Maria's Journal

To conclude Women's History Month...here's a shout-out to my Abuelita. At eleven years old when I read my first few romance novels – my grandmother’s Barbara Cartland collection – I was hooked. There was something magical about the stories and how they unfolded. What I didn’t know at the time was that my grandmother would be the reason behind my writing. “Speaking of romance,” my mother said over coffee one morning, “Your grandmother was quite the romantic writer.” “Grandma?” I shrieked. The reference caught me off guard, Grandma had been deceased for years and my mother rarely spoke of her. “Yeah” she answered. “Your grandmother wrote love letters to your grandfather when he was away on business.” “She did?” I never heard this before. “Yeah, didn’t you know?” Mom continued, “She placed first in a writing contest.” Love letters? Contest? Whoa. I had no idea. When I started to write romance in my twenties the genre fascinated me. Intrigued by such appeal I often questio...

Malala Yousafzai has never been an ordinary person. Malala began blogging when she was barely 11 years old. At the time she was writing about the Taliban takeover of her hometown of Mingora in Pakistan. The group responsible for the takeover followed an extremist version of Islam and believed girls should not go to school. Malala was very courageously standing up for girls right to education.  On October 9, 2012, the Taliban tried to silence her. A gunman boarded a truck that she and her classmates used as a school bus and shot Malala in the head. Malala survived the attack. The months following she showed remarkable strength and optimism during a long recovery. Since then Malala has become a symbol of the struggle for girls' rights worldwide. In fact, she delivered a powerful speech at the United Nations just nine months after the attack.  Two years after her ordeal, on October 10, 2014 Malala Yousafzai was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Malala said the prize wa...

Do you ask yourself, what keeps me from meeting my goals? Why do others achieve theirs successfully? Most of us have goals, big and small, but the most realistic goals in the world won’t materialize if you engage in self-defeating behaviors. So, what is self-sabotage? “Self-sabotage is when we say we want something and then go about making sure it doesn't happen.” ~ Alyce P. Cornyn-Selby In today’s business environment we’re “on” all the time. All eyes are on us to achieve or fail. It’s important that we don’t give in to negative feelings and risk spiraling out of control. If you’re self-sabotaging you’re not alone. Studies suggest that 85 percent of people engage in some form of self-sabotage.   Below are two of the most common behaviors: “If only…” We all have some regrets, whether they're about something we did (if only I hadn't dropped out of college), or something we didn't do (if only I’d ask for that raise). To dwell on these “if ...

I want to say thank you to everyone who participated in the Fall Blog Hop and to those who LIKEd my Facebook page. At this time I'd like to congratulate Teresa Coreleone winner of the $10 Amazon gift card! Teresa, please send me your email address at maria AT mywritingden dot NET and I will email you a gift card. As a indie writer I depend on word of mouth and self-promotion, so I'd love to have a few more followers on either Twitter , Facebook or Goodreads . So, come on by friends and get to know me! Thank you, Maria

Fall Carnival - Blog Hoppers Delight! The Desert Muses are giving away an $80 Amazon gift card to one lucky hopper. When this author group met a few weeks back the muses decided to organize a joint giveaway for the month of October. You’ll be happy to learn that I’m also conducting my own giveaway; it’ll consist of a $10 Amazon gift card. How do you enter to win it? It’s simple: become a fan on   Facebook   and leave a comment with your link or email address. Each person who Likes me will earn one entry. Both winners (from my site and the Desert Muses blog) will be announced on October 29th so stay tuned. Now, please drop by my friend’s site Camelia Miron Skiba and check out her own giveaway. Thanks for stopping by!

Risk is a four-letter word that makes so many of us cringe. But, why? Why do some of us wince and shy away at the thought of taking risks? Or best yet, why do some of us downright fear it? In my opinion it all boils down to one thing: comfort zone. The average American is complacent and would opt to play it safe more times than not. The ordinary is less taxing. I should know it was six years ago I was still very afraid of taking chances. Listen, I’m not going to sugar coat it, taking risks is frightening, this is when we need to recondition ourselves. We need not fear risk; we need to see risk as an opportunity to grow. “… the moment I let risk in, the world became a very easy place to navigate. People who are impossible became easier to deal with. Things began to land at my feet (door, mailbox). This sounds somewhat corny and solipsistic but it’s not. It’s just that when we use risk at the most optimum level in our writing, it filters into all else. Then the real world seems ...

I’m restless by nature. And, when not writing, I tend to be anxious. Why is that? Because a writer’s brain is seldom at rest. Take this for example, while in line at the supermarket, or at the nail salon, or even while on a crowded subway I’m constantly watching people. In my mind, I have shamelessly flirted with good looking men on the train. Does that make me a bit of freak? Maybe. Or maybe, I could simply call this behavior practice . Look some of the bestselling authors out there have imaginary foes and friends. Many great novelists –in fact – have spent years developing relationships with make-believe pals. It’s no coincidence then that some books can captivate and fascinate thousands of people. This writing acumen doesn’t happen by chance, this acumen is perfected over many years of researching, observing, mimicking… practicing . In my case my vivid imagination has produced several sexy novellas. From scorching love affairs to salacious office liaisons, my short stories ...