Maggie’s Musings

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Monday Mayhem – Mob Mentality

Running With My Mob

We usually hear the term ‘mob’ used in a derogatory manner, but I’m using it in my own way this time.

I met with some of my mob this weekend. I’ve missed a lot of Diamond State Romance Authors meetings this year due to travel and other conflicts. Luckily, I was home this past weekend, and I got a chance to catch up with some of my favorite people in the world.

Megan Mitcham, Me, Mandy Harbin, and Brinda Berry
Megan Mitcham, Me, Mandy Harbin, and Brinda Berry

Friends who share a common interest are essential to life, in my opinion. Writing is very solitary and sometimes isolating. As writers, we spend a lot of time in our own heads, and the voices we hear there are not always kind and supportive.

We are our own worst critics.

There’s a tendency to fixate on few negative reviews on our books, rather than the dozens of positive ones.

I can’t speak for everyone, but I’m pretty sure we all think the last book we finished was the last book we’ll ever be ABLE to finish. After this, the ideas will dry up, the words will escape us, our audiences will abandon us, and so on and so forth.

Then, we get together one Saturday and realize we are all thinking the same thing.

Safety in numbers can be the positive flip side to the mob mentality.

As long as your mob isn’t operating with nefarious purpose. Mine isn’t. All we want to do is write books with some kissing in them.

I’m going to try to tap into the positive energy I gleaned from running with my mob this weekend and embark on a new project. You know, the one I was sure was a stupid idea, and I’d never have enough words to write, and no one would want to read.

In the meantime, Rosie is out in the world. Give her a chance, will ya?

Oh! And wish me luck!

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Monday Mayhem – Mumble mumble

I don’t have much to say this week, so I’m just gonna mumble.

A RING FOR ROSIE came out last week. Thanks to all who bought it, tweeted or shared posts, and generally helped shout (not mumble) it to the world. I’m not good at tooting my own horn, and I am eternally grateful to have you as my horn section.

Finger puppet couple

I’m over the pinkeye and mostly over the technicolor bruising from my slip and fall down the steps. Frankly, I’m over feeling puny in general. I’m hoping that this week I can return to what passed for normal prior to my trip to Denver.

I did watch the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society movie on Netflix and enjoyed it very much. No, it’s not as detailed as the book, but I think they did a nice  job with it. A couple of the scenes had me grinning at the screen like the hopeful romantic I am.

Revisions on SUPERSTAR are coming along slowly. I added a bunch of additions to my plate, then in doing so, realized it was overkill. Now I am free-writing those parts and will pare them down to round out the story.

DOUBLE PLAY is set for release on October 25, 2018 and it looks like we are a go for simultaneous digital and audio release. Yay! I’m working on making a mass market sized print-on-demand version available for anyone who wants to special order it, but I have to tell you, being my own publisher is proving to have a steep learning curve.

And so, here I am, mumbling through. How are things going with you?

 

 

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Monday Mayhem – New release this week!

I have a new release this week!

It’s been a busy year, I know, but I have another new release this week. A RING FOR ROSIE (Play Dates #3) will be available on Tuesday, August 7th at all the usual places.

Once burned, this father of twins is twice shy until he realizes the right woman is the charm . . .
 
James Harper is a great dad, but a lousy judge of women—as evidenced by his twin boys’ flighty mother, who walked out when the babies were just six weeks old. He’s got fatherhood down, but dating is another story—especially when the twins’ mom shows up any time she needs something. His office manager, Rosie Herrera, is the one woman he can count on, actually talk to, flirt with, and . . . come to think of it, has he been overlooking the perfect woman all this time?

Rosie’s been in love with James since her first day on the job, but she’s certain he only sees her as a reliable employee—until one heated kiss changes everything. And then James’s ex shows up, and walks right into his life again. Determined to move on, Rosie tries to forget everything she feels about James—by doing her best to fall for someone else. But James isn’t about to make the same mistake twice. To woo Rosie this time, he needs to prove they’re made for  each other . . . forever.

Amazon ~ Apple ~ B&N ~ Google ~ Kobo ~ Kensington

I hope you enjoy Rosie and James’ story. Boy, it seems like it was a long time coming, huh?

 

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Monday Mayhem – Pinkeye

I brought back a souvenir from Denver – pinkeye!

I thought I’d share a pinkeye pictorial to show how my week has gone:

By Monday afternoon, I realized it wasn’t just an itchy contact lens, so it began.  Artificial tears, cool compresses, and this nifty improvised pirate patch. Yep.

No.

I woke up on Tuesday looking like prize fighter…

Off to the Urgent Care we went! One prescription for antibiotic drops later, we were home and armed with every Lysol product on the market.

Alas , by Wednesday, Lefty was a goner.

Thursday was more of the same, but by Friday, we saw progress! Less red, but it took a toll on the skin around my eyes. I look like I have a shiner or two.

By Saturday, I could see the whites of my eyes again! Hallelujah! Don’t shoot!

 

They are still itchy and not quite ‘right’, so I have not attempted a fresh pair of contact lenses yet. Hopefully in the next day or two, all will be back to normal.

Needless to say, eyedrops and icepacks have consumed my week. I did make it through two fabulous audiobooks by Christina Lauren (Love and Other Words and Dating You, Hating You) whilst lolling about being sad and pathetic.

If you need audiobooks to listen to while you loll about, might I suggest LOVE GAME or PLAY FOR KEEPS? Now is a good time to catch up, as I have just sent a finalized version of DOUBLE PLAY to my audiobook publisher for production. Yay! Look for it in late October!

So, yeah, that kept me entertained this week. How has your week been?

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Monday Mayhem – So, this happened…

So, this happened this week: 15 Best Romance Novels of 2018 (So far)

No, seriously. Click on the link. That really happened. Look at me…right smack dab between Ms. Beverly Jenkins and the fabulous Alyssa Cole! Okay, LOVE GAME is, but I wrote it and it was named one of the 15 best of the year so far by BookPage!

THRILLED!

And this is happening this coming week:

Yep. I’m hanging out with the cool kids these days. The best part is, I’ll get to hang out with this cool kid for most of the week:

So, yeah, things are happening. I’ll report back when something else happens. In the meantime…go read a book!

Oh! And only 3 weeks until A RING FOR ROSIE (Play Dates #3) releases!

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Monday Mayhem – Whatcha doin’?

Whatcha doin’?

I can tell you, I haven’t been doin’ much. I’ve been having an odd sort of summer. Still unemployed. Still not heartbroken over said unemployment. I’ve been enjoying my summer off. It’s the first summer off from work or school I’ve had since 1984, so I’m not feeling too guilty about it.

Okay, I am, but that’s only because I am a Catholic semi-workaholic whose identity is tied pretty closely to external indicators of success.

Yeah.

So, anyhoo, I’m trying to enjoy the time off. Lots of time with Fodder and Sally. I have been working out each day, and continuing my yoga and meditation practices.

But I have to admit, I haven’t been writing much.

Like, hardly at all. I have no excuse, because I certainly have the time. The only thing I can think is that my lack of productivity is tied to the identity issue mentioned above.

I have been spending a lot of time with #Rover, as those of you who follow me on Facebook and Twitter know.

As a matter of fact, my little friend will be attending the Romance Writers of America conference with me, only in a 2D version. #FlatRover

I am working on edits and revisions for DOUBLE PLAY (Love Games #3) and have set a release date of November 1, 2018. I figure loosing Avery and Dom’s story on the world will be a good way to kick off my birthday month.

And, in my quest for a little inspiration, I’ve been toying with a chapter of Gilmore Girls fanfic. It’s been slow going, though. Hard to believe I used to crank out one of these every day or two.

So, that’s what I’ve been doin’. What about you? Whatcha doin’ this summer?

 

 

 

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Monday Mayhem – I’m a pod person!

I’m a pod person now!

Okay, I’m not really a pod person, but I was a guest on Sarah William’s Write with Love podcast. If you want to hear me ramble or watch me wriggle and roll my eyes at myself here: http://www.sarahwilliamsauthor.com/maggie-wells/

I’ll be over in the corner cringing, if you need me.

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Monday Mayhem – Figuring it all out

Newsflash:

I’m almost 50, and I’m still figuring it all out. Where did we ever get the idea that people in their 30s, 40s, 50s, and beyond should have their lives completely under control?

woman trying to keep track of it all

Did you read the the headline? We don’t.

Who started this rumor? Whoever it was, has obviously never spent any time wrestling mid-life into submission, that’s for sure.

The only thing I’ve figured out about life, is that I will never have it all figured out. And, I’m not sure I want to. How boring would that be?

Here’s my take on it:

Life loves to throw curveballs, and no one is prepared for them – no matter how many candles they blew out on their last birthday cake.

I write a lot of romance featuring characters 40+, which is a little out of the main for commercial romance. Inevitably, someone (usually and acquiring editor, an online reviewer, or maybe a reader who is email inclined) will ask whether the heroine/heroine should have had a better grip on what they wanted, needed, or even their physical desires.

My answer is no. The fictional characters I create are supposed to be human, just like you and me.

We are supposed to be continually figuring it all out.

Our relationships blossom, fail, or float along until the next storm brews.

I’ve been over a decade into a job, only to discover the career ladder I thought I was climbing was actually a rope ladder, and someone was taking a blowtorch to the rungs below.

Our bodies will betray us. That’s an inevitability.

At times, our minds play nasty tricks on us.

People we love will disappoint us.

We will disappoint ourselves.

Love is a shape-shifter. Our ability to love and allow ourselves to be loved is constantly evolving.

Mistakes will be made.

Failure is not fatal.

This is all I have figured out so far. How about you? Any wisdom to add?

 

 

 

 

 

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Monday Mayhem – Too much time on my hands

Okay, I admit it, I am not good at living a life without structure. Given too much time on my hands, I tend to do…nothing.

Shocking, I know.

It seems counter-intuitive. I always thought that if only I didn’t have to work that full-time job, I could crank out a book a week. Okay, maybe not a book a week, but you know what I mean. I thought I didn’t have enough time to work on my writing because that pesky job kept getting in the way.

Turns out, I had all time I needed.

I’ve had exactly the right amount of time (for me) all along. I have a limit to how much creativity my brain can export in a day. It’s about a 2-3 hours. Huh. Who knew? Yes, I can spend additional hours doing writing-related tasks such as editing, creating promo materials, etc., but actual words on the page? Yeah, I’ve only got a couple hours in me.

I know I can (and have done) more than that on occasion, but I’m talking about writing as a daily habit.  Lesson learned.

I started a part-time consulting gig this week. Not only am I making a little money, but it turns out, it’s been a boon to my productivity as a writer. I’ve produced more words this week than in the previous five weeks. It also allows me flexible scheduling, and a late start, so I can maintain my morning workout/wellness program. Bonus!

With this new focus in place, I’ve managed to complete the first round of revisions (with the help of my fab crit partner, Julie Evelyn Joyce) on DOUBLE PLAY (Love Games #3), and have submitted the complete manuscript to my editor, Gilly, for review. I’ve also have some preliminary cover art. Want a peek?

Double Play Cover

LOVE GAME is still on sale at Amazon, so be sure to tell all of your friends!

I’m off to work now…after Sally and I have a little snuggle, that is. Happy Monday, my friends!