Tag: Books

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My books have become teenagers!

It’s hard to believe I’ve been doing this long enough for some of my books to become teenagers.

Having raised a couple kids through their teen years, I can say fairly confidently, the books are less worrisome. I never have to badger CONTENTMENT info putting the laundry away. The ghosts in PARAMOUR and INAMORATA don’t have to be reminded about bed times. Thankfully, I’m not in charge of the logistics for Ellie & Jack’s LONG DISTANCE LOVE. And worrying about Maggie from COMMITMENT is enough to keep any mother awake at night.

Last week, BoobBub (a book lover’s newsletter service) featured SEDUCING STEVE. Good old Steve is on sale at most US retailers for 99¢, and my favorite red-haired hunk still has it! He was even flagged as a Barnes & Noble Nook bestseller!

Infographic with arrows describing the tropes in the book that has become a teenager

Way to go, Steve! Not bad for a book who is a teenager!

I’m always happy when someone discovers some of my older works. If you’ve never read Steve, you can still get a digital copy for 99¢, so click now!

If you’re interested in buying ebooks of some of my re-released material, you can buy direct from me at my PayHip store, MagsRomance, or at your favorite online retailer.

At the moment, I’m working on having my 50th book published. I’m also working on writing books 51, 52, 53 – the upcoming Arkansas Special Agent: Cyber Crime Division series. Book #1 – SHADOWING HER STALKER – will be the 15th book I’ve written for Harlequin.

So many milestones!

Thanks so much for coming with me on this ride. It certainly has been — and continues to be — a roller coaster, but it’s been great having you beside me!

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I’m not really anti-social…

I’m not anti-social, but I am becoming more and more anti-social-media. It’s definitely an “It’s complicated” relationship.

someecards meme about being anti-social media
meme by someecards

We’ve been hearing about the perils and pitfalls of social media for years now, and yet…

I still have a Facebook account and author pages. It’s where I tend to connect with family and other people I know IRL.

I’m also on Instagram and by association, Threads. I like to post pics of the dogs or flowers or my cute grandsons, but my feed on Instagram is now mostly ads, inspirational memes, and videos reposted from TikTok. The impermanence of Stories just makes me sad.

I had high hopes for Threads because I miss engaging with other in the author community, but its taking what now seems to be the inevitable turn. Why can’t we have nice things?

Scrolling TikTok left me annoyed by the amount of time I’ve wasted, so I deleted it. I’m also one of those people who hated watching people stage fake oopsie-daisies on America’s Favorite Home Videos, so… Not my thing.

Once upon a time, I signed up for a LinkedIn account, but I don’t use it. Nor do I consider it social media.

I cut ties with The App Formerly Known as Twitter in 2019. What a cesspool.

But authors are encouraged to be everywhere.

They say we never know where we’re going to find our next avid reader, so we cast our nets wide. We ask engaging questions, post endless game memes, and generally do things that don’t suit our personalities on the off chance we might reach new readers. I have watched people I know personally create a whole new “author personna” for social media, and I’m telling you, it’s freaky.

I just…can’t. It’s exhausting. I’d rather be writing.

I’ll keep my accounts, of course, but I am going to curate them more. Some I’ll use purely for book-related promotion, others for more personal reasons. But I’m not going to do the thing where I post to social media to let people know I won’t be posting to social media, though.

Links to blog posts and newsletters will auto-post to some accounts, but if you’re looking for me, you can always find me here.

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Hello, December

Hi friends. Can you believe it’s December already? Me either.

Truthfully, I won’t be sad to leave 2021 behind. This has been a hard year. Not that it’s been all bad – just a bit of a slog. Tons of good things happened, and I have been keeping up with my monthly #happythings lists. I’ll post the year-end wrapup here at the end of the month.

But a New Year is coming. I have high hopes for 2022, how about you? Is there anything you’re looking forward to?

If you’re looking for some holiday romance – I have some for you. I have a new one-hour short story called LOVE ON DELIVERY available in both ebook and audio formats, LONG DISTANCE LOVE is on sale, and our favorite New Year’s Eve gone wrong/right story, THE LAST FIRST DATE is always a fun way to spend a night in.

So, take some time to curl up in your cozies, maybe add a splash of “special coffee creamer” to your mug, and be sure to breathe deeply.

Peace, friends.

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So many things to tell you!

First…. I typed The End on my June 2022 Harlequin Intrigue release FOOTHILLS FIELD SEARCH! I’m super-excited about this one because it’s a part (book #3) of a multi-author series called K-9s On Patrol.

I got to write about a yellow Labrador retriever named Winnie, who is a trained search & rescue dog.

As you can see, my black lab, Sally, is trained mainly in kitchen search and scarf, but she’s pleased that I was able to help rep the breed.

Sally in her natural habitat

Then, we had to offload this one this weekend. I mean, the maintenance and upkeep alone…

Our daughter’s wedding!

And finally… Harry will be released into the wild tomorrow!

TRIAL IN THE BACKWOODS – the third installment in my Raising the Bar Brief series from Harlequin Intrigue hits the shelves 9/28/21! Look for Harry and Alicia at a bookstore, Walmart, Meijer, or other mass merchandiser near you!

Whew! I don’t know about you, but I need a nap. Is it October yet?

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I’m so excited!

You guys… I read a news story the other day that fit the series I just signed on to do with Harlequin Intrigue so perfectly I literally made this face:

It’s one of those cases so wild it’s hard to believe it’s true. I have a whole squad of hamsters running in their wheels!

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Happy things

Do you track the little things that make you happy? If you follow me on Facebook or have seen my newsletter, you might have seen me post my #happythings lists. They’re pretty simple. Every day, I pick at least one thing (usually food-related) that made me happy that day. I know that (like me) many of us are cutting back on social media, so I thought I’d share a few happy things here.

I have more Intrigues coming! I’ll have one in June 2022, and another series of three coming late 2022 or early 2023.

My latest – FOR THE DEFENSE – is available everywhere! Show me your “spotted in the wild” pictures!

Me in Walmart with my latest release
Don’t worry, I bought the copy I touched, signed it, and gave it to the cashier.

TRIAL IN THE BACKWOODS is coming out at the end of this month. Its release will mark my 10th book with Harlequin!

But usually, my happy things are not a big deal. Some days, I have to scrounge for them. Other days, I have to take something negative and find the silver lining.

We’re all struggling. We’re all tired. You are not alone. Neither am I.

I hope you can find a way to celebrate the happy things in your life. Wanna copy off my paper? Go ahead, I won’t tell Sister Elizabeth. Here are my #happythings from August 2021.

  1. The gathering of energy pennies like Scrooge McDuck. 🪙💰
  2. Bob Jog 5k with Kelli. 🏅
  3. A good/productive afternoon for the Ethridge men.
  4. Sally made me nap. 😴
  5. Brainstorm 🌩 with Katie and Kristina.
  6. Ted Lasso – the best part of any Friday.
  7. 7k words today!
  8. Hit the 50k mark! Over 10k this weekend. Closing in on the finish line.
  9. Spotted in the wild with my Canucks and Aussies!
  10. Deal announcement. 📢
  11. Playing with me plot bunny. 🐰
  12. Baked sugar cookies for my sweet sugar babies.
  13. My boys!
  14. A fun evening of Ethridge mayhem.
  15. Rumpus nap with Sally. 😴
  16. Thankful I am vaccinated, praying my family comes through this well.
  17. “I’m sorry to inform you that you have earthworms.”
  18. Two negatives and mild positives. Chat with my Cabinet. 💻
  19. Officially cleared to live in our bubble again. Chat with the ISU OG.
  20. Ted Lasso is like a rainbow 🌈!
  21. Trader Joe’s sea salt dark chocolate caramels.
  22. Great chat with the ladies from Categorically Romance podcast! 🎙
  23. A good BFA call with Jess and crew.
  24. Release day! Walmart, Luigi’s, and Small Cakes. 🧁
  25. MasterChef and reader recovery programs.
  26. “Sorry I touched your label maker area.”
  27. Leftovers feasts and big fires 🔥
  28. College football makes revisions more bearable.
  29. Butter roll. 🥮
  30. Celebrating Luluday with microwavable cups of Steak ‘n Shake chili. As one does.
  31. Got fresh with Bill over dinner. I had him at Hello Fresh. 🍋

Look out, September, I’m coming for you!

xoxo Mags

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Busy, busy, busy!

As I write this I’m getting ready to do an interview for a podcast. It also just occurred to me a couple of days ago that book #2 in the Raising the Bar Briefs series, FOR THE DEFENSE will release on Tuesday. Oh, and did I mention that I’m trying to finish drafting a book that will release next summer?

So what have I been doing? If you said hanging out with Fodder, napping with the beasts, watching Ted Lasso, you’d be right! Or, should I say, spot on!

Ted Lasso pointing the affirmative

But I have been working here and there. This is part of my new process. I know that the work will get done, and I’m not stressing about it.

So let me remind you of this. If you want a paperback copy of AN ABSENCE OF MOTIVE (Book 1), today is the last day to buy one in stores. Tomorrow, they will switch out the stock. Of course, ebooks will be available in perpetuity and you can order paperbacks through Harlequin.com.

In case you missed it, I chatted with Renee from the kt literary podcast recently and had a new book deal announced. Yay!

So, yeah, that’s where I’m at. I need to go get ready to try to string coherent words together. Wish me luck!

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Back to blogging

I’m coming back to the blog.

Why? I miss it. I miss the interaction I get to have with people here, even if it’s only a few.

Aren’t blogs kind of, you know, dead? I don’t care. I’m tired of chasing trends, disenchanted with social media, and want something more personal than my newsletter.

Will you still send newsletters? Of course! But there will be a little more of me in the posts here.

How often will you post? I’m not sure. I think not weekly, but maybe a couple of times a month.

About what? General babbling. Life, writing, books, anything, and everything.

Is anyone still out there in the blog-o-sphere?

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Monday Mayhem ~ Holiday Reads

The Holidays are Here

Well, gang, the holidays are officially underway. In our house, we don’t start anything Christmasy until after both Fodder and I have celebrated our birthdays and Thanksgiving. This year, his birthday fell on Thanksgiving Day, so we leapt that hurdle in one.

Now, we fall headlong into Christmas and I don’t feel the least bit prepared. Then again, I rarely do. And when that happens, I fall back on holiday-themed entertainment to get me in the mood.

My favorites are the old Bing Crosby movies – Going My Way and Holiday Inn in particular. I love Barry Fitzgerald in the first, and the music on the second. And it isn’t Christmas without a visit from The Grinch – Boris Karloff version, thankyouverymuch.

Soon, my girlfriends and I will schedule our annual Love Actually simulwatch. I know, I know, the movie is problematic – blah, blah, blah. I’m in it for the Firth, okay?

And Billy Mack.

Confession: I am not  Hallmark Christmas movie fan

Friends keep track of the whole schedule, but if I am going to get sentimental over a holiday story, I prefer to do it between the pages. I also like stories where the holidays don’t always go to plan.

In the past, those types of holiday romances weren’t easy to come by, so I wrote some myself.

So, here is my holiday novel pimp:

Looking for love in all the wrong places? Go to the airport!

LONG DISTANCE LOVE starts out with Concourse Christmas  – a story where two people find themselves snowed it at St. Louis’ Lambert Field on Christmas Eve.

Readers can follow the highs and lows of Jack and Ellie’s long distance romance as it unfolds over a year’s worth of holidays and other milestones.

Or, if you are in the mood for something slightly more cynical….

New Year’s Eve doesn’t always go to plan.

First date number forty-eight comes to a screeching halt for Detective Langley Sheppard when his date lifts a pack of gum from the local convenience store. But things start looking up when he encounters spunky damsel-in-distress Jessica Vickers, who’s stranded in the store parking lot. Now Lang is about to discover that on a night when everything goes wrong, falling for Jessica feels spectacularly right.

Or, if you’re already looking ahead to 2019, I have a steaming hot calendar for you.

When the St. Blaise Regional Medical Center Board of Directors decided to jump-start their fundraising and public relations, they never imagined she’d be stripping their most prominent doctors, nurses, and support staff down to their birthday suits in order to beef up the hospital’s bank account.

The HOT NIGHTS IN ST. BLAISE collection of twelve sizzling novellas is now on sale for only $1.99!

If that isn’t enough to get you in the mood to tackle the holidays, I don’t know what will. Now go forth and be festive!

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Monday Mayhem – Nifty

I turned fifty last week.

I know, right? How did that happen?

It’s true. The big 5-OH! A full half century. I’m now officially eligible for AARP, not just some hanger-on who piggybacks on her husband’s DOB for 10 % off.

Sometimes, I wonder where the time went, but mostly, I think fifty is going to be nifty. I can feel it.

My forties were a big time of transition for me – personally, professionally, and creatively.

Looking back, I can’t say I didn’t accomplish anything. Ten years ago, I had not yet written my first book. Now, I have 40 novels and novellas under my belt and #41 halfway there.

At forty, I spent my days trying to climb a corporate ladder that was made out of rope and dental floss. I still thought money and accolades were important. I’m so glad I grew out of all that nonsense.

In my fifties, I plan to stand in my truth:

badass

I have a better handle on who I am and what’s important to me. I also have a more limited quantity of fu@ks left to give about everything else.  Other than the pocket issue, I can admit that I prefer elastic-waist leggings better than jeans these days. There are fleeting moments when I fret over the wrinkles that seem to be popping up all over, but then I laugh and remember where I got them. I look at old pictures of me and my friends and marvel at how young and fresh we were. I look at more recent pictures of me with those same friends and realize how incredibly blessed I have been.

So, yeah. Overall, I’m finding these middle years liberating.

I think fifty is going to be nifty.

Speaking of people in their fifties…

I was cruising the ‘Zon the other day and noticed that all of my Worth the Wait Romances are on sale for $1.99. If you like smoking hot stories about people in their *gasp* fifties, doing thing sure to make their grown children blush, snatch ’em up! https://amzn.to/2qOkAXY