Author: Marcia Meara

Last #HurricaneDorian Update for Today! (5:00pm forecast)

/ Marcia Meara / 18 Comments

The predictions keep looking better and better for us in central Florida. The coastal areas will probably have some significant storm surge, and I know the entire state is braced for wind and rain starting late tomorrow and lasting into Wednesday. But as of right now, they are predicting Dorian will not make landfall in Florida, but will stay off the eastern coast heading north to somewhere around North Carolina. Again, this can change, but it looks promising, and I’m very relieved for those of us here in the Orlando area, if not as much so for those along the coast.

I am also exhausted. We worked outside most of the day, bringing all the potted plants inside and making sure things were not likely to become deadly projectiles–or even window-smashing projectiles. We will reassess tomorrow to see if we feel we need to do more, but as of tonight, I’m thinking we might come through this one okay, after all.  Now, on the count of three, could you all repeat after me, “Go EAST, young Dorian! Get thee out into the Atlantic, and don’t bother any more people who aren’t bothering you!” Got it? Okay, one, two, three ……… ahhh, thanks! That should do it.

You can probably tell I’m getting punchy, but it’s been a long, hard day, so I hope you’ll cut me some slack. Thanks so much for all the wonderful support and prayers, and I’ll try to respond to all your comments as soon as I can. We shall find out soon enough what tomorrow brings, but for now, it’s off to bed with a Granny Smith apple and a good book. We’ll see if I stay wake long enough to enjoy either one. 😀  

#Latest (11:00am) Dorian Update – Possible Good News!

/ Marcia Meara / 5 Comments

Good news. The very latest storm predictions show it trending more and more to the east. Now, they think it won’t touch land in Florida, but will stay offshore as far as the NC/SC border. If they’re correct, and the trending eastward continues, this actually COULD go off into the Atlantic without making landfall anywhere! How wonderful that would be!

Of course, is a very wide storm, and we are going to get “weather” as they say down here, whether the eye touches land or not. Florida will no doubt have wind, rain, and flooding in many areas, especially along the coast where storm surge is always a threat. The question would be how much, and where? So preparations are still ongoing statewide, and Mark and I are hard at work clearing up the yard. (I don’t want to get brained by a flying flower pot or birdbath!) But the outlook is far better than it was yesterday, and that makes me breathe easier than I have for a week!

Now, I just want to see it swing far enough east that it misses our entire coast! That would be what we writers cleverly refer to as an HEA! 😀 Keep sending those thoughts and prayers, folks! They are so gratefully received! 🙂 ❤

#HurricaneDorian Update 8:00am 8/31/19

/ Marcia Meara / 12 Comments

This is the first bit of possible–and I stress possible–good news Florida has gotten on the prediction front since Dorian reared its ugly head. If this track holds (a BIG “if”), the actual center of the storm will stay offshore until it hits Charleston. So what might be good news for me is bad news for my daughter who owns a home in Charleston. (Charleston sits right on the coast/salt marshes and is very susceptible to storm surge and flooding.) But if the eastward trend continues to increase, this major hurricane could even pull away from there, too.

Having said all of this, Dorian is enormously wide and Florida would still be impacted by severe and dangerous weather: heavy wind and rain, flooding, and tornadoes. We will be inundated for a few days, and power outages will probably be prevalent everywhere, along with downed trees (*shudder*), flying roof shingles, broken windows, and the like.  😯  And that’s IF it stays offshore. It definitely could change course again, in that sneaky, cold-hearted way that hurricanes have.

BUT, I have to say, seeing those black circles out over the Atlantic lifts my spirits considerably. Praying it turns that way even more, sparing us all the far more dire scenario of an actual direct hit!

Thanks to all who have expressed concern for me, my family, and everyone in harm’s way. It is gratefully appreciated! Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers, and maybe this will all go away like a bad dream! 🙂 ❤

The Gemini Connection #FREE Today Only! #freebooks #YA #scifi

/ Marcia Meara / 10 Comments

Teri Polen is offering her wonderful YA sci-fi novel The Gemini Connection for FREE today! I recently read and reviewed this one, and I can tell you, I loved it. It’s suitable for readers of all ages, and if you enjoy sci-fi and stories about the bonds between brothers, you should definitely take advantage of this one day only offer. 🙂

Teri Polen's avatarBooks and Such

So, I’m still on vacation, but this is going on today, and I’d really appreciate help in sharing on social media.  Thanks in advance!

If you haven’t read The GeminiConnection yet, here’s your opportunity to get it FREE!  This promotion is for today only, so don’t wait.  Click HERE for Amazon.

If anyone is planning on attending the Decatur Book Festival this weekend, I’ll be at the SCBWI booth on Sunday from 2pm to 4pm – stop by and say hi!

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#FirstLineFriday Submissions Are Now Closed! Here’s the Answer to the Quiz and Yes, We Have A Winner!

/ Marcia Meara / 10 Comments

Wow! I was sure this one was going to be so easy. I tell you, folks, it’s hard to know which ones are going to jog people’s memories and which aren’t. At any rate, this is a great opening line, in my opinion, and one that clearly lets the reader know something very different and interesting is about to follow. A good lesson in pulling readers in, I think.

For the second week in a row, we only have one winner, however, she was johnny-on-the-spot with the correct answer. So, let’s congratulate Jeanne Owens for figuring out one that was apparently pretty difficult for most of you. This one, I knew as soon as I read it, though that is certainly not always the case.

And since I’m in the midst of preparing for Dorian’s arrival, I’m keeping this short. Here’s the correct answer for you:

“The drought had lasted now for ten million years, and the reign of the terrible lizards had long since ended.” is the opening line of 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clark.

It’s a bit unusual, in that the 1968 science fiction novel was developed concurrently with Stanley Kubrick’s film version and published after the release of the film. Clarke and Kubrick worked on the book together, but eventually only Clarke ended up as the official author.


Buy 2001: A Space Odyssey HERE

BLURB:

The classic science fiction novel that captures and expands on the vision of Stanley Kubrick’s immortal film—and changed the way we look at the stars and ourselves.

From the savannas of Africa at the dawn of mankind to the rings of Saturn as man ventures to the outer rim of our solar system, 2001: A Space Odyssey is a journey unlike any other.

This allegory about humanity’s exploration of the universe—and the universe’s reaction to humanity—is a hallmark achievement in storytelling that follows the crew of the spacecraft Discovery as they embark on a mission to Saturn. Their vessel is controlled by HAL 9000, an artificially intelligent supercomputer capable of the highest level of cognitive functioning that rivals—and perhaps threatens—the human mind.

Grappling with space exploration, the perils of technology, and the limits of human power, 2001: A Space Odyssey continues to be an enduring classic of cinematic scope.

And there you have it, folks. I suspect there isn’t a one of you who hasn’t seen this movie or read this book, or like me, both. In fact, I read the entire series. (Yes, there are several more Space Odyssey books, and though it’s been a while, I remember enjoying all of them.) 

Stay tuned for next #FirstLineFriday quiz. (If all goes well, that will be Friday, 9/13, unless I let you know differently.) I’m pretty sure I’m going to use the easiest  to recognize first line I can find. (No, NOT “Call me Ishamel.”  Just. No. 😀 ) But I promise it will be pretty darn famous, and hopefully, we’ll have more winners.  Set your alarms, and I’ll see you then!

#FirstLineFriday #GiveawayContest #FreeBooks

/ Marcia Meara / 6 Comments

Hi, Everybody! It’s Friday again, and by now, you know what that means. Another chance to take a look at an example of a brilliant opening line from literature. Ponder just what you think your reaction would be to reading this line for the first time, and maybe get an idea or two as to how you’re going to start your next book. And then,  see if you can guess the title and author of the book in which this line appears.

But FIRST, some extra good news: For today only, author Mae Clair has generously offered her book Eclipse Lake as one of your prize choices.

Eclipse Lake is also available for purchase HERE

If you are a winner, you may choose either her book or one of mine as your prize. (As I mentioned the last time we had a prize donor, I’d grab the one that won’t be here every week, if it were me. After all, you’ll have lots more chances to win one of mine. Just something to consider when making your choice.  😀 ) 

The rules are simple:

  1. Be one of the first five people to email me before the game ends at noon, with the title and author of the correct book. 
  2. Do not reply here on the blog. Email only: marciameara16@gmail.com
  3. Honor System applies. No Googling, please.
  4. Submissions end at noon, or when I receive 5 correct answers, whichever comes first.
  5. Winners who live in the U.S. may request a free download of Eclipse Lake or any one of my books for themselves, or for someone of their choice. OR, if they’ve read all of the offered books, they may request a free download of my next publication.
  6. Winners who live elsewhere may request a PDF or Mobi file of the same books.

Now if you’ve got your thinking caps on, and have access to your memory banks, here’s your #FirstLineFriday opening line:

“The drought had lasted now for ten million years, and the reign of the terrible lizards had long since ended.”

Good luck!

Dorian Update & Rescheduling Next Week’s Regular Features

/ Marcia Meara / 30 Comments

Hi, Folks!

Been checking the updates on Dorian all day long, and it hasn’t swerved a bit so far, darn it. It is now scheduled to hit us here in the Orlando/Sanford area at 8:00am Tuesday, and though that might change, for now, it’s the best information we have. After a good bit of deliberation, running around wondering what I should do, and fretting over all the prep work still ahead for Mark & I to get ready for impact, I decided I should reschedule any posts I had planned for next week. It will be one less thing I have to worry about right now, and that’s a good thing.

Accordingly , I’m bumping everything to the week of Sunday, September 8 through Saturday, the 14th, skipping any pre-planned posts for September 1 through September 7. Tomorrow’s #FirstLineFriday will be the last regular feature until after September 8. Next week, if I’m able to get online, I’ll touch base and let you guys know what’s going on. If we get lucky and the storm is here and gone in a hurry, I’ll fill in the gaps. But our regularly scheduled events, such as #MondayMemes,  #ShareAReviewDay, the new #WriteStuffWednesday, #ThorsDaySmiles, and the next #FirstLineFriday will all return during the week of 9/8-9/14.

Hope this makes sense, and you guys understand that sometimes you have to do whatever it takes to stay safe (and stay SANE.) I think this is my best option right now, so there won’t be any last minute panic if we lose power here and I can’t run the various series as I’d like. 

Again, if the storm passes us by with no real interruption, you’ll be the first to know, and I’m sure I’ll find a few things to share with you next week.

Thanks for your understanding, and I do sincerely hope this all turns out to be much ado about nothing. (Oooh. Cool name for a play. 😀 )

#HurricaneDorian Looking Worse for Florida by the Minute

/ Marcia Meara / 23 Comments

Here’s the latest update on Dorian. Picture me standing right underneath that “H” in the center of the state, waving at you. (Actually, I’m jumping up and down and yelling “Somebody get me outta here!” 

The “H” means a significant storm with winds between 74 and 110mph, (with anything over 74 being a hurricane, as opposed to a bad tropical storm.) 

This is SO not good!

#WriteStuffWednesday – What’s Up?

/ Marcia Meara / 31 Comments

I figured since it looks like we are in the dreaded “Cone of Error” for Hurricane Dorian, today might be a good day to introduce a new feature I’ll be sharing from time to time. Wednesday is not a day I have anything special scheduled for guests, nor for my own posts, so I think it will be perfect for me to use now and then to catch you guys up on what I’m up to, or to talk about all sorts of subjects. I’m thinking it might run the gamut from personal observations, to funny events, to writing-related to subjects I just want to talk about. Whatever is on my mind. We’ll see how it goes.

Today, I want to talk about living in the path of danger. Many of us do end up in hurricane, tornado, flood, or earthquake-prone areas. Me, I’ll take hurricane-prone any day over earthquakes. Unlike with quakes, we get quite a lot of notice when a storm is approaching and can take steps to batten down the hatches, stock up on supplies, or even get the heck outta  Dodge–whichever seems more prudent at the time. What we can’t afford to do here in Florida is ignore the warnings until we no longer have any good options.

Having had Hurricane Irma drop a preposterously big tree on our house, flattening the garage and our new Honda, and tearing up our roof, we are NOT of a mind to take these warnings lightly. We are now stocked up with food for us and the pets, and Mark will be getting gas for our generator. The path of the storm looks like it won’t go directly over us, though again, we are in the an area where we could get clobbered. Either way, the sensible thing to do as of today’s warnings is to at least prepare for loss of power and tons of rain. So that’s our current plan.

IF the situation changes and we are told to evacuate, we will. No hesitation, even though it will mean packing up six cats and an elderly dachshund. We won’t leave them behind, but we won’t stay here and risk our own lives, either.

I had a talk scheduled Saturday at Enterprise Museum, but after conferring with the good folks there, the decision has been made to close the museum Saturday.  My apologies to those who were planning to attend. Stay home and stay safe, instead. Already, several of the museum volunteers have called to say they will be doing storm prep for the next few days, and I wish them well. 

With any luck, Dorian will take a sharp turn to the north east, wander out into the Atlantic and die a quick and lonely death. Please say a prayer for all in its “predicted” path. There is no way to tell what will happen, and I worry greatly for those in the islands off our coast, particularly Puerto Rico, where things are still not back to normal from Hurricane Maria. 

Thanks for any well wishes, and rest assured, I will be here daily, until I’m forced to shut down. Our generator will run the range, the fridge, the little window unit a/c in the bedroom, and a couple of lamps at maximum. But the computer will be unplugged, and the cell phone service might be iffy, too. 

Here’s to Dorian being all bark and no bite, and leaving us ALL alone! And I hope my next #WriteStuffWednesday will be about something a lot less threatening!

UPDATE:

Latest Update from NOAA has this storm aimed smack at us. And they are saying it could be a Category 3 now. 😦 I live between the gray “FL” on the map and the black circle with M in it. So, Monday at 8AM might be a bit grim for us. 😯 Will keep you updated as I learn more.

 

Been Looking for YOU! Wanna Share a New or Special Review?

/ Marcia Meara / 13 Comments

 

Hi, Guys!

You might have noticed there are NO #ShareAReviewDay posts today. Sorry, but I haven’t received any new requests lately, and ran out of those I’d already scheduled. If you have a review you’d like me to share, full instructions are in the header bar at the top of the page, under “General Blog Rules and Various Feature Instructions.”

I happen to have a couple lined up for next Tuesday, but after that, it’s wide open. Let me know if you’d like to participate, send me the required items, and I’ll take care of the rest, on a first come-first served basis.

Looking forward to hearing from some of you. Thanks!