Category: Uncategorized

Now onto the business at hand … this is a partial list. I didn’t do repeats from my Top Ten because you already know I love them, and I have a room full of gifts that need to be wrapped before this weekend.

6. Margo Candela will make her debut with Underneath It All next month. Read her. You won’t be disappointed!

5. The Rest Falls Away by Colleen Gleason, in Hollywood-speak is “Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Jane Austen.” Ever since I found her on MySpace and then read the teasers about her new book, I’ve been anxiously waiting for this one to hit stores next month.

4. Anne Mallory and I met as brand new Avon authors back in 2004. But having read her historical romances, I know she’s going to be a best seller and I’ll have the bragging rights to say I read her back when. (And that we were bought by the same editor!) Unfortunately I have to wait till August 2007 when her next book, What Isabella Desires, is released. But I won’t ask Avon for an ARC or a freebie. Yes, I will purchase it from my favorite bookseller!

3. Sonia Singh’s Goddess for Hire came out two years before my first book and after I read it, I wondered why Avon Trade bought me. I mean, I wasn’t as good as her! (Author insecurity is a terrible thing.) So when Josie Brown got us together to tour the Hard Rock Cafes, I was a little intimidated. But then after one drink too many at the Hard Rock Cafe in L.A., (it was my first night out without my then five month-old baby and husband) I blurted to Sonia that she needed to start writing more explicit sex scenes because she never showed us what the guys look like naked. It was one of those make or break moments where you could end up with a drink in the face or a laugh. Sonia laughed and we’ve been buddies ever since. Having said that, even if Sonia continues to toy with us in her next book, Ghost,Interrupted, I’ll still read it!

2. Marsha Moyer is in the pantheon of my all-time favorite authors. After reading her first two novels (The Second Coming of Lucy Hatch and The Last of the Honkytonk Angels), I was crushed to discover that her third book had not been scheduled for release. But just the other day, when I went to her website to see what she was up to, I realized there is a publishing God. Her third book, Heartbreak Town is coming in June 2007! Read the first two and you will be mesmerized.

1. Sacha Boutros is a jazz musician not an author and since this is my list, I figure I can fudge the rules a bit. When I was writing the character of Sela from “Till Death Do Us Part”, I could only hear her voice for the longest time. Usually I see my characters first and then hear their voices. But it made sense that Sela (who is a struggling jazz singer and musician) had a very clear, distinct voice. Later when I heard Sacha on MySpace, I went very still like a ghost had just walked into my room. She sounded just like Sela. If you read “Till Death Do Us Part”, I highly recommend that you do so with Sacha’s gorgeous serenade.

Cheers,
Mary

Check out the teaser of my upcoming novella, “Till Death Do Us Part” that will appear in the anthology, Names I Call My Sister!

Again, thank you all for your thoughtful comments and emails. By the way if Francoise were here, she’d want me to tell you that she was Gypsy Rose Lee (above) in a former life.

Cheers,
Mary

Yesterday we had to let go of our little girl pug, Francoise. She had been hit with a very aggressive form of intestinal cancer. It was time to end her suffering. She was six years old.

Most of the morning I sat with her in the sun next to her favorite lemon tree, reassuring her that we loved her, we would take care of her brother, Rascal and the Little Dude and that it was okay for her to go. It was a beautiful, sad day because I don’t know about you, but most of my days are a blur of activity and worrying and thinking. They’re like dreams on fast forward.

But as I scratched Francoise’s fuzzy ears next to the lemon tree, and then later, placed my hand on her head while the vet administered the euthanasia, I’ve never been more awake, more in tune with the present moment. And I’m so happy, so privileged to have helped someone I loved to let go.

I still tear up when I see Francoise’s leash and harness by the hall door, or when I think about how she’d sit with her hind legs spread-eagled. But then the tears ebb when I see Rascal and the Little Dude come tearing around the corner, off to carry out some mischief. (Last night I caught them trying to get into one of the toilets.) I remember to live in the present, to go running after them without any thought about what I should be writing or what I should be doing. Francoise taught me that. She was a wise little soul.

Okay so I updated my business plan, wrote all of my web content and even finished half of my Christmas shopping.

How is your Christmas shopping shaping up so far? This year, I am determined to do most of my Christmas shopping online using websites like eBay and Amazon. Honestly, I absolutely love shopping on Amazon. They have such a brilliant range of products and I always manage to find the things that I need at a fantastic price.

Plus, at this time of year, if you are lucky you can even find an amazon coupon to secure yourself some big discounts. With all of this in mind, if you want to save some money on your Christmas shopping this year, I would strongly recommend trying to see if you can find any promo codes or coupons that can be used on the Amazon website.

Anyway, for the last week, I’ve been on full-time, Little Dude duty so my husband can make his deadline. And still no word on the proposal sitting on my editor’s desk, or the proposal with my agent. What is a girl to do when the Little Dude is at toddler class with daddy and she already mopped the kitchen floor?

But then I remembered a Japanese proverb. “Where there is no wind, row.”

I have this new idea that has been filling up the pages of my notebook. I think the idea is sound enough to take it on a maiden voyage. So this morning I fired up my trusty character bio document, ready to work and then, nothing. The characters chickened out on me. But I’m persistent. Just ask the Little Dude when he’s 18.

I then grab The Complete Writer’s Guide to Heroes and Heroines by Tami D. Cowden, Caro LaFever and Sue Viders. As I’m reading, it’s like my characters poke their heads in the door to see what I’m up to; why I’m not shouting at them to get their asses in here.

They’re coy, but I’m patient.

Slowly, sometimes shyly they open up. When we reach an understanding, it’s time to write an outline and then the first 100 pages that will become the proposal that goes off to my agent. A rewrite here and there and then if I did my job well (and I’m lucky), I get the greenlight to write the entire book. Characters always save the juicy stuff till I’m well into the story, but that’s okay. We have to build trust and surprise is that unexpected but delicious flavor in a well-seasoned dish. Will, from Hot Tamara, taught me that.

Now in case you think I’m a freakin’ nut case, I’m not. Well, maybe a little. You kinda have to be with a job like this.

Cheers,
Mary

Today, Oprah featured some of her guests who received $1,000 to help others in need. She called it her favorite giveaway and it got me thinking what I would do if I had an extra $1,000 laying around.

Well, I’d go to my alma mater and find two students who can’t afford to go home for the holidays. Not only would I buy their tickets home, I’d also help them buy gifts to bring to family and friends. I can’t tell you what it feels like to show up with no gifts for your loved ones. There are no words, especially when they have been so generous and you have nothing to give back except a “thank you.” That was me for all of my college career and the gifts that I did bring home were those I had to put on an ever-increasing credit card debt.

There are no doubts about it, living with credit card debt can often feel overwhelming. One of the biggest factors affecting your credit score is the amount of debt you owe on your credit card. When your credit score drops, you may end up paying higher interest rates on any other credit cards or loans you apply for. Low credit scores may also affect your apartment rental applications. In most cases, the landlord would conduct a thorough credit report evaluation with the help of AAOA (see the company website for more information) or other similar agencies to assess your financial stability. Also, bad credit can negatively impact your insurance premiums, phone plans, etc.

However, nowadays there are some brilliant debt relief companies out there that can help you to consolidate your debts so that you can get your personal finances in a better position. If you would like more information about some of the different debt-relief options, you can try this website where you can also find plenty of useful debt-related resources.

Some of my friends also tried other methods to try and help them consolidate their credit card debt and this was by taking out a loan. For them, it was the less stressful option and helped them to pay it back in more sizeable chunks without incurring too much interest. The loan that is often chosen is secured loans, where people can get help to work out whether they would be able to pay off this loan efficiently with what they have.

Now let’s say I had $2,000. I would go to Girls, Inc. to get a list of materials they needed and then come back a few hours later with a van-full of stuff. This is why I’m selling signed copies of Hot Tamara and In Between Men on eBay. You can buy as many copies as you’d like, give me the names of people you would like for me to sign it to and then get it time for the holidays. Not only will you give a fun gift, you’ll also give the gift of empowerment, education and opportunity to the young ladies who come to Girls, Inc.

To purchase a personalized copy of Hot Tamara, go here

To purchase a personalized copy of In Between Men, go here

Happy Holidays,
Mary

There are periods in our lives when it feels like everyone you know is getting married. But just when you think, “thank God, no more wedding invitations”; your friends procreate.

When you’re still single, or you’re married and nowhere near babyville, how do you cope with your best friend’s pregnancy and baby? I’ve been on both sides of the coin: the clueless but well-meaning friend, and now the new mom, which is why I created this new blog, How to Survive Your Best Friend’s Baby. I want to bridge the gap so there’s no more “us” or “them.” There’s just us girls who want to keep our friendships strong and long-lasting.

Check it out and spread the word!

Good and bad.

Yesterday I had a living room picnic with good family friends and we played a game called, “Good and Bad.” We took turns saying the good things that happened to us. But we were only allowed one bad.

Only recently have I been able to look at the books I couldn’t sell as good things.

For the record: I’m 4 out of eight (four published out of the eight I’ve written … the novellas count as half a book).

Anyway, I’ve come to realize that the four unpublishable books are not wasted efforts. They’re my organ donors.

For example, the scene when Isela dances with Sebastian in “My Favorite Mistake“, came from a book I wrote six years ago. Isa Avellan’s storyline in Hot Tamara served as the back story for In Between Men.

This morning, as I was thinking about a problem with a new story idea, the answer popped out of my subconscious. I realized I could finally use a part (my most favorite part) of Baby You’re The One in this new story.

When Baby didn’t sell, I grieved for weeks. Thinking it would be my triumphant entre into young adult fiction, the experience really shook me up. I questioned if I’d be a one-hit wonder. But now I see that one bad thing has given birth to so many good things. It restores my trust that things happen only if they’re supposed to. Now I hope that when this new idea is fully born – with a fully functional donated body part – you’ll finally get to read it.

Knock … knock … knock! That’s was me knocking on wood … just in case.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Mary

Currently reading: Pop! by Aury Wallington (it’s like she snuck into my 17 year-old self and excavated all the things I’ll never tell my mom … read it!)

…and now I wait.

But that’s a good thing! I can now focus marketing the new books and all the stuff I had to keep at bay while I wrote a proposal for a paranormal young adult novel (that I hope will become a real book someday). Hey wait a second … I can go shopping! I can read another book without the sound of mu subconscious revving in the background! Even better, I can sleep through an entire night without waking up from a dream about my story.

Ahh the quiet when the writer is not writing.

Not that it will last for long. I have this thing about writing a historical and now that I have stumbled upon an idea for a mystery series, the itch will get worse. I can already hear the heroine whispering in my ear.

So much for shopping in peace.

And then there’s my character, Isela Vargas from Friday Night Chicas. That bitch won’t shut up about getting her own book. Every time a reader asks what happens to her, Isela’s right there impatiently sighing at her nails.

There goes the quiet pleasures of book reading.

I’m beginning to suspect that writers never retire. We die at our keyboards.

Currently reading: The Girl’s Guide to Witchcraft by Mindy Klasky (awesome!) and Mean Girls Grown Up by Cheryl Dellasega (sobering)

…it’s wanting what you got.”

– Sheryl Crow, Soaking Up the Sun

When I was up on stage at the Head to Toe Women’s Expo in San Diego, I talked about my rocky and rewarding road to publication. I’ve always been an ambitious soul with long lists and five-year plans of all the things I wanted to achieve before I died. But when Hot Tamara came out in February 2005, I realized that success can be very traumatic. Instead of celebrating, I worried about the things that weren’t happening – why wasn’t I on the New York Times list, why was so-and-so on The Today Show, why oh why oh why. It wasn’t a pretty place to be. But then I had moments of clarity like when five really wonderful women came to my booksigning in Phoenix, Arizona. Those moments were fleeting until I wrote a book titled, Baby You’re The One.

No one would touch it. Never mind that I had been on TV, that Hot Tamara was Cosmo’s Red Hot Read, etc. For months all I could think about was the book that would not sell. But then Sheryl saved me with that line from her song (see the title of this entry). I realized that my success traumatized me because I forgot to be grateful for it. Once I counted my blessings – and I mean, I wrote a list about twenty-five pages long – I came back to life. To me, entitlement and ingratitude are like cinderblocks chained to all of your limbs, and when they throw you off the boat, you sink right to bottom. But gratitude unchained me and I wasn’t limited by all this “why not me?”. I saw unlimited possibilities.

So I want you to know that I was humbled to be at the Expo Friday afternoon. I didn’t go just to sell my books; I went to give something of myself to the women who took the time to listen. I think authors get really caught up in what our agents, our publishers, our publicists and our booksellers don’t do for us. I’m telling ya, knock it off. I’m not suggesting we become stagnant or passive. Rather, we need to be actively grateful for what we have, and actively responsible for what we want.

I’d like to say thank you to Rosemarie and Debbie and their team who put on an amazing event and allowed me to attend. Thank you to my family and friends who cheered me on even though I actually contemplated hiding in the girls’ room! Thank you to everyone who listened to my presentation, who came up to my booth and who purchased my books. I hope my personal story and my fictional stories at the very least, gave you a good laugh.

Mary