Author Talk

This coming Sunday, August 28, at 2 pm I'll be speaking at the Columbia County Public Library in Lake City, Florida. If you live in the north Florida area, swing by. I'll be talking about how I began my writing career (interesting story, if you've never heard it!)

Hot summer reads!

My second Bunco romance, Bunco Babes Gone Wild, got a nice little write up in Barbary Vey's Publishers Weekly Beyond her Book Blog. Here's the link to the whole blog and here's what Heidi had to say about the book:

Georgia Meyer was expecting a proposal, but got a calculator instead from her boyfriend Spencer. She decides to go visit her sister Friday in Whispering Bay, Florida and work things out in her head. Soon she is swept up with Frida, her Bunco friends and hunky Dave Hernandez, and her head is going as fast as her heart.

I was wishing the whole time that Dave Hernandez entered the picture, that I could meet him in person. The heat that he and Georgia created was more than the heat in the Midwest right now. Phew!! The Bunco Babes never disappoint with fun, gossip and friendship. I think I need another cold drink to cool down from this book!

Bunco Babes Tell All for 1.99

My first book, Bunco Babes Tell All, is still on summer clearance at B&N for just $1.99! It's been selling really well, but quantities are limited. So if you haven't tried out my funny, sexy, Bunco romance then now is a perfect time for to give it a whirl. Click on the link.


Here's the scoop:

Meet the Bunco Babes of Whispering Bay. Every Thursday night they roll dice, drink frozen margaritas, and catch up on all the gossip in their small north Florida town. Kitty Burke is the only Bunco Babe who is still single—which is okay—but she’s thirty-five and may need to face that her image of Mr. Right is all wrong.

Take Steve. Very sexy—but on paper, with three failed marriages and a shady career, maybe not great husband material. And yes, his ring tone is “Freebird.” Certainly fellow Babes Shea Masterson and Pilar Diaz-Rothman vote thumbs down. But maybe there’s more to Steve than meets the eye? Is it time for Kitty to take a chance and hope that she can be as lucky in love as she is in Bunco?

Buy this book

My friend, Louisa Edwards' newest book comes out today. Isn't the cover absolutely drool worthy?

Here's the blurb:

Welcome to the Rising Star Chef competition, where today’s hottest chefs battle it out on national TV for a chance at fame, fortune and culinary supremacy. Every contestant hungers to win, but only one will take the prize...

HE’S GOT THE SIZZLE

When it comes to competitive cooking, Max Lunden is no stranger to winning...though he’s never been great at working with a team. A master chef—and major hunk—he’s traveled the world, picking up new cooking techniques as well as beautiful women. But when the prodigal chef returns home to his family’s Greenwich Village restaurant, he discovers one too many cooks in the kitchen—and she’s every bit as passionate as he is...

SHE’S GOT THE FIRE

Juliet Cavanaugh used to have a crush on Max when she was just a teenager, hanging out at Lunden & Sons Tavern, hoping to catch a glimpse of the owner’s oldest, and hottest, son. Now a chef herself—competing in the biggest culinary contest in the country—Juliet will be cooking side by side with the one man she’s always admired...and desired. But despite their simmering attraction, Juliet is determined to keep her cool—no matter how hot it gets...

Monday morning happiness

You know how I love Mondays, right?

This Monday is even sweeter because I'll be doing revisions on The Ugly Girlfriend and listening to Colbie Caillat's new CD, All of You.

Awesome :)

What's in a title?

Today I'm over at the Stiletto Gang, talking about how the title of a book influences whether or not you buy it. Come on over and join me!

Where I'll be this week

Working hard at my computer trying to finish The Ugly Girlfriend. I've got my pub date- August 2012, which is awesome because I was really hoping for a summer release!

Meanwhile, this week, I'll be blogging at the Stiletto Gang on Thursday and at Magical Musings on Friday.

Hope you can stop by!

We wanna be Tylenol, not Toyota

Can a guy who never attended law school (much less Harvard Law) fake his way into being an attorney? Probably. But wouldn't someone, somewhere along the way challenge his credentials? Or even ask to see credentials? Not being a member of the Bar myself, I have no idea, but I certainly hope so.

Yet despite it's wack-a-doo premise, I can't help but love USA's new original series, Suits. Love the writing (the title is a piece of dialogue from last night's show), the actors, the stories, the whole thing. Thursdays, 10 pm, NBC. Which, coincidentally is the same time Love Bites airs, another show that thanks to Mel I've been turned on to. Thank God for my trusty DVR.

I approve

Love the idea of Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss. They have totally remade her to look like the real deal.

Here's a fun sneak peek at the cast. You can even vote to see if your expectations were met.

Best casting? Tie between Donald Sutherland as President Snow and Lenny Kravitz as Cinna.

Worst casting? The two relative unknowns cast as Peeta and Gale. Sorry, but for me, Peeta will always have his blue eyes and golden curls. Hollywood, don't mess with people's visual expectations! Not on a novel this big. All I can say is I better believe he's Peeta!

Can Kate bring back pantyhose?

I say if anyone can, then it's her.

Hairspray!

"Imagine! My little girl... regular, at last. "
Hairspray

If you live in the Tallahassee area, don't miss Young Actors Theatre's production of Hairspray. It's utterly fantastic! The show runs through till July 24, but tickets are going fast. I worked box office last Friday and we were there 2 hours after closing just getting all the ticket orders filled.

For details go right here.

Oh, and my daughter Megan is playing Penny. I might be a bit prejudiced, but she's fantastic:)

What's on my Kindle

Beautiful Disaster, by Laura Spinella.

Can't wait to dig in!

Here's the blurb:

A story of love lost...and found.

Mia Wells's eco-friendly career goals are about to become a reality-but her life-altering moment is interrupted when an unexpected call ushers in her tremulous past. A man who's never left Mia's memory: Flynn, the enigmatic, passionate man whose disappearance broke her heart, has mysteriously resurfaced.

Now back in her life and in the hospital, Flynn is gravely injured. Mia keeps a bedside vigil-terrified that he will die, awestruck at the prospect of his survival. In a story filled with sweetness and suspense, Mia's what-ifs are endless. And Flynn's return ignites an achingly powerful tale about the most enduring love, one that is greater than honor, or friendship, or the passing of time.

Want to win a free copy of this book? Laura Spinella is over at the fabulous Chick Lit is not Dead blog with 5 Do's and a Do Over. Leave a comment by July 13 and you'll be entered to win!

Writing Dialogue

Garrett Breedlove: I like the lights on.
Aurora Greenway: Then go home and turn them on.
Terms of Endearment

That exchange (between Shirley MacLaine and Jack Nicholson) is one the best bedroom lines ever. I want to write awesome dialogue just like that. And I want to write a male character whose last name is Breedlove, because, honestly, how great is that?

I took a break from my long wip (The Ugly Girlfriend) to finish up a project that was due July 1. It's a short story titled, Noche Buena, and like Garrett and Aurora, the main characters are a little older (late forties). I had no idea how hard it was to write a story and keep the word count at under 8000. No idea whatsoever. But I do now!

Fat Boy is back

"Actually, I prefer "domestically challenged".
Cats and Dogs


My sweet outdoor/indoor cat, Lucky, aka Fat Boy Geraci is back! He's been missing since Saturday and am happy to say he came home late last night.

Not sure where he has been or what happened to him, but he's awful clingy today. Not that I'm complaining :)

Movie weekend

"Listen, here's the thing. If you can't spot the sucker in the first half hour at the table, then you ARE the sucker."
Matt Damon in Rounders

This weekend, when I wasn't working or writing, I watched movies. Three of them, to be exact. All on Pay-per-view. Can't wait to get my cable bill :(

I started off with The Adjustment Bureau. I liked it. It wasn't what I thought it was going to be (I thought it was a spy thriller). Turned out to be a romance. A supernatural/sci-fi-or-whatever-you-want-to-call it- romance.

There were parts of the movie that were cheesy. Although it wasn't the romance part! The cheesy parts were the sci fi parts. The romance was actually fantastic. Great chemistry between two actors I adore. Matt and Emily. They should definitely do more movies together.

I also saw Beastly (I guess you need to be a teen to truly appreciate this one, although it wasn't awful). And it also starred Neil Patrick Harris (or NPH as he is known in certain circles) although they didn't show nearly enough of NPH to satisfy me.

I also saw Unknown with Liam Neeson. Which was just ok, and that's because it starred Liam Neeson, whom I really like. The movie was kind of a Bourne Identity rip-off and since I love The Bourne Identity, in comparison, Unknown could only be mediocre at best.

Happy Fourth of July

"We're Americans, with a capital 'A', huh? You know what that means? Do ya? That means that our forefathers were kicked out of every decent country in the world. We are the wretched refuse. We're the underdog. We're mutts!"
Stripes

Happy Fourth of July!

I hate cute too

"Cute? Baby ducks are cute. I hate cute! I want to be exotic and mysterious. "
Bull Durham

And can I just say I've always agreed with Susan on that one.

But some days, even cute is hard to come by. That's why coffee was invented.

Slept most of the day away after a night of working. Maybe I can write some later...

What the French call

"Kevin, you are what the French call les incompetents."
Home Alone

Sorry, couldn't resist quoting one of my favorite movie lines of all time. No reason, really. Just felt like it.

While the rest of the world is in New York enjoying the Romance Writers of America conference, or eating watermelon by the lake, I'll be working at my "night" job at the hospital, delivering babies and writing frantically by day to finish the short story that is due on July 1.

Oh, today is July 1, you say? Maybe the quote should read, Maria, you are what other writers call les procrastinator.

Have a good weekend, everyone!

No More Sagging Middles

Today, I'm over at Romance Divas doing a workshop on sagging middles. Or rather how to avoid them in our stories. If you're not a member of Romance Divas, and you write romance, then why haven't you joined? It's free and a great place to mingle with other writers and learn craft. To get to the workshop, just join (did I already tell you that it's free?) and go to forums, then to Workshops and Conferences, and then to NGTCC (Not Going to Conference Conference).

I'm also at the Stiletto Gang talking voice (busy girl, aren't I?) Since writing that blog, I've learned that Javier Colon has won The Voice. Congratulations, Javier! Dia was my favorite, but you were a close second!

Janet Evanovich tells us what makes a guy hot

Well, shoot. I tried to embed this really great short little video featuring Janet Evanovich (writer of the Stephanie Plum series, in case you didn't know) on what makes a guy hot, but although it will embed, it tells me the video is "unavailable in my region."

Boo!

Okay, so I'll tell you what she says. What makes a guy hot? Mystery. The less we know about him the better. Agree? Disagree? I think I tend to agree on this one!