Monday, February 16, 2009

An Introduction


Hello, everyone, my name is Margay Leah Justice and I am the author of Nora's Soul. As dedicated readers of The Deadly Vixens blog, some of you might already be familiar with me as I am a frequent commenter here and had the honor of having my book reviewed by the Vixens. So when the opportunity presented itself to become a Vixen myself, of course I jumped at it! For those of you who don't know me, here's a little background.

I won't bore you with the details about how I came to be a writer but I will tell you that I took a somewhat unconventional route to get published. After a few half-hearted attempts at getting published when my daughters were younger, I finally decided about five years ago to really invest the time and the effort to seek publication. Still, I wondered if my writing was good enough, so I decided to submit it to some contests first, to test the waters. Well, the waters were welcoming and I met several kindred souls who shared the same goals and ambitions and we created a critique group in an effort to help each other achieve our dreams. Somewhere along the way, someone suggested that we start our own publishing company so we could see our books in print and, well, one of us took that idea and ran with it. Thus, Second Wind Publishing, LLC was created by Mike Simpson who single-handedly granted the dreams of every author in that group and thensome. Second Wind has grown by leaps and bounds in the past several months and new authors are joining up every month.

So that is my professional story, for the moment. I am still writing the next novel and planning several others, all while promoting myself online and taking care of my daughters at home. Although balancing homelife with the business of writing and getting published can sometimes be challenging and in conflict with one another, both are very rewarding endeavors. My philosophy is, if you really want something you will find a way to achieve it.

I welcome any comments or questions, so if there's anything you want to know, please feel free to ask. I will answer everything to the best of my abilities. I can't wait to get to know you all!

Margay

11 deadly screams:

Molly Daniels said...

So...are your books available in both print and electronic? Are the print ones POD?

I agree with you. Anything can be accomplished if you put your mind to it:)

Margay Leah Justice said...

Molly, thanks for stopping by! My book is available in print now on Amazon.com and I believe will be available on the Kindle soon. It was published by Second Wind Publishing, which is a small press. Hope that answers your question!
Margay

Anonymous said...

Hi Margay,

I just read the first couple paragraphs from the excerpt of your book on Amazon and I must say I am intrigued.

Is your book available in audiobook format yet?

Carrie

Sarah Mäkelä said...

Welcome to The Deadly Vixens, Margay! =) What's your favorite paranormal being or subject?

Margay Leah Justice said...

Carrie, thanks for reading the excerpts! I don't think it is, but i will have to put that idea on my publisher's desk. Thanks for the suggestion.
Margay

Margay Leah Justice said...

Thank you, Sarah! Well, I kind of have an affinity for angels (I would have to, considering how much I'm going to be writing about them), but I also like vamps and shape shifting wolves.
Margay

Gracen Miller said...

Welcome, Margay! I'm glad to have you with us.

I have a love-affair with vampires myself, but I'm trying to venture beyond them into other paranormal creatures. *sigh* Especially since I'm hearing that readers are getting tired of the vampire novel. :-/

Margay Leah Justice said...

Thank you, Gracen! Hm, that's the first I've heard of them getting tired of the vamps, but variety is good in any case. A book I would recommend with a different type of paranormal hero is The Magic Knot by Helen Scott Taylor. It has a variety of interesting characters, but the hero is a motorcycle riding, dark and mysterious - well, I wouldn't exactly call him a fairy. She calls him one of the Good People.
Margay

Anonymous said...

Hi Margay,
When I heard on Sunday that you were going to be here, I wanted to be sure to stop by and say hello to you. Sorry I'm a day late. I ended up getting really busy, then bringing work home which I sat up with until 3 this morning. I was back for 9 to turn it in and now have another load of paperwork which will keep me busy till the wee hours and take away my time from writing!!

I liked what you said about finally deciding to become serious---which would make a good presentation. It's motivating for me to hear you say that because like you, I've just played around with it, but with no real intent. Now that my only child is graduating this year from h.s., I need to switch my focus. From the sounds of it, I'm guessing something similar happened to you, since you said something about "when your daughters were younger.'

I also admire the fact that you went out yourself and started your own publishing company. That's gutsy!! I shall have to check it out, both as a reader and a writer.

Thanks Deadly Vixens, for having Margay.

Julie

Anonymous said...

Hi Gracen and Sarah,

Thank you for making me a winner of the Valentine's Day contest on your site. I look forward to receiving my copy of Painted Soul!

Also thank you for having Keta on Tuesday. I'm in awe that I was given an ecopy of Deadly Deceptions just for blogging. I'm in awe that I got these stories, in addition to 'listening to' the great guests you had (and have) on your site ---and just reading some of the other great posts you've had in the past.

Thanks for starting the week off right for me :-)

Julie

Margay Leah Justice said...

Hi, Julie, thanks for the input! Yes, I did kind of flirt with the idea of publishing when my children were younger, but I didn't have the time to pursue it that I do now that they are older. I have more time to dedicate to that actual pursuit of it now. And I just want to clear up that it was an idea kicked around by the group as a whole, but one member actually did all the work, so it is his company. I am just happy to be a part of it!
Margay