Maree Anderson's Blog, page 6
November 16, 2014
Why daughters perhaps shouldn’t read romances their moms have written
This morning a funny thing happened.I’m telling DD about the possessive, arrogant, borderline bully who’s the hero of a New Adult book I’m currently reading, and describing a bedroom scene that had me shaking my head… and hoping (out loud) that she (DD) won’t let herself get pushed around by a guy like that any time soon.
DD: “No worries in that respect, Mum.” *pauses* “So, have I told you about the dream I had the other night?”
Me: *stops wiping kitchen cupboards* “Nope.”
DD: “Well, I had this...
November 9, 2014
Illusions, horns and burning skies
Time to talk books!
October had some memorable reads. First up isHorns by Joe Hill. Horrors usually aren’t my thing, but the movie — starring Daniel Radcliffe — came out a wee while ago, so I thought I’d check out the book first. Whoa. What a premise. And what a read! Not sure I’d be up to seeing some of the events of the book played out in full blazing Technicolor, but that’s just me. By all reports Daniel Radcliffe gives a stellar performance in the movie, and I highly recommend the book.
Her...
November 8, 2014
Sharing a snippet from Freaks 3
Well, Imade it through DD’s deadlines to hand in her painting and design boards, as well as her scholarship painting portfolio (…think staying up till 1 or 2 in the morning to keep her company while she finishes off various pieces, and going through multiple rolls of double-sided tape to attach paintings and photos etc to aforementioned boards and portfolio as per DD’s layout printouts; if I ever see another roll of double-sided tape in my life it’ll be too damn soon!).
I got through Halloween...
November 3, 2014
One of my favorite books gets a new cover!
No, it’s not one of my books. Freaks Under Fire (Freaks 3) isn’t at cover reveal stage quite yet (but keep watching this space for updates!)
Instead, here’s a shout-out to my author-mate Nalini because I simply have to share this gooooorgeous NEW cover for her 2006 release Slave to Sensation– the first book of Nalini’s wildly popular psy/changeling series.
Slave to Sensation is one of those books that I read over and over again… and whenever I read a certain section, despite multiple reads, it...
October 30, 2014
2015 NZ Firefighters Calendar winner
AND THE WINNER OF THE 2015 NZ FIREFIGHTERS CALENDAR GIVEAWAY IS….
JC LOH!!!
Congratulations, JC, you’re the proud owner of a 2015 NZ Firefighters Calendar – watch out for my email in your inbox or please contact me with your postal address.
Thank you everyone who entered my giveaway, and everyone who bought a calendar for their friends to help support this worthy cause.
If you’d like purchase a calendar, please head on over to the New Zealand Firefighters Calendar website: they do cater for inter...
October 8, 2014
NZ Firefighters 2015 Calendar giveaway!
Two women are sitting in a cafe, sipping their coffees, and a totally hawt firefighter approaches….
No, this isn’t an idea for a romance novel, this was Real Life people!
Specifically, it was that time of the year when NZ firefighters begin doing the rounds to raise money for the Child Cancer Foundation by selling their 2015 calendars.
So what was a girl to do? Why, buy not one, but three NZ Firefighters Calendars of course: One for the office wall, one for DD, and one extra to — you guessed it...
On rock stars and falling down
Time flies when you’re being a mom-taxi for two teens over school holidays, updating all your published eBooks, trying to squeeze in some writing time, getting woken up by a kitten cavorting on the rooftop having fun. I did try to post this on time — promise! — but our internet connection was so spotty it was an exercise in frustration. Still, better late than never, right?
So let’s talk books!
If you’re a fan of contemporaries featuring capable self-reliant heroines (Robyn) and flawed sexy her...
September 23, 2014
Some things I learned from… Jim Azevedo
Some things I learned from…
JIM AZEVEDO
(Marketing Director, Smashwords)
I was lucky enough to head to this year’s RWNZ conference on Thursday so I could catch the free presentation from Jim Azevedo of Smashwords.
I’d met Jim, and his utterly delightful wife, at the airport when they first flew in to NZ, and then I picked Jim up from a domestic flight and dropped him at the conference hotel, so I already knew he was a personable guy. I can now also vouch that he’s an excellent presenter....
September 19, 2014
Some things I learned from… Courtney Milan
Some things I learned from…
Courtney Milan
There were so many things I learned from this amazing, inspiring, super-smart woman (whom I hope doesn’t remember me from a bar of soap because I know I made a complete dick of myself while talking to her) that it’s truly difficult to pick and choose from them! But for me, Courtney’s key-note talk on the hot-button topic of Romance and the Unrealistic, Predictable Happy Ending was the talk that had the most profound impact.
Why is this such a...
September 12, 2014
Some things I learned from… Marie Force
Some things I learned from…
Marie Force
Marie Force was literally a force of nature at our 2014 conference :) It was something she said that gave me my light-bulb moment — that “AHA!” moment that resonates so deeply, you know it’ll forever stick in your mind and change the way you look at everything. I can’t share it here as it’s a very personal revelation, but I do feel comfortable revealing that what she said allowed me to let go of an awful lot of unhealthy anger around certain thin...
