michelepw

[michelepw]

In 2015, I excitedly sent my first novel “The Stolen Twin” to Kirkus Reviews, sure I would get a great review I could use in my marketing. 🤩 They hated it. 😧 I was devastated. 😰 I nearly canceled my book launch. Fast forward 6 months later and that book 📚 became an #1 Amazon Bestseller in Teens and Young Adults. But I was still leery entering contests, which makes this win so gratifying. Yes “ It Began With a Lie” won first place and the series won second. Lesson learned: never give up. https://www.instagram.com/p/BuCje4_FmiY/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1l0y6vrga8mr8

[michelepw]

Did you realize there are scientific 🧪 studies proving we are literally changing our brain chemistry and losing the ability to deeply focus? Yes social media and multitasking are mostly to blame. So how can we change or reverse this? A daily writing ✍️ practice can help. Every day block off up to 50 min, turn off all interruptions (yes including social media and email) and simply write. It doesn’t have to be anything you ever show someone, remember it’s s practice. Just like working out 🏋️ is good for your body, a writing practice is good for your brain 🧠 https://www.instagram.com/p/BtO-hzPlKKf/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1lnpyj5o2pzrw

[michelepw]

Believe it or not, these are less than half the books 📚 I’ve written and published in the past 5 years. And that doesn’t even include all the other writing I’ve done like my hundreds of blog posts or client’s copy projects. I’m sharing my secrets tomorrow in my Get Your Copy DONE day in my Facebook group if you’re interested. 😜 https://www.instagram.com/p/BtBoo0BlPtu/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=13fqcqev47nxe

[michelepw]

Want to know how I’ve got soooo much writing ✍️ done? Join me in my Love-Based Copy Movement FB group on Friday for my Free Get Your Copy DONE Day! https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs8jz5blRe6/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=lwvswuwbd7xc

[michelepw]

Want to know my secret on how I’ve got soooo much writing ✍️ done? Come join me Friday in my Love-Based Copy Movement FB group for a Free Get Your Copy DONE Day! #mystery #psychologicalthriller #suspense #fictionbooks #fiction #fictionwriter #novel #ronanticsuspense #booksofinstagram #bookstagram #author #authorsofinstagram #writing #writingtips #writings #writingprocess #writinginspiration #writinglife #writingproject #write #copywriting #copy #copywriter #copywriters #copywritingtips #marketing #onlinemarketing #internetmarketing #lovebasedcopy #lovebasedpersuasion #lovebasedmarketing https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs8jl8alS49/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=12d8dqsnbvbo7

[michelepw]

In honor of my book 📚 “It Began With a Lie” being nominated for a Paranormal Romance Guild Reviewers’ Choice award, I thought I’d post a pic of the house! (Okay not really 😎) But is it a haunted house 🏚 or is something worse going on? You’ll have to see for yourself! https://www.instagram.com/p/BsqamzIlWmH/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=2d5o2l81oyne

[michelepw]

In honor of my book 📚 “It Began With a Lie” being nominated for a Paranormal Romance Guild Reviewer’s Choice award, I thought I’d post a pic of the house! (Okay, not really.) Is it a haunted house 🏚 or is something even worse going on? You’ll have to see for yourself! #mystery #psychologicalthriller #suspense #fictionbooks #fiction #fictionwriter #novel #ronanticsuspense #booksofinstagram #bookstagram #author #authorsofinstagram #writing #writingtips #writings #writingprocess #writinginspiration #writinglife #writingproject #write #copywriting #copy #copywriter #copywriters #copywritingtips #marketing #onlinemarketing #internetmarketing #lovebasedcopy #lovebasedpersuasion #lovebasedmarketing https://www.instagram.com/p/BsqaO9gl8wq/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=g6wd9xo2ns0f

[michelepw]

In honor of my book 📚 “It Began With a Lie” being nominated for a Paranormal Romance Guild Reviewers’ Choice award, I thought I’d post one of my one social network graphics of the book. It’s got a little something for everyone if you’d like to check it out! #mystery #psychologicalthriller #suspense #fictionbooks #fiction #fictionwriter #novel #ronanticsuspense #booksofinstagram #author #authorsofinstagram #writing #writingtips #writings #writingprocess #writinginspiration #writinglife #writingproject #write #writing #writingtips #writings #writingprocess #writinginspiration #writinglife #writingproject #write #copywriting #copy #copywriter #copywriters #copywritingtips #marketing #onlinemarketing #internetmarketing #lovebasedcopy #lovebasedpersuasion #lovebasedmarketing #bookstagram https://www.instagram.com/p/BsqZgMrFXjO/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1tno5u7avbv5i

[michelepw]

OMG! My book “It Began With a Lie” AND my “Secrets of Redemption” series was just nominated as a 2018 Paranormal Romance Guild’s Reviewer’s Choice Award 🥇🎉🍾🥂 #mystery #psychologicalthriller #suspense #fictionbooks #fiction #fictionwriter #novel #ronanticsuspense #booksofinstagram #author #authorsofinstagram #writing #writingtips #writings #writingprocess #writinginspiration #writinglife #writingproject #write #writing #writingtips #writings #writingprocess #writinginspiration #writinglife #writingproject #write #copywriting #copy #copywriter #copywriters #copywritingtips #marketing #onlinemarketing #internetmarketing #lovebasedcopy #lovebasedpersuasion #lovebasedmarketing https://www.instagram.com/p/BsoHo5nl4f2/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=9e7bgndldkpo

[michelepw]

It’s here! 🍾🎉This Happened to Jessica in paperback! (Definitely not loving the “proof” that Amazon is adding to proof copies tho 😄) Can’t wait to get my “real” copies. If you prefer old fashioned paper 📝 you can grab your copy on Amazon right now. #mystery #psychologicalthriller #suspense #fictionbooks #fiction #fictionwriter #novel #ronanticsuspense #booksofinstagram #author #authorsofinstagram #writing #writingtips #writings #writingprocess #writinginspiration #writinglife #writingproject #write #writing #writingtips #writings #writingprocess #writinginspiration #writinglife #writingproject #write #copywriting #copy #copywriter #copywriters #copywritingtips #marketing #onlinemarketing #internetmarketing #lovebasedcopy #lovebasedpersuasion #lovebasedmarketing https://www.instagram.com/p/BsOe_S_FD-v/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1kdhm2nzfpjv6

[michelepw]

I never thought 💭 I would choose a planner for 2019 with bats 🦇 on it. But here we are. And yet, on a deeper level it makes so much sense. Bats 🦇 are about facing your biggest fears and having your biggest transformations. And, at the end of the day, isn’t it our fears that stop us from living our dreams and having the success we want? That’s why my word for 2019 is Brave — because if I get that, everything else falls into place. #mystery #psychologicalthriller #suspense #fictionbooks #fiction #fictionwriter #novel #ronanticsuspense #booksofinstagram #author #authorsofinstagram #writing #writingtips #writings #writingprocess #writinginspiration #writinglife #writingproject #write infographic #writing #writingtips #writings #writingprocess #writinginspiration #writinglife #writingproject #write #copywriting #copy #copywriter #copywriters #copywritingtips #marketing #onlinemarketing #internetmarketing #lovebasedcopy #lovebasedpersuasion #lovebasedmarketing https://www.instagram.com/p/BsLw_7yF1zx/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=asvb1i7f7kpd

[michelepw]

When I picked out my 2019 planner, I never thought I would be drawn to one with bats 🦇 on it. Or with the words Be Brave. And yet ... bats 🦇 are all about facing your fears and big transformations (which only come when you face your biggest fears). How many times have we stopped ourselves from our biggest dreams and successes because of fear? I know I have, but I’m ready for 2019 to be completely different. #writing #writingtips #writings #writingprocess #writinginspiration #writinglife #writingproject #write infographic #writing #writingtips #writings #writingprocess #writinginspiration #writinglife #writingproject #write #copywriting #copy #copywriter #copywriters #copywritingtips #marketing #onlinemarketing #internetmarketing #lovebasedcopy #lovebasedpersuasion #lovebasedmarketing #hauntedhouse #halloween #haunted #ghost #ghosts #mystery #psychologicalthriller #suspense #fictionbooks #fiction #fictionwriter #novel #ronanticsuspense #booksofinstagram #authors #authorsofinstagram https://www.instagram.com/p/BsLutjslle2/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1f8k93ths6nzr

[michelepw]

Ep 12: What Happened After

I wearily unlocked the door to my camper.

Geist let out a happy bark as she trotted up to greet me, tail wagging.

Well, at least someone was happy to see me.

After Hal and Gia left me in Room 16 at the Hotel Vendome, I had a confusing phone conversation with Craig, who was having difficulty understanding what precisely had happened. He also seemed inordinately focused on who Hal was and why he was in my room.

After I finally hung up with him, I spent the rest of the night crouched in the corner, eyes peeled for any other ghostly encounters.

Nothing happened.

I must have dozed off at some point because when I opened my eyes, the morning sun was streaming through my room.

Stiff and sore, my neck and back aching, and my eyes gritty from lack of sleep, I took a hot shower to try and loosen my muscles up. It didn't really help.

I tried to console myself. At least I had a story for my blog, right?  A real ghostly encounter with Noble, the ghost cat, who ate a living mouse (never mind that ghosts don't normally eat)! That really happened … didn’t it?

So what if I couldn't find any trace of the mouse, or really, any trace of anything happening last night. The mouse could have disappeared in some hole somewhere. And ghosts, well they don't leave a trail anyway.

Right?

As I was leaving, I noticed the maid cart by the room Hal stayed in. It was pretty early for him to be out and about.

Or did he already check out?

I went down to the lobby, passing a couple guys wearing white exterminator shirts. Gia wasn't in the lobby; instead, there was a middle-aged, grumpy-looking woman drinking a huge cup of coffee. She was on the phone, complaining about millennials' lack of work ethic. She checked me out without ever interrupting her conversation, and when I left, she was still complaining.

I shut the door of the camper and slumped on the bed. Maybe what I really needed was a nap.

My phone rang. It was my sister Katie.

"Seen a vampire yet?" she asked, shouting over a loud buzzing in the background.

"I already told you I'm not looking for vampires," I said tiredly. "I'm a ghost hunter."

"You sound exhausted," she yelled.

"I AM exhausted," I said. "What's with the noise?"

"Oh the kids are sawing something," she said.

"With a chainsaw?"

"Well, something. They're using some sort of power tool."

"Is that safe?"

"Well, it's not like they're unsupervised," Katie said. "I'm standing right here."

I wondered about that, but decided I was too tired to ask.

"So, what happened to you?" she asked.

I told her everything that happened last night, with only a few interruptions from Katie, who wanted to make sure the cat's tail remained out of harm's way.

"Well, that sounds like good news," she said when I was done. "You saw a ghost, right?"

"Maybe," I said. I was feeling more and more discouraged the longer I talked.

"What are you talking about, 'maybe’?" she asked. "You heard Noble! What more do you want?"

I slumped further in my seat. "Maybe I'm just tired, but I don't know … maybe this whole thing was a bad idea."

"What??? Why would you say that?"

"Well, I don't have any equipment except for a stupid compass. Which probably IS broken, although it seems to be working now. I didn't really see anything except for a mouse, which was alive. Yeah, we heard something, but who knows what it was. Maybe it was a noise from outside, or, I don't know, the water heater. The hotel is old, after all. Old hotels make noises."

"But, the cold …"

"Could have been a draft," I interrupted. "Everything could have a reasonable explanation. A broke compass. A draft. Maybe Coco is right and this whole ghost thing is silly."

"Riley, stop. Just stop," Katie said. "This is silly. You're being silly."

I blinked. "What do you mean?"

"What did you think was going to happen? Riley, you're doing something completely new! Of course you're going to have hiccups and problems. That's just par for the course."

"Yes, but …"

"And, besides, you ARE having success! You saw Faith at the Hassayampa Inn, right? And I'm sure it WAS Noble you heard. So, just because it's not looking like you thought it should look, doesn't mean it's not successful."

"But, I don't even understand how all that ghost equipment actually works. Shouldn't a ghost hunter know that stuff?" I argued. "And, my blog isn't up yet." Not to mention I wasn't famous yet either, I thought. But I couldn't bring myself to say it out loud.

"Riley," Katie said sternly. "You are not a quitter. You've never been a quitter in your entire life. Are you going to start now?"

I thought about what Katie was telling me. Maybe I was being too hard on myself. Maybe I did need to give it more time and space to succeed.

Besides, Katie was right. I wasn't a quitter.

I straightened up. "You're right," I said. "This is what I want to do. I've always dreamed of being a ghost hunter and I'm going to keep going."

"That's my girl," Katie said. "I have to go. I'm not sure where the cat is."

I hung up the phone and reached down to rub Geist's ears. "You like being a ghost hunter, too, right?" I asked.

Geist groaned and rolled over on her back so I could rub her belly.

So, now what I needed was a plan. Where should my next ghost-hunting adventure take me?

What I really needed to do was take a nap first. Then, I could look at all my options with a clear head and figure out where I wanted to go next.

A loud pounding on my camper door startled me, and I jumped. Who could that possibly be? No one knew I was here.

Slight panic as the thought came to me—it couldn't possibly be a ghost who had followed me, could it?

No, ghosts didn't leave the places they haunted. Right?

More pounding. Geist went to the door and whined. I got off the bed and slowly inched my way to the door, trying to angle myself so I could see outside without whoever was there seeing me.

"Riley? Is that you? Are you in there?" The voice was muffled but recognizable.

No. It couldn't be.

I flung open the door. "Craig?"

[continued]

Riley Longhill is a fictional alter ego of Michele Pariza Wacek. The Adventures of Riley Longhill, Ghost Hunter, is a fiction account loosely based on real life ghost and haunted places. Yes, the Hotel Vendome in Prescott, Arizona is a real place and Abby and Noel are and do haunt the hotel to this day.

  Read Ep 1 here.

          Check out this episode!

[michelepw]

On set! And about to talk about my fictional alter ego Riley Longhill ghost 👻 hunter and my new novel “It Began With a Lie.” #writing #writingtips #writings #writingprocess #writinginspiration #writinglife #writingproject #write infographic #writing #writingtips #writings #writingprocess #writinginspiration #writinglife #writingproject #write #copywriting #copy #copywriter #copywriters #copywritingtips #marketing #onlinemarketing #internetmarketing #lovebasedcopy #lovebasedpersuasion #lovebasedmarketing #ghost #ghosthunter #ghosthunting #ghosts #ghostsighting #ghoststory https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp8AQ05FUhR/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=79mpwwu9vv2

[michelepw]

On set! Talking about my fictional alter ego ghost 👻 hunter Riley Longhill and my new novel “It Began With a Lie.” #hauntedhouse #halloween #haunted #ghost #ghosts #mystery #psychologicalthriller #suspense #fictionbooks #fiction #fictionwriter #novel #ronanticsuspense #writing #writingtips #writings #writingprocess #writinginspiration #writinglife #writingproject #write infographic #writing #writingtips #writings #writingprocess #writinginspiration #writinglife #writingproject #write #copywriting #copy #copywriter #copywriters #copywritingtips #marketing #onlinemarketing #internetmarketing #lovebasedcopy #lovebasedpersuasion #lovebasedmarketing https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp73jt8Fmfp/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1xcplyfxf4x8y

[michelepw]

Woot!! My first live tv 📺 appearance! On channel 7 AZ Daily Mix. And what was i talking about? Ghost 👻 hunting and fiction novels https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp7WkVUlXOf/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1qysr0t1i3wsx

[michelepw]

Happy National Author Day! #writing #writingtips #writings #writingprocess #writinginspiration #writinglife #writingproject #write infographic #writing #writingtips #writings #writingprocess #writinginspiration #writinglife #writingproject #write #copywriting #copy #copywriter #copywriters #copywritingtips #marketing #onlinemarketing #internetmarketing #lovebasedcopy #lovebasedpersuasion #lovebasedmarketing https://www.instagram.com/p/Bpp-T1DF4je/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=t1lswjiepyr4