Maggie Blackbird

Branding? What’s that?

Maggie Blackbird

December 16, 2011

What’s your brand?

I read a great article by Danielle Monsch about branding. What an eye-opener.

I looked through my own blog and tags afterwards. What did I discover? Music and YouTube links were quite prominent, same with yapping about rock stars and rock biographies. Then I glanced through my GoodReads “read” books. A lot of reading was devoted to rock ‘n’ roll autobiographies and biographies. What about one of my fave novels as a pre-teen? I fell in love with Sooner or Later because Michael Skye was an upcoming rocker. Not a rock star. An upcoming rocker. How about all those movie posts I share links to? I listed a lot of music-related flicks.

I love the 80s

Maggie Blackbird

4 comments

December 15, 2011

What do you do when the flu tortures you all week and you’re loaded up on every cold and flu remedy under the sun? Blog about nonsense. Now that I’m almost human again, and the hubby has a nice fire burning in the woodstove, I thought I’d yap about the 80s—when I came of age. Maybe this is why the decade of extreme excess has a special place in my heart? Big hair. Bold make-up. Bright clothes. Shoulder pads. Super-tight, tapered jeans. Bullet belts. Fringed leather jackets. High tops. Mismatched converse shoes (mine weren’t mismatched; black and white).

Phantom Blue

Phantom Blue was an all-female metal band, something you didn’t see in the 80s. Girls were regulated to video vixen or pop stars, or they fronted the metal band (think Doro Pesch or Lita Ford). If you never heard of Phantom Blue, check them out on YouTube. They really rocked.

Christmas on Campus

Maggie Blackbird

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December 12, 2011

Waitlisted by Laurel Gans

Today, Romance, She Wrote is pleased to host guest blogger Laurel Gans.

*****

I love winter time on a college campus! The trees are all lit up and every coffee shop in a ten mile radius has Glee’s Christmas album on repeat. I even enjoyed pulling out last year’s fluffy coat and boots to brave the first winter snow. This is mostly because I found thirty bucks in my coat pocket, and my favorite socks in the boots! I’m going to have to run those through the washer a couple times…

However, all the decorations in the world can’t ease the frustration of that one last hurdle students have before heading home for a nice long vacation —Finals week.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Maggie Blackbird

24 comments

December 6, 2011

Muah!

Since we’re now into December, author Brenda Whiteside is guest blogging today about all things Christmas. Read on to here what she has to say…

*****

I love another man besides my husband. And I’m not giving him up because I’ve loved him all my life.

Santa Clause.

Yes, I do believe. Everything about the Christmas season can be wrapped up, tied with a great big silver bow, in two words – Santa Clause. He’s the spirit of giving, the sound of joy, the wonder of magic and pure childlike fun.

What’s in my e-reader?

Maggie Blackbird

4 comments

November 27, 2011

Where Heaven Begins by Rosanne Bittner

Rosanne Bittner is one of my favourite authors. I’ve been reading her novels since discovering her work around the mid-90s. When I saw the setting for her inspirational story—gold rush in the Yukon—I made an instant purchase. What can I say about this book so far, seeing as I’m on chapter four? Nice pacing. Rosanne, as always, is quick to set the reader on the journey. No dilly dallying, but no rush, either. She’s great with creating realistic settings, taking me on the steamship up the California coast to Seattle. The hero has made his appearance, retrieving the heroine’s bag that a thief stole at the docks. This is one of those, “I don’t wanna put this book down,” novels.

Here’s the blurb:

With rough miners for shipmates, Elizabeth Breckenridge sets sail to search for her brother in Alaska, wild with the 1890s gold rush. When she falls overboard mid-journey, she is rescued by a man very unlike her minister brother– Clint Brady, a cynical bounty hunter who shoots to kill. Together, this unlikely couple struggles to survive the rugged dangers of the beautiful Alaskan frontier. Unexpectedly, Clint comes to love her, and proposes. Elizabeth returns his love, but unless she can help Clint see that heaven is no abstraction in the sky, the grip of the past could cost them a future together…

Kobo, Sony, Amazon, and Nook.

How about you? Any new additions to your e-reader?

Interview with Kat Duncan

Maggie Blackbird

5 comments

November 25, 2011

Ransom’s Bond by Kat Duncan

I first encountered Kat Duncan when I signed up for Want Style? Get Grammar – 101 – 103 at Savvy Authors. Her organisational skills, instructional method, well-explained and easy-to-follow lessons, and constructive feedback for my homework impressed me so much that I signed on for two other workshops Kat would be teaching.

After Scenes and Sequels, Oh My wrapped up, I told Kat she was welcome to blog at my site whenever she wished. So here she is today, ready to talk about her new book Ransom’s Bond.

1. First off, why not tell everyone a little bit about you. Not the writer you or instructor you, but you, Kat Duncan.

We have a winner…

Maggie Blackbird

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November 23, 2011

I won!

First off, thank you to everyone for participating yesterday. You made Deborah’s blog tour stop at Romance, She Wrote a successful one.

As promised, one luck winner gets a copy of Deborah’s new book — Finding Author Success: Discovering and Uncovering the Marketing Power Within your Manus. Sugarnspicewriters, your name was drawn. Please contact Deborah with the following in the subject line: Winner of book at Romance, She Wrote. Deborah can be reached at writerchef (at) sbcglobal (dot) net.

Play the “Genre Game” for Serious Marketing Power!

Maggie Blackbird

22 comments

November 22, 2011

Finding Author Success by Deborah Riley-Magnus

Today at Romance, She Wrote, we have guest Deborah Riley-Magnus, author of Finding Author Success: Discovering and Uncovering the Marketing Power Within your Manuscript. Deborah is here to inform us what the “genre game” is and how we can use this marketing tool for serious marketing power. As Ed McMahon likes to say, “Here’s Deborah…”

*****

We all know the reason for genres, right? Genre categories were created for ease of book placement. If a customer is strolling through a bookstore and wishing to purchase a Romance, or Mystery or How-to-Garden book, the signs will tell them were to look. It works the same with online stores.

I won Nano!

Maggie Blackbird

2 comments

November 21, 2011

Yes, I did. Yesterday evening, 50K loomed on the horizon. I was almost there. Tired and dehydrated, I stumbled across the finish line, swearing to myself I’d never do this again.

It was a dark and stormy night…

Ten things

Maggie Blackbird

4 comments

November 16, 2011

Giddyap

I was over at Romance University and followed Loucinda McGary’s link to her blog. She is a great blogger, with all kinds of interesting topics going on. One of them I liked was Ten Things…

I’m an Ojibway chickie (thanks to mom and dad) who grew up on the rez–or First Nation, if I use today’s pc terminology, heh. A child of the 70s and teenager of the 80s. So I’m going to tell you ten things about growing up on the rez.

1. The abandoned residential school was our playground. It had sidewalks. Paved small roads. OMFG, pavement. Can you believe it? We’d ride our bikes down all the paths, skateboard, play tennis–clueless to what the big fun building used to be since we were too young to have been in residential school. The one we played at closed in ’74.

A pinch of NaNo and a dash of music

Maggie Blackbird

4 comments

November 14, 2011

Retro

Yes, I thought I’d take a quick break from my NaNo project in order to blog. This is my second year and I’m ahead of the game at 31,356 words so far—or something like that (I’d have to check). According to the NaNo stat thingie, I should finish on November 23^rd. Would be nice. Hopefully I can keep this pace. Last year I got so caught up in NaNoing I finished 50k in sixteen days LOL. Whoa! But I faced major burn-out afterwards. Major burn-out. So burnt-out I couldn’t think of anything writing. It took Biffno to get me out of my burn-out faze, and during Biffno I drafted Real, which is waiting to be edited, since I’m currently editing Fire and Water, and that WIP is sitting on the wayside, thanks to NaNo.

What’s in my e-reader?

Maggie Blackbird

4 comments

November 9, 2011

Four Kisses by Bonnie Dee

Since I can’t review every book I read–if I did, I wouldn’t have time to write–I thought I’d do a post each time I pop a new novel into my e-reader. Currently, I’m turning the pages to Bonnie Dee‘s Four Kisses. What can I say so far? Gorgeous prose. Vivid descriptions. A realistic view of two kids in elementary school at a lake with their friends during the summer. I’m smelling the suntan lotion, feeling the sand between my toes, and enjoying the warm rays of the sun on my skin.

Here’s the blurb:

Unforgettable moments shape a romance that could last a lifetime.

Jen Adams’s first kiss didn’t happen the way she’d expected. On a steamy summer’s day, a shared moment with a boy who runs with a bad crowd leaves an indelible impression on a thirteen year old girl. But that’s only the first time Jen and Drake Malinson’s paths cross in an unforeseen way.

The night of junior prom Jen bumps into an older, sexier and even wilder Drake. He distracts and mesmerizes her, turning a disastrous evening into one she’ll always remember.

When they meet again as adults under stranger circumstances, Jen tries to ignore old memories. Were her insights into Drake real or had his kisses seduced her into believing he was deeper than he was. Can straight-arrow Jen and aimless Drake change enough to find common ground?

Four vignettes illustrate a relationship that spans years. A 20,000 word novella.

Available at: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, All Romance E-Books, and Smashwords.

How about you? I’d love to hear what’s in your e-reader.

Pop Muzik

Maggie Blackbird

4 comments

November 2, 2011

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

One perk I love about drafting a novel is figuring out what interests my characters, such as movies, music, clothes, etc. For NaNoWriMo, I’m drafting Always (working title for now). Taking place in the 80s, Lisa is a spunky chickie who is loyal to her girlfriends and all about showing some skin. Her philosophy is: If you got it, flaunt it. When she slips a cassette into her boom box, her preference is arena rock, adult contemporary and pop. I’m glad I familiarised myself with the last two when I wrote Real, because Isabetta also enjoys the same genres.

Mind you, because I love music so much and don’t limit myself to just heavy metal and hard rock, digging into the tunes my characters love has been nothing but a joy. I love discovering new artists—such as the sixties kick I’m on, thanks to a character in my YA romance.

So I thought I’d do a playlist of what’s on Lisa’s mixed tape. Remember those?

Not another teen movie…

Maggie Blackbird

2 comments

October 30, 2011

In my YA romance (WIP) that takes place in the 80s, three female friends enjoy gathering at one another’s apartments (they all live in the same complex) to scarf down popcorn, gossip, and fight over which movie to slip into the VCR. Each has their faves. During one scene in the WIP, the girls are curled up on the sofa watching Valley Girl when their very-angry boyfriends show up. So I thought I’d do a post in honour of my female characters. Instead of me listing my fave movies as a teenager, I am going to list theirs.

Do you wanna sleep over?

Maureen Jennings – Poor Tom is Cold

Maggie Blackbird

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October 29, 2011

Poor Tom is Cold

Maureen Jennings, Canadian mystery writer, is at the top of my fave authors’ list. She’s best known for her Murdoch Mysteries series that occur in Toronto, Canada during the Victorian period. Detective William Murdoch is employed by the Toronto Police Constabulary at Station House 4. While Murdoch prefers modern policing methods over conventional forms, his boss, Inspector Brackenreid, looks down his nose at the former. The two sometimes clash, since Brackenreid, a former detective for Scotland Yard, is old-school in his approach. Brackenreid also takes into serious consideration the politics that go with the job. Murdoch, though, prefers to search for truth. Their diplomatic and idealistic views during cases tend to frustrate Murdoch, who does not approve of having his hands tied.

Poor Tom is Cold is the third book in the series.

Movies that go bump in the night

Maggie Blackbird

2 comments

October 28, 2011

Boo!

Since Halloween is just around the corner, I thought I’d do a post on scary movies I enjoyed. Er, okay, my list won’t be long, and the movies hardly scary. Unfortunately, I’m terrified of movies that make your skin crawl, especially the paranormal kind. I can maybe handle slasher, gore, and some suspense, but nothing else.

Lemme put it this way: As a teen, I humoured my friend who was babysitting by tolerating Michael Meyers terrorising Jamie Lee Curtis on the TV screen. When I had to meet Mom two blocks away, my thirteen-year-old legs could have won the one hundred metre dash.

Love songs

Maggie Blackbird

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October 26, 2011

It’s been awhile since I did a music post. So far I covered songs about unrequited love, break-ups, triangles, and cheating. Today, I’ll focus on something more positive. The title says it all.

Friends Forever

As I did in my previous posts, I won’t go for the obvious. There’ll be no Endless Love, Unchained Melody or anything else along those lines.

Pamela Des Barres – I’m with the Band

Maggie Blackbird

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October 7, 2011

I’m with the Band by Pamela Des Barres

This is an autobiography, but I’m recommending this book because Pamela Des Barres’ early life, in so many ways, plays out like a romance novel. Ms. Des Barres is more than clear she’s in search of her rock ‘n’ roll prince charming who’ll sweep her off her feet and take her to his Beverly Hills mansion. Or perhaps her tale leans towards women’s fiction? Whatever category, this is a must-read for those who love music and enjoy stories about the ladies who coveted the men plastered on our teenaged walls.

First off, I love her voice. There’s no, “I did this and went there.” Ms. Des Barres address the readers as if we’re sitting in a circle listening to what she has to say, and as she speaks, is reliving the tale minute by minute.

Warning, there be spoilers for those who haven’t read the book.

Unrequited Love

Maggie Blackbird

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October 6, 2011

Some of my fave romances fall into this category. He loves her, but she’s with him, but that certain him isn’t very good for her. The Last American Virgin comes to mind when I think of unrequited love. It was a cheesy eighties movie I can recall watching. The ending threw me for a loop. Boy, I didn’t see that coming. I won’t elaborate or I’ll spoil the plot for you if you’re bored enough to rent it.

“If only he wanted me…”

Rosanne Bittner – Oregon Bride

Maggie Blackbird

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October 6, 2011

Oregon Bride by Rosanne Bittner

Published in the early nineties, the book’s narration has an old-school feel since Ms. Bittner refrains from using third person limited, and does a wee bit of telling instead of showing. Still, her writing holds up, along with the story and characters, otherwise I wouldn’t recommend this novel, or bother re-reading it for the bazillionth time. As a matter of fact, I love this story so much that I purchased two copies (my dog ate the first one and the second I bought right from the author, which she kindly autographed).

The widow Marybeth MacKinder has no choice but to travel from New York to Oregon with her in-laws. A single mother, she has nobody to look after her child if she decides to stay behind, because she’ll have to work in order to support herself and baby Danny. Plus, there isn’t a chance in hell her abusive in-laws will allow a mere woman to dare leave their family.

Warning: There be spoilers below.