Author: Marcia Meara

#ShareAReviewDay Tuesday – Songs of Heartstrings by Miriam Hurdle

/ Marcia Meara / 25 Comments

This afternoon, I’d like to welcome Miriam Hurdle to The Write Stuff. Miriam is sharing a review for her book of poetry, Songs of Heartstrings, and I know you’ll enjoy it! Be sure to pass it along to the Immediate World, too, so others can learn more about Miriam and her work. Thanks!

REVIEW:

Dorinda Duclos
5.0 out of 5 stars Heartfelt Passages of Life and Faith
January 31, 2019
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase

Songs of Heartstrings – Poems of Gratitude and Beatitude is a most enjoyable book of poetry. Told in the first person, Miriam Hurdle takes you along on her many journeys, in the ups and downs, of life. I particularly enjoyed the photos, placed before many of the poems. It brought me closer to what Miriam was relaying in her words.

My favorite poem is “Life’s Currents”. Here, the author reminds us we are never alone, no matter the hardships we might face in our time here on Earth. There is no doubt Miriam has a strong faith and relies on it for many of life’s obstacles.

The book is broken up into eight different sections, making it a very pleasant read. Miriam uses different styles of poetry, so you’re never just reading. She easily gets and keeps your attention throughout. If you are looking for a poetry book filled with inspiration, and thought-provoking passages, this is the book for you. I highly recommend this to any and everyone as I thoroughly enjoyed reading Songs of Heartstrings – Poems of Gratitude and Beatitude.

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#ShareAReviewDay Tuesday – Understanding: An Anthology of True and Significant Life Events Compiled by Stevie Turner & Shared by D. G. Kaye

/ Marcia Meara / 14 Comments

This morning, let’s welcome D. G. Kaye (or Debby Geis, as many of us know her) to share a review of an anthology she is a contributor to: Understanding: An Anthology of True and Significant Life Events. This one is bound to strike a note with many, many of us who have been through similar things during our lives. I know you’ll enjoy learning more about it and will pass it along to others. Thanks!

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Thanks so much for bringing back ‘Share A Review Day’ Marcia. Today I’d like to share a brand new book called Understanding, an anthology of true and significant life events, which I’m thrilled to be part of along with 19 other authors, compiled by Stevie Turner. The book is only 99 cents and all proceeds are going to cancer research, and delves deep and personal into poignant events the authors experienced and how they were handled and overcome.

REVIEW:

5.0 out of 5 stars An insightful and inspiring collection of experiences
April 20, 2019
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase

This collection of experiences, told mainly in the form of questions and answers, from twenty authors and bloggers, is a unique and emotional read. Each of the twenty participants has been through a traumatic time in their lives and each of them has overcome their particular set of circumstances, whether it is a struggle with cancer, sexual abuse, the loss of a loved one or a personal obsession gone wrong. Despite its emotional and heart wrenching content, this book is, on the whole, an uplifting read as well as being an enlightening one. I was impressed and encouraged by each of these writers ability to overcome their personal hardship and find a successful path forward.

To my mind, the stories in this book can be divided into two sets, those participants who had to deal with circumstances imposed on them by a third party or outside force creating circumstances over which they did not have complete control and those participants who ended up in a situation of their own making through their obsessive natures or those human frailties, like low self-esteem and anxiety. I know from personal experience with friends and family that overcoming such mental barriers is an incredibly difficult thing to do.

I commend all of these authors and bloggers for their courage and honesty in writing their personal stories to help and encourage others who may be facing similar situations.

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How To Help Stop Somebody Stealing Your Blog Posts

/ Marcia Meara / 4 Comments

Protect your blog contents! This extremely helpful post by Hugh’s Views and News will tell you how. (It’s on my ToDo List and I’ll be getting it done as soon as possible, myself!) Thanks to Hugh for sharing this, and I hope some of you will find the post as informative as I have. Check it out, and don’t forget to pass it along. 🙂

How To Instantly Get More Traffic To Your WordPress Blog

/ Marcia Meara / 7 Comments

Been meaning to share this post from Hugh’s Views and News for a some time, and finally, here it is! If you want a quick, easy way to get more people to stop by your blog, and you haven’t already done this, you really should check it out. For some reason, even though I’ve been blogging about 15 years, I’d never even noticed this option. Instead of sending out emails to your followers with your entire post included, you can change your settings to send a quick summary with a “Read More of This Post” notice. This will be old news to many of you, but for the rest, Hugh shows you how, and it’s EASY-PEASY! Check it out for full instructions. And thanks, Hugh! 🙂

#ShareAReviewDay Tuesday – The Emissary 2: To Love Somebody by Marcia Meara

/ Marcia Meara / 24 Comments

Here it is #ShareAReviewDay again, and I’m welcoming . . . er . . . MYSELF to The Write Stuff this afternoon. Had an opening, figured I’d use it. Hope you’ll enjoy this lovely review of The Emissary 2: To Love Somebody, and will pass it along on your favorite social media sites. Thanks!

REVIEW:

Mae Clair
5.0 out of 5 starsAn uplifting tale!

October 27, 2018
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

This urban fantasy is a delightful and heartwarming read that combines paranormal elements with the bonds of friendship, loyalty and family. Jake and Dodger are “emissaries” who have been recruited by the Angel Azrael to intercede on Earth when someone is about to do something, well…catastrophic, terrible or dumb. Jake and Dodger have certain rules to follow as they’ve died, yet physically remain on Earth, and can still suffer pain, just not death. They’ve already been there/done that. Now they get to travel around in a big semi rig and help others.

What makes this series (I highly recommend the first Emissary novella if you’ve haven’t already read it) so engaging is the emotional elements the author layers in her plot. Jake and Dodger are on the learning curve this time around, getting accustomed to their powers (under Azrael’s tutelage) while still learning about each other and how they fit into the world. The latter is a particularly rough spot for Dodger given the age at which he died.

As usual for a Marcia Meara story there is angst and hardship, but also plenty of triumph and heartwarming moments that result in misty-eyed reading. The bond between Jake and Dodger is wonderfully portrayed, the writing is polished, and the story flows beautifully. All three of these characters, Azrael included, will capture your heart. I love seeing the Archangel tread the line between his extraordinary power, humanity, and his attachment to his emissaries. A fabulous tale!

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#ShareAReviewDay Tuesday – Devil in the Wind by Frank Prem

/ Marcia Meara / 63 Comments

Hi, Folks! It’s #ShareAReviewDay Tuesday again, and our guest this morning is Frank Prem. Frank is sharing a review from his poetic anthology, Devil in the Wind. After reading this, I’m sold. I’ve pre-ordered this one to add to my collection of poetry anthologies, and I suspect many of you will as well. Thanks for checking it out today, and for sharing far and wide, as well. 

REVIEW:

Mick rated Devil In The Wind 5.0 out of 5 stars on Goodreads
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44440062-devil-in-the-wind

Like Frank’s previous book, Small Town Kid, this collection of poems tells a story of rural and small town Australia. But the similarities between the two books end there.

Whereas the previous collection was a celebration of boyhood in Frank’s hometown, this is an account of the dreadful bushfires of February 2009 that swept through parts of Southern Australia, the area that is home to the author, killing 173 people and leaving a huge area a fire-blackened moonscape.

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Playing With #BookBrush Again

/ Marcia Meara / 24 Comments

Just taking a break from hot, sweaty yard work this morning. Thought it was time to try my hand at a few more graphics, and decided to share a few of them with you. If you haven’t tried BookBrush to create some images of your own, I highly recommend it. There’s a free version, which is what I’m using right now, but at some point, I might give the paid one a try. Especially if I work up the nerve to shoot for ads with some of the Big Guys (like BookBub). They offer a template sized just right for BookBub ads, too, which makes it easier.

This is what I came up with today. I’ve already thought of one or two ways to improve them, but they’ll do for right now. 

Science Fiction: The Gate

/ Marcia Meara / 3 Comments

Staci Troilo is a guest poster today on Craig Boyack’s Entertaining Stories blog. Check out this excerpt from her latest release, The Gate, written under her pen name D. L. Cross, and don’t forget to spread the word! Thanks, Craig and Staci, for a great post!

coldhandboyack's avatarEntertaining Stories

Staci Troilo is one of my closest author friends. She’s got something new for all of us under her pen-name of D. L. Cross. Let’s make her feel welcome and share this around today.

“No Idea” Excerpt from New Sci-Fi Novel: THE GATE

Thanks for inviting me here today. I’m excited to share an excerpt from The Gate, Book 1 of the Astral Conspiracy series in the Invasion Universe. 

Excerpt:

“You do realize I’ve never done this before. I have no idea what’ll happen up there.”

“You better hope it’s what I want to happen. Or you won’t be coming back down.”

Landon gulped, no longer certain he’d made the right choice to stay on Lorena’s behalf. So far, the mercs had been more or less gentlemanly toward her. She’d probably walk out of this ordeal alive. 

The same couldn’t be said about him.

They followed a path…

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#GoneButNotForgotten #WhyWriteWrong – Originally Posted May 5, 2018

/ Marcia Meara / 13 Comments

Retrieving a post from last year, hoping it will be new to many of you. If you did read it before, feel free to ignore it this time around, unless you (like me) can always use an occasional reminder about these things.  😀

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I’m taking a moment tonight to talk about three words that I see misused fairly often, especially the third: Peek, peak, and pique. These words are not interchangeable, though in the last week, I have seen all three misused in a series I’ve been reading, and more than once, at that. Let’s take a look at them.

Though all three are pronounced exactly the same way, they are very different in meaning, to wit:

Peek is to take a quick look at something, perhaps in a sneaky manner. He peeked at the answers to his homework assignment. If what you want to say deals with the way your character is looking at something, you want PEEK.

Peak is usually used to reference the summit  or highest point of something. The peak of the mountain was covered with snow. Or perhaps: The whipped cream was mounded on the top of the pie in fluffy peaks. It could also work for a summit a bit less tangible, like: The child actor’s popularity peaked when she was a mere eight years of age.

Pique is definitely the one misused most often. Pique is a state of irritation or resentment. It can also be used to indicate  the rousing of curiosity. Her spiteful tone left him in a fit of pique. Or: His curiosity was piqued by the mysterious letter. So this one deals with emotions, and has nothing to do with peeking through a crack in the door, or climbing to the peak of the jungle gym.

Now, have I piqued your curiosity enough to wonder if your blinds are pulled, so no one can peek in your windows and discover you’re the annoying neighbor playing your stereo at peak volume? (Oh, even I’M groaning at that one!) But you get my drift. And I hope this helps clear up any confusion about these three words.

Signing off now. As you were, folks! 😀

DISCLAIMER:

I am not an English teacher, grammarian, or expert on all matters of this nature, but I promise I have consulted with those who are before posting anything in this series.