Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from 2014

I'm back! Well...sort of.

It has been a while since my last post, but I'm still here... I don't think anyone who knows me would say that I'm shy yet a few years ago when I began my  writing to be published  journey I was...shy.  Back then, I was simply not ready to share my writing material with the world. It wasn't until 2009 when my daughter introduced me to blogging that things 'clicked'. Not only did blogging give me a much needed boost, but it also open a whole new world of writing possibilities. I was hooked. Since my early writing days much has transpired. I have served as president of a local writers club, written columns, articles, and newsletters and most importantly, I have published a book --now three. In addition, I've also developed a solid social media presence and invite you to visit my site and read my personal blog , I think if you visit often you'll be pleasantly surprised at all interesting tidbits about writing life. I will blog on this site oc

My Top Five Favorite Authors

I believe most of us writers understand this concept: a good reader makes a good writer. So, what does this mean, really? Well, it means that we writers need to fully immerse ourselves in reading the writings of others, quality writings at that. And this does not mean reading only material in the genre in which you focus, but across multiple genres. Realize that there's absolutely nothing wrong with reading a lot in just one topic, however, you will stifle your growth as a writer if you fail to read beyond a single subject. Now I’d like to share with you five well-known authors* and the way in which each has helped me define my own style of writing. See below in alphabetical order: Sandra Brown – romance/suspense Ms. Brown blends suspense with an element of contemporary romance. I enjoy reading Ms. Brown’s books because the stories are well-plotted and they offer just the right amount of tension. I also enjoy Ms. Brown’s ability to skillfully weave the romantic element in her

Earth Day is April 22!

Earth Day is just a few days away. Please see below a handful of things everyone can do to make the planet a greener world: 1. Swap light bulbs 2. Plant a tree 3. Curb junk mail 4. Drive the speed limit 5. Carry your own water bottle Here's a link to for other good ideas: http://www.earthday.org/takeaction/campaigns.html Until next time friends! Maria

Blog Tour: My Writing Process

I want to say thank you to my friend Leslie Jones for inviting me to participate in the My Writing Process Blog Tour. Leslie Jones writes military romantic suspense, please take a moment to check out her Blog Hop post here . About my writing, well I knew at a very early age that I wanted to be a writer. What’s even more interesting is that I knew at the age of ten that I’d be a romance writer. Consequently, I wrote my first short love story at the age of eleven and I’ve continued to write ever since. Now, onto a few more interesting tidbits about Maria Cox— What am I working on? Right now, I’m in between projects. My latest novelette, Jungle Fever was released through Secret Cravings Publishing on 2/5 and my novella Captive (V.2) is in the hands of the beta readers. Currently, I’m finishing a first draft of a ghostwriting assignment. How does my work differ from others of its genre? My work differs from others in my genre in that the characters in my stories are wi

Phenomenal Woman, Maya Angelou - Int'l Women's Day!

http://www.oprah.com/spirit/Phenomenal-Woman-by-Maya-Angelou Phenomenal Woman Pretty women wonder where my secret lies. I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size But when I start to tell them, They think I'm telling lies. I say, It's in the reach of my arms, The span of my hips, The stride of my step, The curl of my lips. I'm a woman Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, That's me. I walk into a room Just as cool as you please, And to a man, The fellows stand or Fall down on their knees. Then they swarm around me, A hive of honey bees. I say, It's the fire in my eyes, And the flash of my teeth, The swing in my waist, And the joy in my feet. I'm a woman Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, That's me. Men themselves have wondered What they see in me. They try so much But they can't touch My inner mystery. When I try to show them, They say they still can't see

Windows to the Soul

In the spirit of love and passion and all those primitive traits that make humans tempting sexual creatures, comes my three-part series: Irresistible Body Parts. In this three-week series, I’d like to discuss the parts of our bodies that make us so attractive to the opposite sex.  Week Three: Eyes. ( Note : For those keeping track, yes, I missed my mark of posting this last week, lol ). Our eyes, they are one of the most expressive parts of bodies, they can convey happiness, warmth, love, anger, loss, and despair. Have you ever flipped through a novel and read about a particular seductress who makes men melt with her gaze? Or, have you heard women talking about a guy whose "bedroom eyes" are enough to make a girl weak in the knees? I think we all have. Maybe that's why in many ways this type of non-verbal communication is more powerful than spoken words. Take women’s eyes for example. When a woman looks at a man in a   certain   way, she has his undivid

She's got LEGS, and she knows how to USE them :)

In the spirit of love and passion and all those primitive traits that make humans tempting sexual creatures, comes my three-part series: Irresistible Body Parts. In this three-week series, I’d like to discuss the parts of our bodies that make us so attractive to the opposite sex.  Week Two: Legs. In past decades studies conducted into physical attraction already showed that taller people were generally perceived as being more appealing to the opposite sex, but until now little was known about the effect a person's leg length had on the overall attractiveness. And as it turns out men are not alone in finding the ‘leggier’ form more attractive. Women also consider longer-legged men more physically appealing. Psychologists at the University of Wroclaw in Poland (in 2008) asked over 200 male and female volunteers to rank the attractiveness of men and women from a set of digitally altered images. The research revealed that people whose legs were 5% longer than average we

Mouth to Mouth

In the spirit of love and passion and all those primitive traits that make humans tempting sexual creatures, comes my three-part series: Irresistible Body Parts. In this three-week series, I’d like to discuss the parts of our bodies that make us so attractive to the opposite sex. Week One: The Mouth. The lips have it! Research shows that men are drawn to a woman's mouth more than any other facial feature. In fact, the study showed that men considered women’s lips the most attractive part of her body particularly, if she’s wearing red lipstick (big surprise!). The study, which was carried out by scientists at Manchester University tracked the eye movements of fifty men as they were presented with images of different women. Scientists found that in the ten seconds after meeting a lady for the first time, the average male would spend more than half his time gazing at her mouth. If the lady applied lipstick, the male subject found it difficult to look away. A dash of pink

Blogging with purpose

A blog is a great way to connect with your readers and an excellent way to reach a wider audience. If the content of your blog is interesting and updated frequently readers will subscribe to your blog, or at least you hope they will J We, as writers, need to realize that getting readers interested in what we have to say is important specially if we are to create a buzz about us as authors and even more so if we want to create a buzz about our books. So, all this sounds great, doesn’t it? But here’s the catch, no great outcome will come to pass unless you have the motivation and time required to commit to a blog. So, let me be honest here: Blogging is not for everyone. And, that’s okay. Let’s say, however, that you decided 2014 would be your year to start blogging, there are some important questions you need to ask yourself first. See below: Who is the blog for? Don't try to be all things to all people. It's best if you narrow your focus. If you’re like me, a

Being a writer in an eBook era

Ebooks are changing the way we read and write and as sales continue to rise, more authors are buying into the idea of writing specifically for the eBook market. The unique format of an eBook, however, makes writing one a little bit different from penning a printed book. Below are three important pointers that will help authors excel in the world of eBook writing. Think SEO Search Engine Optimization (SEO) will help your eBook get discovered, so you should think about using relevant keywords in your eBook’s title, headings, and subheadings. For example, suppose you’ve written a memoir called Out of the Dark , this title won’t really show up on anyone’s online search results because it's too broad, but if you instead called your book  Out of the Dark: My Struggle with Multiple Sclerosis this title would yield more 'hits'   because it's more specific, anyone searching for  “multiple sclerosis ” would likely locate your eBook with much more ease. Add lots of l