Kindle Contest & SIRENZ Series Authors Guest Blog!

ATTENTION:

This is your last week to enter for a chance to win a Kindle!!! Details are at the bottom of this post.

Today I welcome Charlotte Bennardo and Natalie Zaman, the lovely co-authors of the SIRENZ Series (Flux.)

As I writer, I'm fascinated by anything co-created, because I'm quite the control freak with my work and could never co-author anything. I tried once. We argued over the main character's name, and I was done.

Char and Nat's first book, SIRENZ, was released last June:

"Bickering frenemies Meg and Shar are doing some serious damage at a midnight sample sale when the fashionistas find themselves arguing over a pair of shoes-with fatal consequences. One innocent bystander later, the girls are suddenly at the mercy of Hades, Lord of the Underworld himself. To make them atone for what they've done, Hades forces the teens to become special-assignment Sirens, luring to the Underworld an individual whose unholy contract is up.
Finding that delicate balance between their fashion addiction and their new part-time job in the eternal hellfire biz turns out to be harder than Meg and Shar expected, especially when an entire pantheon of Greek deities decides to get involved. Then there's the matter of the fine print in their own contracts..."

You can order SIRENZ at www.FluxNow.com!


Welcome Char & Nat!

Personally Yours

One question we’re often asked (and we’re sure other authors are asked this too) is “Are you like your character(s)?” From the way they dress, talk, think, whine, eat, argue, and go about their lives, Sirenz Meg and Shar are itsy bitsy pieces of yours—us—truly. 

Goethe said, “Every author in some way portrays himself in his works, even if it be against his will.” (www.quotegarden.com/writing.html) Who would argue with a master (especially a dead one!)? Now while it’s unlikely that Suzanne Collins is exactly like her character Katniss in The Hunger Games, it’s probably safe to say that some aspects of her personality are not only in that character, but in others you’ll meet throughout the story. We each bring our preferences, dislikes, viewpoints and predilections to the table when creating our characters; we can’t help it. That’s not to say that people who write about serial killers are killers (well, we hope not), but if that author has a penchant for spicy Thai food and the character does too, it’s not a far stretch to see why.

In Sirenz, a bit of our personalities’ DNA is generously sprinkled throughout the book. Meg Wiley—named by Nat for Meg White of the now sadly-defunct White Stripes, and Wile E. Coyote, a favorite cartoon character—is like Natalie in that she has an esoteric streak, a thing for black clothes—particularly vintage—and a well stuffed iTunes account. Oh, and she won’t touch a diet soda. Never. But in many ways, Meg’s also like Charlotte: both are committed to being as green as possible (Charlotte recycles as much as she can to the annoyance of her family and lectures others who don’t) and not having all that many shoes (really!). Meg is a vegetarian by herself—her creators are unapologetic carnivores (though we <3 organic!).

Charlotte chose Shar’s name because she liked the sound of “Sharisse,” super girly without being a clichéd “Tiffany,” and Johnson because that’s her maiden name. You can see Natalie in Shar’s fashion addiction, disturbing knowledge of designers (hey—everyone has their faves, right?), and regular manicures (but no fake nails!). Just like Shar, Charlotte is a church goer (not just on Christmas Eve, Easter, funerals, weddings… you get the idea), is irreverent (can make a joke, even if in bad taste, about anything), and definitely believes in romance (sappy sigh…). If you want to see further resemblance, look at the cover for the sequel, Sirenz Back In Fashion. The artist who drew our characters might well have been looking at us (through heavily tinted rose glasses); Shar is tall, blonde and slim, Meg is petite, curvaceous and dark haired.

Even Hades has our ‘stamp’ on him. We both agreed that Ian Somerhalder would be the perfect Hades if Sirenz ever makes it to the big and/or small screen. He is a product of our collective tastes—what we would want to see in a villain—or anti hero (let us know what you think after you read Sirenz Back In Fashion!). You’ll find pieces of us in the other gods as well: Demeter has Char’s sharp tongue (which can/does lead to trouble), and Nat’s love of the little critters (Nat keeps chickens, bunnies, cats, a guinea pig, and birdlettes.). And her daughter Persephone? We can both be a weeeeeeeeeeee-bit defiant, though in different ways. If only we could just snap our fingers to get what we want!

Even the locales of Sirenz are products of us. We both have a special relationship with New York; Nat knows Manhattan quite well (she’s always popping in to shop or visit—and she REALLY needs to get out to Brooklyn more often!), and Char was born in NY (but Long Island, which is not the city). The tropical island? A place where Char hopes to retire to (or at least run away to now and then). The Tarot shop? Based on Earth Spirit in Red Bank, NJ, a new–age store owned by friends of Nat’s.

 Like the cliché about taking the boy out of the city but not the city out of the boy, writers can’t help leaking a little bit of themselves into their characters- good and bad.

Thanks again, Char & Nat. I agree about the leakage, and I love that quote from Goethe!!!

Here's a synopsis of the next SIRENZ installment: SIRENZ: BACK IN FASHION (Summer 2012):

It’s Hell on heels—again!
When Shar tries on a ring from Hades, it activates an obscure contractual clause that puts Shar and former-frenemy-now-friend Meg in Hades’ service once more. Shar is whisked away to the Underworld to prepare a ball for Persephone, while Meg is sent to retrieve the errant soul of spoiled rich girl Paulina Swanson and send her to the abyss. Just when it appears the girls will be doomed to serve Hades for eternity, Shar meets two possibly helpful demi-gods who also happen to be gorgeous. Can the girls finally ditch the Lord of the Dead once and for all?

Be careful what you wish for...

 The contest details:

Got a story about a miracle? Share it with me, and you could win yourself or someone you love a Kindle.

There are other ways to win:

1. Follow this blog. (There is a space at the bottom of the post to enter your e-mail. I know it's hard to figure out - but I can't figure out how to make it clearer. Sorry!!!)
2. Post this contest in your status on any social media.
3. E-mail your favorite quote on "miracles" to Ldymcbeth@aol.com.
4. Review one of my books (there are four) on your blog, Goodreads or Amazon.
5. I'm open to other creative ideas for entries. Try me!
You will receive one entry for each thing you do. I will select ONE winner out of all the entries on Thursday, December 15.

Last Week To Enter Kindle Contest & The Hokey Pokey (A Day Late): Broadway Shows ARE Worth the Price of Admission

Greetings!

This is the last week of my contest to win a Kindle! Please share your miracles! (Complete contest details are at the bottome of this post.)

Yesterday was Hokey Pokey Wednesday, but I was too busy actually doing The Hokey Hokey to post (I DID write it, LOL.)

Here it is:

             I mentioned to my son Michael that I was thinking of taking his brother to see the Broadway show Rent. I brought Michael to so many productions when he was younger. We started compiling a list once, and jotted down at least twenty-five, but both of us felt some were missing.

             Money got tighter, and as a result, Casey hasn’t seen many shows. Truth be told, I started resenting the price of admission. Shows are expensive! (Kind of like gluten-free cookies, but at least the shows are good.) I stopped making shows a priority. But the other day, during a school visit, I spotted some vouchers for Rent in the office, and decided to give Casey a treat.

            “I’ll go again,” Michael said. “I loved that show.”

            “Oh, great. More money,” I said, but I was laughing. Because Michael really did love that show. He even wanted a stuffed cow wearing the Rent logo on a t-shirt as a souvenir (you have to see the show to get the joke.) It’s funny – we just stored that cow in a box in our attic. “Okay, three tickets it is.”

            Then he said something that shocked me: “Broadway shows made me who I am.”

            “How so?” I asked.

            He said, “They made me believe that anything was possible.”

            Wow.

            Looking back, I can see that. The way he marched up and down the aisle when the band played “Seventy-Six Trombones” at the end of The Music Man.

The way he marveled at Peter Pan flying above his head,

and on a different occasion in the same theatre, the way he marveled over Annie getting her gun.

Hell, he even loved Tom Sawyer, The Musical (probably the only person who ever did.)

            He didn’t love Cats, but thought it was so cool to go on stage and see the sleeping cat up close at intermission. He was tickled over Suessical the Musical, which I thought was much better than it had the right to be. He and his cousin Ashleigh went wild over Footloose and asked to see the movie – which they panned. 

            He danced all the way back to the car after Forty-Second Street.

            There were only two shows he disliked: Beauty and the Beast (He was about five and terrified. No, he was not scared of the beast. He never made it that far. The wolves attacking Belle in the woods freaked him out, and he willed himself to sleep) and Jesus Christ Superstar (which I only took him to because the commercial proclaimed it “a family musical,” but it bored him so much that he begged me to let him sleep - so I did. It got better in the second act, but he’ll never know.)

            So many shows! The list goes on. I, too, was influenced by Broadway when I was little – but I thought it was because my aunt played violin in the orchestra pits (before she built her barge.) I got to go backstage and meet the actors. I especially remember No, No, Nanette and all the cool people I met there.

At home, I sang the songs with and without the record: “I Want to be Happy,” “Take a Little One Step, Two Step, Three Step” and of course the very woe-is-me “Where Has My Hubby Gone Blues.”

            But maybe it wasn’t just because I went backstage. Maybe it was the magic of musicals.

            I also loved The Music man. Over and over I sang “Goodnight My Someone” and “’Til There Was You.” And I adored Oklahoma.

            As an adult I became a “Jekkie” and saw Jekyll and Hyde at least two dozen times.

            Turns out Broadway shows are worth the price of admission. They do make you feel different about your prospects. They’re uplifting.

            Michael has grown into a fine, young man who indeed believes that anything is possible.

And because he believes this - it is.

            I’ll have to start bringing Casey to shows. I think he’ll enjoy Rent,

though he is a tough customer, as Aunt Olga would say. He should be happy as long as I keep my mouth shut and don’t sing along with the cast.

            And I already have a stuffed cow waiting for him at home.

Here are the contest details:

Got a story about a miracle? Share it with me, and you could win yourself or someone you love a Kindle.

There are other ways to win:

1. Follow this blog. (There is a space at the bottom of the post to enter your e-mail. I know it's hard to figure out - but I can't figure out how to make it clearer. Sorry!!!)
2. Post this contest in your status on any social media.
3. E-mail your favorite quote on "miracles" to Ldymcbeth@aol.com.
4. Review one of my books (there are four) on your blog, Goodreads or Amazon.
5. I'm open to other creative ideas for entries. Try me!
You will receive one entry for each thing you do. I will select ONE winner out of all the entries on Thursday, December 15.

Tightrope Tuesday: Groceries Strike Again

     Today it was all I could do to produce dinner.
     These kids have a thing about eating. They like to do it.
     I find the whole thing overwhelming. Not the act of eating, but all the steps leading up to it.
     Shopping SUCKS.

The store is soooo big.

You have to inspect all the fruits and vegetables. You have to decide if you'll spring for the organic stuff or risk some slow, glowing insides death by pesticides. You have to search the aisles for all the things they've moved since the last time you were there (they love to do that - villains!) You have to go back to the other side of the store for the things you didn't notice on the list that were over there. If you suffer from OCD you have to inspect packages to make sure they haven't been tampered with, and then try to placate yourself by thinking, I haven't heard any reports of tampered products killing people for years. You have to wait on a line for a clerk, or self check-out the mound of stuff yourself. (That's always fun. Once I hit the "Spanish" button by accident, which wasn't so bad until I got to the produce.) You have to go to different stores to get certain things.
     OMG. All this trouble just to eat. Is it really worth it?
     My son's list was compiled with the seriousness of The Ten Commandments.

     And really, I want him to be happy. He deserves it. He works hard in school, and is doing so well. He just got his second on-sight college acceptance yesterday, with another merit scholarship. He needs to have brain fuel. But why do I have to drag my butt around buying everything?
     I could send him shopping. But it seems mean. He really is a great son, and he doesn't ask for all that much. It seems to be important to have these food items - and for me to cook them - and he's satisfied. Considering the problems some people have with their kids, I can't complain. But still I am overwhelmed.
     I bought so much, and still I have have to get dinner for Thursday and beyond.
     I don't know how people do it. And then there's the holidays - made even more evident by the depressing music playing in the store, making me oh, so sad. Not music to shop by.
     I am grieving for my aunt, and I'm sure that is making everything more harder for me. Normally I joke about all this more.
     Yes, some laughter is in order.

   
     Which is the payoff of course - laughing with the kids as we're plopped down at the dinner table.
      I just wish someone else did all the prep work.

Here we are outside Pancho's restaurant on Michael's birthday - it's nice to be served sometimes!

Method to my Madness Monday: Hocus, Pocus, Where's Your Focus?

            What do I want to say about writing today?

            I think it’s the message I received in my Matchbox miracle: Focus.

            There’s so much going on in my life right now. As there is in yours. But we can’t wait for that “optimum” moment to write. It will never come!

            The best thing to do is to allow yourself five solid minutes. You’d be surprised what you can get done. Especially if you need to revise something. Carry a page of your manuscript in your pocket.

         If you’re standing on a line, if you’re waiting in a doctor’s office, if you’re sitting on a toilet...

pull out that paper and revise! Not only will you get something done – you’ll be proud & pumped up! And what does that lead to? More writing!!!

            I’ve done some powerful revisions waiting to order coffee at Dunkin’ Donuts.

 (I actually wrote much of my first two novels in Dunkin’ Donuts.)

            There are many opportunities to get some writing in during the day – if you allow for them. The thing you must do is focus on finding them. It’s like ideas. They’re everywhere. You just have to see them.

            Even if you have nothing to revise, just jot things down. A random sentence might lead to something. And if not – at least your brain is churning.

            You must keep those gears in motion, or they’ll get rusty.

            It’s not about the final product – it’s about state of mind, which ultimately leads to final product.

            And you’ll be in a good mood.

            That counts for a lot.

Revolutionary Sunday: Merchant, Reporter, Quaker, Spy: The Heroic and Sad Existence of Robert Townsend

           

        Robert Townsend was a mild-mannered merchant in Manhattan during the Revolutionary War. He was also a reporter for Rivington’s Royal Gazette,

a Tory newspaper (New York was British headquarters.)

            Townsend was a Quaker – opposed to war.

            One of the biggest sins for a Quaker is lying.

            Which is why Townsend was so tormented by his secret identity: Spy for George Washington.

            Robert Townsend was the key member of the Culper Spy Ring. Because he was a reporter, British officers came to him with information about their plans. They wanted to see their names in print!

            Townsend made the ultimate sacrifice for our country’s freedom: He traded his place in heaven. According to his religious beliefs he would be damned for his actions – and still he proceeded.

            After the war, Townsend was ashamed. He never revealed his identity. When George Washington visited Oyster Bay – Townsend’s home town, where he returned to live after the war – Townsend did not even greet him.

            Townsend never married. He died in his family’s home, living with his also-unmarried sister Sally. Like her brother, Sally sacrificed much for our cause.

Raynham Hall - Townsend's home in Oyster Bay. Now a museum!

            Give a thought for Robert Townsend’s tortured soul this holiday season. Pray that he found his peace.

Rest in Peace, Robert Townsend

Read more about Robert Townsend’s role in the Culper Spy Ring in my book, Upon Secrecy:

Upon Secrecy on Amazon.com

Surprise! I Guest My Own Blog With Movie Musings

Well, it’s Guest Blog Friday, and I’m the guest. Why? I could say (or sing), “It’s my blog and I’ll be the guest if I want to.” But the truth is, I forgot to contact someone until it was too late. It’s tough keeping track of a blog, folks! But I think we’ll all survive this travesty.

 I will now entertain you with a list of my favorite movies (not in order - just as I thought of them):

1. Good Will Hunting – One of those rare movies during which I actually worried for the main character. “What will become of him?”

2. The Hangover – As my son put it, if you didn’t laugh during this movie, you might not have a soul.

      3.    The Long Kiss Goodnight – Makes Die Hard look like a wuss, with a much better, sometimes startling storyline.

4. Serendipity – Ok, have I mentioned my ridiculously romantic heart, combined with my belief in fate? Also, I do love John Cusack, in general.

5. Martian Child – John Cusack was good in this, too.

6. The Lost Boys – I loved this movie so much long ago, but when I tried to watch it recently, something had changed. I think Twilight ruined my palate for anything ‘vampire.’

7. Private Parts – Howard Stern exposes himself. Need I say more?

8. My Big, Fat Greek Wedding – So many great scenes!!! I love to quote this movie.

9. Moonstruck – When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that’s amore.

10. The Mothman Prophesies – Creepy, because it happened. And Richard Gere got better with age.

11. Runaway Bride – Silly, but well-done. Takes your mind off things for awhile.

   12. Mr. & Mrs. Smith - Great genre-buster. Innovative. And darn sexy as well. The only person who         didn't like this movie was probably Jennifer Aniston. Can't please everyone...

Movies I dislike:

    1.
Inception. WHAT?

Might as well have been in a foreign language.

2. Momento. Too schticky. If you put that movie in its rightful scene order, you’ve got nothing.

3. Anything with Will Ferrell – Dude, those Airplane kinds of movies went out with the seventies.

4. Anything with Adam Sandler – There’s stupid, and then there’s Adam Sandler.

5. Limitless – My patience has its limits for a weak plot.

     6. Leaving Las Vegas – Leave already, PLEASE!!!It was as though Virginia Woolf had written the script.

7. Those Oceans movies. OMG, just rob the places already.

8. Bank robbery movies – They are limited in scope, and never end well.

9. Thelma & Louise – Speaking of a bad ending...

10. Avatar – I hate movies touted for special effects. Snoooooze... Also I dislike the pompous James Cameron. Not King of the World in MY book.

That concludes my movie musings. Next time, we’ll do TV shows.

If you feel like sharing your favorite or least-liked movies, please do!

Share my Matchbox Miracle and Enter to Win a Kindle!

Thanks to everyone who's been entering this contest. Especially with the passing of my aunt, I'm appreciating the positivity and love we're generating.

 

I promised I'd tell the story of my Matchbox Ford Focus miracle, so here it is:

 

A few years ago I was going through a really hard time. I'll spare you the details, but things were confusing. My head felt like it was literally spinning, and I didn't know what to do with myself.

 

And I wasn't writing. Who could write with my personal life in turmoil?

 

I was coming out of an office building, and for some reason I looked down. At my feet was a Matchbox car. "Oh, Casey would like this," I thought. I picked it up for my younger son.

 

I examined it: A Ford Focus. Purple. It said "Focus" across the hood, and the word was scattered all over the side doors. "Focus, focus, focus, focus, focus, focus, focus..."

 

 

This is what the car looks like! Thank you, Google Images!!!

 

I put it back down. "I can't give this to Casey. It was on the ground. Who knows where it came from."

 

I started to walk away. Then it hit me:

 

A Ford Focus.

 

Henry Ford said one of my favorite quotes: "Whether you think you can, or whether you think you can't, you're right."

 

 

Purple.

My favorite color. I surround myself with it.

 

Focus.

Could the word be any clearer?

 

"This is a messsage for me, from God," I said, picking up the car for a second time.

 

I took it with me to a writing retreat a few days later. I focused. And I wrote the book I'd been trying to write for years: Upon Secrecy.

 

 

 

 

It came pouring out in that one week. I had only the first line when I got there: "God, forgive me."

 

I wrote that story in a veritable fever. My head was pounding.  The scene was something out of a movie.

 

When we were leaving, I handed the end of the manuscript to my editor, who'd been reading along as I wrote.  She said, "If it's anything like the rest, it'll be fine."

 

Hearing those words from her was a second miracle, believe me.

 

Focus. So simple. But it took a Matchbox car from God for me to sit down and do it.

 

 

 

Got a story about a miracle? Share it with me, and you could win yourself or someone you love a Kindle.

There are other ways to win:

1. Follow this blog. (There is a space at the bottom of the post to enter your e-mail. I know it's hard to figure out - but I can't figure out how to make it clearer. Sorry!!!)
2. Post this contest in your status on any social media.
3. E-mail your favorite quote on "miracles" to Ldymcbeth@aol.com.
4. Review one of my books (there are four) on your blog, Goodreads or Amazon.
5. I'm open to other creative ideas for entries. Try me!
You will receive one entry for each thing you do. I will select ONE winner out of all the entries on Thursday, December 15.