M.J. Pullen's Blog, page 15

March 2015 Winner: Kathleen Arnold

Congratulations to Kathleen Arnold of Lansdale, PA, who was randomly selected as the March winner of a $10 Amazon gift card!

Kathleen and deliriously cute family

I decided these little drawings would be more fun if we used them as an opportunity to get to know one another, so here is a picture of Kathleen and her lovely family.

She says:

“With two active little boys I love to escape into a book for an evening of relaxation. We live in Lansdale, PA in the suburbs of Philadelphia.  Thanks for writing books that allow me to get away in the comfort of my home. I love to read all types of books. Just finished The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin, a book club pick from my neighborhood. Looking forward to your next book.”

I totally relate to the two young boys — I’m lucky if I can escape to the bathroom sometimes…

Aaanyway, if you’d like a shot at being next month’s winner, simply join my email list (if you haven’t already) and/or comment on any blog entry in April  (including this one). At the end of the month I put all the email addresses in a hat and draw one using random.org. You’ll get a $10 gift card at Amazon and a chance to say hello to my dozens of blog readers.

Happy April, y’all!

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Book Announcement: Did I Get You?

M.J. writes a Robomance? Really??? (Not really).

Okay, okay, yes. Yesterday’s book announcement was totally an April Fool’s joke. I was both delighted and a tiny bit guilty about how many of you fell for it. Although I will say, I think it says something that most of those who fell for it didn’t comment on the blog: emailing or FB messaging instead, maybe your BS meters were going off a little at least.

I’m also completely honored at the number of people who said nice things like “well, it didn’t sound like you, but if you wrote that, I’d read it.” I don’t know if “Robomance” (as my friend Ross called it) is a real genre, or if I would ever have anything to contribute to it, but maybe I’ll put that on my bucket list.

In the meantime, if you fell for it, just know that it was all in fun, and you WERE NOT ALONE!

I’m happy to say, however, there is a bit of truth behind the joke: I am approaching the final stages of writing a new contemporary adult romance, unrelated to THE MARRIAGE PACT trilogy. And it really is being read by three amazing alpha readers who are presumably trying to figure out how to help me make it better without completely destroying my ego. So I should have more information to share in the next few weeks as the editing process shapes up (including a target release date for the digital version).

What I can tell you now is that the working title is EVERY-OTHER SATURDAY. It’s a fun story involving two divorced parents, their kids, their former spouses, and one very sought-after babysitter. I’m looking forward to sharing it with you soon.

In the meantime, leave a comment below and you’ll be automatically entered into the APRIL drawing for an Amazon.com gift card!

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Sign up for email updates and download my free short story, BODY ENGLISH

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New Book Announcement

Many of you have been kind enough to ask whether there will be another e-book released before the official re-launch of THE MARRIAGE PACT in November, and I’m excited to share with you that I have just finished the first draft of my next romance novel! It’s in the hands of my critique partners as we speak, and after a few more rounds of editing I hope to be able to release it for your reading pleasure this summer. In the meantime, here is a little taste…

THE PASSION CIRCUIT

By M.J. Pullen

He’s a robot engineered for strength, intelligence and world champion table tennis. She’s a runway model with her feet in six-inch heels and her eye on the cover of Vogue. On the surface they have nothing in common, except the fact that neither can eat solid food. But when they are thrown together by a double-booking at the convention center, followed by a seemingly unsolvable mystery, sparks begin to fly. And not just on his circuit boards.

Can they solve her father’s murder, save Fashion Week, and find love in the Digital Age…. Together?

Early praise for THE PASSION CIRCUIT:

“Once again, M.J. combines her knowledge of robotics and keen interest in fashion for one wild, sexy ride.”

– PC Magazine

“At first, I’ll be honest, I had questions. A robot and a fashion model? I mean, how would that even work? Does he have, you know, the right anatomy? But the story is so absorbing, pretty soon you just go with it.”

– Jeffrey Eugenides, Pulitzer Prize Winner

“FIVE ELECTRIFYING STARS! Never before have fashion, technology and eating disorders been combined into such a steamy, compelling thrill ride of a romance novel. I laughed, I cried, and I might have made an inappropriate IT request at work. Read this one at home, folks!”

– Kimmie Karmel, The Book Talk Blog

Coming soon to an e-Reader near you!!

 

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St. Paddy’s Day

Happy St. Paddy’s Day, friends! Hope you are having a lovely day celebrating your Irish heritage or pretending you have Irish heritage or enjoying the Irish heritage of the guy next to you. Or eating Mexican food, as my buddy Rob does, to avoid the crowds at the Irish pub. Or celebrating the fact that gay and lesbian military veterans marched openly for the first time this year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Boston. Go Green!

Today I am celebrating my own Irish heritage (which is more likely Scottish, but still) and the fact that for the first time in about two weeks I have no appointments and no sick kids home with me today. Green or no green, I am ready to pinch myself. [

St. Paddy’s Day always reminds me of the trip Hubs and I took to Ireland in 2008 — it was sort of our last hurrah before pregnancy and kids subsumed took over enriched our lives. I’m posting a couple of my favorite pictures from that trip. These pictures remind me how much beauty and adventure is in the world, just waiting for each of us to say, “Okay, I’m game.”

Today is also — unbelievably — the tenth anniversary of the death of my dear friend Laura Jackson, who I met in Austin during one of the most turbulent times of my life. She was so cool, so centered, so strong, even in the face of terminal brain cancer. She was adventurous and funny and refreshingly candid; and she mentored me without knowing she was doing it. I still think of her often and I’m so grateful I had the opportunity to know her.

Okay, enough mush. Slainte!

Leave a comment below and you’ll be automatically entered into the MARCH drawing for an Amazon.com gift card!

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Sign up for email updates and download my free short story, BODY ENGLISH!

 

 

 

 

 

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The Marriage Pact St. Martin’s Press Cover Reveal

Coming November 3, 2015

Guys. Look at this. Isn’t it beautiful?

You are looking at the official cover for the official re-release of THE MARRIAGE PACT, which I can now tell you will be coming to a bookstore near you on November 3, 2015.

And guess what else? That’s my birthday. My 40th birthday. It’s too much to handle. The excitement is coming very close to eclipsing my middle-age freakout. (Hey, I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t hold onto some neuroses).

If you’ve never read THE MARRIAGE PACT, it’s a contemporary romance/romantic comedy about what happens when two college friends (Marci and Jake) promise to marry one another when they both turn thirty — if they aren’t otherwise involved. So they turn thirty ten years later, and Jake calls in the promise, not knowing that Marci is otherwise involved. Well, sort of…

If you read the self-published version of TMP, this one is even better — everything you loved but leaner, cleaner and meaner than before. I’m very grateful to my lovely editor Nicole Sohl at Thomas Dunne/St. Martins Press/Macmillan Entertainment for helping me make this the best book it can be.

And the cover! I love that they kept the sexy, edgy feel of Marla Kaplan’s original design, and just updated it a bit for the re-publication. It almost glitters!

I’ll be updating again soon with pre-order information and all that jazz. In the meantime, I am busy working on some other great stuff for you guys to read. And, it seems I have my November party planning work cut out for me…

Leave a non-spam comment below and you’ll be automatically entered into the MARCH drawing for an Amazon.com gift card!

____________________________________________________

Sign up for email updates and download my free short story, BODY ENGLISH!

 

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The Enigma Recipe

Since my Oscar post last week, I’ve had several requests for the “ENIGMA” drink recipe Hubs concocted/adapted for our terrible pun Oscar party. He shared it to my Facebook page, but it’s easier to find and refer to here. I’m just going to tell you that while Hubs is an amazing chemical engineer and should probably look into becoming a mixologist as a backup career, he is not good at giving exact amounts in drink recipes. Maybe it’s a side effect of going to college in New Orleans, where cocktails are second nature. Or maybe it’s that amounts don’t matter. It’s all just a part of the enigmatic nature of this beverage.

We made this one in our Vitamix, but I’m sure a regular old blender would perform the task admirably.

Anyway, here you go:

Sam’s Enigma Recipe

2-3 parts vodka & Cointreau

1 part bourbon & amaretto

peaches, pineapple, mixed berries (we used a mix of fresh and frozen)

3 parts cranberry juice to 1 part orange juice [MJ says: I'm assuming these are the same measurements as the liquor? Seriously, they actually gave him a degree in chemical engineering. Go figure.]

Mix until slushy and a lovely shade of pink. Also, since you used real fruit it’s healthy, right???

Naturally, since The Enigma’s main selling point is its inscrutability and elusiveness, we couldn’t get a decent picture of it. Also, we were too busy drinking it. But I did manage to capture this grainy photo of a bearded man drinking what is believed to be an Enigma through a Red Vine candy stick. The beard has asked to remain anonymous.

If you make this recipe with any interesting variations or capture a picture of your own Enigmas in the wild, I’d love if you would post in the comments.

Have fun and be responsibly enigmatic!

xoxoxo,

m.j.

 

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Someone Who Gets Your Special Brand of Crazy

The other day I was in the car with Hubs, trying to explain my new perfume. I’m not always a perfumey kind of girl; most days I’m lucky to remember deodorant and make sure my socks match. There have been many years of my life when I wouldn’t bother with mascara unless I was going somewhere with white tablecloths, much less invest in something as extravagant as perfume…

There is something, however, about raising two young and wild boys that makes you long for the more feminine touches in life: scarves, shoes, bags, and maybe some good-smelly stuff. It’s like reclaiming a bit of something that got buried under all the mud and Ninja Turtle yogurt. Which is what I was explaining:

Me: So I’m trying this Jimmy Choo perfume, what do you think?

Hubs: It’s nice.

M: Yeah, I like it, too. It’s definitely in the running.

H: In the running for what?

M: To be my signature scent.

H: Hmmm…

M: Yeah. I want a scent that’s me, you know? Something that reminds you of me when I’m not around. Something the boys will associate with me. Like, I want them to have such a deep association with this scent that they won’t be able to date a girl who wears it because it will feel like dating their mom.

H: Oookayy…

M: Yeah, I know. It’s like I am already a passive aggressive mother-in-law, weeding out women before they even hit puberty.

*PAUSE*

And just when I think Hubs is about to suggest perhaps I need to be spending more time with my psychologist…

H: Well, if that’s your goal, shouldn’t you be wearing trashier perfume?

And THAT’S why I love this guy.

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My Top 10 Oscar Highlights

Thank goodness I’m not an entertainment reporter, because after four hours of eating, drinking, and general award show merriment, there is NO WAY I could get an article published four minutes after the Oscars are over. It’s all I can do to clear the cups and leftover cookies from the coffee table, so the dog doesn’t get drunk or accidentally ingest chocolate, stick the leftovers in the fridge and stagger up to bed to watch eleven minutes of Jimmy Kimmel before passing out.

So you’ll have to settle for my blurry, half-remembered musings. And share your own!

Rob says, “After a while, the cold drink makes it hard.” (That’s what she said).

By the way, another reason I would be a terrible journalist is that I utterly failed to take pictures of our celebration last night. I took exactly one picture, but at least it was a good one: my buddy Rob drinking an Enigma (our signature drink in honor of The Imitation Game) with a Red Vine (for Whiplash). If you haven’t sucked four kinds of liquor and fruit through a candy straw, your life is simply incomplete.

Here are my favorite things from the Oscars 2015. If you watched (or even if you didn’t) I’d love to hear yours, too!

1. Our pun-derful menu. We attempted it last year, but this year was way better in that we managed to find a food to represent each of the films nominated for Best Picture:

Red Vines for Whiplash (it’s a bonus that they look a bit like drumsticks)
Theory of Everything Bagels
Birdman Chicken Salad
American Sniper fake babies in blankets
Boyhood Mac & Cheese Bites
The Imitation (Bacon) (Dip) Game + Enigma, the drink
Black & White Cookies for Selma
Macaroons pretending to be Mendl’s pastries from The Grand Budapest Hotel
AND: a Red Carpet Red Velvet cheese ball

I’m just noticing that, from this list, I contributed all the things that could be easily purchased pre-made, while Hubs and all our guests did the dirty work of making the homemade stuff. Hubs tinkered with the Enigma recipe for a couple of weeks to get it just right (if you’re wondering: fresh & frozen peaches, berries and pineapple, two parts Vodka, two parts bourbon, one part cointreau, one part amaretto, splash of cranberry & orange juices, ice, and…. Vitamix!). Rob’s wife Tiffany made the amazing dip and the red velvet cheese ball. OMG – good enough to make you happy being fat. My friend Ryan made black & white cookies for the first time and they were scrumptious. I could go on and on, but it’s just going to make me want leftovers and I promised myself, promised, that I wouldn’t touch the stuff again until this weekend. Or… at least until noon today.

2. Pajamas and High Heels. So, next year we will HAVE to have a best dressed category for the party itself. Ever since Rob and I started watching the Oscars together ten years ago, it’s been a come as you are kind of thing. I’ve always loved the contrast of being home on the couch in my sweatpants drinking wine from a plastic cup, admiring everyone in their red carpet finery. So I encouraged everyone last night to come in their comfy clothes: jeans, sweats, pajamas. Happily, my girlfriend Angela took this seriously and sported some lovely floral pajamas (“I heard floral was going to be big on the red carpet this year” she said), but I guess she also needed that hint of Oscar glitz because she complemented them with some kickass gold heels. The bar has definitely been raised for our very specific couture next year.

One friend just arrived in pjs and high heels, @ryanjvanmeter brought me peanut butter beer. Yay #OscarNight!

— MJ Pullen (@MJPullen) February 23, 2015

 

3. Neil Patrick Harris and Oscar Bingo. I actually really enjoyed NPH as host. I thought he was funny and just the right amount of snarky without being obnoxious. A few of the jokes fell a little flat, but that’s a hard gig. All those celebs and their egos make for a tough room! Plus, in the opening few minutes alone, he and Anna Kendrick knocked out several squares on all our Oscar bingo cards – including Kanye West, magic tricks, 50 Shades of Grey, and mention of the controversy around The Academy and race. Plus, he looked pretty amazing in his Birdman tighty-whities tribute. Doogie is holding up well!

Speeches. Okay, we had more of the thank you (list of names) speeches, which I totally understand are necessary, but are SO BORING to listen to. I mean, I get it. It’s your moment, and you should use it how you want, and thanking the important people in your life is perfectly appropriate. I’m just saying, I wish a few more people would branch out and say something we can all walk away with.

4. Like when J.K. Simmons told everyone to call their moms… People are sort of tittering about this one, but I like it. It’s simple, almost anyone can do it TODAY, and those of who can’t sure wish we could.

Simple and Sweet.

 

5. Or when Graham Moore gave one of the most moving Oscar speeches I’ve ever heard (how many really stick with you? I know I remember Halle Berry’s 2002 speech like it was last night). Today, the blogosphere is largely referring to Moore’s speech as being about suicide and depression, which obviously it partly was, but it seemed to me his speech – and The Imitation Game in general – were less about suicide or depression the symptoms, and more about the need of all human beings to be accepted for who we are. When we feel alone, ashamed, and outcast for who we are, depression and suicide are some of the possible results, but I think Graham Moore was less trying to “raise an issue” and more trying to create connection for  others in pain. In a way, creating real connection is more powerful than bringing awareness, which is really just the first step.

6. It’s also important to note that Dana Perry (in that spectacular fuzzy ball wrap) called attention to the issue of suicide during her acceptance for Documentary Short, which she dedicated to the son she lost to suicide. She’s my new hero, too, because when reporters asked her if she was offended by NPH’s joke at her expense (he said, “It takes balls to wear that dress” as she exited the stage) Perry laughed out loud and said, “I invite anyone to feel my furry balls.” Love. Love, love.

7. Lupita Nyong’o in her exquisite dress, because even though fashion isn’t my thing, I have to be little bit of a girl sometimes and she was just stunning.

8. Lady Gaga rocking the Sound of Music medley. Also, Julie Andrews. Because she’s Julie Andrews, and she’s awesome, and you could tell that 50 years ago she never imagined she’d be so thrilled to have her legacy honored by someone who once wore a meat dress.

9. John Legend and Common performing “Glory,” which brought me and David Oyelowo to tears. And when I saw his tears, it made me have more tears, and then John Legend and Common won and then… well, really it was just a whole tearful feedback loop.

10. Wes Anderson, who seems like such an amazingly nice person that he was on the edge of his seat with excitement when anyone from his movie won anything. He got so hot with all that being supportive and joyful that he had to take his jacket off. I’ve always thought that if I were ever lucky enough to have a book of mine made into a movie, my dream director would be someone like Judd Apatow or Kristen Wiig, but Wes Anderson seems like such a joy to work with, maybe I could just be an extra in something. I can totally rock a tracksuit or a mustache. Totally.

But for now, it’s back to real, unglamorous life until next February.

What about you? Are you an Oscar nerd like me, or can you tell me what else was on TV last night?

Favorite speeches? Favorite dresses? Favorite movies? Did American Sniper and Selma truly get “snubbed,” or was it just a super-competitive year to put out a movie of any sort? Do you have an Oscar hangover today akin to the Super Bowl hangover so many people had a few weeks ago? Do you always promise yourself (as I do) that you’re going to watch all the documentaries and foreign language films and then somehow forget about it by the following weekend? Did you call your mom last night out of fear of what J.K. Simmons would do to you if you didn’t?

Oh, and you’re welcome:

He danced, sang and… stripped? @ActuallyNPH's Top 5 #Oscars Moments: http://t.co/L7Mk4LhBZu pic.twitter.com/wuO3LAQoPm

— Good Morning America (@GMA) February 23, 2015

 

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I’m M.J. (Manda) Pullen, an author and mom in the Atlanta, Georgia area. I blog about writing, publishing, motherhood, food, psychology and whatever else strikes me in the moment. And let’s be honest, that could be anything.

My books include The Marriage Pact series, a trilogy of funny, semi-realistic Contemporary Romance/Women’s Fiction novels coming Fall 2015 from Thomas Dunne/St. Martin’s Press in association with Macmillan Entertainment. If you enjoyed this entry, you can follow the blog or click here to join my email list and receive my free short story, BODY ENGLISH. It’s a “love at first head injury” kind of story.

Comments are always welcome. Thanks for stopping by!

 

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Being the Person Google Thinks I am

It’s sort of me. Ish.

I know people are super-concerned about Big Brother monitoring our online activities (or at least, we were a little concerned until the latest version of Candy Crush/Game of War came out and distracted us).  But when I visited my Google Ad Settings today — a fit of random curiosity when I clicked that I didn’t want to see a certain ad any more, and YES I HAVE ADHD — here is the list of things Google thinks I’m interested in.

Bicycles & Accessories




Bollywood & South Asian Film




Books & Literature




Celebrities & Entertainment News




Face & Body Care




Finance




Fitness




Food & Drink




Hair Care




Hybrid & Alternative Vehicles




Mobile Phones




Online Video




Rap & Hip-Hop




Shooter Games




Toyota

And, okay. I’ll give them a few of these (obviously books and literature, and who ISN’T interested in Food & Drink or Celebrities?) But I don’t own a bicycle, and I’ve never shopped online for one that I remember. Nor do I have a Hybrid Vehicle — and I’m ashamed to admit I haven’t even looked into it, really. I mean, Vanischewitz is a hybrid between a taxi and a Star Destroyer, but I don’t think that’s what this means. Rap & Hip Hop are great, but not my first choice of listening genres — maybe this is because, like everyone else, I was Googling Kanye West after the Grammys?

I kind of wish I was more into Bollywood and South Asian Film. That one makes me sound more interesting than I really am, I think. But shooter games? Um, no. I couldn’t be LESS interested in shooter games at the moment, especially since I just finished reading Jodi Picoult’s NINETEEN MINUTES last night.

Between this list and the fact that I keep seeing ads for the same two companies everywhere I surf, I’m thinking it will be a while before Google is really all in our business. They certainly don’t have me pegged, yet, which is surprising since they’ve had access to my email for years. It’s sort of a relief that the real me is still partly private, but then again, inaccurate information “out there” feels like it has more potential for annoying/dangerous misuse. Or… maybe Google is so accurate that they’re one step ahead of me, and by next year I’ll be playing Call of Duty while the Hindi hip-hop soundtracks of my favorite films play in the background.

I haven’t decided if I’m going to take the time to correct Google by deleting the things that aren’t a good fit (you do have that option). What do you think? If true privacy is really extinct, would you rather “They” (whoever they are) had the right information about you, or are you happy to maintain some mystery, even if it means you get served ads and other stuff that don’t quite fit?

Come to think of it, I would kind of like to have a bicycle.

______________________________________________

I’m M.J. (Manda) Pullen, an author and mom in the Atlanta, Georgia area. I blog about writing, publishing, motherhood, food, psychology and whatever else strikes me in the moment. And let’s be honest, that could be anything.

My books include The Marriage Pact series, a trilogy of funny, semi-realistic Contemporary Romance/Women’s Fiction novels coming Fall 2015 from Thomas Dunne/St. Martin’s Press in association with Macmillan Entertainment. If you enjoyed this entry, you can follow the blog or click here to join my email list and receive my free short story, BODY ENGLISH. It’s a “love at first head injury” kind of story.

Comments are always welcome. Thanks for stopping by!

 

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Author Platform Workshop: April 18, 2015

For writers in the Atlanta area:

I am reprising my popular Author Platform Basics workshop with an expanded version on Saturday morning, April 18. Suitable for authors pursuing both traditional and self-publishing, this workshop will teach writers how to create and maintain a viable, thriving platform that will appeal to both readers and agents/editors. This 3-hour workshop is designed for writers of all genres (including non-fiction), especially those with limited social media experience. Space will be limited to allow for discussion and personal attention.

Author Platform Basics

Saturday, April 18th, 2015

9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Smyrna Community Center, Meeting Room #4

200 Village Green Circle

Smyrna, GA 30080

Cost: $55

To register: https://author-platform-april2015.eventbrite.com

If you are writing or have completed a book that you’d like to see in the public eye, I invite you to come learn how to build a simple, easy-to-maintain platform that will help market your books and brand to both readers and potential agents/editors. See you there!

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