MariaLisa deMora's Blog, page 7
December 20, 2015
My life, in calendars
It’s that time of year. You know how it is, food comas demand reflection on life choices when one year is winding down and another drawing first breath. This year has been filled with a lot of change, and a lot of sameness. We’ve seen four Rebel books hit the shelves, encountered one another at my first ever author events, found that we all (mostly) like hot men with beards, and drank the just-right amount of tequila. Well, I did the last one at least.
I looked at pictures y’all have posted of me, of us together, the pictures I’ve shared and the ones I haven’t, and I came to a decision. I flippin’ hate pictures, so you don’t get to see any of those.
Nope. Instead, I’ll show you a year in the life of MariaLisa through calendars! Doesn’t that sound exciting? See, there’s this website called Smashing Magazine that is a fabu resource for graphic designers, Web developers, and the people who try to keep them motivated, i.e. moi. It’s a blog-kinda site filled with posts about fonts and images, new technology and what’s phasing out. Techniques, tips, tricks, how to get your design approved in one easy meeting, and calendars. Once a month they post the results of a contest where graphic artists can submit their calendar designs for any given month. I love it because free desktop wallpaper that also helps me keep track of shit? What’s not to like!
I have three computers. Work (blech). Gaming (yippee). Writing (biggest yippee). So ample opportunity to avail myself of the gorgeous creations offered by Smashing Magazine. I found that over this year, Work and Gaming generally had the same backgrounds. A couple of times I mixed it up, but mostly they had the same. Sometimes, those computers would have two pictures in 30 days, because the offerings were so stinkin’ cute I couldn’t decide, so, “Both, please.” But sometimes, I would look at the calendar and suddenly realize it was more than 30 days old. Sometimes it was more than 60 days old. Work was crazy this year, even more so than ever before because … well, anything I say after that is technospeak and would sound like Charlie Brown’s teacher. So some months there was no time for frippery things like changing out the background on my computers. Whatever. I survived.
The Writing computer, however, had a single wallpaper all year. It was so inspiring, I included the words as part of the dedication for Jase, which released in May.
I believe it succinctly sums up the opportunity a new year brings us. We are given the chance to remake ourselves, or in my case, make myself for what felt like the first time. I’ve been lots of things in my life, held more than 40 jobs (most of those by age 21, which is crazy), but this is the first time I felt like the mantle of ‘author’ fit comfortably. Which is, in no small part, due to you. So, thank you for helping me find that part of me. This gig is kinda cool, and I’m glad you’re along for the ride.
Work and Gaming computer wallpaper calendars:
January
February
March
April
May
June 2015 – No calendar.
July
August 2015 – No calendar.
September 2015 – No calendar. It’s my flippin’ birthday month, and I was too busy to change my wallpaper?
October
November 2015 – No calendar.
December
For the Writing computer, as I said, there was a single wallpaper calendar all year. It’s still on here, in fact. I was looking at it just this morning, and I still love it. Created by Jordan Thomas, who I have decided I love and want to marry. And by that I mean I love her work and want to marry her pen. She’s that talented!
So, there you go. My year in calendars, when I had time to change them! Wonder what 2016 will have in store? Me, too!
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November 3, 2015
Hoss, a week into the ride
Never has one of my stories provided this much reader feedback. I’m still a newbie at this, barely a year and a half into the author gig, but this level of intense response to Hoss has been both terrifying and gratifying in a way that I find difficult to describe.
I’m awash in the emotions delivered to me from the folks who have read Hoss. I read your messages and am swept back to the moments when I penned the story. Back when I turned loose my controlling reins, let the characters have their heads, and followed where they led me. Led us. Because while I write for me in an effort to lessen the cacophony in my brain from all the characters, I have found that this story, in so many ways, this one is written for all of us.
I’ve heard tales of people reading the story on the subway, and interacting with commuters seated and standing around them. Talking through hard topics of abuse, abandonment, homelessness, and grief. Doing this with strangers and coming away enriched in a way they couldn’t have anticipated. There are stories about folks reading sections of the book to their friends over the phone, via video chat, or aloud to their carpool. Folks who took vacation days from work in order to stay home and read the book, not for the first time, but to read it a second or third time, each passage through the pages gaining more…finding more to take from the story.
I have emails from mothers who want to buy a copy for their daughters, from daughters who want to buy it for their mothers, and from men who want to buy it for their sisters or mothers or daughters or (in one case) sons.
I’ve received messages from folks who in turn share their stories with me, telling me how much Hoss and Hope touched their lives. Touched them with memories of difficult challenges overcome. Reminded them of devastating aftermath moments that now strengthened them. Moved them to wish for different personal conclusions for events in their past. Gratified them to remember how they were blessed with strong mothers or fathers, aunts or uncles, with adults who shouldered things so the precious children in their lives didn’t have to.
What I am getting from all of this is that the story has given to me. The intertwined stories of Hoss, of Hoss and Hope, of Hoss and Hope and Sammy…this story means something. It is significant to you, to them. That importance might be different for each person, but it matters to nearly all who read it and I am so grateful to you who have shared those meanings with me.
I set up a Facebook group for folks who want to talk about the book, thought it might be good to have folks around us who are likeminded. Consider yourself warned: Don’t join until you’ve finished the book, as the group is filled with spoiler posts. https://www.facebook.com/groups/hoss.rwmc/
I am grateful beyond measure for each of you, appreciative that you’ve invited me into your lives in a way that means we’re forever connected. Pleased that we are on this journey together in a way that means I’m not alone.
Thank you for that.
~ML
Amazon:
http://bit.ly/Hoss-RWMC-US
http://bit.ly/Hoss-RWMC-CA
http://bit.ly/Hoss-RWMC-AU
http://bit.ly/Hoss-RWMC-UK
Barnes & Noble:
https://bitly.com/Hoss-BnN-RWMC
iTunes:
http://bit.ly/Hoss-itunes
The post Hoss, a week into the ride appeared first on MariaLisa deMora.
September 20, 2015
Hoss Cover Reveal!
Hoss is a story that took a long time to percolate in my brain. I worked on it in bits and pieces, with dozens of shorthand notes in my phone, those simple two or three sentence ideas about the characters circling out and back again. It was a different process from any of the other stories, because I didn’t have an outline or a chapter breakdown. Just notes.
You should already know I love hockey, and that I go to the rink for nearly every home game of the Fort Wayne Komets. Well, last season, I was attending a game and found my Hope. Literally, found her staring down at me from the jumbo screens hanging from the arena ceiling.
During the first period of the game, just before intermission, the good folks in the media room flashed a picture up on the overhead scoreboard screens. It was the ‘Oblivious Cam,’ where they target someone who’s not paying attention, and then put a timer on them until either they look up and see they’re on the big screen, or someone around them brings it to their attention. Laughter and embarrassed blushes typically follow as they wave at the camera before the next hapless victim splashes across the wide screens.
This time it was a chick, a younger yet mature woman. Definitely not a kid, this gal was studiously bent over her phone, which isn’t an uncommon sight when you’re out and about, or hell, at some family dinners these days…but this was a public display of what looked to be a troubling moment in her life. The lines her body drew in the stadium seat were taut, stressed, and when she finally glanced up into the camera, her features were pale and she appeared deeply shaken. Something profound was going on with her; we were witness to a moment that might define her life, and it struck a chord inside me.
For the next fifteen minutes, in my mind, she became Hope, Mercy’s sister. From what I saw with the chick on the screen, I knew Hope had to have a secondary reason to show up in Fort Wayne. She wouldn’t uproot her little family just to find Mercy and introduce herself. Now, I just had to find out what that reason was.
Frantic tapping on my phone ensued and I wrote the opening for the first scene from the book sitting in my seat behind the home bench, patiently waiting for play to resume. In my head, I was sitting rinkside at hockey practice with a single mom and her beloved son, their lives teetering on the edge of disaster.
NNAE 2015 — Ben McKee
My Hope and Sammy came to life that night, winding their way into my heart, and eventually finding their way into Hoss’ as well. So there you go, now you are in the know! That, my friends, is how Hope and Sammy came to be.
I want to throw out a loud ‘thank you’ to photographer Michael Meadows for helping me find the perfect image for the cover. I believe Benjamin J. McKee, the model you see in the picture, makes an absolutely phenomenal Hoss, and meeting the man was such a pleasant surprise! So sweet and kind, he was quite patient with the star struck author taking up so much time in the middle of an event in Nashville.
Thank you, Ben. Mattered more than you know.
Add Hoss, Rebel Wayfarers MC #7 to your Goodreads TBR: http://bit.ly/GR-Hoss-RWMC
Isaiah Rogers grew up on his family farm in Alabama. Loved by his family, he’s a country boy at heart, a southern gentleman by raising.
The path to northern Indiana was twisted and long, but this sensitive man found a comfortable niche as a member of the Rebel Wayfarers, vice-president of their affluent and growing Fort Wayne chapter. Hoss, as he’s now known, retains pieces of the boy from rural Alabama, but life in the club has hardened him, driving home the message time and again that love isn’t safe.
Hope Collins also grew up in Alabama, but their histories could not be more different.
An ill-timed youthful rebellion came with long-lasting consequences. It’s then she finds she’s not an only child after all, her father holding up her half-sister’s failures as a painful lesson before closing the door of her childhood home in her face.
Hoss and Hope’s paths collide when she travels to Fort Wayne, to meet the sister she had gone most of her life without knowing about. For Hoss, from the first moment he laid eyes on her, the truth and beauty inside her called to him. Now he will have to find a way to win the woman’s trust and love, while navigating the dangerous currents swirling around the club.
“The truth is, everyone is going to hurt you. You just got to find the ones worth suffering for.” ~ Bob Marley
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September 13, 2015
Mason, release day
Here we go, Mason will be live across the globe within just a few hours and I am on pins and needles waiting to hear from all of you. I hope I did right by our favorite outlaw, pray I shaped his story into what it needed to be. You’ve seen the cover, shown above, and it’s one of my absolute favorites, because to me Kyle Turley truly does embody my Mason.
Links:
Mason, Rebel Wayfarers MC #6
Book release: Sep 14
Amazon:
http://bit.ly/Mason-RWMC-US
http://bit.ly/Mason-RWMC-CA
http://bit.ly/Mason-RWMC_UK
http://bit.ly/Mason-RWMC-AU
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/mason-bnn
iTunes: http://bit.ly/Mason-itunes
Goodreads TBR: http://bit.ly/GR-Mason-RWMC
Excerpt: http://bit.ly/mason-excerpt
If you haven’t had a chance to read the acknowledgments in Mason yet, you should. The story of how I came to the cover alone is wonderful.
Monday, Sept. 14, also marks the kick off of the blog blitz and review tour. There’s a $25 Amazon gift card up for grabs, so you should hit up one of the blogs and get your entry on!
Here is the list of blogs and schedule for their posts. There are a couple of them that have personal surprises for you from our Rebels, including one phenomenal character interview with Mason, Gunny, Jase, Bear, Tugboat, and Slate. Loved that one!
Turn The Paige Book Blog
Facebook.com/turnthepaigebookblog
9/14/2015
FMR Book Grind
Facebook.com/forevermeromance
9/14/2015
Dirty Little Secret’s Book Reviews
Facebook.com/Dirty-Little-Secrets-Book-Reviews-812884502094572/
9/14/2015
Page Turners Book Blog
Facebook.com/PageTurnersBookBlog
9/14/2015
Naughty Moms’ Story Time
Facebook.com/nmstorytime
9/14/2015
Liz’s Reading Life
Facebook.com/lizsreadinglife
9/15/2015
Mommy’s a Book Whore
Facebook.com/mabwreviews
9/15/2015
WickedLovely
Wickedlovelybookblogger.blogspot.com
9/15/2015
Once Upon An Alpha
onceuponanalpha.com
9/15/2015
Eye Candy
badazbookbitchz.blogspot.com
9/15/2015
cheekypee reads and reviews
cheekypeereadsandreviews.blogspot.co.uk
Facebook.com/2friendsPimpYourbooks
9/16/2015
Perusing Princesses
Facebook.com/PerusingPrincesses
9/16/2015
Romance Bytes
Facebook.com/romancebytes
9/16/2015
Sassy Moms Say Read Romance
Facebook.com/SassyMomsSayReadRomance
9/17/2015
Love Bites and Silk
lovebitessilkties.blogspot.com
Facebook.com/LoveBitesSilk
9/17/2015
Renee Entress’s Blog
Facebook.com/reneeentresssblog
9/17/2015
readingthesheets
Facebook.com/readingthesheets
9/18/2015
Reel Ladys Love Smut
Facebook.com/ReelLadysLoveSmut
9/18/2015
Sexy Bibliophiles
Facebook.com/thesexybibliophiles
9/18/2015
we stole your book boyfriend
westoleyourbookboyfriend.weebly.com
Facebook.com/westoleyourbookboyfriend
9/18/2015
Keep me updated, yeah?
The post Mason, release day appeared first on MariaLisa deMora.
August 11, 2015
Cover reveal for Mason, Rebel Wayfarers MC #6
When I wrote Mica, the very first book in the Rebel Wayfarers MC series, I used a variety of visual cues to keep me on track with the characters flowing from my fingers onto the page. One of the tools was to collect images of actors and models that I used to prompt nuggets of physical characteristic description. There was one image in particular that I used for Davis Mason, President of our fictitious motorcycle club. You can see the picture on my Character Inspiration Pinterest board.
Later, I became curious about the man behind the image. It took me several months, but I finally located who he was in real life, and also found a wealth of information. Meet Kyle Turley, a phenomenal man who happens to be a former college and professional football player. He spent ten years in the NFL, much of that time with the New Orleans Saints. Kyle now is a country music recording artist and using his fame, has developed a powerful platform to debate and educate about the effects of concussions in the post-career health of NFL players. Among his other efforts, he’s testified to Congress about the issues.
Kyle Turley speaks during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on “Football Head Injuries” | Associated Press
I located a contact email on his record label website, and then stared at the screen, thinking about it for nearly three whole seconds before I sent an inquiry email.
In essence, I asked if he modeled professionally and if he would consider working with me for an image I could use to promote the book and series. I included a wee bit of gushery in the email, “A picture was the inspiration for this character, and it’s taken me months of searching to find out that it was you!”
Imagine my surprise when I received a warm, positively worded email back from the president of Gridiron Records, asking for more information. Over the next few weeks, we sorted through a variety of images they had from a photoshoot and settled on the picture you see on the front cover of Mason. I have to say, Kyle definitely embodies my Davis Mason. Here’s my raw, first reaction to the image:
That one. Wow. How much!
Seriously, as long as that image hasn’t been released or distributed in the past, it would be perfect for what I’m needing. It presents the character as isolated, caught in an intimate, personal moment, tension evident in his posture and the way the muscles tense in his arms, across his shoulders. His face is partially obscured, and his left arm is hidden (the character has a distinctive tattoo, so that’s good!) There’s ample environment to use for verbiage, etc. Wow.
So yeah, perfection indeed!
But, the tale of this cover doesn’t stop there!
Back before I went looking for Kyle, I began searching for an image of a hot, sexy, powerful-looking motorcycle to use. I know how powerful cover images can be, how they can turn on or off a potential reader, and how critical they can be for a series. Because, by the time we got to Mason’s book, I felt the fans of the series would have created an image of him in their head, I really didn’t want to turn anyone off by using the wrong model. I felt selecting an image of a powerful machine to represent the character could work.
It’s another case where asking gets you a long way towards what you want. It’s like Nora Roberts said, “If you don’t ask, the answer is always no.”
I found some motorcycle pictures I adored in a photographer’s gallery on Facebook, followed the links to his website and found a few more. The lighting was exquisite, the staging impeccable, the presentation of the mechanical beast is awe inspiring. Yes, just yes, please God. Without hesitation, I emailed him. Simply reached out to see if I could purchase rights to one of the images.
That photographer is Frank Bott, folks. And, guess what? Turns out he’s a super famous photographer of hot cars and motorcycles and his work has been published in magazines, newspapers, and books all over! ‘In demand’ doesn’t begin to explain how busy the man is. Editors write articles about him and his work in motorcycle enthusiast and technology magazines.
Motorcycle Cruiser article about Frank Bott
Wanna bet on my chances of working with this phenomenally talented and artistic photographer? If you guessed anything less than 100%, you’d be flat wrong! Against all odds, Frank responded to my email with nearly 30 possible image recommendations, and we set upon a dialog via both email and phone that landed me some seriously hot pictures of a super-rare motorcycle.
The bike, a Vincent Black Shadow handmade in England in the 1940s, plays a part in the stories, as I suspect you already know. Work on the restoration of the bike helps heal Gunny, pulling him out of his PTSD shell at a time when he needed it most. Events around the presentation of the bike as a gift from Gunny to Mason helps cement Jase’s position in the club. Then, of course, there’s the fact that Mason deeply appreciates the powerful bike, a fitting symbol in every way for the powerfully alpha man we’ve come to love.
For me, one of the images that I licensed from Frank quickly became synonymous with the book series. Shown top-left below, this shot of the Vincent appears on nearly every promotional image, as well as the back of Mason’s cover.
Frank Bott ©
So that’s the story behind this cover. I hope reading about the path taken to get here provides all of you as much pleasure as it has given me. I have faith that these inspirations behind the characters and parts of this narrative will help the story ring true.
Without further ado, here is the cover for Mason. I love it!
Mason, Rebel Wayfarers MC book #6 (Sept. 14, 2015)
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July 21, 2015
Sending Mason to edit – or – the big meltdown
This morning I sent the manuscript for Mason off to the editing service.
Those of you who have been with me through this before know this is when I start to fall apart. I think the only thing holding me together right now is the knowledge that I have to jump into the next book immediately for my self-edit, because I only have twelve days before it goes to edit. Back-to-back, #RWMC books #6 and #7 will flow through the process. Because I’m craZy like that.
So, because I’m in full-on freak-out mode I started chatting to my bestie, Hollie. She grounds me, like Mraz says in his song Details in the Fabric, she’s “my island of reality in an ocean of diarrhea.” Said ocean entirely of my own making, because again … full-on freak-out mode.
I sent her this:
What if they hate it? What if I didn’t do Mason right? What if it’s sooo far off what people expect, what they want, that they are like that one chick on the review site who hates Mason?
Yes, there’s a chick who seems to hate Mason, and that’s honestly okay with me, because not every book is for every person. I get it. But it stings, because he’s so much more than a character to me.
And, here’s why Hollie’s my bestie. Because she gets me. She calls me on my bullshit, and makes me step back and look at things.
Hollie: 1) What if they hate it? … Do you love it?
Yes, I love the story. It ties so many pieces together for me in a way that even I didn’t see six months ago. A year ago when Mason made me begin putting his story on paper, I never would have guessed how involved things would be, but I love it!
Hollie: 2) What if I didn’t do Mason right? … There is no right or wrong. Mason wrote himself. If he went in a direction they don’t like, that’s not your fault. He’s a demanding, controlling, beautiful man. If they can’t accept him for who he is, you can’t control that.
It’s hard to express exactly how Mason sounds in my head. He’s frustrated a lot, because he can see where things need to go but the pieces don’t want to fit together as quickly as he wants. He gets frustrated even with my writing, I have a dozen deleted scenes where I tried too hard to steer the storyline into something I thought would be good for character A or B, and Mason grabbed the reins back and took us where we needed to go. I likened writing him to being in a boat, because I’m not steering, I’m simply attempting to bail fast enough that we don’t become swamped during his maneuvers.
Hollie: 3) What if it’s sooo far off what people expect, what they want, that they are like that one chick on the review site who hates Mason. … Excuse me but the bitch is still reading the books, isn’t she?
Let’s back up to the original state of things … You are writing these for yourself. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks in the long run. It matters only what you think. Do you love him?
Actually, I just woke up one day…
Do you love him?
Hell, yeah, I love him!
Hollie: So … the people who hate him … fuck ‘em. They just aren’t willing to see the truth about his life, the man deep within. Or they recognize him and it scares them. You can’t fix either scenario.
I do love Mason. He is exactly who he grew to be in my head. A man who triumphed over a harsh beginning, found his way the best he could in trying circumstances. Then, using what he knew, what he had been taught by some of the most vicious teachers, he found the rightness and ability to lift himself up and in doing so lifted the people around him.
He made mistakes, learned from them. Changed his path. Like I wrote last year, change happens because you make it happen. No coasting allowed, not in this life, certainly not in the one Mason wrote for himself.
Wake the fuck up and decide if you want to be where you are, who you are. If you aren’t, then change. Just. Like. That.
Be a fucking wolf…
Here’s another saying that would resonate with Mason. I know it does with me, “Be a fucking wolf. Be a fucking lion. Take no shit. Set goals. Smash them. Eat people’s faces off. Be a better person. Show people who the fuck you are. Never apologize for being awesome. Stay the mother fucking course.”
Some folks might not like Mason’s story, and that’s okay. Because, as much as I appreciate you reading and loving (or hating) the characters, Hollie’s reminded me that I don’t do it for you. Every single day you make my life better, but that’s gravy, like getting cake you didn’t expect.
That’s not why this journey began. It started with a persistent dream, and a desire to change myself. I think as long as I don’t lose sight of that, everything’s going to be all right.
Just. Like. That. Stay the mother fucking course. Take a fucking chance.
The post Sending Mason to edit – or – the big meltdown appeared first on MariaLisa deMora.
July 10, 2015
Mason, book #6: Schedule change
If you’re like me, the answer is MEGA!
Now that the insane flurry of activity surrounding Gunny’s release has died down and I can breathe again, I started looking at the schedule, and began to believe I could successfully shave several weeks off the calendar for Mason’s release. It would be a lot of work, but worth it … if you folks were interested. Could you get excited to read Mason in September instead?
Let me wait a minute while that sinks in. September.
Originally, the release date for this book, #6 in the series, was December 14. Then, after the writing goddess smiled on me over the holidays, and writing went oh-so smoothly, I moved it up to October 29. Which, at the time, seemed incredibly ambitious. Sure, I already had purchased the image for the cover, but still needed to create the cover. I’d already asked the editing service to change their schedule for me once, and to ask again seemed somewhat unreasonable.
The more I thought about it, however, and the longer I worked to polish the story, the more I believed I could push up the release date even sooner.
A flurry of emails passed between me and Hot Tree Editing, Mommy’s a Book Whore, and the cover artist. After a couple of weeks, everything slipped into place and I can say with surety that September is doable!
How about September 14? Would that be soon enough?
This means I’ll have copies with me in LA to sign at the Authors By The Beach event on September 19. It also means I’ve got signed paperback pre-orders up on the store on my website.
FACEBOOK FUNOur page is at nearly 7,100 likes now. Considering not even a year ago there were less than 20 of us, that’s crazy! But how cool would it be to hit 10K by the time Mason comes out?How can you help? Join our Rebel Wayfarers MC Fan Group on Facebook and come into the clubhouse where you can post links for contests to which you’ve submitted Rebel banners and covers. That way other fans can go like and vote, and it helps get the word out about the books!Plus, I’ll be doing things to recognize folks who help out in this way, so this will be a great chance to get in on some fun times!A couple times a week you can push the page, pimp the books out, post teasers and a link to the page in the groups where you’re active.Use #RWMC or #RebelWayfarersMC as tags in your posts and comments on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Friend me if it makes it easier to tag, or hit me up if you don’t know what links to use, I’m happy to make new friends.
Have you missed any of the Rebel Wayfarer MC books or stories?
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June 17, 2015
Mica is One Year Old!
Mica
June 22, 2014 – I Pushed ‘Publish’
It all began with a dream. In late 2013, I began to dream about this sassy but fun chick, waking up every morning with an idea beating at my brain. The potential for a story, it was about a strong woman who had all kinds of shit thrown at her, but made her own way in spite of it all.
For the longest time, I didn’t do anything with the ideas I had in my head. But she was relentless, and just kept coming back in my dreams, eventually bringing other folks with her. I began seeing the other people in her life, found a hero…found a villain. I wrote an outline, put it aside. Did not stop dreaming. Just at the turn of the year, I began to write, pouring the story onto the page, words and phrases coming so fast I couldn’t type fast enough. When I tried to read the manuscript, entire sections of dialog and sentences would be missing because my fingers hadn’t been able to keep time with my brain. Wrote some more. Did not stop dreaming.
Buckcherry
I went to a Buckcherry concert, did the VIP route, chatted with the boys for a bit. Stevie D said something to me that resonated, but not in a good way. When I told him it was the first time I’d seen them live, he said, “First time caller, huh?”
That shit stung. I’d become aware a few months earlier that my life had narrowed, and I was actively working to expand my horizons again. See, I have panic disorder, and it had begun to impact my everyday life. So I did shit like go to concerts at carefully vetted venues, where all escape routes were pre-plotted out, where I’d met the staff so I’d have a friendly face. I was not a “first time caller.” At least I didn’t want to be. I was taking steps to ensure I wouldn’t be.
First time caller, my ass.
I looked at other areas of my life. Found maybe he was right. There was that chick I dreamed of, after all.
So I moved forward with the book, researched and engaged an editing service, had friends and family read it, found a cover artist.
Then on June 22, 2014, I verified the document uploaded into Amazon was the correct version for the hundred-thousandth time, and hit “Publish.” The Rebel Wayfarers MC family was in the public realm, for anyone to see.
Now, here we are, one year later. and I’m about to hit “Publish” on the fifth book in the series, and have two more for release in the fall. Crazy shit. Crazier still that people read what I wrote, and liked it.
Don’t get me wrong, I like that you like it, just seems surreal to me that you want to read this stuff I pull out of my head…my dreams. I like to think I’m no longer a “first time caller,” at least in the areas of my life where it matters.
Facebook Giveaway to Celebrate!
Enter the Giveaway!
Go to Facebook and like my page. Then leave a comment on the giveaway post and tag THREE of your friends. You can enter unlimited times, and a random winner will be selected on 6/23. This giveaway is open internationally. Good luck … and thanks. Seriously, thank you. If it wasn’t for you buying and loving that first story, I bet I’d be keeping all this gooey goodness to myself.
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June 10, 2015
Live an intentional life
I received a newsletter this morning that made me cry.
Swear to God.
Throat tight, look away from anyone in the vicinity, clench your teeth in a futile effort to stop it … cry.
I have these friends who own and operate a marketing – slash – programming – slash – design company in Indy. Rare Bird. Even the name of the company lends itself to thought.
These gentlemen are phenom at what they do, and I highly recommend them if you are in need of design for print or web, someone to develop and spearhead a marketing campaign, programming of complex and leading-edge software, or a plethora of other efforts to ensure business success. In addition to all of that, they also send out newsletters, update their blog, reach out to the masses in a way that is intended to provoke thought … and perhaps change.
So this morning, I received one of those missives. And, at work, in my office, I had to close my door and grab the tissues. It was a moment, which for me, was as profound as the epiphany I experienced last year when Stevie D from Buckcherry deemed me a “First time caller” and I realized I did not want to be THAT person. The one who was a non-starter, the one cowed by experiences, floating through life without purpose.
I recently acquired a little new ink. Similar to the other visible tattoo, this one is again on a forearm, again upside down to the rest of the world, and again in white. Because it’s not for you, it’s for me. It is not a shouted declaration for everyone else, but instead is a whispered reminder to myself.
For my mother, a continuous line drawing of a hummingbird, where even the positioning on my arm is intentional, lining up with the lifeline on my palm. The hummingbird is important for a variety of reasons, but that’s not the tie-in here.
The last line of the Rare Bird newsletter said, “You’re up. Go do something historic.”
There’s the tie-in.
Incorporated into my tattoo is a phrase, taken from Hunter S. Thompson’s writing, of “Buy the ticket, take the ride.” Done in carnivalesque block lettering, following an up-and-down rollercoaster sway, because life never follows a straight line. Life is as chaotic and thrilling as anything you would find in an amusement park. Topsy-turvy, upsie-downsie, hang on tight, lean into the corners and steer things where you can. To me, this is a reminder to live an intentional life.
Buy the ticket. Take the ride. Do what I mean, mean what I do. Live intentionally, in the moment. Do something historic.
Here’s a link to their blog, I suspect if you go digging through their archives, you may find a gem with which to inspire yourself.
Live an intentional life.
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June 8, 2015
21 Days and Counting!
Gunny, release June 29
It’s hard to believe time has flown by so quickly. Here we are, already deep into the summer month of June, which means we have less than three weeks for the release of Gunny! His story, book #5 in the Rebel Wayfarers MC series, has been well received by the bloggers and beta readers, and I cannot wait to be able to introduce him to all of you.
YouTube Playlist:
Preorder links:
Amazon: http://bit.ly/mldemora-amazon (pending)
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/Gunny-BnN-RWMC
Kobo: http://bit.ly/mldemora-kobo
iTunes: http://bit.ly/mldemora-itunes
The post 21 Days and Counting! appeared first on MariaLisa deMora.
