Author: Marcia Meara

Correction to the #NotesFromTheRiver – That OId Coot Post!

/ Marcia Meara / 11 Comments


American coot (Fulica Americana)
Photo by Doug Little

So sorry, folks! I must have been in a Stupid yesterday, which is a lot like a stupor, only with a bad case of DUMB added in. 😯 I totally forgot to include the range map of the American coot the post, and because of that, I made a mistake in saying coots were only in Florida in the winter. Doh! I assumed that to be the case, because that’s when huge migrating rafts of them start to appear on our lakes and rivers. But the truth is, there are non-breeding coots to be found here all year long. (Once again, I’m referring ONLY to the feathered variety, though I’m pretty sure this holds true of the other kind as well. Probably why they’re so grouchy!) 😀

I have added the range map to the post, and I’m sharing it here, as well, for any who want to take a quick look. As you can see, coots are spread across a huge swath of the United States, and well into Canada, as well as south into central America. So, if you live in the U. S. and have a hankering to see some for yourself, you stand a pretty good chance of being able to do so. Again, sorry for the omission yesterday, but hope this makes up for it.

If you haven’t yet read the entire post, you may do so here:

#NotesFromTheRiver – That Old Coot!

#NotesFromTheRiver – That Old Coot!

/ Marcia Meara / 23 Comments


American Coot Feeding Chick

Today’s #NotesFromTheRiver  post is up! Hope you’ll stop by and read about coots, both young and old. Thanks for checking t out, and passing it along. Happy reading!

#NotesFromTheRiver – That Old Coot!

Introducing ReaderLinks and Author Helper

/ Marcia Meara / 5 Comments

This could be interesting for those who want a better way to track sales and other pertinent information. Thanks to Nicholas Rossis for helping spread the word.

Nicholas C. Rossis's avatarNicholas C. Rossis

ReaderLinks | From the blog of Nicholas C. Rossis, author of science fiction, the Pearseus epic fantasy series and children's booksReaderLinks

I have mentioned my author friend John Logsdon a number of times in this blog. Not only is he a book marketing guru who has helped me a lot with my own books, he has also been developing ReaderLinks; a website to help Indies in their everyday struggle to sell more books.

As John is a hugely successful Indie author himself, he has developed ReaderLinks to cover all of our needs: It includes a Book Calendar; a Sales Tracker; Tweet Management; a Global Links tool; and many more tools.

I’ve been part of his beta-testers for the past few months and I’m excited that the project has now reached the point where the launch build is ready. Check it out and subscribe to be notified when it launches! You can find out more by watching the video below.

The Author Helper

Except for developing ReaderLinks, John has also…

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Update on Audio Version of Swamp Ghosts

/ Marcia Meara / 29 Comments

Good News!!

Thanks to an interesting and encouraging post by Don Massenzio, I decided it was time to make my work available as audio books. I signed on with ACX, put up a sample from Swamp Ghosts (the one I’ve had the most requests for), and found a reader whose voice I thought would work. Yesterday, I got the news she has finished recording, and now it’s up to me to listen to the entire book, suggest any changes I feel are necessary, within guidelines, upload the cover resized for a jewel case, and voila! It will be ready to finalize and publish.

So far, this has been an easy process, though with books as long as mine, it does take some time to get them both recorded (on the reader’s end) and proofread (proofheard?) on mine. I have to find 9 hours and 44 minutes in which to sit back and listen, chapter by chapter, author’s notes, acknowledgements, and all. That’s a big chunk of time for me, which I will have to tackle in bits and pieces, but in the long run, it will be worth it.  Audio books are growing at an unprecedented rate, and I believe it’s important to be sure readers have that option.

When this is all over, I’ll post about the entire experience, but I just had to share that the longest portion–reading a 400-plus-page book aloud–is over! I listened to the prologue tonight, and think it sounds darn good, so I’m really excited to see how my narrator has done with the rest, and very much looking forward to being able to offer all of my novels in audio form!

What about you guys? Any of you thinking  of producing audio books? Have you started yet? Do you like to read them, yourself? Have you had experiences you’d like to share? We’d like to hear from you.

#ThorsDaySmile – Or Two

/ Marcia Meara / 22 Comments

IF I’ve shared any of these before, please forgive me,
but now and then I simply MUST make #ThorsDaySmile
About THOR!
(Blame Jessica. She made me do it.)
😀 😀 😀

 

And now a couple for Loki fans.
You know who you are. (Mae!)
😀

#NotesFromTheRiver – Ducks That Whistle?

/ Marcia Meara / 3 Comments

This week’s #NotesFromTheRiver post features one of my favorite species of waterfowl, the black-bellied whistling duck. Stop by and take a look (and listen). Hope you enjoy the post and photos. Thanks!

#NotesFromTheRiver – Ducks That Whistle?

News on #TheEmissary

/ Marcia Meara / 20 Comments


“Ancient and overworked Warrior Angel hires a modern-day, recently-expired
trucker to help souls in peril. First week on the job, and he’s already in
trouble with the boss.”

Woohoo! Yesterday, I finished the draft of my upcoming novella, The Emissary. (You can read an unedited excerpt here.)

Those of you who are up to date on my Riverbend series, will know that Gabe Angelino played a small but pivotal role in Finding Hunter, as the trucker who brought Hunter Painter home to Willow, probably saving his life. He appears only in one short scene, but Willow has always believed he was a real angel.

I received so many questions about this mystery man and his possible angelic status, I decided his story needed to be told. The result is The Emissary, and I’m super excited to be moving into the editing phase, already. The feedback from my betas has been wonderful, so I’m crossing my fingers the book will be well received. A series of Emissary novellas might be in the works.

 In spite of the things that go bump in the night on Wake-Robin Ridge, this will be my first foray into what feels like Urban Fantasy, or perhaps Urban Fantasy Lite. I’m a bit nervous about that, but mostly, excited. Can’t wait to get this one out there, hopefully by October. Look for future updates right here on The Write Stuff!

Just a Reminder!

/ Marcia Meara / 5 Comments

Just a reminder! I hope those of you in central Florida will consider joining us Saturday for a light lunch and a presentation on how things have changed in the writing and publishing world over the last 100 years. I uncovered so many interesting things when researching this talk for the traveling Smithsonian exhibit that I’ve been asked to present it again at several local venues, and I would dearly LOVE to meet YOU there! I’ll be available for a book signing afterward, as well. Come say hi!

NOTE: Reservations are necessary for this event. You may call the number at the top of the poster, OR 386 804 6987