Author: Marcia Meara

#BadMoonRising – Post 16 Featuring Chuck Buda

/ Marcia Meara / Leave a comment

 

Yet another interesting and entertaining post on Bad Moon Rising today, this time featuring author Chuck Buda. Be sure to swing by to take a look, if you haven’t already done so. 

Check out Chuck’s Post HERE
Enjoy!

#BadMoonRising – Post 14 Featuring Victoria Zigler and 15 Featuring Michael Scott Hopkins

/ Marcia Meara / 4 Comments

 

Still being hampered by Real Life, but found a moment to stop by Bad Moon Rising to catch up on yesterday and today’s posts. MOST excellent reading, folks! Hope you’ll head on over and enjoy each of them.

Check out Victoria Zigler’s Post HERE

And Check out Michael Scott Hopkin’s Post HERE
Enjoy!

Thank You & Going MIA Again!

/ Marcia Meara / 14 Comments


Just want to say a quick thank you to all who offered support and commiseration yesterday. I was really freaked out, as you may have surmised.  I’ve done all the things suggested, including a few I already knew, and the good news is that (SO FAR) my computer is running fine today. John, Windows Defender told me there were no problems at all and that my system was good to go. I’ve saved the instructions, though, just in case it goes off the rails again.

The bad news (you knew there had to be some, right?) is that I still have a program to give Saturday, and a whole lotta people have reserved seats. But, more bad news, I’m only 2/3 done with the slideshow. URK. That means I will be MIA from the blogging world in general until I finish this presentation. Hopefully, it won’t extend beyond today, but it has to be done, even if it spills over into tomorrow. I will take a break later this afternoon to “Like” and Tweet where I can, but that’s about all I’ll be able to do until this project is ready for Prime Time.

The other good news, is this is the last new program I have to create for this year! I’m not doing any talks in December, and hopefully that will give me time to get a few more new ones ready before the new year arrives. 

Thanks for your understanding and your help, and hope to be back by tomorrow. (So I guess that means I better get ON IT right now!! I think I hear a crested caracara calling me!) See you soon!

 

 

This, That, and A Few Computer Woes!

/ Marcia Meara / 18 Comments

So sorry I haven’t been able to comment much the last two days. I’ve fallen way behind on putting together a new wildlife presentation for Saturday, and combined with several appointments, a few minor health issues, and just too much to do, I had to back away a bit. I tried to pop in when I could and leave a quick “Like,” but that was all I managed, I’m afraid. And THEN, my computer suddenly went wonky.

It started crashing and locking up over and over for several hours while I was TRYING to finish my PowerPoint presentation, and now I’m really not sure I can have it done in time for Saturday’s talk. I’m going to have to spend all day tomorrow on it, too, and that’s IF I can access it again. I haven’t worked up the nerve to check on that yet, since I got a tad upset when I had to reboot several times, and then had to find a way to turn off an alert message that kept popping up again and again trying to convince me my entire computer was in lockdown, and I’d have to call “this” number to sort it out for a “reasonable” sum. 

Since I was still able to get online, I decided that was NOT something I believed, at all. Now, I’m going to go check to see if I lost the whole program or not, because there’s no way I can sleep tonight wondering if that happened. Anyway, that’s my sad tale for the week so far, especially today, but at least I’m able to access my blog and post again, so I have a suspicion that I’m not really “locked out” as that annoying, freeze-causing pop-up kept telling me. 

Here’s hoping the HORROR of being computerless has gone away for now, and that tomorrow is a much smoother day. 

And to Mae Clair and Yvette Calliero, please forgive me for not being able to respond to all the wonderful comments you each received. It was lovely to have you here, even if I was MIA for much of it, and I hope you both get some new readers coming your way, too!

Thanks for your patience, everyone. As you were!

 

#BadMoonRising – Post 13 Featuring Deby Fredericks

/ Marcia Meara / 2 Comments

 

Another fun post over on Bad Moon Rising today, this time featuring author Deby Fredericks. I know you’ll enjoy reading what Deby has to say this morning, so without further ado, here’s the link to her entertaining and interesting comments.

Check out Deby’s Post HERE
Enjoy!

#TenThingsYouMayNotKnow – About Yvette Calleiro

/ Marcia Meara / 41 Comments

 

Happy Wodin’s Day, Folks! Time for another Ten Things post, and this one features a first time guest on The Write Stuff, author Yvette Calleiro.  I hope you’ve been enjoying this series as much as I have been, and I’m absolutely sure this will be another post you’ll love! Take it away, Yvette!

Ten Things You May Not Know About Me
by Yvette Calleiro

  1. I am an Army brat. I was born in Germany and have lived in five U.S. states and two other countries. I’ve settled in Miami, Florida, but I do my best to escape during the summer months to explore our great country.
  2. I am an empath with a strong sixth sense and a loud inner voice.
  3. I have a goal to see all 50 states in the USA before my son graduates from high school. After this summer’s road trip, we will only have three states to go!
  4. I was named after the actress, Yvette Mimieux. Although my parents are both Cuban Americans, my mother chose the French spelling of Yvette. I’ve spent most of my life having to spell out my name because the majority of people around me want to spell it with an I (Ivette).
  5. I am an intensive reading teacher at a middle school. My first twenty years were spent teaching reading at a high school. I’ve been teaching the middle grades for five years now, and I love it.
  6. I love being surrounded by nature. My sanctuary is the beach, with the forest being a close second. I enjoy camping, kayaking, paddle boarding, hiking, and bike riding, so long as I’m out in Mother Earth’s element.
  7. I am highly allergic to mosquito bites, and I’m a mega-magnet for them. Of course, this does not mesh well with my love for nature. My favorite bite repellants are coconut oil and a lemon-eucalyptus blend that I found.
  8. I am a firm believer in holistic wellness. I use homeopathy and kinesiology to keep my body healthy and balanced. I do my best to eat organic (or at least, non-GMO). I also enjoy EFT (emotional frequency tapping) to calm my nervous system.
  9. Music tends to be background noise for me. As a child, I could sing along to everything on the radio and would collect records and tapes and listen to them all day long. As an adult, I only listen to music in the car. I prefer silence over sound.
  10. The two books that got me hooked forever on reading were The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien and My Sweet Audrina by VC Andrews. The Hobbit opened up the world of fantasy for me, and I’ve never left. My Sweet Audrina fascinated me with the depth of character development, and I continue to crave more about the human psyche.

~~~

Author Yvette Calleiro

Yvette M. Calleiro is a heavily addicted reader of both young adult and adult novels.  She spends most of her time pseudo-living in paranormal worlds with her fictional friends (and boyfriends). She’s also been known to ride the stationary bike at her gym for hours while reading anything from paranormal to fantasy to suspenseful thrillers.

When she’s living amongst real people, Yvette M. Calleiro is a middle school Reading and Language Arts teacher. She’s been sharing her love of literature with her students for over twenty years. Besides writing about the various characters that whisper (and sometimes scream) in her head, she enjoys traveling, watching movies, spending quality time with family and friends, and enjoying the beauty of the ocean.

Yvette lives in Miami, Florida, with her beautiful son who allows enjoys paranormal and adventurous stories. She also shares her space with an assortment of crazy saltwater animals in her 300-gallon tank.

~~~

Buy Yvette’s Chronicles of the Diasodz (5 Book Series) HERE

Buy Yvette’s Short Story, Breathless, HERE

~~~

Reach Yvette on Social Media Here:

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/yvettemcalleiro

Twitter – https://twitter.com/YvetteMCalleiro

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7800735.Yvette_M_Calleiro

Website – http://yvettemcalleiro.blogspot.com/

 

BONUS #GuestDayTuesday – #NewRelease – #Things Old and Forgotten by #MaeClair

/ Marcia Meara / 47 Comments

Today is a BONUS #GuestDayTuesday, folks, and I’m so happy to have my good friend, Mae Clair, here today to tell us about her brand new release, Things Old and Forgotten.  I can’t wait to read this one, and know you’re gonna feel the same way, so let’s get right to it. Mae, take it away!

*****

Hi, Marcia! Thanks for hosting me today and allowing me to share my newest release with your readers. Things Old and Forgotten is a collection of short fiction that includes stories in several genres—magical realism, fantasy, speculative, even two that touch on mild horror.

But not all the tales are mystical or eerie. Miss Lily Makes a Wish is a light-hearted piece about a genteel southern lady who gets the better of a powerful order of genies. I had a lot of fun with this one.

In the excerpt below, Miss Lily is visited by Kaliq, a genie. He arrives to grant her the three wishes he’s promised for freeing him from captivity.

EXCERPT

Miss Lily smiled politely when Kaliq appeared the next day in a mushrooming puff of green.

He folded an arm over his waist and performed a courtly bow. Such a gentleman! “Have you chosen your three wishes, Miss Lily?”

She nibbled her lip as she studied the rear lawn from her porch spring. Sad state of affairs, her yard. The bushes needed to be trimmed, and the flowerbeds sprouted with an overabundance of weeds. Not just a few, but whole parties of the pesky things. Betty Nelbrecker would point out the shortcomings the next time she visited.

The place is starting to look run down, don’t you think, Miss Lily?

A pox on the old biddy.

It was hard for a single woman to get by on her own, especially when the years were creeping up and finances were tight. The house was getting old, the only bright spot the rear porch with its rickety wooden swing, white wicker furniture, and pots of geraniums. Sipping a tall glass of lemonade, she fingered the handle of her flyswatter. The mosquitos weren’t nearly as bothersome tonight.

“It’s fearful hot, don’t you think?” She used a dog-eared copy of International Living to fan herself. She’d spent the afternoon reading up on Naples, fantasizing about a coastal home within walking distance of cafes and museums. “Daddy used to say it was just like the Devil himself spit on the Mississippi River and boiled the water. A cool breeze would be nice, but just my house, mind. It wouldn’t be right if I chose for other folks. Betty Nelbrecker likes it hot.”

Kaliq blinked. “Pardon?”

“I’d like a cool breeze, please.”

She wondered if it was possible for a genie to look dumbfounded. This one certainly did.

“Miss Lily, is that a wish?”

Thwack!

She nailed the mosquito in midair before it could land on her polka dot sundress. “Bothersome pests! Yes, Kaliq, that is a wish.”

He scratched his chin. “It’s not in my place to question, Miss Lily, but you do understand you’d be using one of your three wishes.”

“I do.”

“And you still wish to proceed?”

“I do.”

The genie sighed. Raising his hands, he spoke a few words in a language she didn’t understand. The tattoos on his forearms flared to life in a spectrum of sunset colors before fading to antique gold. A cool breeze frolicked through the open porch, blissful and refreshing as a dip in Peddler’s Pond.

She closed her eyes. “Ah, that’s nice.”

*****

BLURB

A man keeping King Arthur’s dream of Camelot alive.
A Robin Hood battling in a drastically different Sherwood.
A young man facing eternity in the desert.
A genteel southern lady besting a powerful order of genies.
A woman meeting her father decades after his death.

These are but a few of the intriguing tales waiting to be discovered in Things Old and Forgotten. Prepare to be transported to realms of folklore and legend, where magic and wonder linger around every corner, and fantastic possibilities are limited only by imagination.

Buy Things Old and Forgotten in the U.S. HERE
And in the U.K. HERE
*****

Thanks again for hosting me today, Marcia. In honor of my love for autumn—a fantastic time to curl up with a book—Things Old and Forgotten will be on sale for .99c through October 31st.

*****

And thank you again for being here, Mae. Congratulations on this new book, and I can’t wait to read it.  May I also say that the cover is absolutely stunning! One of the prettiest I’ve seen, and very eye-catching, too! Already downloaded my copy, folks, and I highly recommend you grab yours too while it’s still available at this terrific price!

Connect with Mae Clair at BOOKBUB and the following haunts:

Amazon| BookBub| Newsletter Sign-Up
Website | Blog| Twitter| Goodreads| All Social Media

 

#BadMoonRising – Post 11 Featuring Matt Doyle

/ Marcia Meara / 1 Comment

Sorry to be running late today, but I once heard someone say, “better late than never.” 😉 With that thought in mind, here’s today’s Bad Moon Rising post, featuring author Matt Doyle. I think you’ll find it very entertaining, just as I did, so be sure to head on over.

Check out Matt Doyle’s post HERE
Enjoy!