#TenThingsYouMayNotKnowAboutMe

#TenThingsYouMayNotKnow – About Deborah Jay

/ Marcia Meara / 74 Comments

Once again, another Wednesday has rolled around, and it’s time for a new Ten Things list. This one is from author Deborah Jay, a friend who lives in Scotland (ooooh … men in kilts!) and I think you’re going to enjoy it a lot. With that in mind, I’m turning the floor over to her without further delay. Take it away, Debby!

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Ten Things You May Not Know About Me
by Deborah Jay

  1. Although I work professionally as a trainer of dressage horses, I have competed in a wide range of other horse sports, including long distance riding, horse trials (eventing), show jumping, showing classes, and side-saddle competitions.
  2. I am a total Lord of the Rings geek, and when I visited New Zealand, I took a 2-week tour visiting filming locations, some of which were only accessible by helicopter.
  3. I once modelled nude for a life class for the local art school.
  4. I can’t cook. I love to eat, but someone else has to produce it!
  5. I was an official at the London 2012 Olympics.
  6. A few days before the UK’s first Covid lockdown I achieved my dream house move, and now live full time in the Scottish Highlands, about 15 miles from Loch Ness.
  7. We adopt and foster rescue dogs with behavioural difficulties that mean they don’t fit into regular homes.
  8. I have been a passionate flower gardener for some years. Now I’m learning to grow vegetables as well.
  9. My hair really was ginger when I was young. Now it takes regular dying to keep it this way.
  10. My real name is Deborah Judith Lush. Hence I used my middle initial to come up with my pen name of Deborah Jay.

Debby Outside Sam & Rosie’s Hobbit Hole

~~~

Author Deborah Jay

Deborah Jay writes fantasy and urban fantasy featuring complex, quirky characters and multi-layered plots – just what she likes to read.

Fortunate to live near Loch Ness in the majestic, mystery-filled Scottish Highlands with her partner and a pack of rescue dogs, she can often be found lurking in secluded glens and forests, researching locations for her books.

She has a dream day job riding, training and judging competition dressage horses and riders, and also writes books and magazine features on the subject under her professional name of Debby Lush.

A lifelong fan of science fiction and fantasy, she started writing her first novel aged eight, and has never stopped. Her first published novel is epic fantasy, THE PRINCE’S MAN, first in the Five Kingdoms series, and winner of a UK Arts Council award. #2, THE PRINCE’S SON and #3, THE PRINCE’S PROTEGE are both available with the concluding book in the quartet, THE PRINCE’S HEIR, due out in 2021.

Her first urban fantasy, DESPRITE MEASURES, about a Scottish water sprite, is the opening novel of the CALEDONIAN SPRITE SERIES. The companion short story, SPRITE NIGHT is available FREE on most ebook retailers.

BUY DEBORAH JAY’S BOOKS HERE:
 Amazon author page: https://viewAuthor.at/DeborahJay

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REACH DEBORAH ON SOCIAL MEDIA HERE:

https://deborahjayauthor.com/

https://www.facebook.com/DeborahJay

https://twitter.com/DeborahJay2

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/debbylush/boards/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7172608.Deborah_Jay

Newsletter sign up and FREE short story: http://eepurl.com/bPZcmT

Deborah Jay Author (list-manage.com)

 

#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.

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

Buy Yvette’s Short Story, Breathless, HERE

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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/

 

#I’m BACK! #Update #BlogFeatures

/ Marcia Meara / 53 Comments

Okay, okay. I know I look NOTHING like Gene Wilder, but he’s a personal favorite of mine and I couldn’t resist his saucy expression! 😀 Besides, the message works! I am officially back from my adventure in the Land of Breakthrough COVID. (Not an adventure I’d wish on anybody else, and boy am I grateful every day that we’d gotten both of our shots before this hit us.) I’m also grateful to have come through it all not too much the worse for wear. Still low energy, so I try not to push too hard, but mostly all symptoms are gone, even those dreadful narcoleptic-like fatigue episodes.

The important thing is, I survived,  and I feel well enough to tackle getting most of my regular blog features back up and running  once more, though it’s possible, I may need to step back now and then if I find I’m getting overwhelmed. Hopefully that won’t happen, or at least, not often.  With that in mind,  here’s what you can look for coming up on The Write Stuff, usually on a bi-weekly basis:

  1. Every other Monday: #MondayMeme (usually writing related)
  2. Every other Tuesday: #GuestDayTuesday (I’m ready to start scheduling )
  3. Every other Wednesday: #TenThingsYouMayNotKnowAboutMe guests
  4.  Every other Thursday: #ThorsDaySmiles
  5. Every other Friday: #Granny Says

I have the weeks set up so that Monday, Wednesday, & Friday posts run one week, and Tuesday and Thursday posts, the next week. That gives me a couple of empty days each week for miscellaneous posts that I want to share and some extra guest posts now and then. Weekends are also open for whatever comes along, and a couple of times a year, I’m planning to run #ExcerptWeek, wherein you’ll be invited to share an excerpt from one of your books as one more way to promote them.

I have the #TenThings Wednesday spots filled every other week up to December, but if you’d like to be scheduled after Wed, Nov 24, just email me, and I’ll get you set up.

#GuestDayTuesday, where you can post anything you want about your books and writing (from promos to new releases to cover reveals, and more),  is wide open, starting now. Tuesday, Oct 12 is the only Tuesday I have already scheduled at this point, so feel free to contact me if you’d like to take part. (Otherwise, you might be seeing a lot of ME as my own guest. 😁 )

And I think that pretty much covers what’s coming up, but if you have any questions, all of the instructions and lists of what I’d need for you to send me are listed above (right beneath the blog header) under “General Blog Rules and Various Feature Instructions.” If you can’t find the information you’re looking for there, feel free to email me, and I’ll help as best I can.

Thanks so much to each of you for your support, healing wishes and prayers, and patience as I dealt with this situation. I am truly looking forward to catching up with all of my favorite blogs once again. And I can’t begin to tell you how much our writing and blogging community has meant to me during the eight-plus weeks I was quarantined! Probably would have lost my mind without the online friendships I’ve made.

All that being said,
IT’S GREAT TO BE BACK!

#TenThingsYouMayNotKnow – About Sarah Brentyn

/ Marcia Meara / 99 Comments

Today’s Wednesday, folks, and you know what that means, right? Right! Another Ten Things post, this time featuring Sarah Brentyn, who, bless her heart, has sucked up her courage and presented us with the ten things she wants everyone to know about her.
(Brace yourselves! 😀  ) You’re on, Sarah … take it away! 

Ten Things You May Not Know About Me
by Sarah Brentyn

Ten juicy, little secrets about myself? Ooh… You all are simply dying to know these things. Your curiosity is palpable. I can feel it through the screen. I will put you out of your misery (and bring you into mine).

  1. I still believe in fairies. (We have fairy doors in our home and build fairy houses in our yard. Though they don’t look as nice as the ones you’re imagining, believe me. Trying to duplicate a beautiful fairy house is like trying to bake a panda bear cake from Pinterest—it turns out looking much like a squashed beetle.)
  2. I have two tattoos. They are not in naughty places—sorry. Ankle and back, I’m afraid. Nothing to see here. Move on.
  3. I fell off a stone at Avebury and landed in nettle. (And took my dear friend down in the process. In fairness to me, I did warn her something like this might happen but, alas, she didn’t believe me. So that’s kind of on her. As were my feet.)
  4. I love essential oils and use them almost every day. Lavender is my go-to, can’t-live-without oil.
  5. I prefer paperback books and am nuts about the condition of them. After I’ve read them, you basically can’t tell I’ve even breathed on them. The spines aren’t creased, the covers aren’t wrinkled, and the pages aren’t crinkled. They’re in mint condition and, yes, yes I do sniff my books (my precioussssss…). Also, I rarely never lend them to anyone. (See previous precious parenthetical.)
  6. I got stuck in a phone booth in Paris with a mime outside. (Don’t ask me about this in the comments. I mean, honestly, why would you want to make me relive that kind of pain? That’s just mean.)
  7. I have a bag in my car at all times filled with blankets, clothing, and coffee shop gift cards so I can give items or food to someone who needs it.
  8. I love herbal tea. I have so much that it takes up two shelves in my kitchen and I buy it in bulk. Fun fact, for those who don’t already know this, herbal “tea” is not tea (because it’s not made from tea leaves).
  9. My natural hair color is (was) blond but I colored it brown. When I became pregnant, I stopped coloring my hair (thinking the blonde roots would grow in and I’d look a bit like a skunk) and it grew in almost the exact shade of brown I was coloring it. (Except for my purple streak…that’s still colored. And wicked cool.)
  10. I’ve worked as a bartender, a cocktail waitress, and a beer girl. (I’ve had other jobs but these are ones you probably didn’t know about and, maybe, didn’t want to. But there you go.)

Here are two bonus facts about me you’ve already figured out (if you’ve been paying any attention to this list): I am a commaholic and have a deep and abiding love for alliteration and parentheses. (Also, I’m very, very bad at math. Those are three facts.)

~~~

Author Sarah Brentyn

I wrote my first story when I was nine years old and never looked back. My work has appeared both in print and online in lit mags, newsletters, websites, newspapers, and anthologies. I have a master’s degree in writing and have taught all ages, from Kindergarteners to adults. When other girls dreamt of being a ballerina, I dreamt of scribbling my thoughts in a notebook and turning them into a book. I bleed ink.

Buy Sarah’s books on Amazon HERE

You can reach Sarah on Social Media HERE:

Books: Hinting at Shadows | On the Edge of a Raindrop

Website: Sarah Brentyn

Blog: Lemon Shark | Lemon Shark Reef

Twitter

Instagram

Pinterest

#TenThingsYouMayNotKnow – About Darlene Foster

/ Marcia Meara / 121 Comments

I hope you guys are enjoying this series as much as I am, because I don’t foresee it going away any time soon, especially with all the great guests we’ve had so far. And today is another list from a really super blogger and writer, Darlene Foster. I know you’ll enjoy it, so let’s get started. Take it away, Darlene!

(NOTE: Just heard from Darlene, who is traveling and can’t respond right now. She said she’s enjoyed reading all your comments and will be responding herself as soon as she’s home. That gal DOES do some serious traveling, as mentioned in her Ten Things List. 😁)

Ten Things You May Not Know About Me
by Darlene Foster

  1. I’m very short, barely graze 5 feet. What I lack in height, I make up for in enthusiasm and determination.
  2. I have worn glasses since I was in grade three. I feel naked without them.
  3. I can’t swim, play the piano, milk a cow, or type. (perhaps all these things require the same chromosome) I have taken lessons to no avail, and drove my dad crazy when he tried to teach me to milk a cow.
  4. My favourite movie is Doctor Zhivago.
  5. My favourite book is Lucy Maude Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables.
  6. I love shoes, books, animals, books, most people, books and chocolate.
  7. I enjoy cooking and baking and love trying different recipes.
  8. My middle name is Dale, after Dale Evans.
  9. I have ridden on the back of a motorcycle over much of Canada, The United States, England and Wales.
  10. I have explored the west coast of British Columbia and Washington State by boat, visiting most of the San Juan and Gulf Islands and venturing as far north as Desolation Sound.

Darlene at the Tower of London Some 40 years ago. (She claims! 😀 )

~~~

Author Darlene Foster

Darlene Foster grew up on a ranch outside of Alberta. She dreamt of writing, travelling the world and meeting interesting people. She also believes everyone is capable of making their dreams come true. It’s no surprise that she’s now the award-winning author of a children’s adventure series about a travelling twelve-year-old-girl. A world-traveler herself, Darlene spends her time in Vancouver, Canada and Costa Blanca in Spain with her husband and amusing dog, Dot.

Find Darlene’s Wonderful Amanda Books  HERE

You can reach Darlene on Social Media Here:

Website  |  Goodreads | Blog | Twitter | Facebook

#TenThingsYouMayNotKnow – About Lynda Lambert

/ Marcia Meara / 48 Comments

Good Morning, Everybody! It’s time for another special guest here on The Write Stuff, for our newest feature. Please help me welcome Lynda Lambert today, with her Ten Things List. I think you’ll really enjoy this one, especially if you haven’t met Lynda before. And on that note, Lynda–take it away!

Ten Things You May Not Know About Me
by Lynda Lambert

  1. Lynda is not my birth name. I changed my first name, from Linda to Lynda, when I was a teenager. Editing and tweaking language has always been fascinating to me.
  2. This year, I received *Special Mention for a Body of Work” by Proverse (Hong Kong). 
  3. The editors chose six of my most recent poems for for this award in the new Mingled Voices5 Anthology published April 26, 2021. Proverse Jurors selected my poetry for four of the five anthologies published annually. I read one of my poems for the spring opening reception to launch the new anthology in Hong Kong. I chose to read “Preparations for a Virtual Spring Salad.”  https://www.amazon.com/Mingled-Voices-International-Proverse-Anthology/dp/988849225X
  4. When I was sixty years old, I got my Pennsylvania motorcycle driver’s license.
  5. However, at age sixty-four, I lost most of my sight and had to give up riding my motorcycle, The Blue Dragon. The license plate on my bike was “Blau” – which is “blue” in German.
  6. We have six cats that are all rescued as feral cats. And we have two dogs, also rescued after they were abandoned by thoughtless owners.
  7. Recently I found a letter that confirmed my first published story. The date on that letter is June 8, 1981, from the American Cage-Bird Society, Chicago, IL. The letter states, “Enclosed is a small token of thanks for your intriguing article in the April 1981 issue of ACBS.” I wrote a story about how I tamed my rare and wild red-bellied macaw, Beaver. A photo features Beaver and me. I used to have fifty birds in my home. 
  8. I create mixed-media fiber art – talismans and wall works. My art is in exhibitions and in collections internationally. Below this list are  two First Place Winners at In Sights art exhibitions in Louisville, KY.
  9.  My husband and I celebrated our 60th wedding anniversary in April 2021.
  10. We have 5 children – 3 daughters are biological; 1 son is adopted from Vietnam; 1 daughter is adopted from Korea.

Saying Farewell to Blau

~~~

Author Lynda Lambert

Pennsylvania author/artist, Lynda McKinney Lambert (b.1943) writes award-winning books, thoughtful personal essays, and spare poems.

Lambert lives and works in rural western Pennsylvania in The Village of Wurtemburg. Lynda authored 5 books and her work appears in a number of prestigious anthologies in the US, UK, and Hong Kong.

Lynda  creates art and writings from the inspirations of her life-experiences of teaching, travels, and her home life in a century-old home located in the historic Germanic village where her ancestors lived for generations. Her home is situated on a ridge overlooking the 50-mile long, Connoquenessing Creek where she lives with her husband, Bob, and their rescued dogs and cats. They tend their traditional Zen Meditation Garden year-round. They walk their dogs in the woods and observe the life-cycle and passing seasons of natural elements in their world.

Lynda is a retired Professor of Fine Arts and Humanities, Geneva College, Beaver Falls, PA. With her extensive background in Fine Arts, English Literature, and Humanities, she creates mixed-media fiber art for exhibitions and her writings that are published internationally. Lynda has been called “A Renaissance Woman” by a number of editors.

Lynda’s First Place Winners at In Sights exhibitions in Louisville, Kentucky:

You Can Buy Linda’s Books HERE 

And HERE

And you can read a Smashwords Interview with Lynda HERE

Visit Lynda on Facebook HERE

#TenThingsYouMayNotKnow – About Sharon Marchisello

/ Marcia Meara / 68 Comments

Happy Wodin’s Day, folks! It’s time again for another Ten Things post, and I know you’ll enjoy today’s guest, Sharon Marchisello. Please help me welcome Sharon to her first visit on The Write Stuff.  Sharon, it’s your turn now: take it away!

Ten Things You May Not Know About Me
by Sharon Marchisello

  1. I was born a Yankee, but I grew up in Texas–and no one ever let me forget that I was a Yankee!
  2. When I was a little girl, I dreamed of becoming the first woman president. I’m not into politics, but I’ve been president of my Toastmasters club and my Sisters in Crime chapter.
  3. I earned my Master Gardener certification in Fayette County, Georgia, but please don’t look at my yard as an example of my work.
  4. Thanks to a Rotary scholarship, I lived and studied in Tours, France, for a year when I was in my twenties. I keep in touch with many friends I made over there and still speak passable French.
  5. Despite a fear of public speaking, I earned my Distinguished Toastmaster award from Toastmasters International. (I’m still not crazy about public speaking, but I can do it.)
  6. I love animals. If I’m honest, I probably like them better than most people.
  7. I love to travel. My husband and I have taken over 60 cruises and visited over 100 countries. Can’t wait for this pandemic to be over so I can visit more places on my bucket list.
  8. Although I love to read, I’m very slow. I learned to read aloud, and I still stumble over words I can’t pronounce. But reading slowly helps me be a good editor/proofreader.
  9. Even before I could put pencil to paper, I told stories. I wrote my first novel when I was still in high school. It wasn’t very good.
  10. Math was my least favorite subject in school, but I enjoy playing the stock market, belonged to an investment club for five years, and I manage all our household finances.

~~~

Author Sharon Marchisello

Sharon Marchisello is the author of two mysteries published by Sunbury Press. Going Home (2014) was inspired by her mother’s battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Secrets of the Galapagos (2019) deals with mayhem on a Galapagos cruise.

Besides novels, Sharon has written short stories, travel articles, corporate training manuals, screenplays, and book reviews. Her blog, Countdown to Financial Fitness, and nonfiction book, Live Well, Grow Wealth, deal with personal finance. She earned a Masters in Professional Writing from the University of Southern California and is an active member of Sisters in Crime.

Sharon grew up in Tyler, Texas, and earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Houston in French and English. Retired from a 27-year career with Delta Air Lines, she now lives in Peachtree City, Georgia, and does volunteer work for the Fayette Humane Society.

Buy Sharon’s Books HERE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buy Links:
https://amazon.com/Sharon-Marchisello/e/B00NH6N4WK/
https://www.sunburypress.com/collections/sharon-marchisello
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/%22Sharon%20Marchisello%22

Find Sharon on Social Media HERE:
Website: sharonmarchisello.com
https://smarchisello.wordpress.com/
https://www.facebook.com/SLMarchisello/
https://twitter.com/SLMarchisello
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4297807.Sharon_Marchisello
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonmarchisello/
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/sharon-marchisello
http://sharonmarchisello.blogspot.com/  (Personal Finance blog, Countdown to Financial Fitness)

Contact Info:

https://smarchisello.wordpress.com/contact-me/

Email: smarchisello@hotmail.com

 

 

#TenThingsYouMayNotKnow – About Janet Gogerty

/ Marcia Meara / 60 Comments

It’s time for another Ten Things list here on The Write Stuff, this time featuring author Janet Gogerty. I know you’ll enjoy learning more about some of the fun and interesting things Janet has done, so I’ll turn it over to her! Take it away, Janet!

Ten Things You May Not Know About Me
by Janet Gogerty

  1. I once worked on a chicken farm; it was up the road in our new Australian suburb and the cockerels used to wake us up. It was my school holiday job when I was fifteen, they paid me $13 out of the petty cash and on the first day the supervisor asked me to clean the toilet! I didn’t actually get to see any chickens, we sorted out the eggs.
  2. I had over forty white mice by the time I was elven.
  3. Family legend has it that HG Wells was a cousin of a great grandfather.
  4. Continuing the egg theme, I once worked on the easter egg run at a run down sweet factory – this time I was 21 and on my ‘working holiday’ – see further down.
  5. I do not have a clue what I am doing on the internet; anything you see from me is there more by luck than judgement.
  6. I am on the longest working holiday ever, it started on Christmas morning 1973 when I arrived back in England from Australia with a ticket to return in six months…
  7. I went to school in a manor house – mid way through my time at St. Peter’s junior school we moved from the Victorian school building into the manor house opposite St. Peter’s church.
  8. I had my first camera when I was eight.
  9. I got my first Lego set this year.
  10. I got my first Beatles record in CD form.

~~~

Author Janet Gogerty

I have been writing furiously since I joined a tutored writing group fourteen years ago. I am an Indie Author, self publishing on Amazon Kindle and was delighted when publishing paperbacks on Amazon also became possible; at last my mother was able to hold my books and read them ‘properly’ and I had handy Christmas and birthday presents.

For nearly seventeen years I have lived on the south coast of England, before that we lived and brought up the children in a series of homes very near Heathrow Airport, where my late husband worked for thirty years. My teenage years were spent in Perth, Western Australia, our Ten Pound Pommie experiences inspired my novel Quarter Acre Block. I have had all sorts of jobs which provide great material for writing.

 As a reader, Kindle really expanded my horizons, with instant access to Indie Authors and other writers all around the world.

I don’t conform to a genre, but one of my favourite themes is ordinary folk facing extraordinary events. I have published five novels and four collections of short fiction. At my website Tidalscribe.com you can read my regular blogs about anything and everything; I also post flash fiction and you can read about my books and visit my photo gallery, where I indulge my love of point and shoot phone photography.

Life has been bizarre and difficult for many of us in the past year or more and for the first time in ages I haven’t got a novel in progress, but I have written a lot of short fiction for my blog, often the humorous side of people coping with lockdown and all the other Covid changes. Some of my characters ended up becoming regulars; perhaps they might end up in a novel, but will any of us want to read about Covid life by the time it is published?

Writing was a great distraction during all our various lockdowns and my other main interests, blogging, Zoom quizzes, gardening, walking and my beach hut also kept me sane.

~~~

YOU CAN BUY JANET’S BOOKS HERE

 

 

 

YOU CAN REACH JANET ON SOCIAL MEDIA HERE:

BLOG

FACEBOOK

 

#TenThingsYouMayNotKnow – About Sally Cronin

/ Marcia Meara / 157 Comments

It’s Wednesday again, and you know what that means–time for another special guest! Today, please help me welcome one of the most amazing people I’ve met online, everybody’s friend and supporter, Sally Cronin. You’re gonna love this! Sally, take it away!

Ten Things You May Not Know About Me
by Sally Cronin

Thanks very much Marcia for the opportunity to reveal some possible secrets about myself, in the hopes that none of them come back to bite me….

  1. I had measles when I was two years old and I was left with a pattern of leaves on my forehead which slowly faded away by the time I was a teenager.
  2. I had lived in four countries by the time I was twelve years old.
  3. in 2001 I had my mitochondrial DNA tested. My results showed that my DNA came from Helena whose bones dated back around 20,000 years ago and were found in a cave in the Dordogne in South Central France .
  4. I appeared on the Weakest Link in 2010 and was eliminated in the 6th
  5. I worked three jobs at the age of 14 years old – in a souvenir kiosk on the seafront weekends and school holidays, washer up in the local pub every Friday night and a thriving baby-sitting service for Saturday nights. At 16 I got a social life but still worked on the seafront and babysat when I was not out dancing
  6. In my 20s I crocheted midi-skirts in my spare time and I had a steady stream of orders. Eventually gave it up when my dog unravelled all the stitching of an almost finished skirt and I had to spend 24 hours over two days to redo and lost my mojo.
  7. I like driving and I have done the 4,400 kilometres round trip from Madrid to Dublin and the 3,600 kilometres round trip from UK to Madrid.
  8. I have had five sports cars since my 40th birthday and would love another and a hoist to get in and out of it!
  9. I have played online solitaire since 1997 and my all-time record is 18,172 points in 40 seconds which I achieved in January 2020 after 23 years. I play every day for 30 minutes in the morning to get ready for the day.
  10. Despite a few bumps along the way, and some unfulfilled ambitions, I would not change a thing about my life. I is who I is..

From Sally’s School Days

~~~

Author Sally Cronin

I have been a storyteller most of my life (my mother called them fibs!). Poetry, song lyrics and short stories were left behind when work and life intruded, but that all changed in 1996. My first book Size Matters was a health and weight loss book based on my own experiences of losing 70kilo. I have written another thirteen books since then on health and also fiction, including five collections of short stories. My latest book is a collection of verse and speculative short stories titled Life is Like a Bowl of Cherries: Sometimes Bitter, Sometimes Sweet

I am an indie author and proud to be one. My greatest pleasure comes from those readers who enjoy my take on health, characters and twisted endings… and of course come back for more.

As a writer I know how important it is to have help in marketing books.. as important as my own promotion is, I believe it is important to support others. I offer a number of FREE promotional opportunities on my blog and linked to my social media. If you are an author who would like to be promoted to a new audience of dedicated readers, please contact me via my blog. All it will cost you is a few minutes of your time. Look forward to hearing from you.

Buy Sally’s Books HERE

Find Sally on Social Media HERE:

Blog: https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sally-Cronin/e/B0096REZM2
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7979187.Sally_Cronin
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sgc58

#TenThingsYouMayNotKnow – About Sue Rovens

/ Marcia Meara / 51 Comments

Happy Wodin’s Day, everyone! Please join me in giving Sue Rovens a big welcome to The Write Stuff today. Sue is another brave soul who is sharing ten things about herself that we may not know, so without further ado, let’s get started. Take it away, Sue!

Ten Things You May Not Know About Me
by Sue Rovens

  1. After 30 years in Milner Library (at Illinois State University), I’ve finally retired!
  2. The Graduate is my favorite movie of all time.
  3. I love all animals…except spiders. They are headless monsters with too many legs.
  4. I collect old radios, clocks, and advertising signs (love retro stuff)
  5. I have a master’s degree in Kinesiology and Recreation.
  6. I don’t eat meat…except White Castle once a year. (mmm, sliders)
  7. I’m learning how to play French Horn.
  8. I love all things TEA!
  9. I don’t drink pop or coffee, ever.
  10. I’m “that person” who will point out cows, goats, sheep, and hawks on road trips.

Sue in 2015

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Author Sue Rovens

Sue Rovens is an indie suspense/horror author who hails from Normal, Illinois. She has written three novels and two books of short horror stories, with her latest book, Rage, due out sometime in late summer 2021.

Track 9, her second novel, snagged a starred review in Publisher’s Weekly (May 2018), her short story, “Coming Over”, from her book, In a Corner, Darkly (Volume 1) was turned into a screenplay and short student indie film by the theater department of Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, and another short story, “When the Earth Bled”, won 2nd place in the Support Indie Authors short story contest earlier this year. Her two most recent books (Buried and Rage) are under Plump Toad Press.

Sue owns a blog (suerovens.com) which includes interviews with authors, musicians, podcasters, and artists. She is an Executive Producer for an indie (short) horror film which is currently in production called “Let’s Do Things that Make Us Happy”. Sue is also a co-host and story writer for the new horror podcast, Ye Olde Terror Inn, which is currently in pre-production.

Sue is a member of The Chicago Writers Association and the Alliance for Independent Authors (ALLi). 

BUY BURIED HERE

Sue’s Social Media Links:

Buy Links (Amazon): https://www.amazon.com/Sue-Rovens/e/B009PCPQUS
Blog – https://suerovens.com
Contact Info: srovens@yahoo.com (email)