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Monday, 27 April 2015
Thursday, 23 April 2015
Tuesday, 14 April 2015
Sunday, 12 April 2015
You Draggle-tailed Bicche!
Draggle
To wet or befoul (a garment, etc.) by allowing it to drag through mire or wet grass, or to hang untidily in the rain; to make wet, limp, and dirty.
Draggle-tail
A draggle-tailed person; a woman whose skirts are wet and draggled, or whose dress hangs about her untidily and dirty; a slut.
Oh, I can have fun with this one! Used around the fifteenth/sixteenth century, I can’t wait to sneak this into one of my manuscripts.
During the many rounds of edits for Avelynn, I had the opportunity to work with a wonderful copyeditor, whose job it was to point out words that sounded grossly anachronistic for the tone and style of the novel. After perusing the changes, I sort of set upon a kind of lose time frame for my writing—anything that originated prior to the seventeenth century most likely stayed in the manuscript. Anything that was first used after 1600 tended to sound rather modern, but then again, not always. It was definitely a one word at a time approach, and sometimes, I had to leave the word in because there really wasn’t a good alternative.
Here’s some exciting ways to use our new D words:
I draggled behind. (The word can also mean to go slowly, trailing).
The onslaught was relentless; the horse’s pace mired to a crawl. I slid down, landed squelching in the muck, and pulled on the reins, urging the beast to press onward. We needed to find shelter. My cloak draggling behind soon weighed as much as a small cow, so drenched was it in mud and slime that the horse began to grow impatient with me.
“You draggle-tailed bicche!”
Yes, I think I’ll have fun with this.
In gratitude,
Marissa :) xo
Saturday, 11 April 2015
Friday, 10 April 2015
Ain't Nothin' Captious About That!
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Cavil: cavilled, cavilling
To quibble, trick; To raise captious and frivolous objections; To find fault without good reason; To oppose by finding trivial faults.
Captious: captiously, captiousness
Apt to ensnare or perplex especially in arguments; Apt to notice and make much of unimportant faults or defects
Reading the one, led to making sure I completely understood
the other … so today’s post has two C words: cavil and captious.
I like these words because I can envision them fitting in nicely
somewhere in a narrative of one of my novels or short stories. E.g., I wanted
to smack him for his captious rejoinder. Or perhaps … I was tired of him
cavilling every point I made. J
Years ago, I delegated the district school board on relocation
and boundary issues. Our community was a new one, and overpopulation at our
local schools was rampant. The planning department was using outdated models of
1.5 children per household to determine the size and location of new schools.
While that may seem like a reasonable number, in this particular community,
with basement apartments and multiple family members residing in the same
dwelling, that number was grossly under representative of the actual picture.
It was a challenging fight. I had local newspapers following
the story closely, even the big city publications had their eye on the dilemma.
I arranged for buses to bring parents to the meeting. I handed out flyers, knocked
door-to-door collecting signatures for a petition. I spoke to everyone I could
whose children were affected by these rigid, old-school practices. I went to
the city. I obtained maps, and statistical data representing both past and
projected future enrollment. I poured through figures. I worked out solutions.
I polished my speech.
When the day came for my audience with the school board, I
had four busloads of parents and their children in tow, not to mention the
families that drove to the board head office to support us, including families
from out of our immediate school zone. People scattered throughout the school
board’s territory came in droves to lend their support. We were all fighting
the same battle! We weren’t the only school whose children had been displaced
and shuffled. My son attended four different schools and was subjected to four
different boundary changes in five years of his elementary school life … and we
NEVER moved! We lived at the same address, but the schoolboard wasn’t prepared
for the influx of children and had nowhere to put them. Each change broke
friendships and undermined any semblance of continuity in our children’s lives.
Back to the big day. There I am, in front of the trustees
and superintendents with the support of hundreds of parents, the press in
solidarity at our backs, even the school administration supported our efforts. I
gave them no quarter. There was no loop hole in my arguments. There were
suggestions and alternatives. I gave my all. The crowd of parents roared to
their feet at the end of the presentation … and what did those elected
representatives and educational leaders have to say? A captious, frivolous
cavil of a response. They said, “Well, we’ve always done it this way.”
To say it was a staggering blow, is well, an understatement.
The papers called it a travesty, where elected officials didn’t even bother to rise
to the concerns of their constituents. The school board conceded on only one
point. They changed some of their wording in their policy documents, so residents,
when they looked hard enough, could read between the lines and come to the
conclusion that by moving into this area, there was an understanding that their
children were going to be relocated and moved about, consistently and constantly.
At least this way they were being transparent.
In the end, our family stuck it out another two years in
that district then moved away all together.
If someone has an objection to something I say or believe
in, I’m a pretty easy going person. If they can base their opinions on balanced,
reasonable, or well thought out responses, I will listen and respect their
point of view, they might even sway my opinion. But, if they are going to cavil
based on an outdated, ignorant view of history, or a familiar way of doing
things, so as not to rock the boat, or just because they say so, well, then we
have some work to do.
Check out this little nugget of wisdom:
Kalama Sutta: To the Kalamas
“Now, Kalamas, don’t go by reports, by legends, by
traditions, by scripture, by logical conjecture, by inference, by analogies, by
agreement through pondering views, by probability, or by the thought, ‘This
contemplative is our teacher.’ When you know for yourselves that, ‘These
qualities are skillful; these qualities are blameless; these qualities are
praised by the wise; these qualities, when adopted & carried out, lead to
welfare & to happiness’ — then you should enter & remain in them.”
What do I take away from that passage? We are meant to think
for ourselves, not to take things at face value just because someone has said
it, thought it, or written it, but rather contemplate the true meaning, the
true resonance/essence of the words, thoughts, or opinions. Then, if we look
deep within ourselves and see that when they are put into action they will lead
to happiness and wellbeing, well, then you know you have something. And there’s
nothing captious about that! J
In gratitude,
Marissa xo
Sunday, 5 April 2015
Bole - Day 2 of my Alzheimer's Prevention Plan
 |
| Bole - The stem or trunk of a tree. |
Bole – the stem or trunk of a tree, or something cylindrical
resembling a tree’s trunk, like a pillar or roll.
The first usage of this word according to the OED was around
1314—e.g., ‘His neck is thicker than a bole.’ ‘The gnarled boles of pollard
oaks and beeches.’
When writing historical fiction it’s always a battle between authenticity and reader’s enjoyment. Avelynn is set in the year 869: a time when Old English reigned supreme—a form of our language that is unrecognizable today. If I wanted to make my book truly authentic, I’d be waist deep in obscure and obsolete words and usage that no modern reader could comprehend! The compromise then is to use today’s language to set the tone, without sounding too modern that the passages ring of anachronism—phrases or words that just sound grossly out of place, like saying ‘wowzers,’ or ‘that’s cool,’ in ninth century dialogue.
When writing historical fiction it’s always a battle between authenticity and reader’s enjoyment. Avelynn is set in the year 869: a time when Old English reigned supreme—a form of our language that is unrecognizable today. If I wanted to make my book truly authentic, I’d be waist deep in obscure and obsolete words and usage that no modern reader could comprehend! The compromise then is to use today’s language to set the tone, without sounding too modern that the passages ring of anachronism—phrases or words that just sound grossly out of place, like saying ‘wowzers,’ or ‘that’s cool,’ in ninth century dialogue.
Bole is a nice word. It has nice, deep linguistic roots, but
it’s not too obscure or odd sounding that I wouldn’t be able to slip it into
the narrative without too much trouble. It’s also part of my APP – My Alzheimer’s
Prevention Plan. Earlier, I opened my Webster’s dictionary to A and found
algid. Today, I peeked onto the pages of the letter B and happened upon bole. I’m
committing the words to memory to help grow my hippocampus. This tidy little
word will come in handy. Be sure to look for it in one of the Avelynn novels …
I’m sure I’ll find the perfect place for it. :D
In keeping with the three ‘Rs’ of writing and learning, as
outlined by my children’s elementary school teachers: retell, relate, reflect …
I’ve retold what bole is, I’ve related the word to my writing, now I’m going to
reflect on something that makes it personal to me. This, all in an effort to
make these words stick in my lagging short-term memory reserves and hopefully
help grow my brain and ward off the damaging effects of Alzheimer’s, which as of 2015 has affected 47.5 million people worldwide.
Here then is an amusing anecdote for your reading pleasure:
When I was young, my grandparents owned a few acres of property.
Picture little blonde me, running around in pigtails, playing in the dirt, barefoot.
Now, envision those apple trees. They were old, gnarled, and
beautiful. Not like the squat and compact hybrids and cultivars of today, these
thick boled giants were strong and sturdy, like protective, gentle matrons. Which
leads me to my favourite past time—climbing the apple trees.
When I was young, my grandparents owned a few acres of property.
.png) |
| My Grandparent's property |
They didn’t have a ‘farm,’ per se, but my grandfather turned
one of those acres into a large vegetable garden, which supplied a good portion
of his culinary needs, as well as those of his friends and family who were
lucky enough to get some of his surplus harvest. My grandparents also had several
varieties of apple and pear trees, which garnered lots of delicious fruit for
pies and tarts and just plain eating! I loved going to my grandparents. In
fact, I was there most weekends of my youth.
Picture little blonde me, running around in pigtails, playing in the dirt, barefoot.
.png) |
| Little blonde me |
Solid and wide, the branches were twice my width and easily
supported my tiny frame. I climbed them all. Admittedly, some were more
challenging than others, but I didn’t give up, persevering until I could shimmy
up each and every rough-barked bole and rest safely in the curve of a forked bough.
I was a tomboy, in case you couldn’t tell. :D But of all the trees on the farm,
there was one I held dear to my heart. Its boughs held me, supported me,
cradled me, but it also provided a fantastic opportunity for make believe.
Tucked away safely in the nook between two hefty branches, my
feet dangling on either side of the trunk, I would don my construction hat and
become a foreman, the tree my excavator. The little shoots that emerged from
knots and crannies in the bark were my levers and gears.
I would pull and push, lifting the great shovel up and down,
while a tug or jerk on a separate shoot swung the gaping mouth from side to
side. The amusing part of all this was, it was never a dig site, I was there to
demolish stuff! I would raise the big arm, crash the claws down into the roof
of an imaginary building and watch it chomp and tear away at the structure,
swing after swing, blow after blow, until finally the building would collapse
in a great puff of dust and smoke. It was a beautiful sight!
But alas, all good things must come to an end, and the horn
blast would echo five o’clock throughout the construction site. I would
congratulate the workers on a job well done, put my big rig into park, remove
the keys, set my helmet on the seat, and climb down. It was then a quick
scamper into the old farm house and a sprightly jump up on to the bathroom counter.
With my toes wiggling in the warm sink water, my grandmother would scrub the
dirt away until the brown water trickling down the drain turned clear. After
all, every barefoot construction worker must wash their hands and feet for
dinner. :D
In gratitude,
Marissa xo
Friday, 3 April 2015
Historical Fiction Tease!
Brand new teaser for Avelynn!
Hope you guys like it. :D
In gratitude,
Marissa
Thursday, 2 April 2015
My Alzheimer's Prevention Plan
Algid: chill, cold,
freezing, frozen, frigid
Algidity. Algidness.
Today starts a new enterprise, a journey to increase the
size of my hippocampi.
A recent Prevention Magazine article: How to Beat Alzheimer’s at Its Own Game
by Mike Zimmerman, spoke to the ways one can help reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s
disease. Among good advice like eating
well, exercising, and getting a good night’s sleep, it suggested memorization might
help us grow our brain—specifically the hippocampus, which is in charge of
short-term memory (among other things).
There are two hippocampi that make up the structure called
the hippocampus, and each section is roughly the size of your thumb.
Unfortunately, with age, this little structure shrinks over time. The number
they quoted in the article was 0.5% a year—every year starting around fifty
years of age! That is a staggering decline. The article then went on to reveal
that it doesn’t have to be a one-way, slippery slope into dementia, we can
actually grow our hippocampi, make up the deficit, and gain back years of
mental focus and clarity. We do this by challenging our wilting and lagging memory
function. In other words, if you want bigger biceps, you have to lift weight heavy
enough to force the muscle to rebuild and repair. If you want a bigger
hippocampus, you need to challenge your short-term memory regularly in order to
build new brain cells, make new connections, and establish new neural pathways.
This, I’ve decided, is where my good friend Webster comes
in.
So, back to Alzheimer’s and Webster. Every day, I will be looking
up a word in the dictionary and committing it to memory. I will use the three ‘Rs’ of reading to help
me make connections. These rules of learning so rigorously delivered by all
three of my children’s English teachers in elementary school are: retell,
reflect, and relate. I’m hoping with this approach, the elusive new word will actually
stick to my shrinking recall and help me flex my atrophying memory muscles.
I just finished reading Still
Alice by Lisa Genova for my book club, and the entire time I was reading
it, I was left wondering, am I going to get Alzheimer’s? My grandmother
suffered terribly from the disease, and unlike Lisa Genova’s more uplifting authorial
vision of the infliction for Alice, my grandmother lived in a very scary place.
Wherever or whenever her memory took her, it was full of fear and suffering.
She would often cry out and scream for the safety of her children, or for her
husband. It was terrifying, and I was just watching it. She was living it, day
in and day out.
My father-in-law is currently in the grips of his own battle
with the illness. He too suffered from the negative effects of Alzheimer’s, with
the disease bringing out episodes of violence and aggression, until it became
dangerous for my mother-in-law to care for him.
It is a frightening disease, and for those of us passing
from our twenties to thirties to forties and beyond, and for any one of us with
children, or jobs, or multiple responsibilities, a lack of sleep, or stress, we
may find our short-term memory sinking to dangerously tapped-out levels. When
we read a book like Still Alice, we begin
to seriously freak out that this could be happening to us. Right now. Even if
we’re not aware of, or are we? That book messed with my head. But I wasn’t the
only one. Several other moms in my book club also feared for the wellbeing of their
intermittent memory recall. The book raised the spectre of fear, which dug its little
hooks into my brain, but I’m determined to shake them free.
So … algid. Let’s see how I’m doing with the three ‘Rs’. I’ve
retold the findings represented in Prevention Magazine, and I’ve reflected on
my own reasons for starting this journey, including my grandmother, and the
book Still Alice. Now, it’s time for
me to relate the word to something so I can keep algid alive and well and fill
up some good hippocampi space.
I have very low iron. In fact, I live with chronic iron
deficiency every day of my life. It’s exhausting. I’m not anemic, but don’t
bother telling my body that. I have algid hands and feet, and I’m stuck in a
state of perpetual algidness. In the algid air of a winter’s morn, I’m bundled
in twenty layers, and I’m still shivering. As I look out my window upon the
algid landscape, fresh green grass and spring daffodils lay buried under a
layer of ice and snow. I pine for warmer weather and the return of summer’s
heat and glorious sunshine. Oh, if I could only break free from this algidity!
Until then, Razz and I will huddle in front of my fireplace
and wait, ever so impatiently for the algid temperatures to final rise and stay
above zero!
In gratitude,
Marissa xo
Monday, 23 March 2015
Sneak Peek at AVELYNN!
Want a sneak peek at AVELYNN? Here's a little video teaser for you! xo
New Historical Fiction, coming September 2015!
Friday, 20 March 2015
Margaret Madigan's Hero for Hire
If you missed the cover reveal party for AVELYNN, don’t despair, I’m going to be posting all the wonderful author interviews here for your reading pleasure!
Sitting down with Margaret Madigan …
Let's extend a warm welcome to our next wonderful guest author, Margaret Madigan!
Margaret lives in the vast Northern Plains where it’s quiet and mostly empty, and conducive to letting her imagination run wild. She writes romance and science fiction, and dabbles in other genres just for the fun of it.
When she's not writing you’ll find her in a college classroom teaching English, or working as a literary agent for an amazing agency…and of course enjoying time with her family.
Margaret Madigan Hi all!
Dawna Hi Margaret.
Margaret Madigan Wow. It suddenly got really quiet in here. Tough crowd.
Marissa Campbell We were just giving you the whole stage.
Marissa Campbell Twirl.
Dawna Lovejoy I'm here!!!
Marissa Campbell Here's a little about Margaret's book:
Hero for Hire
Tales From Beyond the End, #1
One day her prince would come…disguised as a zombie-killer. Having been disgraced and tossed out by her own scientific community, Gwyn is convinced she can develop a cure for a SuperVirus that has turned the Infected into zombies.
By pure luck and determination, she has survived on her own for years, but while out scavenging, a clash with the local zombies leaves her potentially infected. Now, running out of time, she needs help and takes a chance on a hero for hire.
Rafe loves the apocalypse. Since the world went to hell, everything’s come up roses for him. Having procured a mansion in the Hollywood hills, adopted a slew of homeless boys and one cantankerous but useful Doc, Mr. Charming is benefiting from the nasty zombie infestation. His job? Killing the bastards, which he considers fun anyway.
Gwyn Snow needs Rafe Charming to help retrieve her research from the Paragon Pharmaceuticals lab, also known as Zombie Central. Believing she can yet save the world, Gwyn makes Rafe question what’s right and what’s worth the fight.
Marissa Campbell I love the concept of this book! Zombies, fairytales ... what inspired this?
Julie Mulhern Hey, Margaret. Still worried I might come after you while you're mowing your lawn?
Dawna Hmmmm... This seems interesting.
Nicki Welcome. I think my kids would enjoy your books!!
Julie Mulhern It might be even more interesting if I could type without typos, Dawna...
Julie Mulhern Of course, Margaret's book is VERY interesting - zombies and all!
Dawna Lol, Julie, my autocorrect wins more times than I do. And please call me Dawna. Your autocorrect will fight you on that. Haha!!!!
Margaret Madigan Sorry. Interrupted by family!
Marissa Campbell Pesky children. ;)
Margaret Madigan Actually, the story is co-authored with Merissa McCain, and it was inspired by a call for submissions we saw at Entangled for a fairy tale retelling.
Marissa Campbell There are lots of ways to retell a fairy tale ... why zombies?
Margaret Madigan Why not? lol. Like you said, there are a lot of fairy tale retellings. It's tough to take a story everyone knows and give it your own twist. We thought it would be fun to put Snow White in the zombie apocalypse and see what happened.
Dawna I have to read this!
Margaret Madigan Nicki - it's not a kid's book! It's a romance. With sex and stuff.
Dawna I have to read it even more!!!! Lol
Julie Mulhern Sex and stuff. *snort*
Marissa Campbell Really good sex and stuff.
Margaret Madigan Hero for Hire is my only currently published book, but I'm also working on a western romance series that'll be published through Entangled. The first book releases in June. There's sex and stuff in that one, too, lol.
Marissa Campbell What drew you to the western romance series?
Margaret Madigan Honestly, I have no idea. It sounded fun. And there's a lot of potential, so I thought...why not?
Marissa Campbell Your westerns are set in the past, how much research did you have to do?
Dawna I love westerns.
Margaret Madigan A lot. I feel like I have a PhD in western trivia. I had to research Nevada terrain, Virginia City, the Civil War, trains, poker, gold mining, gold values, clothing, homes, horses, stage coaches, weather. Seriously...everything.
Dawna Do you look forward to the research? Do you go places like museums or the actual locations to check them out?
Margaret Madigan I just finished the first draft of book two which required even more research (Wyoming, winters, Native tribes, medicine, Omaha, The Hole in the Wall, train robbery...)
Robin Just checking in to say ‘hi,’ after enjoying the beautiful sunny day with my dog.
Margaret Madigan I like the research, but I do it as I write rather than all ahead of time, so sometimes it slows down the storytelling. And unfortunately, I live in the middle of nowhere so I can't afford to go to the locations (though I have been to some of those places in the past, just not doing research). I'd love to be able to do that, though!
Marissa Campbell Tell us about your heroines and heroes. What traits do you admire? What intrigues you about your characters?
Margaret Madigan Well, like Wren, I tend to write strong heroines. I'm not fond of women who need saving. If she has to be saved, I want it to be because she's tried herself and acknowledges she needs the help. I also like when a hero is man enough to be saved by his heroine.
Dawna Oooo I love that!
Margaret Madigan In Hero for Hire, Merissa McCain wrote Gwyn, the heroine. Gwyn is a scientist who is smart, but racked with guilt. She needs the hero, Rafe, to help her. But she doesn't like it. Rafe is a smart-ass who's come into his own in the apocalypse. I wrote him. He was loads of fun.
Dawna She's a scientist too!!! Doood!!!!
Marissa Campbell When you see the movie of your books in your head ... who's been cast for the key roles?
Margaret Madigan In Gambling on the Outlaw, Isaac is a broken man, accused of crimes he didn't commit and on the run from the law. All he wants is to kill the people who set him up, even if he dies trying. Then he meets Beth, who makes him think there might be a reason to live. Beth is an ex-gambler who's smart and tough with a taste for bad boys. When she meets Isaac she swears not to get involved...until she does, lol.
Dawna I'm making my notes here. Wow!
Margaret Madigan I love that question, Marissa. I was just writing a blog post about it, actually. On my Pinterest page, all these characters are anonymous or models who aren't necessarily famous. For book two of the western series, I cast David Gandy as the hero and Kate Beckinsale as the heroine. I'd have to think some to come up with fitting actors for the other books...
Margaret Madigan I didn't used to cast celebs because then when I looked at the pictures I didn't see my characters, I only saw the celeb or other roles they've played, so I looked for models I didn't know. But sometimes a celeb fits the character perfectly.
Marissa Campbell Since each of your books have such wonderfully romantic elements, I'll ask the same question I did of Wren Michaels ... If your sweetheart wanted to sweep you off your feet, what would he need to do?
Margaret Madigan Ironically, I'm not the most romantic person in the world. If he cleaned the house, cooked dinner, sat down, and watched a movie or TV show with me, ALL WITHOUT COMPLAINING, I'd be happy.
Marissa Campbell lol
Marissa Campbell This or That ... Wine or beer? Tall or dark or handsome? Roses or Lilies? Diamonds or Emeralds?
Rachael Stapleton I feel ya on that. With two kids and a house to clean, the most romantic thing my hubby can do is let me write.
Marissa Campbell Or nap.
A.b. Funkhauser We watch TV together.
Rachael Stapleton Since you also moonlight as a literary agent, do you find that helps or hurts you as author? I know lit agents have the reputation of being quite busy.
Margaret Madigan I don't drink alcohol, so neither wine nor beer, lol. Tall, dark, AND handsome (why should I have to choose when I want them all???), of those two flowers I'd pick roses only because I like the scent, but I do like tiger lilies. And definitely emeralds over diamonds.
A.b. Funkhauser I'm still stuck on Zombies, sex, and stuff....
A.b. Funkhauser Diamonds? Emeralds? I like REAL ESTATE.
A.b. Funkhauser I hope those dayam zombies gargle before, you know, the sex...
Margaret Madigan Rachael, it's tough because I always try to put my clients before myself. If I'm working on editing a client project, I try to do that before I write on my own. But often, when everyone's out on submission and I don't have any new projects going, it's kind of quiet, so I have plenty of time. It's a difficult balance sometimes, but lots of agents manage it.
A.b. Funkhauser You have to be very organized, I guess...
Marissa Campbell Looking for Margaret’s zombies, sex and stuff? You can check out her books here:
Margaret Madigan The zombies aren't having sex, they're mostly just atmosphere. Part of the setting and plot. Hero for Hire is available on Amazon, B&N, and anywhere fine books are sold. Merissa McCain and I are (slowly) working on book two, which is a retelling of Robin Hood, set in the same zombie apocalypse, just in Chicago instead of L.A.
Margaret Madigan A.b. - I'm a master of time management.
Marissa Campbell Last minute to comment ...
A.b. Funkhauser I'm so glad the zombies aren't having sex...
Margaret Madigan Yes. That would be gross.
A.b. Funkhauser Nice to meet you, Margaret Madigan
Heather M O'Connor I'm still stuck on Snow White in the zombie apocalypse!
Marissa Campbell Thank you so much for being here, Margaret Madigan!
Margaret Madigan Thank you! It's nice to meet all of you, too. Thanks for attending Marissa's party. At the end of this shindig, we need to pepper her with all the same questions about her book.
Marissa Campbell Drum Roll .... For a ebook of Hero for Hire ...
Marissa Campbell DAWNA You’re on a winning streak! Congratulations!
Dawna Sweet!!!!!! Thank you!!!!!!
A.b. Funkhauser Woo hoo, Dawna.
Margaret Madigan Yay, Dawna!
Marissa Campbell Don't forget to like Margaret's pages, add her books on Goodreads ... you know, send her some author love!
Sitting down with Margaret Madigan …
Let's extend a warm welcome to our next wonderful guest author, Margaret Madigan!
Margaret lives in the vast Northern Plains where it’s quiet and mostly empty, and conducive to letting her imagination run wild. She writes romance and science fiction, and dabbles in other genres just for the fun of it.
When she's not writing you’ll find her in a college classroom teaching English, or working as a literary agent for an amazing agency…and of course enjoying time with her family.
Margaret Madigan Hi all!
Dawna Hi Margaret.
Margaret Madigan Wow. It suddenly got really quiet in here. Tough crowd.
Marissa Campbell We were just giving you the whole stage.
Marissa Campbell Twirl.
Dawna Lovejoy I'm here!!!
Marissa Campbell Here's a little about Margaret's book:
Hero for Hire
Tales From Beyond the End, #1
One day her prince would come…disguised as a zombie-killer. Having been disgraced and tossed out by her own scientific community, Gwyn is convinced she can develop a cure for a SuperVirus that has turned the Infected into zombies.
By pure luck and determination, she has survived on her own for years, but while out scavenging, a clash with the local zombies leaves her potentially infected. Now, running out of time, she needs help and takes a chance on a hero for hire.
Rafe loves the apocalypse. Since the world went to hell, everything’s come up roses for him. Having procured a mansion in the Hollywood hills, adopted a slew of homeless boys and one cantankerous but useful Doc, Mr. Charming is benefiting from the nasty zombie infestation. His job? Killing the bastards, which he considers fun anyway.
Gwyn Snow needs Rafe Charming to help retrieve her research from the Paragon Pharmaceuticals lab, also known as Zombie Central. Believing she can yet save the world, Gwyn makes Rafe question what’s right and what’s worth the fight.
Marissa Campbell I love the concept of this book! Zombies, fairytales ... what inspired this?
Julie Mulhern Hey, Margaret. Still worried I might come after you while you're mowing your lawn?
Dawna Hmmmm... This seems interesting.
Nicki Welcome. I think my kids would enjoy your books!!
Julie Mulhern It might be even more interesting if I could type without typos, Dawna...
Julie Mulhern Of course, Margaret's book is VERY interesting - zombies and all!
Dawna Lol, Julie, my autocorrect wins more times than I do. And please call me Dawna. Your autocorrect will fight you on that. Haha!!!!
Margaret Madigan Sorry. Interrupted by family!
Marissa Campbell Pesky children. ;)
Margaret Madigan Actually, the story is co-authored with Merissa McCain, and it was inspired by a call for submissions we saw at Entangled for a fairy tale retelling.
Marissa Campbell There are lots of ways to retell a fairy tale ... why zombies?
Margaret Madigan Why not? lol. Like you said, there are a lot of fairy tale retellings. It's tough to take a story everyone knows and give it your own twist. We thought it would be fun to put Snow White in the zombie apocalypse and see what happened.
Dawna I have to read this!
Margaret Madigan Nicki - it's not a kid's book! It's a romance. With sex and stuff.
Dawna I have to read it even more!!!! Lol
Julie Mulhern Sex and stuff. *snort*
Marissa Campbell Really good sex and stuff.
Margaret Madigan Hero for Hire is my only currently published book, but I'm also working on a western romance series that'll be published through Entangled. The first book releases in June. There's sex and stuff in that one, too, lol.
Marissa Campbell What drew you to the western romance series?
Margaret Madigan Honestly, I have no idea. It sounded fun. And there's a lot of potential, so I thought...why not?
Marissa Campbell Your westerns are set in the past, how much research did you have to do?
Dawna I love westerns.
Margaret Madigan A lot. I feel like I have a PhD in western trivia. I had to research Nevada terrain, Virginia City, the Civil War, trains, poker, gold mining, gold values, clothing, homes, horses, stage coaches, weather. Seriously...everything.
Dawna Do you look forward to the research? Do you go places like museums or the actual locations to check them out?
Margaret Madigan I just finished the first draft of book two which required even more research (Wyoming, winters, Native tribes, medicine, Omaha, The Hole in the Wall, train robbery...)
Robin Just checking in to say ‘hi,’ after enjoying the beautiful sunny day with my dog.
Margaret Madigan I like the research, but I do it as I write rather than all ahead of time, so sometimes it slows down the storytelling. And unfortunately, I live in the middle of nowhere so I can't afford to go to the locations (though I have been to some of those places in the past, just not doing research). I'd love to be able to do that, though!
Marissa Campbell Tell us about your heroines and heroes. What traits do you admire? What intrigues you about your characters?
Margaret Madigan Well, like Wren, I tend to write strong heroines. I'm not fond of women who need saving. If she has to be saved, I want it to be because she's tried herself and acknowledges she needs the help. I also like when a hero is man enough to be saved by his heroine.
Dawna Oooo I love that!
Margaret Madigan In Hero for Hire, Merissa McCain wrote Gwyn, the heroine. Gwyn is a scientist who is smart, but racked with guilt. She needs the hero, Rafe, to help her. But she doesn't like it. Rafe is a smart-ass who's come into his own in the apocalypse. I wrote him. He was loads of fun.
Dawna She's a scientist too!!! Doood!!!!
Marissa Campbell When you see the movie of your books in your head ... who's been cast for the key roles?
Margaret Madigan In Gambling on the Outlaw, Isaac is a broken man, accused of crimes he didn't commit and on the run from the law. All he wants is to kill the people who set him up, even if he dies trying. Then he meets Beth, who makes him think there might be a reason to live. Beth is an ex-gambler who's smart and tough with a taste for bad boys. When she meets Isaac she swears not to get involved...until she does, lol.
Dawna I'm making my notes here. Wow!
Margaret Madigan I love that question, Marissa. I was just writing a blog post about it, actually. On my Pinterest page, all these characters are anonymous or models who aren't necessarily famous. For book two of the western series, I cast David Gandy as the hero and Kate Beckinsale as the heroine. I'd have to think some to come up with fitting actors for the other books...
Margaret Madigan I didn't used to cast celebs because then when I looked at the pictures I didn't see my characters, I only saw the celeb or other roles they've played, so I looked for models I didn't know. But sometimes a celeb fits the character perfectly.
Marissa Campbell Since each of your books have such wonderfully romantic elements, I'll ask the same question I did of Wren Michaels ... If your sweetheart wanted to sweep you off your feet, what would he need to do?
Margaret Madigan Ironically, I'm not the most romantic person in the world. If he cleaned the house, cooked dinner, sat down, and watched a movie or TV show with me, ALL WITHOUT COMPLAINING, I'd be happy.
Marissa Campbell lol
Marissa Campbell This or That ... Wine or beer? Tall or dark or handsome? Roses or Lilies? Diamonds or Emeralds?
Rachael Stapleton I feel ya on that. With two kids and a house to clean, the most romantic thing my hubby can do is let me write.
Marissa Campbell Or nap.
A.b. Funkhauser We watch TV together.
Rachael Stapleton Since you also moonlight as a literary agent, do you find that helps or hurts you as author? I know lit agents have the reputation of being quite busy.
Margaret Madigan I don't drink alcohol, so neither wine nor beer, lol. Tall, dark, AND handsome (why should I have to choose when I want them all???), of those two flowers I'd pick roses only because I like the scent, but I do like tiger lilies. And definitely emeralds over diamonds.
A.b. Funkhauser I'm still stuck on Zombies, sex, and stuff....
A.b. Funkhauser Diamonds? Emeralds? I like REAL ESTATE.
A.b. Funkhauser I hope those dayam zombies gargle before, you know, the sex...
Margaret Madigan Rachael, it's tough because I always try to put my clients before myself. If I'm working on editing a client project, I try to do that before I write on my own. But often, when everyone's out on submission and I don't have any new projects going, it's kind of quiet, so I have plenty of time. It's a difficult balance sometimes, but lots of agents manage it.
A.b. Funkhauser You have to be very organized, I guess...
Marissa Campbell Looking for Margaret’s zombies, sex and stuff? You can check out her books here:
Margaret Madigan The zombies aren't having sex, they're mostly just atmosphere. Part of the setting and plot. Hero for Hire is available on Amazon, B&N, and anywhere fine books are sold. Merissa McCain and I are (slowly) working on book two, which is a retelling of Robin Hood, set in the same zombie apocalypse, just in Chicago instead of L.A.
Margaret Madigan A.b. - I'm a master of time management.
Marissa Campbell Last minute to comment ...
A.b. Funkhauser I'm so glad the zombies aren't having sex...
Margaret Madigan Yes. That would be gross.
A.b. Funkhauser Nice to meet you, Margaret Madigan
Heather M O'Connor I'm still stuck on Snow White in the zombie apocalypse!
Marissa Campbell Thank you so much for being here, Margaret Madigan!
Margaret Madigan Thank you! It's nice to meet all of you, too. Thanks for attending Marissa's party. At the end of this shindig, we need to pepper her with all the same questions about her book.
Marissa Campbell Drum Roll .... For a ebook of Hero for Hire ...
Marissa Campbell DAWNA You’re on a winning streak! Congratulations!
Dawna Sweet!!!!!! Thank you!!!!!!
A.b. Funkhauser Woo hoo, Dawna.
Margaret Madigan Yay, Dawna!
Marissa Campbell Don't forget to like Margaret's pages, add her books on Goodreads ... you know, send her some author love!
Friday, 13 March 2015
Wren Michael's and her Sexy Stories!
If you missed the cover reveal party for AVELYNN, don't despair, I'm going to be posting all the wonderful author interviews here for your reading pleasure!
Sitting down with Wren Micheals ...
I'd like to officially welcome to the party our next guest author, Wren Michaels!
Wren Michaels hails from the frozen tundra of Wisconsin where beer and cheese are their own food groups. But a cowboy swept her off her feet and carried her away below the Mason-Dixon line, where she promptly lost all tolerance for snow and cold. They decided they'd make beautiful babies together and they got it right on the first try. Now Wren lives happily ever after in the real world and in the worlds of her making, where she creates book boyfriends for the masses to crave.
Wren Michaels Thanks for having me, Marissa.
A.b. Funkhauser Tell us about the boyfriends...
Marissa Campbell Tell us a little about your steamy, sexy books!
Margaret Madigan Hi! *waves*
Wren Michaels They're all scrumptious and waiting to take you on a trip to seductive town.
A.b. Funkhauser Are they shaped by muse(s)?
Marissa Campbell Here's a little about Wren's books:
UNBEARABLE: Rose Red will stop at nothing to protect her sister, Snow White, from suffering the same fate as their mother. She vows to kill Hestor, the evil dwarf sorcerer responsible for her death. But a twist of fate lands her on the bottom of a riverbed, and her life in the hands of a mysterious stranger.
Marcus is a beast of a man. He is a bear by day, man by night, thanks to a curse from the evil Hestor. When he rescues Rose from an icy grave, he unleashes the real animal. Falling for her is dangerous enough, as he must protect the secret of his curse. But she may just be the key to getting his kingdom back, as she breaks one spell and puts him under another.
Wren Michaels Let's see, Unbearable has Marcus, my Irish Prince who's cursed by an evil sorcerer to live as a bear by day and man by night. So he's an alpha with some animalistic tendencies.
Marissa Campbell Or perhaps you might like this book by Wren Michaels…
UNIFORM FETISH ANTHOLOGY - Welcome Home, Jason
Four years ago Katy said goodbye to her brother Roger and his best friend, Jason, as they deployed for the Middle East. Two weeks ago they both came back. Only one of them was alive.
After Roger's funeral, Katy turns to Jason for comfort. She's been in love with him since she was eight years old, but knew he never saw her as anything other than Roger's little sister. Overwhelmed with grief, she pleads with Jason to help her drown her pain, convincing him to sleep with her to help her escape for a while. But deep in her heart the real reason is because he came back alive, and her love for him reignites.
Jason fights his desires, as he has for fifteen years since he fell in love with his best friend's sister. He pushed his own feelings aside out of respect for Roger. But when Katy's grief is too much, he'll do anything to help her ease the pain.
As they share in each other’s pain and grief, they also ignite a love both of them have forced back for years.
A.b. Funkhauser Who do you "see" when you think of Marcus?
Wren Michaels Welcome Home, Jason has of course Jason, my marine hero. Man in uniform, need I say more?
A.b. Funkhauser The uniform announces the man.
Monique Goodness...a man with bear-like qualities. Who wouldn't want to read about that?
Dawna Yay!
Wren Michaels My muses are fueled by pics of Ian Somerhalder and coffee so anything is possible.
A.b. Funkhauser Wide open. I like that.
Marissa Campbell What drew you to Red Rose your heroine?
Wren Michaels I see a man who is used to being in control and now forced to live in hiding which is out of his control, so he's fighting with himself on a daily basis. It makes him complex and in need of help and Rose is his sanctuary.
A.b. Funkhauser She saves him?
Wren Michaels Sorry for typos, I'm driving home from Austin so I won't be fast at responses as I'm limited to my smart phone
A.b. Funkhauser Be safe.
Marissa Campbell I was just going to thank you for doing this from your phone! xo
Marissa Campbell I think she has a hunky driver.
A.b. Funkhauser In that case, practice SAFE. lol
A.b. Funkhauser And keep those hands on the wheel.
Wren Michaels Well I wanted to do a different fairytale, everyone does Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast, so I wanted to find a little different story to take on. I also tend to write strong female characters. I don't like damsels in distress, I like damsels that cause distress.
Marissa Campbell I love that! Damsels that cause distress!
Wren Michaels Hubby is driving so I can play. Lol
Wren Michaels Darn auto correct!
Monique I like to read books that feature empowering women. We should all cause distress. I imagine your novels are How to Books.
A.b. Funkhauser Distressing ladies really got going in the 80s with Dynasty and Dallas. Alexis Carrington Colby was my hero. We need women to look up to.
Alison Sounds juicy. A new spin on a classic. Very cool.
Wren Michaels I'm a huge Joss Whedon fan. He's known for kickass heroines. So I tend to channel him when I write.
A.b. Funkhauser That's a great muse to have!
Nicki U have got my interest.
Margaret Madigan Whedon's man enough not to be threatened by women. I like that.
Wren Michaels I have several stories where my damsels do the saving. It's all about turning the tables.
Monique I, too, am a Joss Whedon fan (currently watching Season 6 of Buffy for the umpteenth time).
A.b. Funkhauser You are levelling the playing field. I could see the male characters reacting badly to this. How does the Bear first react to her overtures?
Wren Michaels Yes, Whedon is very pro woman. Look at Zoe from Firefly, Kaylee is a mechanic, Buffy kicked much ass. Need I say more?
A.b. Funkhauser And with Buffy, he hooked me into something that I thought I wouldn't watch. You might have me reading bed time stories again Wren Michaels. Thank you.
Wren Michaels Marcus is shocked, but her fire, love for her family and provocative side entice him rather than threaten him.
A.b. Funkhauser Are your men emotional?
Monique I am definitely going book shopping this week.
Wren Michaels Jason, my marine is. He's just lost his best friend at war, and he comes home to the love of his life. In a unique spin, my heroine, Katy makes the move on him and ends up releasing a bottle of emotions he has.
Marissa Campbell Red is strong and provocative! What drew you to writing romance and erotica?
Wren Michaels Katy ends up celebrating Jason being alive since she just buried her brother.
Heather I love fairy-tale-inspired fiction. You had me at Irish Prince...
Margaret Madigan I love fairy tale inspired stories, too, especially if they're written with unexpected twists and turns.
Wren Michaels That is a funny story, Marissa. I was bit down in the dumps about my writing career. A friend of mine told me about the anthology and convinced me to do the short story for it. And Evernight accepted it. So as a result my pen name Wren Michaels was born.
A.b. Funkhauser Pen names are freeing?
Wren Michaels After that the same friend, Evie Knight, who is a magnificent author, dared me to try writing a fairytale for Evernight's Naughty Fairytale line and Rose and Marcus were born.
Wren Michaels Lol well if self-induced schizophrenia is freeing, then yes. Sometimes it is a little chaotic being two people, but I'm certainly having fun with these stories. So there could be more.
A.b. Funkhauser Lol. Out of chaos comes order and ART.
Marissa Campbell There is a strong romantic element running through your stories! So if your sweetheart wanted to sweep you off your feet, what would he have to do?
Wren Michaels Well my hubby convinced me to move from Wisconsin to Texas with a kiss. So um either I’m easy or he's a spectacular kisser.
Margaret Madigan Or both.
Margaret Madigan *snort*
Dawna Awe!!!
A.b. Funkhauser Hee hee. I can relate. I almost followed my husband to Thunder Bay--it's as brutal as it sounds! Ah, pheromones.
Alison Lucky you.
Wren Michaels I think at heart every woman just wants a man/woman to make them feel special. Love is the most powerful thing on earth. It is the cause of war, celebration, and life itself.
Monique There's a story there, Wren.
Wren Michaels All of my heroes are based in part on my hubby.
Dawna That's true, Wren.
Marissa Campbell What about your heroines ... is there some of you in there? What do you admire in them?
Wren Michaels I think I make them all the things I wish I could be. They're the parts I'm too shy to do in real life.
A.b. Funkhauser Writing them makes them your life. You're living it. Bravo!
Marissa Campbell Thank you so much for being here, Wren Michaels! xoxo
A.b. Funkhauser Thanks Wren Michaels for sharing.
Margaret Madigan Safe travels home!
Monique Thank you for a titillating hour, Wren.
Wren Michaels Thanks for playing with me today and helping support your favorite authors make their dreams come true. Without you readers, our stories would just live in our heads, and we'd go around talking to ourselves all day. Lol
Monique I'm driving on the lawn from now on.
Wren Michaels Oh and the sequel to Unbearable comes out the end of the month, entitled BAD APPLE. Keep track on my Twitter or FB page for details.
Marissa Campbell Here’s a sneak peak at the cover reveal for BAD APPLE!
Marissa Campbell Last minute to comment before I make the draw for Wren's books! She's giving away a copy each of Unbearable and the Uniform Fetish Anthology!
Marissa Campbell Up first is Unbearable! Drum roll ....
Marissa Campbell Nicki you are the proud winner of Unbearable!
Wren Michaels Kermit Flail!
Marissa Campbell A.b. Funkhauser you just won a copy of Wren's Uniform Fetish Anthology!
A.b. Funkhauser Hee Hee. I likey!
Marissa Campbell If you want more Wren! Check her out here:
https://twitter.com/AuthorWren
https://www.tsu.co/Wren_Michaels
https://wrenmichaels.wordpress.com/
https://www.facebook.com/authorwrenmichaelsW
Sitting down with Wren Micheals ...
I'd like to officially welcome to the party our next guest author, Wren Michaels!
Wren Michaels hails from the frozen tundra of Wisconsin where beer and cheese are their own food groups. But a cowboy swept her off her feet and carried her away below the Mason-Dixon line, where she promptly lost all tolerance for snow and cold. They decided they'd make beautiful babies together and they got it right on the first try. Now Wren lives happily ever after in the real world and in the worlds of her making, where she creates book boyfriends for the masses to crave.
Wren Michaels Thanks for having me, Marissa.
A.b. Funkhauser Tell us about the boyfriends...
Marissa Campbell Tell us a little about your steamy, sexy books!
Margaret Madigan Hi! *waves*
Wren Michaels They're all scrumptious and waiting to take you on a trip to seductive town.
A.b. Funkhauser Are they shaped by muse(s)?
Marissa Campbell Here's a little about Wren's books:
UNBEARABLE: Rose Red will stop at nothing to protect her sister, Snow White, from suffering the same fate as their mother. She vows to kill Hestor, the evil dwarf sorcerer responsible for her death. But a twist of fate lands her on the bottom of a riverbed, and her life in the hands of a mysterious stranger.
Marcus is a beast of a man. He is a bear by day, man by night, thanks to a curse from the evil Hestor. When he rescues Rose from an icy grave, he unleashes the real animal. Falling for her is dangerous enough, as he must protect the secret of his curse. But she may just be the key to getting his kingdom back, as she breaks one spell and puts him under another.
Wren Michaels Let's see, Unbearable has Marcus, my Irish Prince who's cursed by an evil sorcerer to live as a bear by day and man by night. So he's an alpha with some animalistic tendencies.
Marissa Campbell Or perhaps you might like this book by Wren Michaels…
UNIFORM FETISH ANTHOLOGY - Welcome Home, Jason
Four years ago Katy said goodbye to her brother Roger and his best friend, Jason, as they deployed for the Middle East. Two weeks ago they both came back. Only one of them was alive.
After Roger's funeral, Katy turns to Jason for comfort. She's been in love with him since she was eight years old, but knew he never saw her as anything other than Roger's little sister. Overwhelmed with grief, she pleads with Jason to help her drown her pain, convincing him to sleep with her to help her escape for a while. But deep in her heart the real reason is because he came back alive, and her love for him reignites.
Jason fights his desires, as he has for fifteen years since he fell in love with his best friend's sister. He pushed his own feelings aside out of respect for Roger. But when Katy's grief is too much, he'll do anything to help her ease the pain.
As they share in each other’s pain and grief, they also ignite a love both of them have forced back for years.
A.b. Funkhauser Who do you "see" when you think of Marcus?
Wren Michaels Welcome Home, Jason has of course Jason, my marine hero. Man in uniform, need I say more?
A.b. Funkhauser The uniform announces the man.
Monique Goodness...a man with bear-like qualities. Who wouldn't want to read about that?
Dawna Yay!
Wren Michaels My muses are fueled by pics of Ian Somerhalder and coffee so anything is possible.
A.b. Funkhauser Wide open. I like that.
Marissa Campbell What drew you to Red Rose your heroine?
Wren Michaels I see a man who is used to being in control and now forced to live in hiding which is out of his control, so he's fighting with himself on a daily basis. It makes him complex and in need of help and Rose is his sanctuary.
A.b. Funkhauser She saves him?
Wren Michaels Sorry for typos, I'm driving home from Austin so I won't be fast at responses as I'm limited to my smart phone
A.b. Funkhauser Be safe.
Marissa Campbell I was just going to thank you for doing this from your phone! xo
Marissa Campbell I think she has a hunky driver.
A.b. Funkhauser In that case, practice SAFE. lol
A.b. Funkhauser And keep those hands on the wheel.
Wren Michaels Well I wanted to do a different fairytale, everyone does Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast, so I wanted to find a little different story to take on. I also tend to write strong female characters. I don't like damsels in distress, I like damsels that cause distress.
Marissa Campbell I love that! Damsels that cause distress!
Wren Michaels Hubby is driving so I can play. Lol
Wren Michaels Darn auto correct!
Monique I like to read books that feature empowering women. We should all cause distress. I imagine your novels are How to Books.
A.b. Funkhauser Distressing ladies really got going in the 80s with Dynasty and Dallas. Alexis Carrington Colby was my hero. We need women to look up to.
Alison Sounds juicy. A new spin on a classic. Very cool.
Wren Michaels I'm a huge Joss Whedon fan. He's known for kickass heroines. So I tend to channel him when I write.
A.b. Funkhauser That's a great muse to have!
Nicki U have got my interest.
Margaret Madigan Whedon's man enough not to be threatened by women. I like that.
Wren Michaels I have several stories where my damsels do the saving. It's all about turning the tables.
Monique I, too, am a Joss Whedon fan (currently watching Season 6 of Buffy for the umpteenth time).
A.b. Funkhauser You are levelling the playing field. I could see the male characters reacting badly to this. How does the Bear first react to her overtures?
Wren Michaels Yes, Whedon is very pro woman. Look at Zoe from Firefly, Kaylee is a mechanic, Buffy kicked much ass. Need I say more?
A.b. Funkhauser And with Buffy, he hooked me into something that I thought I wouldn't watch. You might have me reading bed time stories again Wren Michaels. Thank you.
Wren Michaels Marcus is shocked, but her fire, love for her family and provocative side entice him rather than threaten him.
A.b. Funkhauser Are your men emotional?
Monique I am definitely going book shopping this week.
Wren Michaels Jason, my marine is. He's just lost his best friend at war, and he comes home to the love of his life. In a unique spin, my heroine, Katy makes the move on him and ends up releasing a bottle of emotions he has.
Marissa Campbell Red is strong and provocative! What drew you to writing romance and erotica?
Wren Michaels Katy ends up celebrating Jason being alive since she just buried her brother.
Heather I love fairy-tale-inspired fiction. You had me at Irish Prince...
Margaret Madigan I love fairy tale inspired stories, too, especially if they're written with unexpected twists and turns.
Wren Michaels That is a funny story, Marissa. I was bit down in the dumps about my writing career. A friend of mine told me about the anthology and convinced me to do the short story for it. And Evernight accepted it. So as a result my pen name Wren Michaels was born.
A.b. Funkhauser Pen names are freeing?
Wren Michaels After that the same friend, Evie Knight, who is a magnificent author, dared me to try writing a fairytale for Evernight's Naughty Fairytale line and Rose and Marcus were born.
Wren Michaels Lol well if self-induced schizophrenia is freeing, then yes. Sometimes it is a little chaotic being two people, but I'm certainly having fun with these stories. So there could be more.
A.b. Funkhauser Lol. Out of chaos comes order and ART.
Marissa Campbell There is a strong romantic element running through your stories! So if your sweetheart wanted to sweep you off your feet, what would he have to do?
Wren Michaels Well my hubby convinced me to move from Wisconsin to Texas with a kiss. So um either I’m easy or he's a spectacular kisser.
Margaret Madigan Or both.
Margaret Madigan *snort*
Dawna Awe!!!
A.b. Funkhauser Hee hee. I can relate. I almost followed my husband to Thunder Bay--it's as brutal as it sounds! Ah, pheromones.
Alison Lucky you.
Wren Michaels I think at heart every woman just wants a man/woman to make them feel special. Love is the most powerful thing on earth. It is the cause of war, celebration, and life itself.
Monique There's a story there, Wren.
Wren Michaels All of my heroes are based in part on my hubby.
Dawna That's true, Wren.
Marissa Campbell What about your heroines ... is there some of you in there? What do you admire in them?
Wren Michaels I think I make them all the things I wish I could be. They're the parts I'm too shy to do in real life.
A.b. Funkhauser Writing them makes them your life. You're living it. Bravo!
Marissa Campbell Thank you so much for being here, Wren Michaels! xoxo
A.b. Funkhauser Thanks Wren Michaels for sharing.
Margaret Madigan Safe travels home!
Monique Thank you for a titillating hour, Wren.
Wren Michaels Thanks for playing with me today and helping support your favorite authors make their dreams come true. Without you readers, our stories would just live in our heads, and we'd go around talking to ourselves all day. Lol
Monique I'm driving on the lawn from now on.
Wren Michaels Oh and the sequel to Unbearable comes out the end of the month, entitled BAD APPLE. Keep track on my Twitter or FB page for details.
Marissa Campbell Here’s a sneak peak at the cover reveal for BAD APPLE!
Marissa Campbell Up first is Unbearable! Drum roll ....
Marissa Campbell Nicki you are the proud winner of Unbearable!
Wren Michaels Kermit Flail!
Marissa Campbell A.b. Funkhauser you just won a copy of Wren's Uniform Fetish Anthology!
A.b. Funkhauser Hee Hee. I likey!
Marissa Campbell If you want more Wren! Check her out here:
https://twitter.com/AuthorWren
https://www.tsu.co/Wren_Michaels
https://wrenmichaels.wordpress.com/
https://www.facebook.com/authorwrenmichaelsW
Monday, 9 March 2015
Julie Mulhern's The Deep End!
Did you miss AVELYNN's Facebook Cover Reveal Party? No problem! I'm going to be posting all the wonderful author interviews here on my blog!
Sitting down with Julie Mulhern ...
I'd like to official welcome to the party my first guest author, Julie Mulhern!
Julie Mulhern is a Kansas City native who grew up on a steady diet of Agatha Christie. She spends her spare time whipping up gourmet meals for her family, working out at the gym and finding new ways to keep her house spotlessly clean--and she's got an active imagination. Truth is--she's an expert at calling for take-out, she grumbles about walking the dog and the dust bunnies under the bed have grown into dust lions. She is a 2014 Golden Heart® Finalist. The Deep End is her first mystery and is the winner of The Sheila Award.
Heather M O'Connor Tell us about your book, Julie.
Julie Mulhern I think I need to shrink my screen! My face looks GINORMOUS.
Marissa Campbell Lol, it's a beautiful face!
Julie Mulhern Heather, my book is a murder mystery set in 1974 at a country club.
Julie Mulhern Marissa, I can see every wrinkle.
Julie Mulhern Heather, here's the blurb:
Swimming into the lifeless body of her husband’s mistress tends to ruin a woman’s day, but becoming a murder suspect can ruin her whole life.
It’s 1974 and Ellison Russell’s life revolves around her daughter and her art. She’s long since stopped caring about her cheating husband, Henry, and the women with whom he entertains himself. That is, until she becomes a suspect in Madeline Harper’s death. The murder forces Ellison to confront her husband’s proclivities and his crimes—kinky sex, petty cruelties and blackmail.
As the body count approaches par on the seventh hole, Ellison knows she has to catch a killer. But with an interfering mother, an adoring father, a teenage daughter, and a cadre of well-meaning friends demanding her attention, can Ellison find the killer before he finds her?
Marissa Campbell Julie's book!
Julie Mulhern Don't you love my cover? I can say that because I had nothing to do with its design.... sending Henery Press all sorts of love!
Marissa Campbell We are knee deep in snow here, Julie. That cover looks wonderful!
Heather M O'Connor Sounds fabulous! The Deep End is a great title. Such depth.
Julie Mulhern Inspired by the deep end of a pool...
Marissa Campbell How so?
Heather M O'Connor And getting in out of her depth. I love the double and triple entendre.
Julie Mulhern My heroine dives into a pool and swims into a body.
Julie Mulhern Heather. I love it when people get that!
Heather M O'Connor And not just any body... anybody...
Julie Mulhern Nope - the one body guaranteed to make her a murder suspect!
Margaret Madigan I love that it's a cozy-ish/amateur sleuth mystery with some edge to it. And Ellison is fabulous.
Marissa Campbell I love her name too! Where does the name come from?
Julie Mulhern She might be the tiniest bit snarky, Margaret - nothing like me at all.
Margaret Madigan *snort* Whatever you say, Julie.
Julie Mulhern Marissa, I've known several Ellison's in my life, all belonged to country clubs.
Marissa Campbell So, your heroine, Ellison ... is she like you? What's different? What do you admire in her?
Alison I love the cover. Sounds like a great read.
Julie Mulhern Ellison and I might share a certain level of SNARK but our lives are different.
Julie Mulhern First off, my husband does NOT frequent sex clubs....
Marissa Campbell A fact, you are probably thankful for.
Margaret Madigan Julie, I totally wanted to toss out some snark of my own there, but I held my tongue. You're welcome.
Marissa Campbell What inspired you to write the book? Do you like reading mysteries?
Julie Mulhern Second, I've never run over a body with my car - hit someone, yes - actually put tire tracks on their shirt, no.
Marissa Campbell There's a story in that! What happened?
Julie Mulhern I was only sixteen and not the best driver...he was mowing a lawn...
Margaret Madigan You were driving on the lawn?
Marissa Campbell Car on the road ... man on his grass ... continue!
Julie Mulhern Kid in the gutter starting the lawn mower...the kid walked away. My parents replaced the lawn mower.
Marissa Campbell Oh dear. Glad everyone was okay!
Julie Mulhern I spent the next month sitting in my room.
Monique Nadeau Massabki "The Deep End" sounds intriguing (and I will be getting my very own copy), but even I want to read the story you (should) will write about running over Lawn Mower Kid.
Julie Mulhern Monique just join us for a holiday dinner - it gets dredged up every year.
Marissa Campbell lol
Monique Nadeau Massabki All the good stories do.
Marissa Campbell What draws you to mysteries, Julie?
Julie Mulhern The story gets funnier every year - just ask my husband. He's heard it 20+ times now.
Julie Mulhern Marissa, haven't you ever wanted to kill someone?
Margaret Madigan Oh wow. Scary answer, Julie.
Julie Mulhern Bwahahahaha
Margaret Madigan Remind me to stay on your good side.
Monique Nadeau Massabki Note to self...No negative reviews for Julie Mulhern.
Julie Mulhern I love mysteries for the puzzles. I love writing them because I can seriously torture people I never liked.
Rachael Stapleton Killing on paper is the best form. I do all my murdering between this pages as well. This book looks awesome, Julie!
Margaret Madigan She might hunt you down and run over you while you're mowing your lawn. hehe.
Julie Mulhern Thanks, Rachael!
Monique Nadeau Massabki All joking aside, that was probably the best answer to that question. And I'll take the plunge and admit 'Yes. Every day. Yes.'
Julie Mulhern I can drive to N.D., Margeret. Beware!
Rachael Stapleton I was going to say between the sheets but I knew Marissa would take it somewhere else.
Julie Mulhern You gotta watch out for Marissa.
Margaret Madigan She comes across as all sweet and innocent, but she's not.
Alison Yes, definitely have to watch out for Marissa.
Heather M O'Connor Starting to write my first mystery soon. Any tips you'd like to share?
Monique Nadeau Massabki Do you have another victim lined up for another novel, Julie?
Julie Mulhern Hmmm, Heather. Tips? I work backward. I know who did it and why and then I start writing.
Monique Nadeau Massabki And please don't pick me.
Marissa Campbell lol
Julie Mulhern Monique, my second book releases in October and poor Ellison finds a body under the stands during a high school football game.
Margaret Madigan Bahahaha! Funny, Monique.
Dale Long Julie, that's the same reason. I write horror. Plus, there is that thrill of having no boundaries, of writing on the edge. Agatha Christie was one of my favourites and inspirations. You're a great cheerleader on. #1lineWed.
Heather M O'Connor What was the hardest part of writing the book?
Julie Mulhern Still working on the third book - I'm thinking poison? I'd like to title it, Clouds in My Coffee....anyone up for another ear worm?
Heather M O'Connor Ooh! I like that! Clouds in my Coffee--poison is such a great way to kill someone.
Julie Mulhern Heather, the hardest part for me is the middle, when I hate it and there's a bright shiny idea waiting to be written. The key is to ignore the idea and finish the damn book.
Heather M O'Connor "What's your poison?" LOL
Heather M O'Connor Oh, I am right with you on that! Messy, muddy, muddy middles.
Julie Mulhern I haven't decided. I'd better hope no one poisons my husband because my recent internet searches would land me in jail.
Marissa Campbell I hate middles!
Heather M O'Connor I have a file on my desktop called "How to slit a throat"
A.b. Funkhauser I love middles. They get me into so much trouble. Usually, a side character starts a hijack.
Cryssa Bazos Hi, Julie. Nice to see you on FB instead of just Twitter. Just reading the part where you hit someone at 16. This is one of my fears when I'm backing out with my car.
A.b. Funkhauser I don't recommend throat slitting. Impossible to remove blood traces.
A.b. Funkhauser Julie. Tell us a secret.
Heather M O'Connor It came from a great Facebook discussion with about a dozen other writers. We were brainstorming and problem-solving for someone. Had to save it. It was invaluable research and less messy than the firsthand kind. But I had to add the title of the book to the file name. I didn't want any hard feelings or misunderstandings.
Julie Mulhern Cryssa - me too! Aside from the neighborhood kid - yes, he lived down the street - I've managed to avoid hitting humans.
Julie Mulhern A secret, A.b. I have no secrets. Not one. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
Margaret Madigan Besides, if you told it then it wouldn't be a secret anymore.
A.b. Funkhauser But you write fiction, so nothing you say is nonfiction.
Julie Mulhern A.b. since we're talking murder, my mind goes immediately to pretty little liars.... DO YOU HAVE A SECRET?
A.b. Funkhauser Dozens!
Julie Mulhern Spill...
A.b. Funkhauser I, too, write fiction and am therefore incapable of telling the truth.
A.b. Funkhauser When I was young, someone tried to recruit me as a professional escort.
A.b. Funkhauser As opposed to an unprofessional escort.
Julie Mulhern Actually - I think writers are better at telling the truth than anyone...big truths, universal truths.
Heather M O'Connor And big lies, universal lies, too.
A.b. Funkhauser Lies are great. They mislead the audience and frame the set up for the BIG SURPRISE.
Marissa Campbell I'd like to thank Julie for coming out to play!
A.b. Funkhauser Thanks, Julie!
Monique Nadeau Massabki We had a great time, too, Julie. Thank you for letting us into your world (and not killing us...yet).
Julie Mulhern Thanks, everyone, for stopping by. This has been great fun!
Marissa Campbell She is giving away an ebook of The Deep End!
Marissa Campbell Drum roll .....
Marissa Campbell Alison YOU'RE A WINNER!
Margaret Madigan Thanks for tolerating us, Julie! Congrats Alison!
Alison Thanks that is so exciting. Yay me and thanks, Julie.
Nicki These bios sound so interesting, now I feel my life is boring, lol. Maybe I should write a book.
Marissa Campbell Nicki Lou your life would make a great book! Happily ever after! xoxo
Laura Beautiful and Smart! How lucky can an author get? I have always wanted to write a book, but lack the talent to make it happen. Congratulations, Julie!
Nicki Lol thanks Marissa. Yeah a bit of everything. Can't be published until I die.
Nicki Beautiful and smart!
Marissa Campbell Want more Julie? Find more about her here:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/juliekmulhern?ref=hl
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JulieKMulhern
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8573907.Julie_Mulhern
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/juliemulhern/
Website: www.juliemulhern.com
Sitting down with Julie Mulhern ...
I'd like to official welcome to the party my first guest author, Julie Mulhern!
Julie Mulhern is a Kansas City native who grew up on a steady diet of Agatha Christie. She spends her spare time whipping up gourmet meals for her family, working out at the gym and finding new ways to keep her house spotlessly clean--and she's got an active imagination. Truth is--she's an expert at calling for take-out, she grumbles about walking the dog and the dust bunnies under the bed have grown into dust lions. She is a 2014 Golden Heart® Finalist. The Deep End is her first mystery and is the winner of The Sheila Award.
Heather M O'Connor Tell us about your book, Julie.
Julie Mulhern I think I need to shrink my screen! My face looks GINORMOUS.
Marissa Campbell Lol, it's a beautiful face!
Julie Mulhern Heather, my book is a murder mystery set in 1974 at a country club.
Julie Mulhern Marissa, I can see every wrinkle.
Julie Mulhern Heather, here's the blurb:
Swimming into the lifeless body of her husband’s mistress tends to ruin a woman’s day, but becoming a murder suspect can ruin her whole life.
It’s 1974 and Ellison Russell’s life revolves around her daughter and her art. She’s long since stopped caring about her cheating husband, Henry, and the women with whom he entertains himself. That is, until she becomes a suspect in Madeline Harper’s death. The murder forces Ellison to confront her husband’s proclivities and his crimes—kinky sex, petty cruelties and blackmail.
As the body count approaches par on the seventh hole, Ellison knows she has to catch a killer. But with an interfering mother, an adoring father, a teenage daughter, and a cadre of well-meaning friends demanding her attention, can Ellison find the killer before he finds her?
Marissa Campbell Julie's book!
Julie Mulhern Don't you love my cover? I can say that because I had nothing to do with its design.... sending Henery Press all sorts of love!
Marissa Campbell We are knee deep in snow here, Julie. That cover looks wonderful!
Heather M O'Connor Sounds fabulous! The Deep End is a great title. Such depth.
Julie Mulhern Inspired by the deep end of a pool...
Marissa Campbell How so?
Heather M O'Connor And getting in out of her depth. I love the double and triple entendre.
Julie Mulhern My heroine dives into a pool and swims into a body.
Julie Mulhern Heather. I love it when people get that!
Heather M O'Connor And not just any body... anybody...
Julie Mulhern Nope - the one body guaranteed to make her a murder suspect!
Margaret Madigan I love that it's a cozy-ish/amateur sleuth mystery with some edge to it. And Ellison is fabulous.
Marissa Campbell I love her name too! Where does the name come from?
Julie Mulhern She might be the tiniest bit snarky, Margaret - nothing like me at all.
Margaret Madigan *snort* Whatever you say, Julie.
Julie Mulhern Marissa, I've known several Ellison's in my life, all belonged to country clubs.
Marissa Campbell So, your heroine, Ellison ... is she like you? What's different? What do you admire in her?
Alison I love the cover. Sounds like a great read.
Julie Mulhern Ellison and I might share a certain level of SNARK but our lives are different.
Julie Mulhern First off, my husband does NOT frequent sex clubs....
Marissa Campbell A fact, you are probably thankful for.
Margaret Madigan Julie, I totally wanted to toss out some snark of my own there, but I held my tongue. You're welcome.
Marissa Campbell What inspired you to write the book? Do you like reading mysteries?
Julie Mulhern Second, I've never run over a body with my car - hit someone, yes - actually put tire tracks on their shirt, no.
Marissa Campbell There's a story in that! What happened?
Julie Mulhern I was only sixteen and not the best driver...he was mowing a lawn...
Margaret Madigan You were driving on the lawn?
Marissa Campbell Car on the road ... man on his grass ... continue!
Julie Mulhern Kid in the gutter starting the lawn mower...the kid walked away. My parents replaced the lawn mower.
Marissa Campbell Oh dear. Glad everyone was okay!
Julie Mulhern I spent the next month sitting in my room.
Monique Nadeau Massabki "The Deep End" sounds intriguing (and I will be getting my very own copy), but even I want to read the story you (should) will write about running over Lawn Mower Kid.
Julie Mulhern Monique just join us for a holiday dinner - it gets dredged up every year.
Marissa Campbell lol
Monique Nadeau Massabki All the good stories do.
Marissa Campbell What draws you to mysteries, Julie?
Julie Mulhern The story gets funnier every year - just ask my husband. He's heard it 20+ times now.
Julie Mulhern Marissa, haven't you ever wanted to kill someone?
Margaret Madigan Oh wow. Scary answer, Julie.
Julie Mulhern Bwahahahaha
Margaret Madigan Remind me to stay on your good side.
Monique Nadeau Massabki Note to self...No negative reviews for Julie Mulhern.
Julie Mulhern I love mysteries for the puzzles. I love writing them because I can seriously torture people I never liked.
Rachael Stapleton Killing on paper is the best form. I do all my murdering between this pages as well. This book looks awesome, Julie!
Margaret Madigan She might hunt you down and run over you while you're mowing your lawn. hehe.
Julie Mulhern Thanks, Rachael!
Monique Nadeau Massabki All joking aside, that was probably the best answer to that question. And I'll take the plunge and admit 'Yes. Every day. Yes.'
Julie Mulhern I can drive to N.D., Margeret. Beware!
Rachael Stapleton I was going to say between the sheets but I knew Marissa would take it somewhere else.
Julie Mulhern You gotta watch out for Marissa.
Margaret Madigan She comes across as all sweet and innocent, but she's not.
Alison Yes, definitely have to watch out for Marissa.
Heather M O'Connor Starting to write my first mystery soon. Any tips you'd like to share?
Monique Nadeau Massabki Do you have another victim lined up for another novel, Julie?
Julie Mulhern Hmmm, Heather. Tips? I work backward. I know who did it and why and then I start writing.
Monique Nadeau Massabki And please don't pick me.
Marissa Campbell lol
Julie Mulhern Monique, my second book releases in October and poor Ellison finds a body under the stands during a high school football game.
Margaret Madigan Bahahaha! Funny, Monique.
Dale Long Julie, that's the same reason. I write horror. Plus, there is that thrill of having no boundaries, of writing on the edge. Agatha Christie was one of my favourites and inspirations. You're a great cheerleader on. #1lineWed.
Heather M O'Connor What was the hardest part of writing the book?
Julie Mulhern Still working on the third book - I'm thinking poison? I'd like to title it, Clouds in My Coffee....anyone up for another ear worm?
Heather M O'Connor Ooh! I like that! Clouds in my Coffee--poison is such a great way to kill someone.
Julie Mulhern Heather, the hardest part for me is the middle, when I hate it and there's a bright shiny idea waiting to be written. The key is to ignore the idea and finish the damn book.
Heather M O'Connor "What's your poison?" LOL
Heather M O'Connor Oh, I am right with you on that! Messy, muddy, muddy middles.
Julie Mulhern I haven't decided. I'd better hope no one poisons my husband because my recent internet searches would land me in jail.
Marissa Campbell I hate middles!
Heather M O'Connor I have a file on my desktop called "How to slit a throat"
A.b. Funkhauser I love middles. They get me into so much trouble. Usually, a side character starts a hijack.
Cryssa Bazos Hi, Julie. Nice to see you on FB instead of just Twitter. Just reading the part where you hit someone at 16. This is one of my fears when I'm backing out with my car.
A.b. Funkhauser I don't recommend throat slitting. Impossible to remove blood traces.
A.b. Funkhauser Julie. Tell us a secret.
Heather M O'Connor It came from a great Facebook discussion with about a dozen other writers. We were brainstorming and problem-solving for someone. Had to save it. It was invaluable research and less messy than the firsthand kind. But I had to add the title of the book to the file name. I didn't want any hard feelings or misunderstandings.
Julie Mulhern Cryssa - me too! Aside from the neighborhood kid - yes, he lived down the street - I've managed to avoid hitting humans.
Julie Mulhern A secret, A.b. I have no secrets. Not one. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
Margaret Madigan Besides, if you told it then it wouldn't be a secret anymore.
A.b. Funkhauser But you write fiction, so nothing you say is nonfiction.
Julie Mulhern A.b. since we're talking murder, my mind goes immediately to pretty little liars.... DO YOU HAVE A SECRET?
A.b. Funkhauser Dozens!
Julie Mulhern Spill...
A.b. Funkhauser I, too, write fiction and am therefore incapable of telling the truth.
A.b. Funkhauser When I was young, someone tried to recruit me as a professional escort.
A.b. Funkhauser As opposed to an unprofessional escort.
Julie Mulhern Actually - I think writers are better at telling the truth than anyone...big truths, universal truths.
Heather M O'Connor And big lies, universal lies, too.
A.b. Funkhauser Lies are great. They mislead the audience and frame the set up for the BIG SURPRISE.
Marissa Campbell I'd like to thank Julie for coming out to play!
A.b. Funkhauser Thanks, Julie!
Monique Nadeau Massabki We had a great time, too, Julie. Thank you for letting us into your world (and not killing us...yet).
Julie Mulhern Thanks, everyone, for stopping by. This has been great fun!
Marissa Campbell She is giving away an ebook of The Deep End!
Marissa Campbell Drum roll .....
Marissa Campbell Alison YOU'RE A WINNER!
Margaret Madigan Thanks for tolerating us, Julie! Congrats Alison!
Alison Thanks that is so exciting. Yay me and thanks, Julie.
Nicki These bios sound so interesting, now I feel my life is boring, lol. Maybe I should write a book.
Marissa Campbell Nicki Lou your life would make a great book! Happily ever after! xoxo
Laura Beautiful and Smart! How lucky can an author get? I have always wanted to write a book, but lack the talent to make it happen. Congratulations, Julie!
Nicki Lol thanks Marissa. Yeah a bit of everything. Can't be published until I die.
Nicki Beautiful and smart!
Marissa Campbell Want more Julie? Find more about her here:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/juliekmulhern?ref=hl
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JulieKMulhern
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8573907.Julie_Mulhern
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/juliemulhern/
Website: www.juliemulhern.com
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