Knar has been studying the physiology of humans for years in preparation to introduce Earth to the rest of the galaxy and present them as a species that can adapt to change well.
Welcome to one of the December 1st stops on the blog tour for Meteors and Menorahs by Nessa Claugh with Goddess Fish Promotions. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for spotlights, reviews, author guest posts, and a giveaway! More on that at the end of this post.
Please note that this post contains affiliate links, which means there is no additional cost to you if you shop using my links, but I will earn a small percentage in commission. A program-specific disclaimer is at the bottom of this post.
Author Guest Post
What are some important habits that writers need to cultivate in themselves in order to succeed?
I’d say imagination is the first one. You have to be able to come up with stories in the first place. Watching movies or reading books can give me a dozen ideas for things I want to write. What if this particular trope was set in space? What if the climate change in this movie continued? What would the Earth look like? Who would live there and what would their romance look like? Pay attention to the themes in what you’re seeing and give them a little twist. You’ll be surprised at what comes up.
Starting a story is easy, even if it’s with just the basic idea of a concept or even a vignette. Finishing it is sometimes where the trouble starts. I can’t tell you how many ideas or half-baked openings I’ve come up with and abandoned, so when you’re struggling with something, if you really think you can finish it, try. If nothing else, at the end of your efforts you’ll have a finished story; something unique to you. Perseverance is key. Even if you’re only writing fifty words in a day because you have other obligations or can only get the energy or time to write for a few minutes, if you keep at it, eventually you’ll have your goal at the end of it, whether it’s a thousand word flash piece or an epic fantasy trilogy. There are absolutely days that I don’t want to write. I have zero energy for it after my day job and all I want to do is go home and eat and crash. But if I can make myself sit down for just fifteen minutes, I might have a couple hundred words at the end of it. I might slog through a difficult scene that’s been slowing me down, or I might write the beginning of a new one, and for me, having a scene started is a huge thing. It means that I have a jumping off point for the next time instead of starting from relative scratch.
Knowing what you want to write is great. Being able to finish it is also excellent, but did you do your research, even the most basic? If you’re writing something that involves elements of a police procedural, do you know the names of most of the documents that you might need to reference, or the most common models of police cars? If you’re writing a sci-fi opera that has spaceship dogfights, being able to drop in key terms for how ships move in space can either draw your reader in or throw them out of the scene completely because you fudged something. Even sex scenes benefit from this. Knowing the basics about how the human body works can make or break a scene and the book it’s in.
About the Book
Meteors and Menorahs
by Nessa Claugh
Published 15 November 2021
Genre: Sci Fi Romance (Jewish)
Page Count: 180
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!
‘Your dad invited your ex-boyfriend.’ Already committed to going home for Hanukkah, Leah panics at her mother’s text and invites her crush to come with her. The catch? They aren’t dating. The other catch? He isn’t Jewish. He isn’t even human.
Knar has been studying the physiology of humans for years in preparation to introduce Earth to the rest of the galaxy and present them as a species that can adapt to change well. Although he believes in his mission, he’s also had his eye on his coworker Leah, and her invitation to come home with her for the holidays is just the opportunity he’s been looking for.
Going home for Hanukkah is normally the least of Leah’s worries until her mom lets it slip that her dad invited her ex-boyfriend. Desperate to keep him at arm’s length, Leah invites her handsome coworker Kenneth Knar to be a buffer against her family. Having to pretend he’s her new boyfriend doesn’t hurt, and if it annoys her parents, all the better.
He just has to find some way to tell her that he’s more than just a gentile. He’s not even from this planet. And Leah hates liars.
The menorah isn’t the only thing getting hot this holiday season…
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Excerpt
A man in a freshly pressed shirt and tie bustled into the kitchen, arms out. Before I could say a single word, he pulled Leah out of my arms and into a long hug. “There’s my girl!”
To her credit, Leah was out of the embrace as quickly as she was able to shove her hands up between them. “David! I wasn’t expecting you this early!”
Was that a grimace on her face?
“Well, your dad said you were here, and my last cardiology patient canceled so I figured I’d get over here.”
“Weird flex,” Leah said. “We all know what you do.”
“And who is this?” he said, ignoring the dig.
“This is Kenneth,” Leah said, grabbing my arm. “My boyfriend.”
David looked thunderstruck. “Boyfriend? Why haven’t I heard of this boyfriend?”
“We aren’t friends,” Leah said. “I have no reason to talk to you.”
“Leah, be nice,” her mother chided. The woman was short, but she still managed to move everyone with sheer presence out of the kitchen and into the living room without anyone complaining.
“I’m sorry, I haven’t had the opportunity to tell you all about my nice new very handsome boyfriend,” Leah said, running one palm up over the swell of my arm. I’d been feeling a little underdressed since the ex-boyfriend was in a nice shirt, but if I’d known it meant she’d be touching me skin to skin like this, I would have worn a tank top.
About the Author
Nessa grew up thriving on trips to natural history museums and Jurassic Park. Once adulthood was upon her, it was only a matter of time before she discovered dominant aliens and shifter erotica. She enjoys titillating the Triassic and stargazing.
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Giveaway Alert!
Nessa Claugh will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway| Nov 22 | Christine Young | Nov 22 | Sadie’s Spotlight |
| Nov 23 | Novels Alive | Nov 24 | All the Ups and Downs |
| Nov 26 | Fabulous and Brunette | Nov 26 | Mythical Books |
| Nov 29 | Harlie’s Books | Nov 30 | Gina Rae Mitchell |
| Dec 1 | Andi’s Book Reviews | Dec 1 | Westveil Publishing |
| Dec 2 | Hope. Dreams. Life… Love | Dec 2 | Long and Short Reviews |
| Dec 3 | Kit ‘N Kabookle |
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Thank you so much for having me today!
Thanks for hosting!
Nessa, I enjoyed the guest post and the excerpt and your book sounds like fun, holiday read for me and I can’t wait to find out what happens between Leah and Knar! Thanks for sharing it with me and have a magical holiday season!
Thank you so much! You, too!
Thank you for sharing your guest post and book details, I have enjoyed reading about you and your work and I am looking forward to reading your story
Thank you, Bea!
Sounds like a good book.