Author: Marcia Meara

Writing about a location – Do you have to go there?

/ Marcia Meara / 4 Comments

An excellent post from Don Massenzio on researching the setting of your book. You should check it out!

Don Massenzio's avatarDon Massenzio

One of the most important aspects of your writing is the setting. You want to accomplish a couple of things when you write about a particular place. First, you want to give your reader a sense of the place you are writing about in a descriptive way that transports them there. There are books I have read that have made me feel that I was experiencing the place even if I hadn’t been there. One of my favorites, To Kill a Mockingbird, made me feel the humidity of Alabama. The Shining gave me a chill through Stephen King’s description of the unrelenting winter around the Overlook Hotel.

There are authors that excel at describing their surroundings. Dean Koontz is especially astute at describing indigenous vegetation in California, where many of his books are set. In his Odd Thomas series, the fictional California desert town of Pico Mundo comes to life…

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#HarryDresden is On the Job!

/ Marcia Meara / 13 Comments

Just thought I needed something a bit more “protective” in my life right now, so I’ve assigned Harry Dresden and his brother, Thomas, to stand guard. If he so much as sees a whisper of storm winds kicking up outside, there will be fire and fury and other wizardly doings to keep us all safe! That’s my story, an’ I’m stickin’ to it!

Forzare! Harry’s on the job!

Anatomy of a Small(ish) Catastrophe – #HurricaneIrma Part 2

/ Marcia Meara / 57 Comments

Sound the Bugles!
The Cavalry Arrives!

Nearly a week after Hurricane Irma raged across the Atlantic, giving us a love tap on her way by, I finally found a tree service able to help us. The crane arrived first, then the bobcat and a crew of 15 men in two other trucks.

They closed off the road, and got to work, much to the entertainment of the neighborhood. (Folks set up folding chairs across the street to watch the production, though sadly, I have no pictures of the audience.) You can get an idea of the size and scope of this job from this shot. (That’s my husband, Mark, on the left side of the roof, keeping a sharp eye on the proceedings.)

You can see in this next  picture that there is a huge portion of the tree resting on the ground in front of the garage window. That’s what kept the garage walls from being crushed completely flat, as it supported a much of the weight of this huge laurel oak.

The process begins! Men swarmed our roof and yard,  sawing huge sections of tree trunk and smaller, but still giant, limbs away from the main trunk. Continue reading →

#TheEmissary is Live on Amazon! #wwwblogs

/ Marcia Meara / 51 Comments

I’m very excited to announce my newest book, The Emissary: A Riverbend Spinoff Novella, is now available for download on Amazon! Don’t ask me how, but I managed to get all the last bits and pieces put together, and spent most of yesterday trying to coax my formatting skills into life again, just so I could have that blissful moment of glee as I watched it go live on Amazon. For a while, all thoughts of smashed garages, and crushed cars, and hurricane clean up went away. It was joyous!

BLURB

An angel’s work is never done–that’s part of the gig. But angels hadn’t been created to deal with such a vastly over-populated planet, rife with misery, suffering, and general chaos. Helping souls in peril has become a nearly impossible job, and even angelic tempers are frayed.

The archangel Azrael has had enough. He believes he’s found a way to ease their burden while saving jeopardized humans, too–hired help.

When Jake Daughtry lost his life rescuing a total stranger from certain death, he was on the fast track to Heaven. But that was before Azrael pulled him right out of line at the Pearly Gates. Now, as an Emissary to the Angels, Jake is taking to the highway in a quest to help souls in trouble. But the innate stubbornness of human beings bent on self-destruction is a challenge unlike any he’s ever faced.

It’s up to Jake and Azrael to bridge the gap between humans and angels. Will they ever convince the Council of Angels this endeavor is worthwhile? Can Jake ever figure out how to play by Azrael’s complicated rules? Will Azrael ever master the use of contractions in general conversation?

To find out the answers, hop on board Jake’s big, red-and-white semi, and travel the roads from the Florida Keys to north Georgia on an adventure that will make you laugh hard and cry harder.

The Emissary: A Riverbend Spinoff Novella

 

 

“Vicious Circle” in Quantum Wanderlust

/ Marcia Meara / 4 Comments

Staci Troilo is part of a new time travel anthology. You can download “Quantum Wanderlust” for free, too! Check out Staci’s post for more information and a great excerpt.

Staci Troilo's avatarStaci Troilo

Quantum WanderlustThe time travel anthology I’m part of released last week. It’s currently doing rather well, but things could always be better. It’s totally free, so a download costs you nothing but a few seconds of your time.

If you want to write a review, though, that would be really helpful. And really, it won’t take too much longer than the actual download does.

Let me tell you a little about my story, “Vicious Circle”.

Picture, if you will, a man who is holding onto his sanity by one frayed, tenuous thread. He’s struggling with everything—physically, personally, professionally. He’s got one last chance to turn things around. It’s a long shot, but he has to take it. If only he knew what was going to happen. It would make things so much easier to plan and react.

Quantum WanderlustCan you imagine his surprise when he’s transported into the future and gets a glimpse…

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#CoverReveal #TheEmissary

/ Marcia Meara / 43 Comments

I really shouldn’t be doing this yet, but since I only have a few minutes to post today, I thought I’d use it to share a sneak peek at the cover of my latest book. Shhhhhhh. This is very hush-hush. Just between you, me, and 3600 of my dearest friends! 😀 (Okay, blab all you want. I’m pretty proud of this cover and very excited about this Riverbend spinoff novella. Feel free to spread the word as far and wide as you can, and you will be the first to know when the book is published. Hopefully, within the week.)

But for now . . . TADA! The Emissary is on the road! Jake and Azrael are looking for troubled souls from Key West to Atlanta, Georgia! (And believe me, they find them, too!)

Now how gorgeous is that? *happy sigh*
(You may now resume your regularly scheduled programming.)
😀

Anatomy of a Small(ish) Catastrophe – #HurricaneIrma Part 1

/ Marcia Meara / 38 Comments

10:00PM, Sunday, September 10, 2017

“It Was a Dark and Stormy Night . . .”

. . . when Hurricane Irma decided to pay a call. The knock (on the roof) occurred at about ten o’clock, well before the witching hour, but not before the witch–that being Irma–decided it was the perfect time to say hello.

When we answered the door, we found a tower of greenery on our front steps and got a face full of driving rain, as well. Mark figured he’d go out through the garage, instead. Upon opening the door between the laundry room and the double garage, however, he was brought up short by a pretty grim sight. Eeek! (That bright light is from a fluorescent ceiling fixture laying on the car, because astonishingly, we never once lost power!)

It seems that scamp, Irma, had chosen to drop a tree on our house, ripping a hole through the garage roof, rafters, and attic floor, and dropping a large percentage of all three on top of our 2017 Honda–with a few goodly sized bits and pieces landing on Mark’s vintage 1967 VW van, Victor Willie. Lucky us. Over the course of a week, btw, the damage worsened as the tree settled and boxes of stored items fell out of the attic and onto the cars. Plus, rain continued to pour into the garage off and on for days. Continue reading →

Good Morning, and a Quick Apology

/ Marcia Meara / 25 Comments

The Little Statue That Could
The tree trunk landed on top of this, and she is wedged
in good and tight.  Her hat is dented on one side, where the
oak is bearing down on her, but she hasn’t succumbed to
the pressure yet. I’d really like to save her, since she seems
to be trying so hard to save US.
~~~

Things sure look brighter after a good night’s sleep. Well, except for where an entire tree is blocking the light from my windows and front door, of course. But that’s all been turned over to the insurance company, and I’m expecting them to send out an engineer to take charge (and get a general contractor on this) soon. We will need a tree removal service, mason/block layers, carpenters, electricians, plumbers, and roofers. Ack! This will be a slow process, but at least it’s underway. Sort of. And of course, once they have tarps in place and the tree removed, there are sure to be homes more severely damaged that will be a higher priority for a little while. But it’s moving forward, and I can breathe again.

I do want to apologize if I miss responding to any of your lovely, supportive, and encouraging posts, either on the blog or on Facebook. I have received hundreds of emails, too, and while I’m trying to answer everyone, everywhere, I fear some might be missed in the process. Just know how very much I appreciate all your love and support. There’s something strengthening in knowing others care, and I am blessed to have you all for online friends. Continue reading →

Video of HONKIN’ BIG STOOPIT TREE on my HOUSE!!!!

/ Marcia Meara / 37 Comments

IF anyone is interested in seeing what a tree can do to your garage, you can check out a short video on my FB page here: Video. The orange looking things on top of the roof, right under the tree, are rafters. Half of the garage rafters are reaching for the sky, the other half are sticking into vehicles. The entire attic floor has collapsed on top of our cars, and workbenches, etc. And the door will never open again. It looks like at least the top layer of concrete block will need to be replaced, if not ALL of the garage walls. And the whole house will need a new roof.

And Mark wondered why I was so scared of this particular storm. I had a BAD feeling about Irma from the get-go, hence my obsessive storm-watching for a week. Who says women’s intuition is a myth? LONG days ahead, cleaning, getting contractors out here, wrangling insurance agents, etc. But I’ll do my best to keep things interesting on The Write Stuff, in spite of it all. I’d miss you guys too much, if not.

And hey. I’m still standing, after all these (73) years, and Hurricane Irma, too!!!!! 😀 😀 😀

NOTE: If the link doesn’t work, its’ something with WordPress. Just search Marcia Meara on FB, and choose the one that DOESN’T say “writer” for my personal blog.