#SwampGhosts Meet the Author Eco-Tour

January 9, 2016 / Marcia Meara / Leave a comment

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Off for an afternoon on the fabulous St. Johns River with a group of folks from a local book club. I really love doing all of these events here in central Florida, but a river cruise has got to be right at the top of the list. What could be more fun than a relaxing ride on the St. Johns, watching the birds and gators and manatees? Sharing it with fellow book lovers, that’s what!

You guys have a great weekend, and tomorrow, I’ll be letting you know what’s in store for the weeks ahead. Write on!

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Aaaahhhhh…that’s better!

September 12, 2015 / Marcia Meara / 8 Comments

Thankfully, last week’s problems seem to be sorting themselves out satisfactorily, which is nice, because it frees me up to deal with THIS week’s problems, as they arise. And they are sure to arise. 😉

Swamp Ghosts, it all its forms, seems to be looking correct once again. Finding Hunter has been corrected on Kindle, so that the formatting is prettier, and I have just ordered a new proof of the print version from CreateSpace. So Hunter Painter’s distressing tale seems resolved, at the present time.

I can breathe again. And possibly even sneak in some reading this weekend. (I’m close to the halfway point in Lee Child’s latest Reacher book, Make Me. OH, how I love watching Jack Reacher tug on threads one at a time, as he slowly unravels the latest mystery he’s uncovered.) And I can even catch up on my Bookin’ It reviews, perhaps.

However, I can’t dawdle for long. Rabbit has a story to tell, and when that boy gets to talking, there’s no stopping him. So, I plan to start Harbinger in the next day or two. I’m already putting together my inspiration board, filled with gorgeous images of the North Carolina mountains. *sigh* Makes me want to load up my car and go!

But…here’s the biggest news of all. Starting on Monday, here at The Write Stuff…we’re going to have an EVENT! Nothing earth-shattering or difficult, but it should be fun. Stay tuned for details shortly.

And that’s it for me today. What wonderful things are you guys up to this weekend?

Happy Ending Almost In Sight!

September 7, 2015September 7, 2015 / Marcia Meara / 5 Comments

Even as I type, the correct version of Swamp Ghosts is being restored to its rightful place between the alligator infested covers of same! Woohooo. And the Usurper, Finding Hunter, has been sent back to his OWN book, with firm instructions never to stray from within those covers again! Ever!!

Like many of Life’s Learning Experiences, this one wasn’t fun. But it did teach me to be very, very careful in the future, and not let anything cause me to rush, or to work when I’m too tired to think straight. But, when everything’s said and done, all’s well that ends well. (I made that up. No, really. I did. Okay, I didn’t. Not a bit of it. So sue me. *grin* )

By tonight or tomorrow, this whole thing will be nothing but a memory, and me? I’m movin’ on! I have stories to tell, books to write, and self-marketing to . . . to . . . to try and palm off on somebody else! 😀

Have a great week, you guys! I think next week, we’re due to have an event around this place. Maybe an Excerpt Week. Haven’t had one of those in ages, and I’m sure you all have books you’d like to promote. Stay tuned!

Finding Hunter, Swamp Ghosts, and Amazon Headaches!

September 7, 2015 / Marcia Meara / 2 Comments

Let’s see…good news first:

The CORRECT version of Finding Hunter is ready to download from Kindle, and seems to be working fine. I haven’t officially “Launched” this one yet, but if you are wanting to read Book 2 of my Riverbend series, it’s ready.

The semi-good news is that the INCORRECT version of Swamp Ghosts is now LIVE in my store, which means I can start the correction upload shortly.

The BAD news is, while it’s up on the Amazon Book page, it is NOT live on my Amazon Author Bookshelf, and therefore, I can’t access it to start making the swap back to the correct content. I guess I’m stuck checking every five minutes until I can do that, and then, I’ll cross my fingers that it goes through without a hitch, and this horrible nightmare will be resolved by tomorrow. Hopefully no one will have downloaded a bad version during that window between versions.

Let this be a lesson to all of us. Check, recheck, and double check before you click ANY upload button on Amazon, because once you do, you’re pretty much at their mercy. If I sound a bit disgruntled, it’s because I am. I think there should be a failsafe button somewhere that says “STOP this action IMMEDIATELY.” But alas. It is what it is, as a wise man once said, and we just have to muddle through the occasional calamity as best we can.

In the meantime, if you’ve already read (and enjoyed) Swamp Ghosts, why not take a look at Finding Hunter? It’s a very different kind of story, but one I hope most readers will enjoy. Thanks!

Ever Have One of THOSE Days?

September 6, 2015September 6, 2015 / Marcia Meara / 19 Comments

Actually, I’ve been having one of those days since Friday. Ever since I sat down to format Finding Hunter for CreateSpace, and Word refused to cooperate. Slowly, I’ve become a snarling, ill-tempered wreck, biting my nails, tearing my hair, and cursing everything and everyone in my sight. NOT a pretty picture.

But I thought I had finally gotten everything wrapped up pretty well this morning. Then I decided to make a small change to the back material in Finding Hunter for Kindle. I made the change, uploaded the new file, and checked out my Bookshelf…ONLY to see that I had uploaded the newly revised Finding Hunter manuscript to the Swamp Ghosts file!!!! (If you heard a hideous scream coming from every direction at once an hour or so ago, it was probably me. No matter where you live.)

Once I could breathe again, I called Amazon customer service, and got a very nice man immediately. Only problem was, he couldn’t cancel the upload. Only Kindle Select folks can do that. And they’re gone. For the weekend. But they’ll email me when they get back. 24 to 48 hours from now. Meanwhile, the changes will go live in 12.

The good news is, I can fix them at that time, but then along will come Kindle Select personnel in 24 hours, and stop what I just fixed. For the life of me, I can’t see how this plays out in less than a week of messing around, during which time anyone who buys Swamp Ghosts is going to find the wrong book inside the covers.

Now, you’d think they could go back and download the RIGHT one, once it’s all fixed. But I’m still without a current version of Wake-Robin Ridge, after paying for it three times. It still sends me the original version, errors and all.

I’m not a happy camper. I’m not sure I’m ever going to be a happy camper again. And right now, I’m in the ridiculous position of praying no one downloads a Kindle version of Swamp Ghosts for the next week or so. You’ve been warned. If you were considering reading it, please wait until I give the go-ahead, to be sure you aren’t stuck with Finding Hunter in a Swamp Ghosts cover. I’d say a week should do it, but I’ll post here if it gets sorted sooner.

Now, I’m going to go lock myself in my room and have a good cry. So there.

Happy Saturn’s Day!

May 30, 2015 / Marcia Meara / 5 Comments

Photographer Doug Little, Me, and Captain Jeanne Bell on the Naiad

Hope you’re all having a wonderful weekend. Got a call from a local newspaper this week, requesting a telephone interview. What a surprise, and what fun, too. Can’t wait to see how it turns out. Hope the interviewer (very nice gal) was able to understand my Southernese. 🙂 She wanted a picture of me with wildlife photographer Doug Little & Captain Jeanne Bell of the Naiad, the Eco-Tour Boat that goes out of Highbanks Marina nearly every day. (These are the good folks who inspired the main characters in my book, Swamp Ghosts.) Any excuse to go visit my friends on their boat is a happy thing for me, so I met them around mid-day, and we had a few good laughs taking pictures, and catching up a bit. Just thought I’d share.

Now, what are YOU guys up to this weekend? Anything exciting? Or resting and relaxing? Share! Pics are always good, too. And what’s new with your writing? Got a WIP going? Getting ready to do a promo we should know about? Let us hear from you! And above all, enjoy the rest of your weekend. I know I’m going to!

Meet the Author Tour Today!

April 25, 2015 / Marcia Meara / 14 Comments

Can You See Me Now?

Car’s all packed, and I’m ready to go. As soon as my cover designer, Nicki Forde, gets here, we’re off for an afternoon of fun, wildlife observation, and book talk! What could be better? Thank you to everyone who shared my posts about this event. We have a great group signed up, and I can’t wait to meet them all!

Hopefully, I’ll have some good pictures to share when I get back. Have a great Saturn’s Day, you guys. Oh, and if you’re interested, there are still some openings on Tuesday’s tour, 4/28, 1:30pm. You can book here: St. Johns River Eco Tours.