Maria E. Andreu's Blog: Maria E. Andreu on Goodreads, page 91

New website layout coming soon

Heads up: around the start of the year, when you come to visit the site you’ll be greeted with a whole new look. I’m going to get what’s called a new theme for the site. It will be more image-rich, will load faster and will render better on all devices. So if you visit on […]

The Introvert’s Guide to Party Season

I am what is known as an introvert. A lot of people think that means I’m shy. If you’ve ever seen me holding court at a gathering, reveling in making a group laugh, you know I am decidedly not shy. Being introverted just means that groups of people feel draining, especially over long periods of […]

All the ways the world can break your heart

It was a small thing. It was on one of those groups where newly published authors cluster together, shaking, kind of like those people on Naked and Afraid. Except the thing scaring us is publishing, not bears. On there, one of the women posted about her book being included in two big, national “Best books […]

When you discover you’re bad at something you thought you were good at

The other day, after dropping off my kids at school, I stopped at the local CVS. It’s become something of a habit of late, now that I don’t have to scurry off with the rest of the drones into Manhattan. I buy something necessary but unnecessary (toilet paper I could have easily waited to buy […]

The 1728 Day Plan

In a little over 1,700 days, I will stop being the me I currently am and start being a new me. What she will look like or how she will fill her days, I have no idea. But the countdown has begun. My youngest, currently an 8th grader, will go off to college in the […]

Acceptance

I try to skip lightly through the dark parking lot. I have at least had enough common sense to give in to the elements and not wear party shoes, instead opting for a sensible pair of boots. I am on a time limit. I have only a half hour to pick up my son from […]

Nominated for YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers

My editor wrote to congratulate me yesterday that THE SECRET SIDE OF EMPTY has been nominated for a YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers. Yay! As they say in “the biz,” it’s an honor just to be nominated. Winners will be announced at the American Library Association Midwinter conference in January, so watch this space […]

Best books on making the most of post-divorce life

Are you getting sick of me writing about divorce? Apologies. I can’t help it. It’s not like I’m a fan or anything. But never before in my life have I learned so powerful a lesson that what you most dread sometimes makes your life blossom and expand in ways you can’t even anticipate. I grew […]

Best books on making the most of later life

Until this year, I’ve been telling myself that I have more life ahead of me than behind me. But – midlife crisis alert! – at 44 years old it’s getting harder to make that case. Sure, it might be true. Most of my forebearers lived well into their 80s and 90s despite living in a […]

It’s science!

Yesterday I wrote about some icky feelings I’d been having. After doing that, I felt much better. It always works that way for me. Today, a Facebook friend pasted a link to an article showing the health benefits of writing. People who write regularly (3-5x a week) have improved cardiovascular and liver health… their wounds […]