Wednesday rambles

Ramble today? Addictions. Not drug or alcohol but social media addiction.

Yes I'm addicted to email--is that considered a social media? Anyway Facebook and Twitter are included. I could play on them for hours. Does it get words on the page? Well yes, just the wrong page!

If I wrote as much on my stories as I do on email, and the others I'd be able to do a book in a week consistently. And if I want to be a success I better learn how to control my habit.

This is a cry out for help, I need an intervention!

How do the rest of you resist the pull? How do you not go to your Facebook to see how many comments you have? How do you not go to Twitter to see all the comments flying? Check out your favorite soap stars and what they're doing. Or what recipe is on Food and Wine?

How do you resist the pull of the email, is their an important email for me? One that can't wait? Maybe I have something important from my agent, I need to check at least every minute in case she needs me. Do you think publisher's clearing house emails these days about the winner? You know I may miss it if I don't check my email.

And what's sad is I've checked email three times while writing this. Am I expecting anything? Not really but it's a compulsion. And I don't want to miss anything while taking a few minutes to write this blog!

So tell me your secrets. Please!

PS- The first places I'll post about this blog is Facebook, Twitter and email my friends! LOL

Two Day Event in Utah!

Heart of the West Utah Romance Writers of America
Presents a two-day event June 4, 5, 2010:
Featuring New York Times Bestselling author Bob Mayer
New York Times bestselling author Bob Mayer has published 39 books ranging from military techno-thriller to political thriller to non-fiction to science fiction to romantic suspense. He has over three million books in print.

Book Signing – Bob Mayer
See below for additional List of Authors
When: Friday, June 4, 2010
Time: 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Where: Barnes and Noble, The Gateway Mall, SLC UT

All Day Workshop
Bob Mayer’s All-day Workshop for Writers
June 5, 2010 (Registration Deadline June 1, 2010)
9:00 am to 5:00 PM
Salt Lake City Airport Hilton
Bob has presented for over five hundred organizations, including numerous keynote presentations, all day workshops, and multi-day seminars. He has taught at writers' conferences ranging from Maui, to Whidbey Island, to San Diego State University to Harriette Austin at University of Georgia and at the Romance Writers of America National Convention.

A ONE DAY WRITING SEMINAR
Join New York Times best-selling writer Bob Mayer for an all-day workshop on writing the novel, beginning with the original idea and core conflict, developing plot and character, working with point of view, and pulling everything together selling your book and the business of writing.

9:00-9:50:        The Original Idea-The Heart of Your Story and Key to Selling Your Book
10:00-10:50:    Plot, Conflict and Outline: The Events of Your Story
12:00-1:00:      Lunch (Included in workshop fee)
1:00-1:50:        Characters: The People of Your Story
2:00-2:50:        Setting, Dialogue, Writer's Block and Re-Writing
3:00-3:50:        Selling And Marketing Your Book
4:00-4:50:        The Current State and Future of the Publishing Business for the Writer

Registration Check his web site, this price is unbelievable and you get lunch!
URWA Members $20.00
Non-URWA members $35.00

For registration form and more information visit http://www.utahrwa.com

On June 6th, Bob Mayer will remain in Salt Lake City to present his "Utah Warrior Writer A-Team Workshop"
Visit Bob Mayer on his website for more information, or click on http://www.eventbrite.com/event/501397694 to register.
Book Signing Authors:

Bob Mayer: New York Times bestselling author has published 39 books ranging from military techno-thriller to political thriller to non-fiction to science fiction to romantic suspense. He has over three million books in print.

Born in the Bronx, Bob attended the Military Academy at West Point and earned a BA in psychology with honors and then served as an Infantry platoon leader, a battalion scout platoon leader, and a brigade reconnaissance platoon leader in the 1st Cavalry Division. He then joined Special Forces and commanded a Green Beret A Team. He also served as the operations officer for the 2nd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) and with Western Command Special Operations in Hawaii. Later he taught at the Special Forces Qualification Course at the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School at Fort Bragg, the course designed to train new Green Berets. He also lived in Korea where he earned a Black Belt in Martial Arts and in Tennessee where he earned a Masters Degree in Education from Austin Peay State University.

Bob draws on all of these experiences to write his novels and his nonfiction books, including WHO DARES WINS: The Green Beret Way To Conquer Fear & Succeed and The Novel Writer's Toolkit: A Guide To Writing Great Fiction And Getting It Published. He speaks on both of these areas at writing conferences, workshops, and colleges. But his main focus remains his novels, which include the bestselling Area 51 books. Out now are Bodyguard of Lies (under his pen name Robert Doherty) and Agnes and the Hitman, a romantic adventure written in collaboration with Jennifer Crusie for St. Martin's Press which hit the NY Times, Publishers Weekly, Wall Street Journal and numerous other bestseller lists. Coming in March 2010 is Wild Ride also co-written with Jennifer Crusie.

Local authors:
RaeAnne Thayne: http://www.xmission.com/~rthayne/
Denise Patrick: http://www.denisepatrickauthor.com/
Mary Martinez: http://www.marymartinez.com/
Judy Baker: http://www.judybakerauthor.com/
Heather Horrocks: http://heatherhorrocks.com/
KyAnn Waters: http://www.kyannwaters.com/
Sara Fitzgerald
Sandy Rowland
Jaleta Clegg
For More information visit:  http://www.utahrwa.com

Need opinion rambles!

I'm on a rant about web designs. If you're here you can see my web design because it's the same as my web site. Therefore you think I write what? Women's fiction? Mainstream? No, you think oh, I've found someone who writes mysteries, suspense, or crime novels, right?

Here is my dilemma, I write all of the above. Do I spend the money to have a new design? How important is it to a reader that an authors web site reflect the genre and subject of the books they write?

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love what Rae Monet has done with my web site. It is what I asked for at the time, and she's very creative. My big mistake was not doing my research and knowing exactly what I wanted.

In the middle of writing this my friend and critique partner has hit it directly on the nose. Because she has read my work and knows me. Her suggestions was:

What if I had a traveler--maybe me, in my jeans, flip-flops and sunglasses sitting on a big suitcase holding a glass of wine and looking over a back ground scene that flowed from the dark alley, to a field with sunflowers, to an Celtic castle, to a vineyard to the sky scrapers of NY. As if I were contemplating where I wanted to go next.

It's my brand... ranging in colors and tones from dark to light and back again just as my stories do.

Leave a comment about your thoughts. About how important you think a web site brands an author for who she/he is.

Truth, Lies, and Games Oh My!

I've been tagged for a game! So here goes.

Author Doree Anderson tagged me in a fun, get to know an author game. To play, the author can either do 6 lies and a truth or 6 truths and a lie. You, the reader, get to guess which version I picked and, accordingly, which is the lie or which is the truth.
It’s a ton of fun.
The person who can guess mine accurately will receive a
$10.00 GC from Starbucks and a bunch of fun promotional items. If more than one person guesses the correct answer their name will be put into a hat for a drawing.

Here goes:
1. My favorite place is Venice, Italy--Wait I love the whole Country.
2. I have never been in a hot air balloon, but sounds fun...
3. I've never wanted to go to Mardi Gras in New Orleans in February.
4. Growing up kids wouldn't play with me because I was adopted.
5. I am a concert whore. I want to go to them all.
6. I love New York and would love to move there.
7. I love to run and have done countless 1/2 marathons and 4 marathons.

Good luck. Those who know me though will have an easy time of this. I'm such an open book (pun intended) that I had a hard time coming up with lies or truth that 99% of the people who participate wouldn't know.

Happy Mother's Day

I hope all of you take the time to relax and spend time with your family. Or if you're like me, take some time for yourself and have some quiet writing time.

Today is just a short note to say have a nice day!

Mary's Wednesday Rambles

Hi All,
I'm sorry I missed last week. I was in sunny Orlando with some of the kids and grandkids. I promise I won't bore you with details. We did have a great time though. But I was not allowed to take my laptop.

Today I'm not really going to ramble, and I'm actually going to refer you to another blog. I know weird huh? I participate on a blog called Mysteries and Margaritas. This month it's my responsibility to have chosen our Wednesday guests. And my blog day is every Thursday if you want to check it out.

Today I interviewed NY times and USA Today Best Selling Author, Brenda Novak about her yearly Diabetes Auction and her successful career. http://www.mysteriesandmargaritasblogspot.com/ Please drop by and read it, it's very interesting.

Please participate in the poll about contests.
Thanks and talk to you next week!
Mary