M.J. Greenway's Blog, page 8

Brandon Nave's Copper Lilies

“A beautifully written reminder that draws attention to a chronic disease that still needs to be fought on the front lines as stigma/judgment remain.” - Amy Nelson, MPH, CHES
COPPER LILIES by Bradon Nave is NOW AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE! || COPPER LILIES by Bradon Nave ||In 1986, twenty-three-year-old country girl Nora Brown decides it’s time for a change…
Complacent and bored with her life in rural Oklahoma, Nora leaves her bigoted father and all she’s ever known to pursue a new life in San Francisco. At the height of the AIDS epidemic, Nora, a registered nurse, believes she can be an asset to the community. Bunking in a tiny apartment with a longtime friend, Nora secures a job within a large hospital and begins volunteer work for an organization that cares for those afflicted with the disease.
She is soon faced with the horrors of AIDS—a reality she wasn’t quite prepared for…
Just as the courageous group of caregivers and volunteers have their emotional strength depleted to the point of no return, the group rallies together and pushes forward, remembering their mission—if they aren’t there for these people, who will be?
Nora wasn’t expecting to find him here, to “fall in love among the ashes…”
Along her journey, she meets a diverse community of lionhearted survivors. And then there’s Donald, another volunteer who fights alongside those with dwindling hope. Nora and Donald grow closer as the war on HIV rages around them.
They watch their friends waste to nothing, yet no answers are being offered. The only comfort is the solace they find in each other. After months of hardships, another crippling loss shakes the foundation of Nora’s faith.
Their struggle is not only about HIV/AIDS—but about how the nation responds, and the humanistic choice to be unsung heroes.

== PURCHASE ==
KINDLE UNLIMITED: http://amzn.to/1T1oq7X
PAPERBACK: http://amzn.to/1XeuWsL

= MEET BRADON NAVE = Bradon Nave was born and raised in rural Oklahoma. He attended a small country school during junior high and high school, and graduated with only three people in his class. After graduate school, he decided to devote his spare time to his passion of writing.Bradon currently lives in Piedmont, Oklahoma, with his wife and two young children. 
When he’s not writing, he loves running, being with friends and family, and being outdoors.
Limitless Publishing | Facebook | Twitter | Google + | Website

The Dangerous Gift by Jane Hunt

 If you are looking for a good romantic suspense novel, check out Jane Hunt's The Dangerous Gift. It releases today! 

The Blurb:
At just eighteen years old, Jennie had left the Unicorn Ranch in Texas to seek a life in the outside world. But she wasn’t just running toward independence. Heartbroken and confused, Jennie fled her home after Jared harshly rejected her on the eve of her birthday.
Now she must choose between making a new life on the ranch she has grown to love, or returning to her simple but empty life in England. The choice seems obvious at first, but nothing in life is simple…
Jared is forced to share control of his beloved ranch with the woman he wants but can't have.
When Jennie receives an anonymous note, she goes to Jared for support. But what she finds is more than she was prepared for, driving the two further apart than ever. When an old friend is murdered and suspicious accidents escalate, endangering Jennie’s safety, Jared becomes her reluctant protector.
Jennie knows Jared is hiding something, but does he really want her gone from the ranch? And if so, could he be the one behind the ominous threats?
Determined to prove Jared isn't involved, Jennie turns detective. Can she succeed in her courageous but reckless investigation…or is the truth a dangerous gift she won’t survive?
Watch the book trailer on YouTube https://youtu.be/raiMOUuoREk

Buy the book:
On Amazon U.S.
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1X5zWzD

   
About the Author:
'Writing has touched my life in every decade. At fifty, I took a risk and made writing my career, fulfilling a lifetime ambition.'
I enjoy writing blogs, book reviews and especially stories. Vivid imagery, atmospheric settings, strong females and sensual males are essential for my stories. Everyday life and ordinary people inspire me. How would someone react, if faced with something extraordinary? A thread of romance runs through my all my books, whether they be suspense, fantasy or historical.
I want to let my readers escape their lives for a while, experience new places, new people and most importantly, new emotional lows and highs My favorite parts of the writing process are; finding a person, event or place that makes me want to write a story about it and the writing itself; when your fingers cannot type fast enough, to transcribe your thoughts.
Family is very important to me. My two children are my greatest achievement to date.I am an animal welfare supporter and regularly use social media to promote animal welfare issues.

Learn more at:
Jane's Website

Twitter: @Jolliffe03

Facebook

3 Things I've Learned about Co-writing a Book

On a recent trip to San Diego, we were thrilled to find an In-n-Out Burger near our hotel. I'm pretty sure my husband only tags along on family trips to California or Arizona because he knows there's a good hamburger waiting for him there.

The trip was a nice forced writing break. And while there, I re-connected with a college friend. We decided to co-write a book.

Now that I'm back home, I'm writing again. My writing partner (Amber Roshay) and I are seven chapters into our contemporary romance and so far it's been a lot of fun. Here are a few things I've learned already:

1. Skype or speakerphone help with weekly meetings.

2. Amber suggested using Google Docs so that we can share and work at the same time and always see what's been done without emailing a word doc. back and forth.

3. Creating an outline has helped get the story moving.

If you have co-written a book, feel free to share your tips in the comments!

New Limitless Release: Sweet on You by Marianne Rice

Sweet on You by Marianne RiceSeries: The Wilde Sisters #1Release Date: January 26, 2016Publisher: Limitless Publishing|| SYNOPSIS || An extravagant cake design brings small town baker Trent Kipson to fame…
After gaining social media exposure of his culinary art, Trent’s cake design goes viral. Soon he’s contacted by the Cooking Network to host a new show in California. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime for the owner of a modest shop in Portland, Maine, and the financial freedom the network offers could be the answer to all of his monetary problems.
Fitness instructor Rayne Wilde wants the life every small-town girl dreams of…
Rayne wishes for a future full of romance and the pitter-patter of little feet. She wants it all, including a white picket fence and a dog named Spot—which is exactly why she refuses to sleep with Trent, the sexy man who attends her Zumba classes. After a series of dead-end relationships, this time she really is in love. Trent is special, and the fear of letting him slip through her fingers keeps her advances at bay.
Life is waiting—all it takes is a leap of faith...
As their friendship grows and skeletons creep out of their closets, their relationship is put to the test. Stakes get higher, and the spark between them burns hotter than ever before.
Can they handle the heat when life-changing secrets are exposed, or will the fear of being burned send them on two different paths?
||| PURCHASE |||Available on Kindle Unlimited!Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1WnPCxTAmazon UK: http://amzn.to/1WnR6bA

|| ABOUT THE AUTHOR ||

Marianne Rice writes contemporary romances set in small New England towns. Her heroes are big and strong, yet value family and humor, while her heroines are smart, sexy, sometimes a little bit sassy, and are often battling a strong internal conflict. Together, they deal with real life issues and always, always, find everlasting love. When she’s not writing, Marianne spends her time buying shoes, eating chocolate, chauffeuring her herd of children to their varying sporting events, and when there’s time, cuddling with her husband, a drink in one hand, a romance book in the other.
Limitless Publishing: http://www.limitlesspublishing.net/authors/marianne-rice/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarianneRiceautTwitter: https://twitter.com/mariannericeautWebsite: http://www.mariannerice.com/

Turning 40 and Looking Toward the Future

I recently turned 40 and celebrated by having a tea party with some gal pals. My parents and sister-in-law sent an awesome shadow box with highlights from my life so far. It was a good birthday and got me thinking... what's next?
Well, on the writing front I have a new book that's been submitted to publishers for consideration. There is a sprinkling of mystery and romance in it. I'm patiently waiting to see what happens with that story. 
And I just returned from a trip to San Diego. We visited my parents and took the kiddo to Legoland. I was also thrilled to meet up with an old writer friend from college. 
So after catching up about motherhood and life since college, my friend and I decided to try to co-write something. I'm excited to see how the story will take shape as we work together. I will keep you all posted:) 
She brought me a gift. It was a video we made together in college called "Shoe Talk". It was all about how our taste in shoes differed. That's right, simple concept, funny in its execution, at least that's what my family said as we watched it together. After watching, my family said that I reminded them of Vanessa Bayer from SNL. So after watching a few clips from her sketches, I could see the similarities. The only difference is that she's younger and famous:)

Shades of Sydney

  Sydney West enjoys sampling summer boys, but this year, one refuses to be a one-night stand… Twenty-one-year-old Sydney doesn’t believe in relationships. Her parents’ toxic divorce has taught her love is nothing but a sinister fairytale. So every summer she parties, hooks up, abandons her lover before dawn, and repeats.
That is until she meets gorgeous local surfer Jason King at the beach…
When Jason fails to flirt—or even give her a second glance—she decides something must be wrong with him, and it’s safer to stay away. But when Sydney and Jason’s best friends hook up and become Malibu’s hottest couple, they are forced to spend more time together than either of them cares for. Armed with a sharp tongue, Sydney works to keep Jason at bay…
In a moment of weakness, Sydney lets her guard down and confides in Jason, realizing he’s more than just a hot guy—he’s also a friend. And when Sydney’s need for a summer boy results in her falling into bed with Jason, despite her better judgment, she runs away from him by morning.
The problem is, he won’t accept being another one-night stand, and will do anything to prove…
Love really does exist. Amazon US ~ FREE on Kindle Unlimited “I can show you some tips. Been surfing all my life,” he said proudly.“Yes,” Amelia said excitedly, dragging the poor boy to the ocean.Rolling my eyes, I turned toward the other boy. He was tall, but not über tall, like the other guy. His muscles moved like liquid as he approached me. I had the urge to touch his abs and see if they were as firm as they appeared. His hair was tussled and golden brown, as if sun kissed. His board was a light blue with black stripes. It was a good brand, but a basic print.“Do you need surfing lessons too or are you here in support?” the boy asked me. His silver eyes mirrored the moon, sending shivers down my shine.“Umm…I was wanting to be surfing…”What the hell did I just say?His eyes sparkled with laughter, but he didn’t mock me. “I can teach you some tricks if you want.”I looked at him closer. My stomach fell to the sand. He was the guy I bumped into at that club and he didn’t bother giving me a second look. He kept walking as if I was just another body in the crowd, no one worthy of his attention. “Were you at Club Purple last night?” I asked.He tilted his head. “Yes, how did you know?”“I ran into you and we kept going the same way and then—”“Oh, right,” he said, nodding as if it all made sense. Brittney Coon graduated Magna Cum Laude from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Science in Communication and a minor in Film and Media Production. Brittney has always been creative and turned to writing to share the stories playing through her head. In her spare time she reads, watches Friends, and hangs out with her cats. She currently lives in Arizona. Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram ~ Goodreads ~ Blog ~ Webpage ~ Wattpad ~ Tumblr Shades of Sydney Release Blitz Giveaway

New Teaser

An author friend let me know that Canva was a good site for making book teasers. I tried it today and came up with a new one for Dating Maggie. It's nice to be able to make graphics for free without a design background!

Top 10 Romantic Date Night Songs

My main character goes on lots of dates. And this guy has some good ideas for songs that might be playing in the background on some of those dates...maybe just the good ones. Check it out if you need inspiration for an upcoming date night of your own:)

Happy New Year! I just read a new review of Dating Maggie...

I was thrilled to find another good review this morning up at Jeri's Book Attic Blog.  Here's an excerpt: 

Review : With "Dating Maggie" by M.J. Greenway you get one of those books that first seems like this typical girly book, but then you figure out that it is so much more...
It´s a story about Maggie who easily lets you become a part of a story about dating. But you know what? It´s not just this cheesy story that you would expect from a blurb like this.
You get introduced to Maggie who is such a likeable character-one that makes it easy to connect with the story.
The same I can say about Cliff. He is a character that got married very young. A marriage that does not make him as happy as he should be which is why he gets divorced. So what did the talented author do with these two authentic characters? 
She lets them create this unique story that makes you not just smirk, but also laughing and crying at the same time.  
Read the rest of the review here: Jeri's Book Attic Review

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear

I hope everyone survived the holiday. Mine turned out to be pretty enjoyable. One of my favorite gifts was Elizabeth Gilbert's Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear. I'm really loving it. Years ago I read Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way which I also loved. So I must enjoy reading about creativity.

There have been times when I think about creative projects and I wonder what the point is. Why am I spending time on this? Does it matter? Who is going to care? What would it be like if I stopped making things? For anyone who also has these questions, Elizabeth's book is just the pep talk to shake one out of his/her creative doldrums.

I like that the focus is on living a creative life. And that doesn't have to mean quitting a day job and making full time income with one's art. She also shares that her writing is for her joy and if anyone else enjoys it that's great but she creates things for herself first. This is something I need to remind myself about from time to time.

So if you are like me and need a creative kick in the pants, check it out!