Introducing Patti (PJ) Fiala

September 24, 2014September 24, 2014 / Marcia Meara / 9 Comments

NOTE: So happy to meet Patti! She has sent me a lot of good stuff to share with you guys, and I hope you’ll pass it along via your own blogs, Twitter, or Facebook–however you want to get the word out. Patti will do the same for you, I’m sure, when you have news to share.

PJ Fiala

I was born in a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri named Bridgeton. During my time in Missouri, I explored the Ozarks, swam in the Mississippi River, and played kickball and endless games of hide and seek with the neighborhood kids. Spending summers in Kentucky with my grandmother, Ruth, are the fondest childhood memories for me.

At the age of thirteen, my family moved to Wisconsin to learn to farm. Yes, learn to farm! That was interesting. Taking city kids and throwing them on a farm with twenty-eight cows purchased from the humane society because they had been abused was interesting. I learned to milk cows, the ins and outs of breeding and feeding schedules, the never ending haying in the summer, and trying to stay warm in the winter. Our first winter in Wisconsin we had thirty-six inches of snow in one storm and were snowed in our house for three days! Needless to say, I wasn’t loving Wisconsin.

I am now married with four children and three grandchildren. I have learned to love Wisconsin, though I still hate snow. Wisconsin and the United States are beautiful, and my husband and I travel around by motorcycle seeing new sites and meeting new people. It never ceases to amaze me how many people are interested in where we are going and what we have seen along the way. At every gas station, restaurant, and hotel, we have people come up to us and ask us about what we are doing as well as offer advice on which roads in the area are better than others.

He had love and passion to give, but she was afraid to take it.

Owning Rolling Thunder Motorcycles, Inc. and raising his twin sons was top priority in Dog’s life. That was until he met Jocelyn James, the sweet, loving single mother of Gunnar, a young man who works for Dog.

Joci raised Gunnar alone after her cheating, dickhead of a boyfriend ran off with another woman. She finished school, started her own graphic design business and hung out with friends and family. The last thing on her mind was men! That is until she met Dog.

The chemistry is undeniable. The passion is incredible. The family bond is like no other.

Find Patti On Social Media Here:

PJ Fiala
Facebook:
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Pinterest
Google+

Buy Patti’s Book Here:

Dog Days of Summer

Busy Day Today!

September 24, 2014September 25, 2014 / Marcia Meara / Leave a comment

Irish Wolfhound like Rosheen from Wake-Robin Ridge

Busy, busy, busy this morning. So far, the response to this new blog has been very encouraging. In spite of all the resources out there for writers, it’s often hard to find a spot where you feel at ease, and can make friends. I hope this will be that place. Writers Supporting Writers. That should be our motto. If we help each other find answers, and we help each other promote our works, we can all grow. Writing is not a competitive sport. The more good books there are out there, the more people will love reading. Folks who love to read are always looking for that next great book, so what benefits one writer, benefits us all. That’s my story, an’ I’m stickin’ to it.

Now, I have my first post to do for a new member, so I’m off to put that together. But, don’t worry. I’ll be back. And in the meantime, I’m only an email away if you have questions, or want to share some news for me to post on your behalf.

Have a great, productive day today, and remember to love your work, so it can love you back!

Star-Gazing

September 24, 2014September 24, 2014 / Marcia Meara / 3 Comments

Here’s a secret for you…I write poems, in addition to novels. I always have, starting before I was five. In my book, Summer Magic: Poems of Life & Love, I have a section devoted to MacKenzie Cole (the lead male character from Wake-Robin Ridge) at the age of ten, when he used to go camping with his father in the mountains every summer. Here’s one of my favorites. Hope some of you like it, too.

Look Dad, he cries,
Look how many!
I see a hundred,
Maybe a thousand!
I see them, too,
Dad says,
And together, they laugh,
Delighted.
Joy shared,
And excitement
Doubled.

Come see the meteors,
Dad said, as he
Shook him awake
Just before dawn.
He crawled from the tent,
Rubbing his eyes,
Then staring in wonder.
With the sky still a midnight black,
And bright stars wheeling overhead,
The fireworks came.
Racing toward Earth,
One after another,
The Perseids.
The miracle of hot August nights.
A late-summer light show
That electrified his soul.
His young heart transfixed
By the sight of the universe,
Lit with streamers
Of flame.

A meteor shower,
Dad tells him again,
But he knows nothing
So beautiful has a name
So ordinary.
Stars, he thinks, pulled loose
From the fabric of the sky,
And flung toward earth,
Trailing silver and gold,
And bringing pieces of Heaven
To those watching below.

He holds up his hands,
Cupped reverently,
To catch one of his own.
To be blessed by
This summer magic.
He holds his breath, waiting
For the illumination
Of his soul to begin.
Falling stars,
Falling from the
Summer sky,
For him.

-Marcia Meara –

Summer Magic: Poems of Life & Love

Happy Tewe’s Day Evening!

September 24, 2014September 24, 2014 / Marcia Meara / Leave a comment

Hi, Folks!

Sorry I’ve been gone most of the day, but now that I’m home, I just want to say thanks to each new follower who signed up today. I hope you will pass the word to any of your friends who are writers, as well. I’m so looking forward to building a strong, USER-FRIENDLY community, here, where we can look for support, encouragement, advice, practical suggestions, and fun chitchat with others who know exactly what we writers…especially we new writers…are going through. I’m really excited about the potential.

Yes, I know this is not a new idea, and there are established boards and communities out there, but I have found some of them to be a bit intimidating, or difficult to navigate. I just wanted something with a lighter, friendlier feel, though I would certainly never discourage anyone from taking advantage of every resource available. But my aim for The Write Place is kind of like a corner bar for writers to meet up at the end of a long day. Only without the alcohol, of course. Well…I won’t have any, anyway. You guys are free to have a drink on your desk if you like. I’d just fall asleep. 🙂

I am open to ideas and suggestions as the blog evolves into something we can all enjoy and benefit from. I’ve already got a couple of people interested in doing guest blogs, and of course, until we have enough participants to keep us busy, I’ll be posting some of my own thoughts, and work, as well.

Anyone up for sharing an excerpt from a book you’ve published? (We’ll do WIP’s, too, eventually.) Or a poem or two you’d like others to read? Email me at mmeara@cfl.rr.com or comment here, and we’ll do it!

What an age we live in, where this type of thing is possible. Amazing, isn’t it?

Good Morning!

September 22, 2014 / Marcia Meara / 11 Comments

First, a big thank you to those who have already followed me. You will forever more be known as the ones who have been here since the very first day, and I’m so grateful for your support.

Second, you may have noticed that I changed the name of the blog already. 🙂 WordPress assured me that I didn’t need to overthink the name while setting things up, and could change it later, so I have. I wanted to better reflect what the blog is about, namely writing and writers. Including me, of course, so I’m in the tag line, since all of my book info, news, updates, and excerpts will be here now. But I want this to be about other writers, as well. Especially, though not limited to, those newbies out there who are looking for as much exposure as possible. I will be offering that for them, via updates, guest bloggers, discussions, and more.

I also want to have a bit of a “forum” aspect here, so writers can talk to other writers about things related to…well…writing, of course. Exchanges of ideas, tips, and so forth, with a good helping of fun thrown in, because that’s just the way I roll. 😀

Let me know what you think of the new name, and when I get back home later today, I’ll have some new posts for you. In the meantime, have a great day, and don’t forget to write! (And if you are a follower who doesn’t write, don’t forget to READ. You are the ones we do it all for!)

My Inspiration for MacKenzie Cole

September 21, 2014September 21, 2014 / Marcia Meara / Leave a comment

Cover Model John Paul Pfeiffer

As promised, photos! Or at least one more. 🙂 I fell in love with this model due to the wonderful covers on Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files series, and I always picture Mac looking just like him. Only taller. (MacKenzie Cole is 6’3″ with exceptionally pale blue eyes, fair skin, and very black hair.) This blog will give me a chance to answer questions about my characters, and share inspiration photos with you guys. If anyone wants to know anything about MacKenzie Cole & Sarah Gray, you’ve come to the right spot. Questions on Ruthie Carter/Ruth Winn? Frank Everly? Or even the plot line of Wake-Robin Ridge? I’ll be happy to answer them.

Mostly, I hope those of you who have read Wake-Robin Ridge enjoyed it. I’m proud to say it was on amazon’s Top 100 (Paid) Best Selling Fiction/Ghosts lists for four weeks last month, and continues to pop up there on and off, even now. For a first book, that’s just the best news, ever!

Welcome!

September 21, 2014September 22, 2014 / Marcia Meara / 10 Comments

My Inspiration for Everly’s General Store in Wake-Robin Ridge,
Though Everly’s is Much Larger, Of Course

Finally decided to set up an author page, focused on writing. Not just my own, though there will be plenty of that, but also discussions and interactions with other writers, as well. Bookin’ It was always intended to be a blog focused on reading, to include book reviews, covers, release dates, and discovering new authors, via interviews and recommendations. It will remain the same as it has always been, but my personal content will be moved here. This will include news on promos, giveaways, and release dates of my books. It will also feature excerpts from my published books, and from new works in progress.

You’ll be able to get sneak peeks at some of the things I have in the works right now, and be able to make comments on those, as well. And you’ll be able to ask questions at any time, about my published books, my characters & more. If it concerns Wake-Robin Ridge, Swamp Ghosts, or Summer Magic, it’s fair game. If you have ideas and thoughts about sequels or new plot lines you’d like to see, let me know. I’ve got the sequels to both Wake-Robin Ridge and Swamp Ghosts well underway. Want to get a hint of what’s coming up for Mac and Sarah, or have thoughts about what will happen with Hunter and Willow? Here’s the place to ask. Have a question about something that happened in one of my books? Ask me, but be sure to mark it “SPOILERS” when appropriate, so we don’t give anything away to new readers.

If you are a writer, and want to talk about your new book, have a discussion on Prologues: For or Against, or are wondering just how hard it is to self-publish an e-book, feel free to ask that, too. I’ll be glad to open up a post or discussion, if I haven’t already got one underway. I’ll be throwing out topics for discussion, too, on everything from How To Beat Writer’s Block, to Researching Celtic Mythology. Anything and everything pertaining to writing, in other words. Of course, until this gets going, I’ll probably have to wing it with sharing about my own stuff, but I hope it will soon be a real mix of topics and discussions. That’s my goal.

In the meantime, have fun. Enjoy the photos and excerpts, and don’t be shy. Can’t wait to hear from you guys!

Please don’t forget to push that FOLLOW button, and join us. And if you are writer, say hi! I probably have questions geared just for you!