#ComingSoon

#This&That&TheOtherThing – #GuestDayTuesday – #AmWriting – #HappyEaster

/ Marcia Meara / 28 Comments

Just a quick catch-up this afternoon, since I don’t think I’ll be around much this weekend. All sorts of stuff going on around here, as usual, and also as usual, I’m way behind on ALL of it. Plugging away at things, though! Honest!

THIS

Putting another call out for #GuestDayTuesday posters. If you have a new release, a cover reveal, an excerpt you’d like to share (new or old), a promo you want to share, or some interesting tidbits about writing or marketing, #GuestDayTuesday is a perfect way to go. I’m very flexible about the topic of your posts and will include your author bio and photo, book covers, links to buy your books, and social media links.  Every other Tuesday is pretty much wide open from May 3 through the end of the year. Email me and we’ll set up a date that works for you!

THAT

I have some fun (I hope) ideas in mind for some random posts in the weeks ahead, to include “Question of the Day”  and “Forgotten Words,” for two possible examples. Stay tuned for more. 

THE OTHER THING

Meanwhile, I haven’t forgotten that I promised you Rabbit fans out there a new series of novellas featuring that very special little boy (and his equally special abilities), his doting father, MacKenzie Cole, and his unofficially adopted big brother, Austin Dupree. (The upside of being alone in the world at ten is that you have a chance to choose the perfect family for yourself.)

I know I’ve been unable to work on this novella for a few weeks, but I promise that one way or the other, that will change. Cole, Cole, & Dupree Investigative Services (Motto: We Can Help!) IS coming to a Kindle store near you just as soon as I can make it happen!

And that wraps up this edition of This & That & The Other Thing.
Happy Easter Weekend to All!



UPDATE: Still Here, and Still Crazy After All These Years!

/ Marcia Meara / 41 Comments

Yep, in spite of the fact that I’ve not left my house in over 8 weeks, nor seen the face of a single friend, nor been able to do much writing thanks to COVID-Brain, I am definitely feeling lucky. I’m still HERE! As of today, at least, I still get another chance to do it all better! And that, my friends, is a daily miracle we often forget, and honestly, one I’m surprised to find myself enjoying: the miracle of life in all its guises. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. WOOOO and also HOOOO!! 

To bring you up to date, I am no longer having any symptoms of this dreaded, miserably wretched, murderous virus we’re all sick of hearing about. I do have a greatly reduced energy level, but I’ve even seen some improvement in that area, too. I know the fatigue-related stuff can go on for an extended period, but I’ve learned how to go on, myself, right alongside it. In other words, it might slow me down, but it’s not going to stop me. 

I do plan to return to blogging (and visiting the blogs of my friends) by October 1. I’m giving myself the rest of this month without any firm commitments as to the blog or my current WIP, just keeping the posting and writing flexible and simple for now. But come October 1, I want to get back to my regularly scheduled programming, as they say.

I will be putting out a call for those who’d like to take part in #GuestDayTuesdays to share promotions, new releases, and various other topics. I’ll be continuing with my new #GrannySays series, and will start back sharing weekly roundup posts from Story Empire and Sally Cronin’s Smorgasbord. I’m not going to continue with #FirstLineFriday for now, though that might return in the future. But I do want to run some special “events” now and then, such as #ExcerptWeek, and a few new things I’m going to fit in here and there.

I’m very much looking forward to resuming these features and adding some new ones, and to finishing my current WIP, Riverbend #4, Working title A Need to Burn, and just may share some excerpts from that, along the way.

And finally, I’d like to thank all of you for your support and encouragement over the last weeks. Our blogging and writing community is the absolute BEST, and I appreciate each and every one of you! 

Stay tuned, my friends, and remember, “Life Finds a Way.” (Recognize that? Hmmm. Maybe a new series for this blog: “Who Said It?” That could be fun!)

Now go forth and live YOUR life! And be sure to stay Safe and Well! (It’s much more enjoyable that way.)

#TwoferTuesday No. 1 – The Countdown Continues – 13 More Weeks!

/ Marcia Meara / 11 Comments

As promised, a bit more in celebration and anticipation of the upcoming release of Peace Talks, the 16th book in the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher. Only 13 more weeks to go! 

~ A DRESDEN FILES TIDBIT ~

 All of the fabulous covers for this series were done by my favorite cover artist, Chris McGrath. Chris does some of the best fantasy covers out there, and his model for Harry Dresden (John Paul Pfeiffer) is on many of them, including Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn series, D. B. Jackson’s Thieftaker series, and more. John Paul is also the face I imagined for my own male “lead” in my Wake-Robin Ridge series. (I can dream, can’t I?) You can see more of Chris McGrath’s work HERE.

~ A DRESDEN FILES MINI-QUIZ ~

Which of these answers is correct?
Harry Dresden lives with three pet animals:
His dog, Mister
His cat, Mouse
His parrot, Beelzebub

(Note: Sorry, no prizes for this one. Just a fun way to see who’s been paying attention, who hasn’t, and who really doesn’t give a flip. 😀  Feel free to answer in the comments.)

And that’s it for today’s Countdown Post. I’ll be back next Tuesday with a few more images and tidbits for your browsing amusement. (And mine. Okay, mostly mine, probably. 😀 )

UNTIL THEN, REMEMBER:

Time Travel – A Frequently Used Literary Device

/ Don Massenzio / 53 Comments

Guest Post by Don Massenzio

As a reader, my fascination with time travel began as a child. When I first read The Time Machine by H.G. Wells, I was enthralled by the idea of travelling either backward or forward in time.

Traveling backward could allow one to catch glimpses of historical events or important figures. You could go back and wander among dinosaurs. Similarly, traveling forward gives a view of the development of man, technology and the future of our planet.

As I sat down to write my book, Extra Innings, I was fascinated by the different views of time travel that have been used in fiction. This post will discuss those various theories and I’ll give you a view of my thought process in landing on one.

Here are some of the theories that have been presented in fiction:

Watercolor dreamcatcher with beads and feathers. Illustration fo

  1. Precognition – This is the idea of seeing the future during dreams or through the feeling of déjà vu. Abstract black and white design
  2. Time Loops – If you’ve watched the movie, Ground Hog Day, you’ve seen this time travel plot device in action. Usually the events time loop repeat until the character or characters perform a certain action to end the loop and move forward.De Lorean
  3. Time Paradox – If you watched Back to the Future, when Marty McFly went back in time and nearly prevented his parents from getting together for the high school dance, you’ve experienced this time travel device.Time Tourism
  4. Time Tourism – Just like it sounds, when time travelers travel through time to witness historical events as a spectator, this is time tourism.terminator
  5. Time War – This is the use of time travel to conduct war over time using time travel. It could involve going back in time to change events leading up to a pivotal battle or trying to bring about a reset of events that didn’t play out as planned.Erasing The Past
  6. Changing the past – This is the notion of time travel that I used in my book, Extra Innings. The idea of changing the past is logically contradictory. Even though the consensus today is that the past cannot be changed, science fiction writers have used the idea of changing the past for good story effect. Stephen King used this method of time travel effectively in his book, 11/22/63, by having his main character, Jake Epping, attempt to go back in time to prevent the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Though ultimately successful, when Epping returns to the present, he discovers that his actions have had unintended consequences.

If you enjoy time travel and the possibility of going back in time to right wrongs and do things differently if given a chance, follow the adventures of Joe McLean in my latest novel, Extra Innings.

SAMPLE

Joe McLean hates his life. A lonely, divorced, middle-aged man, stuck in a cramped apartment, the only bright spot in Joe’s life is cheering on his hometown baseball team.

Now, the local stadium, the place of many childhood and adult memories is being replaced. Joe desperately wants a piece of this iconic venue to preserve his memories and have some memorabilia from his happier past.

That’s when unusual things begin to happen, and Joe begins to rethink the direction his life has taken. Can Joe take a different path in life?

Can he use the special ability that he has acquired to change the course of his life? Will he realize the truth about old adage, you can never go home again? Follow the twists and turns in this supernatural story, Extra Innings, to find out.

 

#ComingSoon – #ExcerptWeek

/ Marcia Meara / 17 Comments

treewritesblog

After checking my calendar, I realized that my schedule next week won’t allow me time to give my attention to running Excerpt Week, but the following week looks perfect.  So, mark your calendars! Our next #ExcerptWeek will begin Saturday, 9/24, and will run through the close of day Sunday, 10/2. (A week, and one to grow on!)

If you are new to #ExcerptWeek, here are the guidlines:

1. Excerpts may be from any book or work in  progress, published or not, but may not be political, religious, or overtly erotic in nature. (Fantasy world politics are fine, as are urban fantasies about angels, demons, etc. And sexy is fine. If you aren’t clear on the distinction between sexy and erotic, email me, and I’ll clarify.)

2. Excerpts may be any length you wish to share, though if they are very long, I will let them run in full for a day or two, then will insert the “Read More” tag. This is just to keep the home page from becoming too cluttered. Feel free to share as much as you like.

3. Those who are regular contributors may publish their excerpts at will.  Those who aren’t must contact me, and I’ll explain how it’s done. PLEASE do NOT add your excerpt to the Comments section under anyone else’s post. Not only is that unfair to the original poster, but no one will SEE your work there. Just email me, and I’ll get you up on the main page, I promise. Email: mmeara@cfl.rr.com

4. You may publish more than one excerpt during the week, especially if things are slower than usual.

5. Sharing with The Write Stuff means your post will be passed along to many, many other viewers, so it’s a great chance for exposure. All we ask in return is that you do your part by sharing what others post, as often as possible. It’s what The Write Stuff is all about.

So, in brief, share your work, reach new readers, and help others reach them, too.

Again, for you folks who’ve never taken part in #ExcerptWeek here, just email me, and I will do my best to help.  mmeara@cfl.rr.com 

DON’T FORGET TO MARK YOUR CALENDARS!