Maggie Blackbird

What’s in a Name?

Maggie Blackbird

February 10, 2012

A Year to Remember by Shelly Bell

Today, Romance, She Wrote is pleased to host guest blogger Shelly Bell.

*****

When I wrote my book, A Year to Remember, it never entered my mind to classify it as a particular genre. It was fiction. It was romance. It was a story about a young woman’s transformation. It was about friendship. It was about eating disorders. Parts of it made me laugh and parts of it made me cry. I didn’t write the novel with the intention of publication. I wrote it because it needed to be written.

I’ve been an avid reader since childhood and always fascinated with the publishing industry. In order to learn more about writing and the industry in general, I joined Romance Writers of America. I read their definition of romance and realized I hadn’t written one. It didn’t have a hero and a heroine. My book was written in the first person point-of-view because I wanted the reader to know all the crazy thoughts in the head of my protagonist, Sara. Plus, there isn’t really a hero in the book.

Interview with MarthaAvril Duncan

Maggie Blackbird

5 comments

February 6, 2012

Creativity

Cover art. Whether a book, album (for us who can remember vinyl), movie poster, or ad, it’s meant to catch our attention.

Some covers that produced more than a glance I can think of off-hand? Peace Sells…But Who’s Buying? by Megadeth, featuring the band’s mascot standing in front of the ruins after the third world war. Hearts Aflame by Johanna Lindsey and the hunky Royce of Wyndhurst.

What’s in my e-reader?

Maggie Blackbird

2 comments

January 12, 2012

$ix Days to Midnight by Kat Duncan

I must say Edit Palooza is keeping me busy. I miss reading my fave blogs on a regular basis, so busy or not, I have to make time for blog reading.

Anyway, today I purchased $ix Days to Midnight by Kat Duncan at Kobo.com, because I really enjoyed Ransom’s Bond. I’m so glad I decided to try a new sub-genre–romantic suspense. I can’t give you an idea about the book since I won’t be reading the first page until I sit down for a quick din-din. Yes, I read while I eat LOL. Reading is important to me, so if it means sneaking in some pages over dinner and lunch, that’s what I gotta do.

Here’s the blurb: The finance mogul thinks Janet Thompson is worth a fortune. The President wants her for revenge. The nuclear arms trader needs her dead. The diplomat is willing to rescue her. And Janet thinks she’s only taking a break from her boring job.

Available at: Kobo, Smashwords, and Amazon.

How about you? What are you currently reading? When do you sneak in your reading time? Do you read for craft, pleasure, or both?

Interview with Emma Leigh Reed

Maggie Blackbird

8 comments

January 2, 2012

Crashing Hearts by Emma Leigh Reed

Emma Leigh Reed is the author of Crashing Hearts, her debut novel through Whiskey Creek Press. Emma is in the interview chair today, ready to answer a host of questions.

Feel free to ask questions of your own!

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1. First off, tell us a little bit about yourself. I visited your web site and got a glimpse of the writer you, but what about the everyday Emma.

The everyday me is not real exciting. I work full time as a secretary in a dermatology office, still have 2 teenagers living at home along with our oldest daughter and her 3 month old son staying with us for a while.

Favourite movie quotes

Maggie Blackbird

4 comments

December 30, 2011

I thought I’d do something simple for my last post of the year. The title says it all. I put the quotes under the cut since there is some strong language.

QhotesQuotesQuotesQuotes

He’s a jerk or she’s an overbearing witch, but I loved the book anyway

Maggie Blackbird

9 comments

December 29, 2011

Boris and Natasha

Yes, I switched back to old faithful–my choco theme. I tried out a few but none of them are good ol’ choco. It must be the book style or something, why I dig this theme.

Anyhoo, not to stray off topic, I’m trying to pinpoint why I loved certain books, even when I couldn’t stand the heroine or hero. Luckily, I never disliked them both in the same novel!

Summer Storm by Catherine Hart comes to mind. I couldn’t stand Summer—the mouthy brat! Okay, she eventually grew up and quit being a spoiled, pampered princess. Then there’s Jared Burkett from Johanna Lindsey’s Paradise Wild. Ooh, I wanted Corinne to throw that bastard into a volcano! He never even redeemed himself at the end, other than some half-hearted apology. Still, I was grudgingly happy he boated and trained all the way back to Boston to fetch his bride and return her to Hawaii.

Movies that rock

Maggie Blackbird

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December 27, 2011

When the holidays roll around, it’s movie time for me. While others watch Christmas classics, I prefer popping something from the past into the DVD player—usually one of my faves I can watch over and over. This year is no different. The other night I plunked down in the recliner and watched The Adventures of Ford Fairlane. So I thought I’d do a post about movies that rock, starting with Ford, naturally.

I Wanna Rock

What’s in my e-reader?

Maggie Blackbird

4 comments

December 21, 2011

Ransom’s Bond by Kat Duncan

I popped Ransom’s Bond by Kat Duncan into my Sony a couple of days ago. Y’know, I never read a romatic suspense before, but I do love action movies with a slice of romance, so this is right up my alley.

What can I say so far now that I’m on page forty-three? Kat doesn’t waste any time hauling you into the action. Not that the novel is too fast-paced. She just has this way I slipping you into the story without you even noticing. The first page, we meet the hero and heroine–he’s in prison and she’s his barrister! The small descriptions Kat uses really opens this story into a 3D picture. The bonus? Setting. Edinburgh, Scotland. I love when a story takes place in beautiful countries I’ve never been to before.

Here’s the blurb: Arliss MacDonald is the newest con-man to arrive in the Edinburgh financial district. The inheritance he plans to steal from Marinel Bethune is locked in a land war between two powerful family corporations, the Campbells and the MacLeans. Before Mari will let Arliss steal her fortune, or her heart, she has a few old scores to settle. And Arliss is the perfect man for the job.

Available at Smashwords and Amazon.

How about you? What are you currently reading?

Branding? What’s that?

Maggie Blackbird

4 comments

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

12 comments

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.