We’re Waiting For You
Come on you guys…now’s your chance to share any excerpt you’d like from any book, collection, or WIP you wish. And as often as you wish. We’ll tweet it out there, and get some eyes on your words. If you don’t want to get real sick of reading MY stuff, you need to join in. 😀 Seriously, there are over 650 of you here. Surely someone has a chapter, or a page, or a paragraph they’d like to share? I did it. Callum and Deborah did it. YOU can do it, too. Let your light shine!
It came out of nowhere. The day had been hot, baking the ground into powdery dust, and wilting every plant in my garden, even those touted as being drought-tolerant. I was running the irrigation out of desperation. Then…dum, dum, duuuuummmmmm…a clap of thunder and a sudden darkening of the sky. That was all the warning I got.
Within minutes, torrential rain was falling…sideways! Wind was hurling small branches and other debris across my yard, and I could hear thumps and bumps coming from the roof. But worse, yet, I could hear a loud, and growing louder, roar approaching. The dogs went ballistic. The cats hid under the sofa. There was a heavy, ominous THUD from outside. I, being far less intelligent than my cats and not quite as loud as my dogs, ran to the glass door to see what had happened.
I was shocked to note that the sideways rain had turned into something I’d never seen before–sideways hail, larger than marbles, spraying across the yard like bullets from an automatic weapon, and sounding pretty much the same, as it bounced off every surface in sight. Squinting through the…umm…SIDEpour, I could make out that one of our 35-year-old laurel oaks had given up the fight. Or knuckled under without one, being at death’s door, already. It lay across our yard, across the front sidewalk, across the street, and into our neighbor’s yard. Gleep. Okay, “gleep” isn’t actually what I said, but this is a public forum, so it will suffice for now.
We made the national news. This is mostly not a good thing. In our case, we had winds “well over 70mph,” and hail the size of golf balls, which I assume is the only reference weathermen know to use when describing hail, since they never say things like “hail the size of mandarin oranges,” or “hail the size of ripe loquats.” We also had more than 5 inches of rain in less than a half hour.
For those who don’t know, 75 mph winds are hurricane force winds. So, essentially, we experienced a forty-five minute hurricane here in Seminole County, yesterday. And did I mention the tornados? Time for another “gleep.”
Florida. Land of extremes. Thank God we have plenty of alligators, snakes, sharks, mosquitoes, and oh yeah, Burmese pythons, now. Otherwise, I suppose Life would get boring.
So how was YOUR Monday?
If any of you ladies write horror, this might be a bit of good exposure. It’s non-paying at this time, but it shows promise of growing into something amazing if given time and the attention it deserves.
The lovely quote at the end of Deborah’s post says it all, so eloquently.
The sad news has just filtered out of the death (on Sunday, May 24th, 2015) of Tanith Lee, prolific author of fantasy and horror. She was the first woman to win the British Fantasy Award (1980) and was recognized just a couple of years ago at the World Fantasy Convention with a Lifetime Achievement Award (see my post about that day here).
She was also a lovely, warm and friendly lady, with whom I shared a literary agent in the days when I was pursuing a traditional publishing deal. She was always encouraging and supportive, which meant a great deal to a fledgling author.
Recently, even in ill health, she generously donated a story to the anthology, THE WORLD AND THE STARS, that I published just 5 weeks ago.
Her website now shows merely her dates, and this quote from her work:
“Though we come and go…
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Last Day, Folks…Don’t miss out! 😀
Last day to sign up for my monthly Newsletter and request a free download of one of my books, your choice. Deal ends at 5:00PM EDT tonight. Don’t miss out. Your chance to read either Book 1 or Book 2 of my Wake-Robin Ridge series (or ask for the boxed set, and get them both). And if you’re in the mood for something more…tropical?…slithery?…Vikingly?…try Swamp Ghosts. 🙂 The sleepy little town of Riverbend, Florida is full of surprises! Just sign up (by clicking the link at the top of the right sidebar) and email me with your request: mmeara@cfl.rr.com It’s that simple. Simple is good. FREE is better! 🙂
FREE is GOOD! 😀
Sign up for my newsletter (link, top right column) and I’ll gift you with a free download to your choice of my eBooks: Summer Magic, Wake-Robin Ridge, A Boy Named Rabbitor Swamp Ghosts. That’s it! Just sign up, and then email me at mmeara@cfl.rr.com to be sure I don’t miss you. I’ll have Amazon send you a download link to whichever of my books you’d like to have, completely free.
Free is good! 🙂
Here are the links, so you can read the blurbs. Remember that A Boy Named Rabbitis Book 2 of the Wake-Robin Ridge series, and while it’s basically a stand-alone, it will be much easier to understand if you’ve already read Wake-Robin Ridge.
Wake-Robin Ridge
A Boy Named Rabbit
Swamp Ghosts
Summer Magic: Poems of Life & Love
My thanks to Callum McLaughlin for this cool award! Read on to find out more about me than ought to be legal. 😀
Though I’m sorry to say I haven’t had a lot of time for my blogs lately, due to long days of writing novels that I hope will help feed me in my even more advanced old age, I still love it when I have time to review a book or two here on Bookin’ It, or share with my fellow writers and friends on The Write Stuff. So I was especially pleased and grateful when Callum McLaughlin nominated me for the Real Neat Blog award. My heartfelt thanks, Callum! It’s nice to know I still qualify, even with fewer posts.
These are the questions Callum posed, along with my answers, such as they are. Read on, to find out more about me than you probably ever wanted to know.
CALLUM: Physical book or eBook?
ME: I’m greedy! I want both. I see no need for this to be an…
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I have a very funny guest on my blog today and had to share. I think we all can relate to her 8 Things To Expect When Someone Asks You To Guest Post.
After a long work week we all can use a good laugh. Which is why I thought the weekend was the perfect time for my next guest to brighten our day. www.blondewritemore.wordpress.com is my go-to site when I need a good laugh. As such I had to ask Lucy to add some humor to my blog, a site dedicated to crime. And she didn’t disappoint!
Take it away, Lucy!
Being asked to do a guest post for another blogger can fill you with pride and put a twinkle in your eye. Someone out there likes you and wants you to write them a guest post. Cue the warm glow followed by a hop skip and a jump around your writing desk!
It’s a wonderful moment when you excitedly type back ‘I would love to be a guest…
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I’ve got a whole list of reviews I’m trying to work through, and Jen’s new book is the first. You really need to check out her Lydia Trinket series. It’s VERY good, and Peak of the Devil is super!
My Rating: 5 of 5 Stars
I’ve followed Jen Rasmussen’s blog for some time, always enjoying her intelligent, witty posts, and her dry sense of humor, though I’ve never met her personally. When she wrote her first novel, Ghost in the Canteen, I couldn’t wait to read it. I was sure I would enjoy it, and I was right. If you haven’t checked it out, you should. It’s the first book in this series, and it’s a humdinger, with a premise completely new to me. (Clue: It involves a drink called switchel, which was a word I’d never heard before reading that book.)
Peak of the Devil is Book 2 of this series, and I have to say, it’s not as good as the first one…it’s better! Rasmussen’s already solid writing was even stronger this time around. The tough-talking, snarky star of the series, Lydia Trinket, is back, giving a…
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Look Who Made Caitlin’s List! 😀
Top Ten Tuesdays are hosted by The Broke and The Bookish, and feature lists related to all things bookish–characters, authors, titles, and favorites. They’re an excellent way to find new interesting books on a variety of topics, and to find bloggers that love the books you do.
Check out their blog for their top ten and lists of other bloggers who participate!
May 12: Ten Authors I REALLY Want To Meet.
This one was more difficult than I expected, many of my favorites are gone. Who are the authors you’d like to show a little love to?
Patricia Briggs. Awesome kick-butt werewolves and were-coyotes, and a fun sense of humor.
Lois McMaster Bujold. I adore her manic, off-the-wall hero so very much. And she built a world I’d actually want to live in.
John Green. Not only is he a good writer, he’s also an awesomely geeky and…
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