Maria's Journal

  Photo by Louis from  Pexels Hello,   It's Christmas! As my previous blogposts indicated, the holiday season provided me an opportunity to do some self-reflection. Below are topics that I wish to share with you -- my readers. December 4 th What does the holiday season mean to me? December 11 th What is the driving force in my writer's life? December 18 th In what area/s do I need to improve self-discipline? December 25 th What do I wish for today? After a long year when we've endured so much despair, I think it's only befitting to wish for the Coronavirus vaccine to reach as many people  as possible.  There's a rising concern about the U.S. receiving adequate dosages for all 50 states and surely, with the worldwide demand for the medicine, this is just cause for alarm. However, I trust that local and state governments are taking the necessary steps to ensure everyone who wants a vaccine gets it. As the vaccine continues to be rolled out cross country I can't he

Photo by Louis from  Pexels Hello,   7 days till Christmas folks!  As my previous blogpost indicated, now that  the holiday season is officially here, I see this as an opportunity to do some self-reflection. Below are topics that I wish to share with you -- my readers. December 4 th What does the holiday season mean to me? December 11 th What is the driving force in my writer's life? December 18 th In what area/s do I need to improve self-discipline? This year I have really struggled with writing. In fact, I found inventive ways to avoid writing altogether: my car's trunk is a mess, I seriously need to re-arrange it, and my bathroom, well I just got it remodeled, surely I need to find the most perfect bathroom accessories, and what about my dear friend in Colorado, for pete's sake, I haven't talked to her in over a month, must call her tonight. Argh..so many excuses! So, in what area do I need to improve self-discipline? In the 'butt in chair' routine. The '

Photo by Louis from  Pexels Hello,   Fourteen days till Christmas folks!  As my previous blogpost indicated, now that  the holiday season is officially here, I see this as an opportunity to do some self-reflection. Below are topics that I wish to share with you -- my readers. December 4 th What does the holiday season mean to me? December 11 th What is the driving force in my writer's life? I remember when I first knew I wanted to be a writer, I was 11 years old, and I had just read about a dozen of Barbara Cartland's romance novels (my grandmother’s stash). At the time, I'd fallen in love with the genre and the art of story writing.  Since the early days of writing, my driving force has been introducing sassy and unique characters into my stories. Not only are unique characters engaging, but they're also fun to write. In fact, it was several years into my writing that my 'driving force' was validated when I began receiving 'fan' mail, what an honor! J

Photo by Ena Marinkovic from Pexels Friends, Pursuant to an article I read in the October Romance Writers Report (RWR), I decided to re-release a short story - originally published in 2014 - and convert it into a 7-part series. The short story called The Elevator Rid e will be published Monday-Sunday, beginning October 26. Thank you for reading. Maria

Hispanic Heritage Month In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month I present to you five world renowned Hispanic authors you should get to know. Please see below in alphabetical order: Isabel Allende is a Chilean writer who also pens in the “magic realist” tradition.. In 2004, Allende was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and she received Chile’s National Literature Prize in 2010. Jorge Luis Borges was an Argentine short-story writer, essayist, poet and translator. But he was much more than that. Borges contributed to the so-called philosophical literature movement, and he became a literary icon beyond frontiers, though never recognized with a Nobel Prize. Carlos Fuentes was a Mexican novelist and essayist. This great author was honored with the Miguel de Cervantes Prize as well as Mexico’s highest award, the Belisario Dominguez Medal of Honor. Fuentes, like Borges, never won the Nobel Prize. Gabriel Garcia Marquez also known as ‘Gabo’, was a Col

Read, read, read! Writers hear this all the time, “If you want to be a better writer, you need to be a better reader.” This is very true, but, what is also true is that we need to read effectively. See, reading effectively can help make a huge difference in the quality of work we produce. Below are simple tips to ensure you’re getting the most out of your reading experience this year: 1) Be sure to read books you enjoy. This may seem logical, but many a time we may feel as if we have to read ‘certain types’ of books because it is expected of us as writers. But, really, reading should be fun so reading mandatory books (e.g. poetry, Shakespeare, etc.) is counter-intuitive. Read what you enjoy and you’re likely to read more, simple. 2) Read the type of material you aspire to produce. If you wish to be a best-selling author, you should be reading books written by best-selling authors. So, find an author you admire and read as much of his/her work as possible. 3) Keep a lo

Tee O'Fallon is the author of the Federal K-9 Series and the NYPD Blue & Gold Series. Tee has been a federal agent for twenty-three years, and is now a police investigator, giving her hands-on experience in the field of law enforcement that she combines with her love of romantic suspense. Tee's job affords her the unique opportunity to work with the heroic men and women in law enforcement on a daily basis. When not writing, Tee enjoys cooking, gardening, chocolate, lychee martinis, and all creatures canine. Tee enjoys hearing from readers and can be contacted via her website http://teeofallon.com where you can also Sign up for Tee's newsletters and contests! What books/stories have you written? Published? I have two romantic suspense series, the first of which is the NYPD Blue & Gold Series: BURNOUT, BLOOD MONEY, and DISAVOWED. This series follows a heroic and hunky team of NYPD detectives as they fight to protect the public and those they love most. BURNOUT

Katrina Shawver is an experienced writer, blogger, speaker, and author of the award-winning HENRY: A Polish Swimmer’s True Story of Friendship from Auschwitz to America. She spent fifteen years researching WWII, Poland, Auschwitz, and the Holocaust and is the recipient of the 2018 Polish Heritage Award from the Polish American Congress of Arizona. A reader at heart, she loves curling up with a good book and a glass of Merlot by her side. For more information, visit katrinashawver.com . How long have you been writing?  My accidental writing career began in 1996. I penned a letter to the editor of the Arizona Republic newspaper in Phoenix, Arizona, and in it I complained about their coverage of schools. Six months later they called me up and asked me to write a regular column in a new community section. I did that for eleven years until the paper downsized. I met a lot of interesting people along the way. A chance meeting in 2002 changed the direction of my life. I met an eighty

Gemma Snow is an erotic romance writer, traveler, journalist, and reader. How long have you been writing? I’m really lucky. I grew up in an artistic family, so I actually started writing when I was around eight years old. My mom taught poetry and creative writing classes for kids and teens and I essentially studied with her until I outgrew it. My folks were great about pushing me to follow writing, but to be smart and make a career out of it so I studied journalism and publishing in college. I absolutely love writing romance and would likely do it anyway, but it really helps that it’s a commercial genre with potential for success. I officially started writing romance professionally in college, so it’s been about four and a half years. Tell us a little bit about your writing, what is the process like? Honestly, it depends on the book. I’m usually thinking of a story three or four books ahead of actually writing it, so I’ll have a general vibe by the time I get there. It’s p

It's a brand new year...ah the possibilities! I am thrilled to start this year with a renewed sense of purpose. Already, I started the road back to writing every day, I'm also committed to: journaling, blogging, writing articles and book reviews; all this is sure to keep the creative juices flowing. As an author I've set daily and weekly writing goals. Below is my Done list: Pulled out the Idea Board Developed a writer's schedule Enlisted an Accountability Partner (AP) Signed up for the 2018 Goodreads Book Challenge Whatever your goals, set a plan in motion today. Write your plan down then tell your family, your friends, even co-workers. "Why?" you ask. A month from now when life settles back into a routine and the well-intentioned resolutions fall by the wayside, you'll need the accountability factor. So when your neighbor asks "How's the writing coming along?" you'll proudly say, "It's going great!" Happy Wr

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

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

By its very nature, writing is deeply introspective work and when in the groove writers can easily spend eight to ten hours writing non-stop and when the writing gets good, even more. Sure, making time for writing is important, but being glued to the keyboard for days at a time with no social interaction can and will wreak havoc on our physical and emotional health. Conversely, lack of physical activity and isolation often contribute to depression, weight gain, and poor productivity. So what's a writer to do? While it is necessary for us writers to immerse ourselves in our work we do need to be self-aware and recognize unhealthy triggers. As long as writing has been a profession many well-established authors have held down outside jobs and managed to successfully juggle writing, work and family responsibilities. It is a very delicate balance, but it can be done. Here are three top tips writers can adhere to for a healthier and happier life: Breaks Take break

In my early teens when I began writing, I didn’t even know there were different styles of writing. As a young woman, I was just thrilled with the idea of world building. I discovered I had the power to change a person’s fate with a few simple keystrokes and that fascinated me. As the years went by and more responsibilities were piled onto my plate writing became secondary soon I’d stopped writing altogether. It wasn’t until just a few years back that I delved into world of fiction again employing the only method I’d ever known, the make-it-up-as-you-go-along method. When I set out to create my first short story Captive I started with nothing but a blank Word document and the hero’s voice in my head. The plot and supporting characters would emerge during the course of that first draft. As you might imagine my initial attempt at this short story didn’t go so well as plot lines were changed and/or added along the way. The second and third manuscript drafts were just slightly bet