Me Archives - Page 8 of 17 - Maggie Wells-Margaret Ethridge

August 31, 2015

Monday Mayhem – Ennui Edition

So it’s no secret I’ve been suffering a little end of summer ennui. I’m pleased to report that I have powered through, and Saturday I managed to get chapter one of LOVE & ROCKETS (Coastal Heat #3 – October 2016) done. Now I just need to psyche myself up for chapter two.

I got my first round of edits back on FLIP THIS LOVE (Coastal Heat #2) this weekend. Also got some great feedback from my editor on the story itself. Can’t wait to share this one with you in April 2016! Right behind it will be A WILL AND A WAY (sequel to Three Little Words – coming June 2016!) so I will be deep in the writing/editing cave as the leaves start to turn.

But first, I’m planning some prizes and giveaways for the release of GOING DEEP on September 15th!

Found this super-cute beach bag that matches the cover colors that I plan to fill with books and goodies for my newsletter subscribers (sign up now at the top of the right sidebar!).

I also have some fun stuff for the Facebook party I’ll be participating in that evening.

So yeah, I’m hoping to gain a little momentum again as the summer starts to cool down. Give me another couple of weeks and I’ll be in full-on Fall mode. That means being football and first draft ready.

I plan on turning this ennui will be off-oui (Gilmore-ism – thank you Sookie St. James Bellville!) and getting back in the groove.

How about you? What are you looking forward to this fall?

August 24, 2015

Monday Mayhem – Catholic guilt edition

So I think I may have to change my author picture to something like this:

I was a complete slug this weekend. I mean, I didn’t leave my house other than to go to the Kum & Go to refill the massive mug.

Nor did I write.

What did I do? I read THE ANGEL by the fabulous Tiffany Reisz. I napped. I watched more episodes of Friday Night Lights than anyone should admit to watching in one weekend.

But somehow, I managed to make it through the entire weekend without adding a single word to my fledgling work in progress.

I did do authorly things. If you missed the Unforgettable Heroes II pre-release party on Facebook, you missed a good time. Lucky for you, you can still order your boxed set for only $0.99. It includes SPRING CHICKENS!

AMAZON: http://amzn.to/1U1in0N
IBOOKS: http://apple.co/1NoBT8o
B&N: http://bit.ly/BNUH2
KOBO: http://bit.ly/KoboUH2

/sales pitch

I also packaged prizes to be sent out and started assembling goodies for my street team. I just didn’t put any words on paper.

That’s when the Catholic guilt kicks in. I feel bad about having so much free time and not making anything out of it.

Yes, I know sometimes I need to give it a rest. I know that reading a book or watching television can and are helpful to me as a writer/storyteller. I just have a hard time with the need to have something to show for my time. And the upcoming month is going to be action packed. UNFORGETTABLE HEROES II releases this week, SEDUCING STEVE will be going on sale September 10-14th, then GOING DEEP releases September 15th. In the midst of all that, I will be working edits on FLIP THIS LOVE and possibly A WILL AND A WAY.

So, I should have used this weekend to crank on the draft of LOVE & ROCKETS.

But I didn’t.

And I feel guilty.

Apparently not guilty enough to stop ogling Kyle Chandler, but there you have it. My confession.

Bless me readers, for I have loafed…

How about you? Are you ruled by guilt, or do you revel in guilty pleasures?

August 17, 2015

Monday Mayhem – Gastronomic Edition

This weekend, Team Awesome took Little Rock by storm!

Okay, the reality is that we ate our way through Little Rock. There isn’t a whole lot to do around here other than eat. My fabulous Jewels arrived on Thursday afternoon, and we had her snarfing real southern BBQ and peanut butter pie at Three Sams before we even took her home.

Wanna know what else was on the menu?

A movie night feast fit for a Gilmore Girl!

Half-price shakes at the Sonic, David’s Burgers, the Flying Fish, Panera, Dunkin, Cantina Cinco de Mayo, movie theater popcorn, caramel pecan rolls, and of course….

frozen Nutella spoons

AND

Bopper sundaes from Shakes.

Yeah…so if anyone is looking for me, I’ll be over here having my stomach pumped.

Between meals we managed to squeeze in a little writing, a spot of shopping, some cardboard box sledding, a bout with some dueling pianos, a few hours with the Diamond State Romance Authors, and about 5 movies.

How about you? Did you indulge in anything particularly yummy this weekend?

July 27, 2015

Monday Mayhem – I beg your indulgence

I know I promised you a big post about my trip to NYC and pics and all the good stuff. I promise I will do a post, but while the conference and trip were great, I received some news Sunday morning that ended my weekend on a very sad note. My beautiful BeBe (Black Betty Ethridge) passed away under the crepe myrtles Sunday night.

She was m furry best pal and most devoted companion. She had expressive brown brows, fuzzy paws, the worst dog breath in the world, and loved nothing more than a good snuzzle. She was the last of our litter of siblings, and at nearly 14, reaped the benefits of two people happy to indulge her every whim.She even had a special tuffet in my office

It was so hard to come home and not hear her haroooo.

So, can you give me until Thursday (next open blog day) to get the pics uploaded and give you the lowdown? I just need to…breathe a little.

xoxo

Mags

June 22, 2015

Monday Mayhem – Daddy Issues

I married my father.

Not for real, because that would be illegal and more than a little icky, but I married a man just like him. One of those fellas who was just born to be a dad. A guy who wants nothing more than his kids around where he can keep watch over them. He shares a few other charming and not-so-charming quirks with my father (he goes from zero to over-reaction in 1.2 seconds, loves ice cream and anything chocolate, and whatever happens, it’s always because the other driver wasn’t paying attention), but I figure on the whole, I came out ahead in this game.

I hope and pray that one day our kids truly to realize how very lucky they were to have him. He has been the one steadfast and constant (if sometimes overbearing and annoying) force in their lives. It’s nice to see them starting to appreciate him now that they are adults.

Mostly, it’s fun to watch him morph from Daddy to Granddad. I was only eleven when my parents became grandparents for the first time. I swear they were body snatched, because they were not at all the same people with my nephews and nieces as they were with me. They were more like…my grandparents.

The circle of life has come our way. Now we’re the ones who do nothing but indulge. Discipline? Not our problem. Rules? At Granddad’s house? Not hardly. We’ve divvied the grandparenting duties between us. So far, I am in charge of cookies, hugs, and comfort, and Granddad handles playing and exploration. It works for us.

I married a guy just like my dad, and I have to say, it’s been a good thing. The pure pleasure he gets from even a few minutes with our grandson is a joy to behold.

So…behold:

I think I chose pretty darn well!

June 15, 2015

Monday Mayhem – The things we do for love

This weekend, I saw Rush in concert. Not one of my favorite bands. Wait. I take that back. They used to be one of my favorite bands to mock, but now I’m not allowed to do that. You see, Geddy and the guys are Fodder’s all-time favorite band, so singing ‘Take Off (To the Great White North)” is kind of verboten around here. I say kind of, because I sing it anyway. In my Geddy voice. Always earns me a ferocious scowl.

Anyhow. My man wanted to see Rush. It’s their 40th anniversary, and he’s afraid we wouldn’t have a chance to see them together if we didn’t catch them on this tour. We checked all the venues closest to our home (but not Closer to the Heart) but found they didn’t fit with our schedules. So I came up with a brilliant idea – why not see them in Chicago?

We hadn’t had a chance to visit the city in years–even worse, we hadn’t seen some of my closest friends in longer than I care to admit. A few text messages later, we had a plan (and more than a few snarky comments from the women-folk). Though the Rush doesn’t exactly evoke the same reaction from me as say…Duran Duran, it was the best weekend ever.

We ate. We drank. And we laughed with old friends as if not a day had gone by.

You want to know the best part? [Aside from the fact that there were NO LINES FOR THE WOMEN’S RESTROOMS!] I got to spend time with this happy, happy man.

Nearly sixteen years together and married fourteen at the end of this month, and I don’t think I have ever seen him so carefree and excited about anything. He was over the top, and it was a joy to watch.

Thanks to my ever-generous friend, Kathy, I was also able to spend some time in with my sister, her daughter, son, and daughter-in-law, and my littlest great-niece, Lottie, who is perfect in every way.

How about you? What are some of the things you’ve done just to make someone you love happy?

June 1, 2015

Monday Mayhem – Bookmark this!

I know I’ve mentioned this before, but I’m really the type who thrives on deadlines. Usually, I can just make one up and stick to it, but lately I’ve been torn in a number of directions on both the personal and professional fronts.

There are times when the publishing world moves as quick as a mouse click. Then there’s the other 99.9% of the time. Sometimes it feels like snails on Valium are lapping me. There’s a lot going on with the writing behind the scenes, hopefully all of it will come to fruition.

*crosses everything*

But at the moment, I’m kind of in limbo. I have a work in progress, but it’s a project with no deadline. It’s just the story I’m writing as I wait to hear about the fates of four, possibly 6, other stories. Some written, some yet to have a word on the page.

The thing is, if even one of these possibilities comes to be, I’m going to have to start busting some major words. You’d think that would inspire me to wrap up the one I have going, right?

Wrong.

It’s all I can do to make myself work on this story with no deadline, even though the first draft is over 60% complete. Part of it is middle of the story syndrome. The other part is that I am not a girl who limbos well. You see, I’m not very bendy.

So, today is June 1. I have approximately 20k more words (or 4-5 chapters) to put in on this draft. I’ve got a little vacation scheduled in there, so I’m giving myself a deadline of June 30 to complete the draft.

There. Deadline set.

I expect you to hold me to that.

Oh! Before I forget, I got these nifty new bookmarks! (Horrible lighting in my house. They are much prettier than this pic shows.) Want one or five? Email me at mkethridge1@gmail.com and give me your mailing address and I will drop an envelope in the mail.

So, how about you? Anything you’re hoping to accomplish this month, or are you just ready to kick back and enjoy the summer? If you’re looking for some reading, Jumping Mr. January and February’s Fling are still FREE. You may still be able to snag Three Little Words, if they don’t get the sale prices switched back today.

May 25, 2015

Monday Mayhem – Remembrance

No writerly mayhem to report this week. Just want to wish my fellow Americans a blessed Memorial Day, and remind everyone to take a moment to think of all those brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

Peace, my friends.

May 4, 2015

Monday Mayhem – family time edition

I was away this weekend, helping to celebrate the nuptials of my niece, Emilie and her ever-patient fiance, Nick. 🙂

While I was there, I got to spend some time with my mommy, my siblings, nieces and nephews, and got to meet my newest great-nephew, Colin.

I am a smitten kitten. Almost as much of a goner as his great-grandma.

Most important of all, after the official festivities ended, my sister and I made sure that they bride made it to Joe’s Pub on time. Because that’s what good aunts do.

Bracket those fun times with nine hours in the car each way and you have my weekend in a nutshell. What about you? Did you do anything fun?

April 27, 2015

Monday Mayhem – Big news! Wow news!

Just in case you haven’t seen me crowing on Facebook, Twitter, and random street corners…

I HAVE AN AGENT!

Last Monday I accepted an offer of representation form my dream agent, Sara Megibow of KT Literary! I queried her in March with a pitch for Full Court Press, and within a month I had an offer! For those of you who don’t know, that is unspeakably fast for the publishing world.

So, yay! I’m beyond excited to be working with Sara and thrilled by her enthusiasm and ambition. There could be big things happening! Wow things!

What? You still want more good news? Well, nothing is set in stone yet, but it looks like you may be seeing a sequel to Three Little Words! I submitted A Will and a Way (formerly Bossy Pants) to my editor, and they liked it! I’m just waiting for the details to be worked out.

That’s not enough excitement, you say? How about I tell you that Kensington has put Three Little Words on sale for the low, low price of…FREE!

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

That’s right. Tell all your friends to grab their copy now, because Greg and Josie and their sexytime romps are up for grabs!

And finally: The winner of the signed ‘collector’s edition’ copies of Paramour and Inamorata is:

Arlene Hittle

Congratulations, Arlene, and thanks for commenting!

Wish you’d won them for yourself? Watch this Wednesday’s Whatcha Reading? post for another chance to win a set!

That’s all I have for now, dear friends. Well, that and this picture of a really cute boy who made me chase him all around the backyard, then graciously allowed me to feed him chips and sugar cookies for lunch (Hey, I can do that, I’m the grandma.).

How was your weekend? Munch on anything yummy?