M. Ullrich's Blog, page 2
January 10, 2016
What is Fortunate Sum About?
As the release date nears and the knowledge of the existence of my book spreads, I find myself on the receiving end of this question often. It should be easily answered considering I wrote all 240 pages myself, but I have a bad habit of clamming up when I’m put on the spot. As a result I tend to drop a very generic, vague answer like- “It’s a love story, sort of an opposites attract thing. There’s a psychic, too.” Well, the more I think about it now, the more my face hurts from cringing at those terrible descriptions. Now, I will try my best to tell you all what my story is about. I will take you deeper than a blurb or quick synopsis, but I will not give anything away. After all, I’d still like for you to read it.
So, what is Fortunate Sum about?
It is a love story. A love story between two women, to be precise. It’s about stumbling upon love when you least expect it, after searching for it so desperately in all the wrong places. It’s about trying your best to be the person others expect you to be; trying to be someone they will respect. Fortunate Sum is about struggling with your past while trying your hardest to control your present and future. It’s about skepticism and falling for someone that bends your otherwise rigid expectations you have for yourself. It’s a romance built upon the idea of gray skies clearing into bright blues and magentas. It’s about the simplicity and complexity of love. It’s about fear and redemption. It’s about stupid mistakes and misleading information. It’s about friends helping each other out with advice- both psychic and otherwise. It’s about coloring outside the lines and being okay with it. When all the signs point you in the direction of the beautiful face smiling back at you and you feel something indescribable click into place- that is what my book is about.
Fortunate Sum is a simple romance, but I hope the underlying themes and the delicate moments between each of the characters allow it to be seen as something more.
I also hope this post doesn’t have better quality writing than my book. That’d be embarrassing.
M.Ullrich on Google+
November 7, 2015
November News!
Happy November, everyone! Hope you all enjoyed the warm weather and are better prepared for the winter than I am! I have some news to share with you all so let’s get right to it.
“Fortunate Sum” has been given an official release date: Mark your calendars for March 15th, 2016. You’ll be able to order your copy from the Bold Strokes Books website or you can count on Amazon/Barnes and Noble to get it to you! You can pre-order my book NOW from Barnes and Noble’s website as well as Amazon. You may be wondering, “Why pre-order so far in advance?” The answer is simple! Pre-order “Fortunate Sum” in November, have the holiday season distract you, and BAM! Surprise book delivered to your doorstep in March! March 15th seems like a long while off, but it’ll be Chanukah, Christmas, New Years, Valentine’s and Easter before you know it. Scary, isn’t it? Speaking of Easter, you know what fits perfectly in baskets? Books! You’re welcome for the idea.
Stay tuned for updates, excerpts, teasers, and maybe even a contest as the release date draws closer. I’m so excited to be sharing this unbelievable journey with you all, it’s a dream come true to be talking about the release of my first book. My nerves are a wreck and my stomach is twisted- it’s wonderful.
Without further delay I present to you, “Fortunate Sum”-
Catherine Carter earned her spot as one of New York’s top financial advisors by following the rules and reaching her every goal. The same applies to Catherine’s personal life. Her next self-imposed deadline is looming, and all that’s left to do is to meet the perfect man. At her friend’s urging, skeptical Catherine meets with a psychic who tells her to look for the color blue, and that’s when life spirals from her control. Prospective client, quirky Imogene Harris, is reluctant to hire anyone to help with her inheritance, but when she sees what’s being offered, she has a change of heart. Catherine denies her attraction to Imogene. Imogene is falling for the woman behind the numbers. Not even a rocky start, secret past, or misinterpreted predictions can stop the women from being drawn to one another. Together they learn that perhaps blue isn’t the color of sadness after all…
Release Date: March 15th, 2016
Pre-Order Now!
M.Ullrich on Google+
March 27, 2015
The Reality of Writing.
Writers- there’s a lot of us out there. One out of every five people is or will be a writer (made up statistic) and we all have different methods. We may have a special space or a ritual that goes along with a productive day. Hey, there’s probably an author out there that has a special pair of writing socks (not me) or underwear (maybe me). Most of us are a bit attention deficit and scatter-brained, but with such active imaginations what do you expect? With that being said, I’d like to give the non-writers of the world a glimpse into an author’s world.
As much as it’d be nice for the day to be spent furiously typing away at the keyboard of your fancy computer, laptop, or classic Smith-Corona typewriter- those are the good days. The really, really good days. The bad days are the ones where you’re ready to yell at your cursor as it mocks you with its blinking prompt. But more often than not, you’ll have average days. What I’m going to do now is walk you through what an average day is like for the average author that’s struggling to be above average for their dear readers.
You’ll wake up and look out the window, ideally it’ll be a dreary day because if the sun was shining you’d start cataloging all the outdoor activities you love and that’ll prove too distracting, so you’re grateful when gray skies greet your sticky eyes. Next, you’ll prepare your favorite caffeinated beverage and settle in behind your computer (or in my case- with my laptop upon my comforter covered lap) and stare. I usually have a notebook full of scribbles at my side to assist me and I’ll glance back and forth a few times before my imagination comes to life and the story starts to flow. Well, trickle. It’ll trickle consistently for a while after that.
Your groove will usually come to life a bit later (as long as you don’t hit a new chapter because with each new chapter comes new struggles) and its glorious. You feel engulfed by beautiful, prismatic colors as the light of inspiration burns brightly within you…
Cue needing to use the bathroom or a stomach growl. Fine, you’re a human so you need these basic things. You rise, breaking free from your trance, cutting off any and all ties you had with your muse in that moment and go on to do what is necessary. When you return with a full belly or empty bladder NOTHING IS THE SAME. Your seat isn’t as comfortable, the temperature of the room had changed, and your cat (or dog) is much more interested in your existence by now. They let you know that by climbing onto you lap or doing cute things that could rival the latest YouTube animal video.
If you do not have a cat or dog this is probably the time where you’ll randomly consider adding one to your life because why not?
Vet bills, that’s why. You’re trying to make it as a writer remember? You can’t afford that. You’ll thank a higher power for helping you remember that before you finished putting on your shoes and googling the address of a nearby shelter.
Back to your developing story.
Where were you and why did you stop mid sentence like that? You remember why Rosa was meeting Jaimie in the coffee shop, but you cannot recall why they were both staring at the latte with such intensity. Intensity? You know you can do better than that. Time to search for your thesaurus. (Give that some time because if you’re anything like me you’re a slightly disorganized writer.) Along the way you rediscover a shirt that was once your favorite, a movie you had completely forgotten about, and your iPod.
Didn’t you make a writing playlist a while back? No? Well now is as good a time as any. You scroll and add and scroll some more. It’s not until the first verse of a song plays that you continue your search.
You find your thesaurus and go to town.
Emotion? Concentration? Ardor? No. You decide to stick with intensity.
You sit back down and read the last few pages to help jog your memory of what brought you to your current scene and you are pleased with how it has turned out. Very pleased actually so you take a second to pat yourself on the back. Good job, you.
As you’re about to continue working on the scene (that finally makes sense) your phone chimes with a new message and you’ll answer whomever the sender is immediately. You’ll also check every social media site you’re enrolled in. After you’ve checked, double checked, refreshed every feed, and commented on the many things that simply required your two-cents, you return your attention to your (now cold) coffee and take a sip.
You love the mug your holding. It’s your favorite mug. Everyone should see your favorite mug. Pick up that phone again and get ready Instagram!
Pick the perfect angle and filter.
#coffee #mug #favoritemug #writersfuel #authorlife #amwriting #lifesustainingliquid #iwishiknewhowtoquityou #brokebackmountain #brokebackcoffee #brokebackbrew #thatdbeagreatbeername #hardatwork
Okay, where were you? Right. You were in the coffee shop with Rosa and Jaimie.
Your fingers finally cooperate with your brain and the words begin to flow rather effortlessly (must be good luck sent to you from your favorite mug) and you nail that coffee shop scene. NAIL. IT.
Annnnd that’s usually when you realize it’s lunch time, dinner time, or midnight. You decide to call it quits for the day, close your laptop (or put your computer to sleep) and pat it gently while telling it to get some rest. You however, will be up until the wee hours of the morning telling yourself to get some sleep and wondering whether Rosa would stare at her latte with something other than intensity.
M.Ullrich on Google+
December 1, 2014
First Post Conundrum.
I’m sure most new bloggers, especially authors, run into this problem of what to make their first blog post about. It is an important one after all. It should set the tone of your blog. It should capture the attention of your growing (hopefully) audience and draw in new fans. But, what happens when you have absolutely no idea what that topic, the golden egg of blog post subjects, could be?
Sure, in half a minute I could think up meaningless future posts that’ll hopefully make a reader chuckle. I can even daydream of something much more poignant that’ll make readers think or possibly even inspire. However, not one of those fill the shoes of a proper introduction post.
So now I’m just sitting here, expensing my wit and rattling my brain in hopes of some grand thought dislodging itself from a long forgotten, dark recess that has got to hold something… Anything?
Nope.
With all this thought, after all of this planning, I’ve managed to come up with a multi-paragraph rambling that ultimately holds no purpose except maybe serving as filler around a general “Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog and I do hope you come again even if I seem to have lost you somewhere around the eleventh sentence.” Wait- I actually think this sets the mood quite perfectly.
Impressed and/or intrigued yet?
M.Ullrich on Google+
