Marie Force's Blog, page 15

Transition

Today is not only launch day for Falling for Love. It also begins the third week of what I'm calling the "new life," or life as a full-time author with no day job, and I've got a few observations from the trenches. First, even though I've worked from home for thirteen years on the day job, I'm not doing the same job, so it's different. I didn't expect anything to be different, but when you think about it, of course it's different. For one thing, I don't have 27 coworkers to interact with anymore, which cuts the daily email total WAY down, from 300 to about 100 a day. I don't have any of those 27 coworkers or the thousands of members we worked for checking in, asking for help with various things, deadlines, publications to produce or a quarterly magazine requiring my attention. Rather, I have a website and books and readers and Facebook and Twitter and this blog to manage, and none of those things are as demanding as the job was. Each of those things is FUN! And this is WORK??? Pinch me, please!

I've talked to a few people about this odd transition stage I find myself in, and every one of them has said and done the same thing. First, they laugh at me, and then they remind me it's only day 17 since the "big change." I've decided I'm in "adjustment mode," and eventually I'll get used to my new routine. Even though I "work" all day, I'm doing something I love so much it never, ever feels like work. During these transition weeks, we've been having some work done on our house. Paint that requires everything off the walls and carpet that requires everything out of rooms, all of which equals chaos around me for weeks now, which is NOT conducive to creativity. This is stuff we've needed to do for a while now, but I just didn't have the mental capacity to manage home projects on top of two full-time jobs and two teenagers.

I've also been aiming to get to the gym more often, and at times other than lunchtime, which is when I went when I was "working"—for someone else, that is. Finally, I've been dealing with some business matters that require my full attention. Is it any wonder that I don't feel like I'm writing enough? LOL!

Without the big busy job framing my days, I've decided I need some sort of accountability system to prove that I'm actually getting stuff done and started keeping a log of what went on in a given day. The more I thought about that, the more I realized it would be fun to share the log here on the blog (that rhymes!) So here is what I've got so far. I'll share the future updates here as we go forward into "new life."

Jan. 8
Fun book club meeting at the home of Karen Medeiros, a reader friend I've gotten to know through email and Facebook. When I got home, after being gone five hours (including driving time), I asked my husband if I was allowed to take a half day that week since I "worked" on Sunday. Did I mention how much FUN the book club meeting was and how GREAT Karen, her friends and family were? Sure, this is work. Uh huh! They read Georgia on My Mind and really seemed to love it. What I loved about the group was that most of the 15 or so women there said Georgia was their first romance novel. A couple of them said they were now hooked and would never read anything else again. LOVED that I flipped them! :-)

Jan. 9
Today would've been my mom's 75th birthday and my 16th anniversary at the day job. I always thought it was cool that my work anniversary was my mom's birthday, especially after she died in 2004. I like to think she'd be proud of me and what I'm doing now. She fostered my love of reading, and I have no doubt that she's the reason why I became a romance writer since she was the first to put a Danielle Steel novel in my hand when I was a teenager. I was hooked. I did another book club meeting via Skype today, with reader friend Karen Lawson and her friends in Ohio. They read Love at First Flight for their meeting.

Jan. 10–11
Interviewed a couple of candidates to figure out who will be my new editor for the Fatal Series at Carina Press. It was fun to talk about the series and my plans for Sam, Nick and the gang and try to get a handle on who would be the best editor to help me take the series forward. I made a choice I feel good about, and I'm looking forward to working with my new editor when I hand in book 5, Fatal Attack, later this year.
Wrote 2,100 words on Fatal Attack
Wrote 2,000 words on Hoping for Love
Formatted Falling for Love and reposted the new cover
Went to the gym

Jan. 12The basement carpet wasinstalled today, so the house is still upside down, which makes productivitydifficult. However, it was a dark, stormy, rainy day—my favorite kind ofwriting day.  Wrote 2,000 words on Hoping for Love.
Jan. 13Wrote 1,300 words on Hoping for Love Promoted The Fall as a freebieWent to the gym Went to Apple store in Providence to return defective laptop cord,buy a backup hard drive and get my daughter's iPhone fixed. Shocker—the phone can't be fixed and had to be replaced. While we were there, the guy waiting on us tried to convince us that Apple screens aren't fragile. Um, okay. WHATEVER! Why does everyone I know have a broken screen on one of their Apple devices? Despite the screen issue, I'm a huge fan of all things Apple.Went to dinner for the last time at my favorite restaurant in Newport, which shut down Saturday night after 60 years in business. Sadness.
Jan. 14Worked on the websiteWrote 2,000 words on Hoping for LoveDrove the boy to hockey, went to his basketball game and hosted a small party to watch the New England Patriot's game. Tom Brandy was UN-FREAKING-BELIEVABLE against the Broncos. Tim who? :-)
Jan. 15Worked on the website all damned day. Every time I thought I was done, I discovered another disaster that needed to be attended to. It's like a sink hole! Watched the Golden Globes, which I thought were unusually dull this year. Watching George Clooney ham it up all night was a highlight. He is so damned dreamy!
Jan. 16Continued to work on the sink hole website. Wrote some more on Hoping for Love, but didn't count the words. Enjoying Evan and Grace's story so far! Did some story brainstorming with my friend Ronlyn who had some great ideas for ways that I can torture poor Evan. LOL!
Jan. 17Launch day for Falling for Love! Lots of Facebooking, Tweeting and interacting with readers. SO much fun and such a great first day for the latest McCarthy story! Wrote a couple thousand on Hoping for Love, the next McCarthy book, bringing the word count to 30,000 as of today. I usually aim for 65-70K on the McCarthy books, so that brings us to about the halfway point. I hope to finish it before the end of January. We'll see! Had lunch with my Aunt Betty and her friend Alice, who is learning all about the Kindle and was so excited to start e-reading on her new toy. I love that my books have helped to bring me closer to my aunt, who is one of my biggest fans. She is always so cute introducing me as her niece the AUTHOR when we are out to lunch together. After lunch, I went to my son's science fair and let him show off the great projects he and his friends had done. As I was getting ready to leave, he said there were 20 minutes left in the period and would I stay to keep him company? Since I'm now self-employed and can do whatever the heck I want, I took off my coat, sat down and spent 20 more minutes with my son. We had a nice chat with the mom of one of his friends, and I was glad I stayed. I think he was glad, too, even though it's not cool for a 7th grade boy to act like he LIKES his mom! God forbid! Hubby and I picked out a new mattress tonight, which is a truly ridiculous process since you have to make this huge decision based on 15 whole minutes of lying on a mattress in a store. I think we found one that will work, but I guess we'll see. Good news is we can return it within 60 days if it's not working for us. Much speculation tonight about what happens to the "gently used" mattresses after they are returned. Decided we don't want to know!
In conclusion, random thoughts by Marie Force:The images from the cruise ship disaster in Italy continue to horrify me. HOW in the world, in 2012 with all the technology at their disposal, could this possibly happen?I'm totally addicted to Adele's voice. "Someone Like You" haunts me. I may, for the first time ever, download an entire album onto my iPod: 21. I really hope Adele's recovery from throat surgery is progressing. The world needs more of her incredible voice.I'm totally bored by this season of The Bachelor. Ben seems like a perfectly nice guy, but he's too nice to be The Bachelor and far too nice for the crazy women they've paired him with.Totally psyched for the new season of American Idol! Thrilled that JLo and Steven Tyler are back for another season.I remain addicted to the show Parenthood. One of the best shows I've ever watched. Ever.I can't believe my oldest kid is taking mid-terms in her JUNIOR YEAR of high school. I can't believe she'll be driving at the end of next month. I'm so not ready for all of this.More to come!

Falling for Love, Available TODAY!

Since he won the Academy Award for best original screenplay a few years ago, Grant McCarthy's personal and professional lives have fallen apart. Abby, the woman he was supposed to marry, is engaged to someone else, and Grant is back at home on Gansett Island helping to run the family marina business while his father recovers from a serious injury. While all Grant's focus should be on winning back the love of his life, pesky Stephanie, who runs the marina restaurant, is working her way under his skin and into his bed. As Tropical Storm Hailey cuts off Gansett Island from the mainland, Grant suspects Stephanie is hiding something big from her past. When he finds out what it is, what will be more important to him? Winning Abby back or helping Stephanie to right a terrible wrong?

After you've read the book, join the Falling for Love Readers Group to dish about the Gansett Island gang!


Read an excerpt.

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FALLING FOR LOVE, Coming Jan. 17

Fans of the McCarthys of Gansett Island Series will be glad to hear that FALLING FOR LOVE, featuring Grant McCarthy, is coming next week! When we left off with Grant in READY FOR LOVE, he was in shock over the fact that his longtime girlfriend had meant it when she told him it was over between them the summer before. Now he's back on Gansett determined to win back Abby while another woman has slipped under his skin. Here's the full description:
Since he won theAcademy Award for best original screenplay a few years ago, Grant McCarthy'spersonal and professional lives have fallen apart. Abby, the woman he wassupposed to marry, is engaged to someone else, and Grant is back at home onGansett Island helping to run the family marina business while his fatherrecovers from a serious injury. While all Grant's focus should be on winningback the love of his life, pesky Stephanie, who runs the marina restaurant, isworking her way under his skin and into his bed. As Tropical Storm Hailey cutsoff Gansett Island from the mainland, Grant suspects Stephanie is hidingsomething big from her past. When he finds out what it is, what will be moreimportant to him? Winning Abby back or helping Stephanie to right a terriblewrong?
Watch for FALLING FOR LOVE, everywhere ebooks are sold, on Jan. 17! Read an excerpt.

True North FREE for Five Days on Kindle

Get the book that started my indie author career for free on Kindle for the next five days!

The first time Travis North lays eyes on Liana McDermott, she's wearing the most hideous bridesmaid dress he's ever seen. He doesn't immediately recognize the world-famous super model who is attending her cousin Enid's wedding at the country club he owns. Thanks to Enid's shameless matchmaking, Travis and Liana become acquainted and later embark on a two-week fling intended to be free of emotion and entanglement. As Liana's return to work gets closer, however, Travis wonders how he'll ever let her go when the time comes while Liana considers whether he might be her true north. Two high-powered careers, two amazing weeks and a love that comes along just once in a lifetime. Is she ready to give up her career for a different kind of life? Does he want the same things she does? After insisting on an emotionless affair, she can't very well ask him. Or can she?

http://amzn.to/tuun1t

My Favorite Books of 2011

I was asked to do this for a blog posting, so I figured I'd post my list here, too. You all know that I keep a running tab of my books on the blog. Last year I read 112 books. This year, I'll be lucky to hit 100. I expect I will exceed both totals next year when I'm "only" working as a mother and author with hopefully more time to read! So here is my top 10 (okay a few more than 10) for the year, in no particular order:



1. Seven Secrets of Seduction by Anne Mallory was the first book I read in 2011, and I absolutely adored it because it had all the elements of a great historical romance, was extremely well written and just plain old good fun. In fact I may have to re-read it to end the year!
2. All They Need, One Good Reason, Her Best Friend, The Last Goodbye: Why? Sarah Mayberry. Enough said! If you're not reading her books, why not?
3. What I Did for a Duke & To Love a Thief. Julie Anne Long was a big discovery for me this year, and I loved her Pennyroyal Green Series. Some of the best historical romances I've ever read.
4. After the Fire, On the Line, Nothing More to Lose: Kathryn Shay's firefighting series was spectacular. I loved all three books.
5. Mr. Perfect by Linda Howard, an oldie that I had never read until the R&O Book Club brought it to my attention. Spine-tingling suspense, heart-pounding romance and signature Linda Howard humor all in one "perfect" story. If you haven't read this one, you're missing a classic!
6.  Breaking Point by Pamela Clare (brilliant) 
7. The Search by Nora Roberts (the best Nora book in years)
8. Treachery in Death and NY to Dallas by J.D. Robb (love me some Eve and Roarke)
9. Summer of Two Wishes by Julia London (beautiful story)
10. The Many Sins of Lord Cameron and Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage by Jennifer Ashley (fantastic series). 
I also reallllllllly enjoyed my friend Bella Andre's Sullivan Family series, and not just because I'm a Sullivan! :-) I'm also really enjoying In Bed With a Highlander by Maya Banks, which I'm reading now. Looking forward to the other two books in that trilogy, and I LOVE her KGI books.
Okay must stop now. Could go on and on....
Tell me what's on your top 10 list for 2011! What books are you most anticipating in 2012?

STARTING OVER, Now on Sale!

Starting Over, AVAILABLE NOW!BOOK 3 in the Treading Water TrilogyIn a drunken stupor, Brandon O'Malley frightens his brother Aidan's girlfriend, enraging his brother and the rest of his family. Aidan offers Brandon the choice of rehab or jail, and Brandon reluctantly enters treatment. While in rehab, he confronts the lifetime of secrets and resentments that fueled his spiral into alcoholism, and these revelations have a major effect on his entire family. When he returns home expecting to resume his supervisory role in the family's construction business, Brandon learns his father has retired and put his younger brothe, Colin,r in charge. Brandon is unhappy to be given the job of renovating an apartment building where he loses his heart to an adorable five-year-old tenant named "Mike." After he falls hard for Michaela, Brandon becomes involved with her mother Daphne, who is running from a past that will later test his sobriety and his mettle as a man.Read an excerpt of Starting OverRead Starting Over in PRINT
Get Starting Over in ebook format:Kindle/AmazonNook/Barnes & NobleiPad/AppleSmashwordsAll Romance Ebooks

Isn't This Glamorous? Leading the Life of a Romance Writer

By Stephanie Queen
If I'm leading the glamorous life of a romance writer, thenwhat is glamour anyway? It's every gal's dream come true, isn't it? Forinstance, at a book-signing, having every Fabio-like guy in the room standingin line for an autograph… or a photograph with you. There's something about theflash of a camera in a buzzing crowd-filled room that screams out "GLAMOUR!"(at least that's what I thought I heard).
Don't look now, but in this photo taken at my recentbook-signing, this random fan (I use the term *fan* loosely—but he was definitelyrandom) topped the male portion of the audience. Not exactly Fabio-like (so who really likes Fabio anyhow? He's so 80scliché.) but we weren't exactly in Hollywood. (We were at an undisclosedlocation which I can't disclose due to my super-notoriety and wanting tomaintain some privacy—the downside to the glamorous life.) (yeah, right.Boo-hoo.)
Back to figuringout what glamorous means. According to Webster, glamorous means : full of glamour (no kidding): excitinglyattractive, such as a glamorous life. As if Merriam knew. Had they eveninvented cameras in his day?
Favorite Synonym: romantic. Yes, even Merriam is enticed by theconnotations of romance. Although I'll bet he never wrote a romance novel.Outlandish was my second favorite synonym. I can testify to outlandish. I'vebeen to a romance writers convention.Least Favorite Synonym:Bizarro. Hmmm. Favorite Antonym: plain Jane, closely followed by the uncreative antonym,unromantic.And my favorite unrelated feature in Websters: "RhymesWith" GLAMOROUS: amorous and clamorous. They definitely gowith the glamorous territory. I could write a poem (but don't worry, I won't)(see bizarro).So in summary, the answer to thequestion "Isn't this glamorous?" is of course it is! If my life as a romancewriter wasn't excitingly attractive, why else would I do it? Isn't glamoureverything? Plain Jane is out. Bizarro? Well that's another story for anotherday.



What do you picture asthe ultimate glamorous moment of a romance writer's life?
We'll give a copy of The Throwbacks to one commenter today. Here's the scoop on the book: Tosalvage his career, exiled Scotland Yard "Flying Squad"detective, the not-so-young David Young, joins the Boston PoliceDepartment. But thisrogue detective can't resist an unlikely romance with his young and vivaciousdecorator, Grace Rogers, even when she becomes a key witness in his high-stakescase—and like Kryptonite to his career and well-being.
StephanieQueen writes romance novels while running from thepaparazzi who constantly haunt her excitingly attractive life. Her most recentrelease is The Throwbacks, the first in the Scotland Yard ExchangeProgram series of romantic comedy suspense novels. Visit her atwww.StephanieQueen.com for all the latest in her glamorous romance-writinglife.

Welcome to My Friend Cynthia Eden with a Giveaway!

I'm very excited to welcome my writing pal, Cynthia Eden, over for a visit today! She writes wonderful suspense and paranormal romances. It's a thrill to have her here, so show her a good time while I am slaving away at the day job! :-) Now, here's Cynthia!
An Angel's Wings…
Hi, everyone! And a big thank you to the lovely Marie forhaving me over today.  ;)
It's the holiday season! Folks are happy…and feeling alittle frantic. It's the time of the year to snuggle up by a fire and watch aChristmas special. At my house, I always enjoy both the funny shows (Scrooged, National Lampoon's ChristmasVacation) and the shows that make me tear up (It's a Wonderful Life).
In It's a Wonderfullife, I love it when the little girl tells her dad, "Teacher says…everytime a bell rings, an angel gets his wings." During the holidays, my son now listens for bells, hoping that meansthat somewhere, someplace, an angel is getting wings.
An angel with wings—well, that can sure be one great thing.
Pity I'm taking those wings away.  Ahem…
Because I've got a new series out now—a dark paranormalseries about angels who fall. And, when they fall, their lovely wings getburned away.  But it's actually when theyfall, well, it's then that life truly begins for my angels. They start to experiencehuman emotions and needs. They want. They crave. They lust.
They love.
And isn't love one of the best things about theholidays? 
So fall with my angels. Get tempted this holiday.  Enjoy yourself. Even sin a little.
Have yourself  a merryold holiday time.
I'd love to give one commenter ANGEL OF DARKNESS. To enterthe giveaway, just tell me the holiday movie you love to watch at this time ofthe year. The winner will be randomly selected from all the comments that Ireceive. Good luck!
Happy Holidays.Cynthia Eden www.cynthiaeden.comANGEL OF DARKNESS—Available now from Kensington BravaWhen an angel falls for a vampire, all hell breaks loose…

MARKING TIME is Now ON SALE!

"Marking Time" continues the story begun in "Treading Water" as Clare Harrington begins a new life. She's considered a miracle, but everything that's happened since she recovered from a three-year coma has been something less than miraculous. Now left to grapple with the aftermath of a selfless decision, she is home from the hospital and trying to figure out what the next chapter in her miraculous recovery has in store for her. Meanwhile, her eighteen-year-old daughter Kate, a talented singer and songwriter, sets out to pursue her musical dreams in Nashville. Her parents have agreed to allow Kate to spend a year there, but they couldn't have anticipated Kate falling in love with a much older man. Her newly divorced parents are forced back together to confront their wayward daughter. Spanning from Newport, Rhode Island, to Nashville, Tennessee, to Stowe, Vermont, "Marking Time" is the story of new beginnings and new loves. 


Read an excerpt of Marking Time.


Get Marking Time:
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Other retailers coming soon!

Giving Thanks

Tis the season in the U.S. of A. when we take a day to honor the turkey, gather with our families and, in most cases, spend most of the day eating and watching football. In my family, we also try to take a moment to offer up our thanks for all the blessings we've received in the past year, so I thought I'd share the Top 10 things I'm thankful for as 2011 comes to a close.

1. My children. They are teenagers, so they often drive me crazy, but I wouldn't trade them for any other crazy teenagers, unless, of course, the circus came a'calling and offered the right price. Seriously, I'm abundantly grateful for their good health, good (and often inappropriate) humor, relatively good grades and positive outlook on life. They are a joy to live with and a constant source of amusement with a healthy dose of consternation thrown in to keep things real. I repeat: they are teenagers, so they can't help it. And even though the teenage years are rife with challenges, I much prefer them to the baby years. I genuinely like my kids and the people they are becoming.

2. My husband. Yes, I call him The Turnip for a variety of well-earned reasons, but he showed his true stripes this year, handling my health crisis with equal parts humor and determination to get us all through it. I appreciate that he's always where he says he's going to be and never gives me a reason to wonder what he's up to. He's true blue all the way, and I am lucky to have him. (Just don't tell him I said any of that or he will be unlivable.)

3. My dad. At 77, he is going strong, enjoying good health and keeping me entertained. He is one of my best "girlfriends," and I'm very thankful to have him here to laugh at me as I navigate the teenage years with my kids. I'm also thankful for his lovely boat, which is one of my summer happy places. He enjoys every minute he spends with my kids, and they appreciate the time they have with their only remaining grandparent. He is very much their "third" parent. I'm also grateful that he will be over later to take care of getting the turkey ready. Since the process gives me the dry heaves, I am appreciative of his assistance (which is largely self-serving because he is VERY fond of turkey).

4. My health. You all know I had some health challenges this year that led to surgery, which fixed the problem once and for all. I'm feeling a thousand times better than I have in a LONG time, and I'm grateful it wasn't something more serious. It was treatable and fixable, and the entire ordeal made me thankful for the good health we often take for granted.

5. My dog. My dear sweet Brandy brings me joy every single day as my steadfast work-at-home companion. Whether we are chasing her down to retrieve a pair of socks or trying to coax her off the beach by pretending we're going to leave without her, there is never a dull moment with the Brandana around. I'm grateful that this year she realized we like to READ the newspaper, so it's better if she doesn't shred it for us every day. She sleeps right smack between us every night, and we wouldn't have it any other way. I also love how much joy she brings my dad, who is her biggest fan. Tomorrow they will carve the turkey "together." My favorite Brandy moment of 2011 was when my boss and his wife were here for dinner and he made the mistake of lowering his hand when he was holding a potato chip. GONE. "That," he said with typical good humor, "was unexpected." We still giggle about that months later!

6. My extended family. My brother, my niece, my nephew, my aunts, uncles and the gaggle of cousins who are more like siblings than cousins, I'm grateful for every one of you. We recently celebrated my aunt and uncle's 50th anniversary and had most of the large family in attendance. Many of them will be at my house tomorrow night, since we still spend holidays together even in our late 30s and 40s. I wouldn't have it any other way.

7. My friends. Whether you are near or far, whether I've met you in person or online, you know who you are and you know what you mean to me. I found out how many friends I have when I was sick, and each of you means the world to me.

8. My readers. I am one extremely lucky author to have such a loyal, dedicated group of readers. I've had an incredible year with my books, and I'm thankful to everyone who bought one or more of my books. The lovely reviews, emails and postings make me smile, and I treasure every one of them. As long as you all keep reading, I will keep writing!

9. My characters. Sam, Nick, Mac, Maddie, Joe, Janey, Luke, Sydney, Jack, Andi: thank you all for appearing in my imagination, becoming real people to me and real people to my readers. I don't know where this stuff comes from, but I'm not asking any questions. I'd appreciate it if the characters and stories could keep on coming so I can keep on doing what I most love to do. In 2012, we'll be hearing from Grant, Evan, Adam, Tiffany, and of course, more from Sam, Nick and the gang!

10. The Kindle, Nook, iPad, Kobo, etc. Thank you, thank you, thank you to the brilliant people who invented these life-changing devices and to Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Apple and all the retailers who've made it possible for authors to take their stories direct to readers. I'm eternally grateful for the opportunities I've been afforded this year, and look forward to growing my business further in 2012 when I will become a full-time writer.

Bonus: Oreos. Need I explain?

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Now tell me what you are most thankful for this year!
xoxo
Marie