click on the image for a larger version):

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Clann Series Updates!

Lots of Clann Series news!

For everyone waiting for Crave's sequel Covet... Covet's official cover will be announced tomorrow!

Also, if you or anyone you know is waiting for the UK version of Crave, please spread the word that it's coming out April 6th (more details and links soon!). There will also be a blog tour with lots of questions answered, a character interview, and more!

The German version of Crave is also being translated now, with official pub dates to be announced when we know them.

More news soon!

Monday, October 10, 2011

TheClannSeries.com Website Now Up!

The official website for the Clann Series is up! TheClannSeries.com features...


  • preorder links to Amazon and Barnes & Noble

  • interactive online music playlist so you can listen to the "soundtrack" for Crave

  • review quotes

  • the book trailer video

  • links to the official Clann Series Facebook and Twitter pages

  • map of the Jacksonville High School

  • printable Crave bookmarks in 5 styles (that can also be worn as fun bracelets!)

  • links to the actual Jacksonville and surrounding area websites

  • info about the Clann and the hybrid vampires featured within the Clann Series

  • with character bios and headshots coming soon!

Please let me know if you'd like to see something else added to the site, and be sure to check the site for updates as character bios and more fun things are added over the next two weeks leading up to Crave's release on Tuesday, Oct. 25th!

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Clann Series Book #2: Covet is DONE!

I finally finished writing the rough draft for Covet, book #2 in the Clann Series, last night! It was weird...I finished writing the final words, looked at my watch and it was exactly midnight, then I realized the song playing on my iPod was perfect for the last scene (Coldplay's Til Kingdom Come)!

Now to type it all up! lol

Monday, June 6, 2011

Crave Featured at BEA!



Crave, the first book in what has been renamed the Clann Series, was recently featured at the Harlequin booth at the Book Expo of America! The working cover was set up as a framed, backlit poster. And I have got to say the cover design team at Harlequin are AWESOME! This is just the working version, too...I can't wait to see how the final version turns out!

Thursday, December 23, 2010

The Crave Series to be Published!

It's official and okay to announce now...the Crave Series (soon to have a new series name) has a home. Harlequin Teen offered a 3 book deal for this series, with the first book to be released in November 2011, and books #2 and #3 to follow on its heels, each 9 months apart (which seems appropriate considering writing them feels like giving birth! lol). Editing has already begun on the first book in the series. I'll post the cover and more details when I have them to share!