Author Inspiration and This Week’s Writing Links

March 16, 2019 / Marcia Meara / 4 Comments

Here’s Staci Troilo’s fabulous Author Inspiration post, complete with links for anything you might have missed on social media this week. Check it out, and share, if you can. Thanks! And thanks to Staci for a wonderful recap! It’s such a huge help! 🙂 ❤

Staci Troilo

Ciao, amici! Wow, this week blew by. I’m sad to say I didn’t get any words written. Not a single one. Work kept me busy with an editing project. One I expect to finish before the weekend is over. Then maybe I’ll add to my word count.

Like I said, this week was all about editing, so of course that’s what this week’s inspirational quote deals with. These words by Stephanie Roberts really spoke to me.

Editing fiction is like using your fingers
to untangle the hair of someone you love.

If you aren’t an editor, you might not understand. And I’m sure this was about editing her own work. But I find it applies to me and my paycheck job.

I love my clients. I love fiction. If I’m working on it, doing my best to unsnaggle issues and make them pretty again, I try to be careful. Even…

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Marcia Meara, How D’ya Do?

March 15, 2019 / Marcia Meara / 6 Comments

I have the pleasure of being featured today on D. Avery’s ShiftNShake blog, as part of her new interview series. Please stop by to say hi. Hope you’ll enjoy the interview and will share with the Immediate World! Thanks. And my thanks to D. for inviting me, as well! 🙂

ShiftnShake

This week I am pleased to bring you Marcia Meara of The Write Stuff. I came across Marcia’s site when I was only a very few months into writing in the blogosphere and Marcia generously offered to post poems from my books in her #ExcerptWeek. Marcia is a poster girl for kindness and generosity, and the caption reads “sharing is caring”.

How d’ya do, Marcia? Welcome! Marcia, what part of the world do you live in and what should the rest of the world know about your place?

I live in central Florida, just north of Orlando, and I’m actually a Florida native. Yep. (There’s me and some guy up in the panhandle, I think.) Let’s see. I suppose most folks know Florida is hot. And humid. We’ve already had temps in the high 80s and one day in the low 90s, and it’s still early March. This is…

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#GrannySays – New for YOU!

March 14, 2019 / Marcia Meara / 17 Comments

Because I am a total glutton for punishment, I’m adding a new series of little memes for you to share on social media. Most will probably be amusing, though some might be a bit insightful, like this first one. I’m NOT, however, setting a regular schedule for these. I’ll just share them now and then, as I come up with them. Hope you’ll enjoy them and will have places you can use them. No need to share a link here, unless you happen to be reblogging or something that does it automatically. You may use them here or there, you may use them anywhere! 😀

#ThorsDaySmile – Animals on Parade

March 14, 2019March 14, 2019 / Marcia Meara / 17 Comments

Because why not? Animals are life’s best de-stressors, right? So here you go.
De-stress, everyone.
😀 😀 😀

(It’s true, you know. Cats have no bones.)

And the Grand Finale!

Announcing My New Audio Book – Let Me Be Frank

March 13, 2019 / Marcia Meara / 5 Comments

Don Massenzio has a new audio book available! Check out his post, and be sure to watch the trailer video. It’s dynamite! Hope you’ll help Don get the word out, as well. Thanks!

Don Massenzio

I am proud to announce that my book, Let me be Frank, has been released in audiobook format. This is the second book in the Frank Rozzani detective series.

Here is a synopsis:

A young girl is senselessly murdered. The police believe the murder to be a random homeless casualty until it is discovered she has ties to Fat Sam and his mysterious past life in the Big Easy.

Join Private Detective Frank Rozzani and Clifford “Jonesy” Jones as they travel to historic New Orleans and other areas in the Gulf Coast to search for clues in the girl’s trek to Jacksonville, Florida, that will help them uncover evidence implicating those responsible for the murder so they can be brought to justice. They soon discover that things are not as they seem.

As the case progresses, the evidence uncovered has ties to the tragic events that drove Frank from…

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#FromTheArchives – #WhyWriteWrong – Originally Posted July 14, 2017

March 12, 2019March 12, 2019 / Marcia Meara / 32 Comments

Twice lately, I have been pulled right out of a story I was reading by the phrase “baited breath,” and I realized this is a mistake far too many people are making. One does not have “baited breath” unless one has been eating worms or shiners. Honest.

The correct word in this case is “bated,” as in “abated” meaning something that has ceased happening. Like breathing. In other words, the phrase “bated breath” means someone is holding his breath, whereas to say “baited breath” implies someone has very odd dining habits.

The Serious Example:

The accused murderer awaited the jury’s verdict with bated breath. (He was holding his breath).

The Silly example:

The cat ate every shiner in the pail and ended up with baited breath. (The cat now smells fishy.)

Hope this helps sort out the difference between bated and baited. (But I’m not holding my breath here. 😀 )

***

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.

whywritewrong1

An Update on #TheWriteStuff

March 11, 2019March 11, 2019 / Marcia Meara / 35 Comments

Wanted to start the week off with an update for you guys, especially for new followers who don’t know that I used to run regular weekly or monthly features here on The Write Stuff. Most of you do know that I’ve been generally whining, and grumbling, and otherwise making a nuisance of myself about being so far behind on everything I’m trying to do. Well, it’s time for that to STOP!

No, I haven’t magically caught up with everything overnight, but the good news is, I’m making slow, steady progress, knock wood! And I am ready to start reintroducing the features we used to enjoy around here. It might take me a few weeks to get all of them “up and running,” but you can expect to see the following things coming back on board–and some of them will probably start this week, alongside a few that never totally went away.

#MondayMeme – Memes with a writing/reading/books theme
#Thorsday Smile – Things I think are funny & hope you’ll enjoy
#WhyWriteWrong? – Words I see misused fairly often
#ShareAReviewDay – Recent/favorite reviews submitted by you guys
#ExcerptWeek – A week of sharing excerpts from your book of choice
#FabulousFridayGuestBlogger – Self-explanatory
#LifeLessonsFromOz – Vids I share for a smile (and perhaps a lesson?)
#MidWeekPOV – Just some things/ideas I share now and then
#InspirationBoardSunday – Images/Ideas/CoverArt I find inspiring

Some of these are meant to be weekly features, though it might take me a couple weeks to get them up and running. Some are posted randomly as the mood or subject matter strikes my fancy. But ALL are coming back over the next couple of months. And many of them involve you wonderful bloggers and authors “out there.” You’ll be invited when these come up, and I’ll explain how to participate in them at that time.

Hope you’ll enjoy having these features back again, and will want to take part in some of them. I know many of you would probably love to share your reviews and excerpts with us, and your latest promo news, releases, cover reveals, etc, as well. And I’m really looking forward to helping you do just that.

To begin, I’ll be posting some archived samples of these features over the next week or two, so you see what they’re all about, and will feel comfortable joining in.

Stay tuned, my wonderful friends! I can hardly wait to get the ball rolling!

Cover reveal – book #3 in The Five Kingdoms series now available on pre-order

March 11, 2019 / Marcia Meara / 7 Comments

Woohoo! Won’t be long now! Fans of Deborah Jay’s Five Kingdoms series will be happy to know Book 3, The Prince’s Protege, is now available for pre-order. Check out her cover reveal post, complete with excerpts from this long-awaited third book! And as always, don’t forget to share! 🙂

#Sharing – #NickiForde-Ficocelli at #LeesburgArtFestival

March 8, 2019March 9, 2019 / Marcia Meara / 9 Comments

Nicki Forde-Ficocelli

My very good friend and fabulous cover designer, Nicki Forde-Ficocelli will be at the 42nd Annual Leesburg Art Festival this weekend, in downtown Leesburg, Florida. For those in the area, this is a great chance to see some fine art, including Nicki’s wonderfully whimsical paintings of cats, chickens, bumblebees, and more. I hope you’ll stop by and say hello to her. Here are the particulars:

WHERE: Downtown Leesburg, Florida
WHEN: Saturday, March 9 and Sunday, March 10 from 10am to 4pm
NICKI’S BOOTH: 700C (on 7th Street, just 2-3 booths off of Main)

Nicki Forde-Ficocelli is best known in Central Florida as a graphic artist, and she intends on changing that.

Nicki has been drawing since before she can remember, and that love for creating led her to study commercial art at International Fine Arts College in Miami (currently the Art Institute). While there she gave in to the fear of being unsuccessful as an illustrator, so changed her course in life and became a graphic artist. “I enjoy the work, but these last 25 years have felt a little like a dream deferred. So now I’m drawing on my heart for inspiration and the courage to put my work out there.” She considers herself an emerging artist, despite a long history of painting and illustrating, since her professional focus has been graphic design since 1994.

Recently, she’s been unable to resist the flow of ideas and inspiration that is leading her down a familiar but neglected path. These ideas are finding themselves on canvas by way of acrylics, or on watercolor paper through a combination of colored pencils and watercolor. “My muse comes from nature and often my sense of humor finds it’s way into my art.” Nicki doesn’t intend to light the art world on fire with her work, but she does want to light up your heart by putting a smile on your face.

Working from her home studio in historic downtown Leesburg, Florida, Nicki describes herself as “an artist, illustrator, crazy cat lady and crusader of kindness. My mission is to live with joy and compassion while spreading love through my art.”

To see more of Nicki’s art, check out her website, Drawing on My Heart, and her shop on Etsy, where you can buy her designs on greeting cards, invitations, and more.

Drawing on My Heart
Etsy Drawing on My Heart Shop

I hope some of you will be able to visit the festival for a wonderful day of browsing and snacking. Be sure to stop by to say hi to Nicki while you’re there.

And remember:

The 2019 Interview Series Featuring David Faucheaux

March 8, 2019 / Marcia Meara / 2 Comments

Don Massenzio is featuring David Faucheaux today on his 2019 Interview Series. A really interesting, informative, and inspiring interview! Check it out! (And don’t forget to share far and wide). Thanks for this great series, Don!

Don Massenzio

What do you think are the elements of a good story?

My favorite genre is historic fiction. To do it well, the author must pay close attention to setting. The reader should be made to understand the culture, the time, and place. I like lots of what are called info-dumps, though I understand many readers find them to be tedious and to also distract from the plot. Perhaps info-dumps work best in science fiction. Kim Stanley Robinson uses them frequently. A well-written author’s note at novel’s end helps as well, especially when the author tells what is true and what has been invented. A bibliography is useful for those readers wanting to learn more about the historic aspects of the novel.

You’re invited to a dinner party. Are you: