Gerilyn Marin

Yeah, so . . . I'm back, again. Still not exactly sure what I'm doing. Revamped the look of the blog, and have a few things in the works, so will likely be posting again, shortly, as well as adding a Coming Soon page with sneak peeks at upcoming novels ^_^ I will also be attempting to put in more-regular posts, rather than just popping by when I need to vent something no one really wants to hear about, anyway.

(Okay, this is the first poem I've written in nearly two decades, so please be kind ^_^. I didn't even mean to get back into poetry, this just popped into my head and I knew I had to write it, and hoped it was worth sharing) BEAUTY IS NOT By Gerilyn Marin I submit to you that beauty is not a color. It is not a shape. It is not a weight. It is not a length of hair, nor a shade of locks. Beauty is within. It is a feeling. It is an essence. It is an air, A grace, A state of mind. If a person seems to possess none, Then I submit to you that you do not truly know them. You know not the battles they've fought. You know not the scars their hearts bear. You know not the burdens they carry with a smile. You know not the harsh realities Which have carved the hard edges you call Ugly. I submit to you that if you cannot find beauty in another, Then perhaps the fault lies in you.

Every now and again in life, we come to what seems a difficult decision, but once we've made that decision, we realize it wasn't hard at all, and we're perfectly at peace with the new path we've just created for ourselves. I've just reached one such juncture. As I watch author friends gush over this award and that list placement, I'm excited for them, but at the same time I realize that I don't mind not being there, ya know? I always knew I was going to have a tough go of it due to the limitations I place on myself because my suffocating social anxiety. Yes, I just admitted I place them on myself. No, that doesn't make them easier to overcome. I always worried I was going to miss out on something because I couldn't force myself to speak up, or reach out to this person, or that entity, or because self-promotion after a while makes me feel like I'm just slapping people in the face with my book. Those feelings were a heavy burden. Until I realiz...

*links to articles follow post Yes, for those keeping up with the news, this is in response to the threats against Emma Watson following her eloquent, beautiful, thought-provoking speech on Gender Equality. She stated the truth-she said things that needed to be said for a LONG time. And yet . . . people have come out and threatened her for it. More mind-boggling, still, others are congratulating and back-patting those who made the threats. I'm not going to state anything as beautifully, or eloquently as Ms. Watson did, because I'm too angry. And my anger is justified. But I will use the words necessary to explain, not threats, nor belittlement, to express this feeling. Let's make one thing clear: Feminism is not man-hating. Feminism is not wanting to be better, or superior, or "more than" a man. Feminism is wanting to be EQUAL. The term was vilified at some point, and has received a negative stigma ever since, and its time we stop that. Its the idea that fem...

I know, it's been a while since I've posted. I can't even try to make an excuse, often enough, it's simply that I forget in the grind between being mom & getting some writing done. But today, I was scrolling through my Facebook news feed and tripped over something that couldn't be ignored (from a writer's standpoint, I mean . . . on any given day someone shares some inflammatory thing that 'can't be ignored'). She'd shared her latest blog post, entitled: I was fired over erotic romance. Yup. So that you all understand exactly what the problem here is, I'll give you the rundown, but I've also gotten permission from my friend (fellow Curiosity Quills author, Ayden K. Morgen) to post the link to her post on the matter. Ayden was a stellar employee, never a write up, never a complaint, had a larger workload than her coworkers, but handled it without assistance, and during myriad personal issues. Yet, she was fired because . . . wait f...

*NOTE: The following links are from Springhole.net, I am in no way affiliated with that site, or anyone connected with its creation, or maintenance . Okay, so a lot of folks out there already understand what the term "Mary Sue" (or, in the case of male characters, Gary Stu--yes, this is a thing), means. For those who don't and are curious, but don't want to ask for fear of feeling silly here's a helpful page to give you the rundown on this. What is a Mary Sue? Now, for the record, before anyone does any clicking, be aware that Mary Sues don't just appear in poorly written fanfiction (and, also for the record, the term 'poorly written' does not apply to all fanfiction--yes, I'm looking at you, people who have never even glanced at a fanfiction story [or read, literally, half of the first chapter of one fanfiction] but decided they must all be terribly written, Sue-infested rubbish). They also pop up in role playing games, and original ficti...

Recently, I thought I'd been making strides, but then something happened that made me realize I hadn't come nearly as far as I'd believed. I received a very nice message from a book group, asking me if I'd like to add my book to their list, which was fine, but then the woman went on to talk about a possible opportunity to organize and lead book discussions. And I froze . That was it, that was all that happened. I thought about talking to a group of people and my heart was in my throat, my stomach twisted up in the most gods awful knot, and I had to remind myself to breathe. Social anxiety is not just shyness, it's not "oh, you're just introverted, lots of people are." I've spent my life with people telling me to get over it, or that it's in my head, it's not a real thing . In fact, when I didn't know what it was called, I used to try to explain it away as shyness, myself, but my friends (the people who really knew me) didn't ...

In a town called Nowhere, angels and demons battle for salvation—who will win—and what will be the cost?   K illing isn’t exactly on Rosalie Lockwood’s list of things to do when she runs away from home. But despite her search for peace; guns and motorcycles become her latest fashion accessories as Divine interference leads her to Steele, co-leader of the Fallen Paladins motorcycle club. L eathered and tattooed, Steele’s presence scares off most people he comes in contact with — but not Rosalie. She’s immediately drawn into the dangers of his biker world—and into his heart. B ut Steele guards a secret that if Rosalie knew, could shatter their new love — along with destroy the human race. And the truth comes at a price. W ill Rosalie risks her soul to prove her loyalty to Steele? T he Dark and Light Realms collide as Rosalie chooses between life, death, and the ever-after to become that which she is fated to destroy. Teaser -  Chapter One - Divine Union: D arkne...

Today, as I was walking through the grocery store, I ran into the mother of a childhood friend. I hadn't seen her in a few years, and she was polite, but she was rushing, and I felt like she couldn't get away from me fast enough. Even though I knew why that should be, it didn't really hit me 'til a few moments later. The last time I'd seen her was at her younger daughter's funeral (the little sister of my childhood friend). The girl was only 18. She was an amazing student, a great friend, and loved so much by everyone who knew her. I remembered seeing her as a toddler in her stroller. She had the biggest blue eyes you could ever imagine. It jarred me to think that seeing me was probably a reminder to her mother of the child she'd lost, and she probably has enough of those every day, even now, years later. There as not a single dry eye in the church- even the priest who presided over the service, who didn't know her at all had to stop several times, bec...

Now, it's not that I don't like the idea of NaNo, I think it's a fantastic thing, in fact. I've considered participating in it myself a few times. But then I realize . . . I'm no good with this sort of shit. Now, I know some people would say "Maybe the gear shift is what you need," because let's face it, not many folks roll up their sleeves and go "Write an entire novel in 30 days? I got this!" most understand that committing to this isn't always a plausible decision, even if only because we sometimes have other things that demand our attention when we'd really rather be writing. . . . For some of us, this is literal, as in tiny humans we've brought into the world who stomp around the house yelling "Mom!" (for others it's literal in the sense of employers, customers or clients who stomp around, demanding and acting like children). I never commit to NaNo because I doubt that I'll be able to come through. However...

Today is the day that the second book in the Kiya Trilogy releases; Kiya: Mother of a King.  You can find book one, Kiya: Hope of a Pharaoh HERE To celebrate, Katie has opened up the comments on her blog for you to ask what you want to know about the series. And yes, book 3 is written and contracted so you will be seeing the final installment before you know it. So, here is the details for Kiya book 2: Amazon , Kobo ,  B&N , Goodreads Nefertiti has forced Naomi to flee Amarna with Malachi and the three children. But even under the protection of Naomi’s family in Thebes, Nefertiti still hunts her and Tut. Nefertiti sends assassins to kill them, and while Naomi fights to protect the children, Malachi fights to keep her safe. With three children in tow, one of which isn’t her own, she is labeled the harlot outcast wife of the pharaoh and is shunned. She isn’t safe among her own people, and flees from being stoned to death. Although her family protects her, ...

On November 11th, step into the world of Angel's Edge About Gifts of the Blood ( Angel's Edge #1) A dying brother. A young man with soaring planes of light on his back. A blind chess wizard.  An insane, once-angelic kidnapper in flamboyant red leather. A town with more secrets than stoplights. Waking up with eyes the color of moonlight. Before her world tilts towards impossible, Caspia Chastain thinks the only strange thing about her is that she sometimes draws the future. Only her brother Logan, fighting his cancer diagnosis, knows what she can do. When she draws a man surrounded by brilliant light, dark wings, and frightening symbols, she can only hope the vision won’t come true. As a stranger named Ethan appears, determined to protect Caspia and her brother from dangers he won’t explain, she’s not sure what to think. Strangers almost never come to Whitfield. They certainly don’t follow her around, frightening her one moment and treating her like gla...

*sigh* And so another Monday is half-over & I have done nothing, writing-wise. Now, don't get me wrong, I've done a little hobby writing throughout the summer & during September, poked around a few of my Works-in-Edits, and jotted down little ideas & story notes, but I've gotten nothing that I actually need to work on written. Nada, zip, zilch. It's not always my fault (I swear, my baby daughter is psychic- every time I sit down to write anything new, she must sense it, because she chooses that moment to climb up into my lap & because she has the habit of trying to type at the keyboard, I can't continue), family obligations & children's schools being what they are, but I'd be lying if I didn't take some of the responsibility, myself. I just lack the drive to write some days. It sucks. I know I should have the sense of commitment to sit my but in this seat and write-write anything, JUST WRITE- but I sit down, open the file folder and...

Now, I understand wholeheartedly that when a deliberate misunderstanding, misinterpretation or misrepresentation of mythos serves purpose in the creation of a story, or a universe of stories, you kind of turn a blind eye to the basis for your creations and let your pen or keyboard go about its merry way. Its very easy to say "the reason for the way this creature has been portrayed is because of 'this'," but I think that when an author is remiss in at least referencing those myths, when they don't share with the readers how the 'misinterpretation' came about (assuming that their creatures are the 'real deal' and thus the myths are fabrications based off human thinking as to why the creatures behaved in certain fashions,or say deliberate misinformation placed by the creatures, themselves). Everyone knows I'm not a fan of Twilight, but at the very least, I felt Meyer established the basis of the 'burning in the sun myth' was that her vampi...

My very first short stories will be published in my publisher's (Curiosity Quills Press) very first anthologies! Ephemera appears in Primetime , and Precious Blood will call After Dark home. Blurbs:   For Ephemera :  "While touring a house for signs of a paranormal activity, amateur psychic consultant Giselle Boudreaux has a frightening encounter unlike anything she's experienced before." For Precious Blood :  "Weary of her existence as a vampire, Annalese seeks the truth to a legend which says she may live again if she consumes the blood of a fallen angel. Misunderstandings, and a not necessarily willing Fallen One, bring about an unforeseen turn of events." *Note: As it sounds (and looks from the cover ;) ) After Dark is not for the kiddies, or those quick to blush, but Primetime is aimed at General & YA readership. Full wraps of the paperback versions. Aren't they gorgeous?

As anyone who pay attention to my blog at all knows, I don't update very often. I try, but whether it's my forgetfulness, my natural inclination to procrastinating, simply the general feeling of 'no one is reading my nonsense, anyway', or a combination of the 3, I don't know. Anyway, as stated in the heading, I'm going on a blog tour to promote Buried . This is courtesy of a benefactor, who is in fact a very dear person to me, but asked to remain nameless. This person has a great deal of faith in my work, and felt that all my book needs is more exposure, which I'm not likely to seek on my own, as I'm a painfully shy & socially anxious person when dealing with people or situations where I feel put on the spot, in any measure. The tour is for two weeks, with the weekend in between closed. July 15th to the 19th, and July 22nd to the 26th. By an amazing coincidence, my publisher is having a July sale (each respective category gets its own week) and t...

Twitter is a strange thing. You can go to a complete stranger's history and scroll through things they've said. After reading something about actor Ian Bohen on . . . oh, I forget where, I became curious and went through his twitter feed to find a remark that some considered controversial. I won't go into what the statement was, but in general, it wasn't SO terrible,yet I can understand why people were upset. Here's my problem. When you dig further, you come to his explanation and breakdown of the intent behind his words. He made a great deal of sense, and it became clear that he truly hadn't meant the tweet the way it was perceived. Yet, for some, this was not enough for some people. As though they wanted to be angry, they picked apart his explanation, and pinged on particular words and sentences, insisting that they were still insulted because of what THEY hear when such words are spoken. We'll ignore the fact that he kind of said exactly that in his bre...