Category Archives: Life challenges

November 9, 2015 · 10:11 am

Am I the only one who thinks this is funny?

I had a little epiphany the other day when I was banging away at my NaNoWriMo word count goal. I was in a particularly lighthearted scene and the descriptions the first person character narrator were giving had me laughing out loud in my attic. Truly, this was some fine comedic, descriptive writing. The epiphany came when I asked myself, “Am I the only one who might think this is funny?”

people-laughing-cartoon1

 

I admit freely my humor is a little skewered and all over the board at times. I laugh at the slapstick of Benny Hill, the snarkiness of Jerry Seinfeld, the crude bathroom jokes of the Red Neck Comics. I can laugh at my own witticisms as well, but I never know if what I am writing is as funny to the reader as it is to me. After all, we all think our children are the brightest, most intelligent and most beautiful kids in the world ( mine is, actually) so I think it’s the same with our words and humor.

I can’t really get a gauge for the funny to others, so I’m going to put a few lines I’ve written here and hope if you read it, you will let me know if it is funny, falls flat, or makes you have to pee with glee.

Here goes:

laughinggirl

#1 “Don’t worry, Frankie,” my Aunt Ursula said. “Joey’s a bull. He’ll make it.”“Yeah,” Aunt Gracie chimed in. “Remember when Uncle Vito had his coronary at the racetrack? Doc’s had to shock him four times, but he pulled through. Joey will, too. Our family’s made of strong stock.”

I kept my mouth shut because Uncle Vito was currently confined to a nursing home, an after effect of his massive coronary. He was pretty much brain fried, drooled constantly and had an annoying habit of playing flash the sausage with any female who entered his room, family members included.

 

#2 When my brother Gianni pointed out she was carrying Daddy’s baby, Mama went ballistic. It took the aunts, Gia and me to finally calm her down. Still fuming, we managed to get her upstairs, into her cotton nightgown and then with a large shot glass filled with Sambucca, into bed and settled. Aunt Gracie was going to spend the night and watch over her to make sure she didn’t go crazy and drive to Delphina’s condo and do something.

And by do something, I mean gut her like a fish.cartoon-business-woman-laughing-and-pointing-by-ron-leishman-5100

# 3 My Uncle Sonny knew a guy, who knew a guy, who ran a talent agency, though. Unfortunately, all the out of work actors employed at Skippy Goldstein’s Star Emporium were booked for live appearances. Cupids poised to deliver candy grams; Little Devils set to bring naughty lingerie gifts and boxes of confections to wives, girlfriends and mistresses. Skippy told Uncle Sonny he should have booked way in advance to which, the family story goes, Uncle Sonny lifted Skippy out of his chair by his ugly skinny necktie and told him he’d better come up with a genie—and fast—or his relatives were going to have to dig through the Meadowlands marshes to recover his body.

Uncle Sonny’s an intense guy.

So….Laughing? Cringing? Peeing? What?…….Let’s discuss…..

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November 5, 2015 · 10:06 am

Still NaNoWriMo-ing

Day 5 of NaNoWriMo and I’m way into my current WIP ( work in progress). Yes, I love a personal challenge. Yes, I adore a writing challenge. And yes yes yes I love to combine them both.

nanowrimo

But I do have a life away from the laptop.

Yesterday, I started writing a 3 am ( chronic insomnia, folks) and went strong until 9 when I realized I couldn’t feel my a**. So, I got washed up and went off to the gym for  a few hours to pump and cardio myself into a clear head ( and a smaller a**).

Back home I banged out another 1200 words before I stopped for lunch, then another couple hundred more before I called it a day.

A day for writing that is. When I closed my WP program, I did three loads of laundry, ironed it all and put it way, vacuumed the four floors in my house – yes folks – 4 FLOORS – dusted, put various stuff away and a took care of paying the monthly bills.

Then I started dinner.

After dinner I worked on two courses I am taking online, wrote this blog and stashed another one away for a future release.  I am reading two books on kinesthetics, so I delved into those for  a while.Tomorrow  the car has to go in for service, so I will bring my laptop with me and NaNo while I wait ( like the way I made the challenge a verb, there?)

For those lucky people who can sit all day long and create ( and not have their a**es grow and spread) power to you. I am jealous. I am envious. I am filled with angst.

But not really, because…I do have another life.

So, if you are NaNo-ing, are you an all day typer, or do you take breaks? Let’s discuss

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Filed under Author, Contemporary Romance, First Impressions, Life challenges, NaNoWriMo, Romance, Strong Women

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November 4, 2015 · 10:36 am

What a conference can REALLY teach you

I recently attended the New Jersey Romance Conference and took a master class with Margie Lawson. Who, you ask? Well, if you don’t now who she is, you really are missing out.  Margie Lawson is a woman who wears many metaphorical hats. She’s a psychotherapist, an editor, and  a very smart, savvy woman, just to mention three. The master class I took was all about Empowering Character Emotion and it was the best 3 hours and the wisest money I ever spent on a day course.

Seriously.

In fact, I learned so much in that short 3 hours, I knew there had to be more to learn, and boy was there! When I clicked on her site I found she has on line instruction classes and packets and I purchased two right at the conference. I’ve been editing away ever since in my current contracted novel. You can see the efforts in the picture I’ve included. Now, Margie’s stuff is proprietary so I’m not going to tell you what she suggests doing, but I highly recommend you go to her site and click around.

I can say with all honesty my writing and editing skills have improved significantly since I started following her suggestions. She helps you hone in on places where you can add punch to character emotions and scenes where you can dial up the conflict from easy to complex with just a rephrasing of a few words, or the addition of a power word or two. She helps you see where you may have too much of one thing – like exposition, which makes readers skim the page – and not enough of another – like conflict, and we all know romance writers need conflict between their characters.

If you are determined to get that first book published or if you are a multi-published author already, Margie can literally take your writing skills to the next level and maybe even 3 or 4 more beyond that.

Just saying.

margieblog

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Filed under Author, Contemporary Romance, First Impressions, Life challenges, love, MacQuire Women, NaNoWriMo, New Hampshire, Romance, Romance Books, RWA, Strong Women

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September 28, 2015 · 9:29 am

Book signing reflections…

On Saturday, Sept. 26th I had my very first official book signing event. I know! booksigning1

It was wonderful seeing so many friends and a whole bunch of people I hadn’t connected with in a while. My heart was overflowing with the love and support that came my way for those 3 hours. It was hosted at Kristin’s Bistro and Bakery  in downtown Keene on one of the most beautiful Autumn days we’ve had so far. You all know I lovelovelove the Fall and  New England is without doubt the best place to be on the planet during the time of year. While I was able to visit with friends – new and old – Marsha (Kristin’s lovely mom) kept the chocolate chip and cranberry scones and cider coming and I swear I gained 5 pounds just from inhaling the delicious aromas wafting through the establishment.

booksigning2Sales were amazeballs, but aside from that, it was wonderful the amount of people who came out to support a local writer. After the radio interview I did on WKBK with Dan Mitchell on Thursday, I really did hope I’d get a good turnout, and I did. Never let anyone ever discount the power of the radio or word of mouth. It works.

So what did I learn from my first official signing I can take with me for the next one?
First and foremost, don’t be so nervous! I woke up that morning with a pain in my stomach like I was in labor again.  I couldn’t eat, my hands were shaking and all I could feel was a sense of doom – no one would show up, or people would and would laugh at me. Why? I have no idea, but it was running through my head the whole time. When I saw the first few people who came in were dear friends I hadn’t seen in a while, I started to feel a little less nauseous. The gig started at 11 and by 11:30 I was able to breathe again normally.

Second, thank everyone, even those people who just stop and take a free scone and don’t buy a book! Manners matter and the perception of how you conduct yourself, even with people who aren’t fans, is important.

Third, be gracious. I heard from several woman this phrase, “I’m so proud of you!” I kept thinking, “Why? I haven’t cured cancer or done anything noble.” The declaration was usually followed by another statement like this: “You took something you had a passion for and made it happen. Not many women take a chance like that.” This surprised me because most of the gals saying it, I consider movers and shakers and risk takers.

Fourth, have food and drink available for your guests. The scones were – no surprise – a big hit, but I heard so many people say how nice it was to have apple cider on a Fall day. Thank you again, Marsha, for your foresight!

Fifth, make sure you have all your media stuff  like bookmarks, postcards, business cards, available. A few people came in to Kristin’s just to get their daily baked goods, coffee, et al. They weren’t there to see me ( silly fools!),but several did stop and listen to me talk to someone I was signing for, then took a few business cards, or post cards with them, so perhaps they’ll get home and look me up on one of my media sites, and decide to give one of my books a try. ‘Nuff said.

Last, learn that it’s okay to promote yourself. I truly do not like talking about myself. It makes me feel…conceited somehow.  But if I’ve learned anything these past 6 months, it’s that as a writer in this present time, you  need to self promote as much as you can. How you do it -graciously and without being obnoxious – is as important as the need to do it. Writing is a crowded society right now. To stand out you have to write something good and be willing to put yourself out there to sell it.

All in all it was a wonderful day. Next one is the New Jersey chapter of RWA conference in October, where – Yippie – I’ll be signing again. Hopefully, my nerves will be much less then. We’ll see….

FirstImpressions_w9816_2_85FIRST IMPRESSIONS available now!!

Amazon    The WIld Rose Press   Nook

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September 3, 2015 · 9:40 am

10 things I should have said better…if I’d only stopped to think first

I love lists and top 10 lists – like Letterman’s – are my favorites. Here are the things my impulse control issues could have done without giving a voice to:

DuhKid

  1. That’s not really your natural hair color, is it?
  2. You can’t raise someone else’s kids, but someone should volunteer to raise yours.
  3. Nosey, much?
  4. When was the actual last time you washed your hair?
  5. That color does nothing for you sallow complexion.
  6. Oh yeah… a diet that includes French fries and beer and you can’t figure out why you can’t lose weight? Really?
  7. Stupid, much?
  8. The last time I looked, stupid and ignorant weren’t things to be proud of.
  9. Did I just say that out loud? Shit.
  10. ….and the absolute worst thing I ever said to someone: You went to an actual school to learn how to do that? Really? They pay someone to teach that?

Duh-Einstein-fanpop-win-29591610-475-251

I’ll leave it to your imaginations to figure out what I was referring to. ( LOL)

Ever say something you wish you’d said in a nicer, better way? Let’s discuss….

 

 

 

 

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September 1, 2015 · 10:38 am

Reflecting…

Yesterday was the 18th anniversary of the shocking death of Princess Diana. It’s so hard to believe it’s been that many years.

princessdi

In 1997 I was 37, my daughter was 8.  When the news broke, I’ll admit it, I lost it. Completely. I came apart so emotionally that day, I scared my daughter. She’d never had someone die in her life up to that time and was unprepared for how I took it, how it effected a person.

There’s a lot about that day, and the next week until her burial, that I’ll never forget. I sat glued to my living room chair, watching the news 24/7. It was the lead story everywhere, every station, every channel whether it was cable or broadcast tv. What I remember most was the shock, the jaw dropping shock, the looks of utter befuddlement, that crossed anyone and everyone who was interviewed. No one could have predicted the loss of such an amazing, vital, beautiful person  at such a young age from such a stupid event as a drunken driver.

One of the news broadcasters asked if we’d be as shocked and horrified as a people if she’d died from an illness, or been assassinated by a terrorist group. Why was it her death at the hands of someone not in control that was so hard to believe? The amount of grief running through the world from her death was incalculable. I thought it was a stupid question at the time and still do. We’d have been shocked at any way in which she’d be taken from us.

Diana was one year younger than I was. I, like one hundred million people worldwide, watched her get married. I celebrated the true romantic fairytale-come-to-life that we were led to believe was real. I celebrated the birth of her sons with her, and then mourned the death of her marriage, because a fairy tale doesn’t really end at “they lived happily ever after.”

Diana was my age-peer, but we had so much more in common than just our chronological age. We both suffered from very public eating disorders, exacerbated by stress and loneliness; both felt the ravishes of being from divorced parents; both wanted to  be people pleasers so we’d know our value in the world. Sure, she married a prince and I married an ophthalmologist, but even though she was considered a Royal, the world – myself included – considered her one of us. No other Royal to date has been able to garnish the love from the common man that Diana did.

A short week later, on September 5, 1997, Mother Teresa died and I remember my daughter asked me why two such beloved women had to die at the same time. I had no wisdom for her, only what my heart told me: God must have needed them in Heaven really badly for him to take them both from us.

The world has changed dramatically  since August 31, 1997. For a very brief time we were given the gift of having Diana in it. All she ever wanted was to be the Queen of People’s Hearts. It’s too bad she had to leave us before she knew she was…..

diana-princess-of-wales

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August 30, 2015 · 10:11 am

Is writing all you do?

Snarky question, right? I was asked this a few weeks ago when I was getting my nails done (yes, I’m spoiled, deal with it.) and a fringe acquaintance who happens to know I’ve had 2 books come out this year already, asked this. I could describe the tone in her voice as snotty or condescending, but it wasn’t. She was truly asking honestly because she couldn’t believe a person could spend hours daily at a laptop, writing. That’s exactly what she told me.

No, I didn’t hit her – wet nails, remember? I dealt with the question and then had a come-to-Jesus-moment when I realized several other people where listening to our conversation. Listening intently, I’ll add. So I didn’t reply in a snarky, rude way to her question. I took the opportunity to lay out my daily writing life.

 

typewriter

But it got me to thinking afterward how many non-writing people must think the same way this chick does. I put up a post question on my facebook page asking my writing friends to tell me the nasty, little diggy things people have said to them about being writers over the years. Here are a few of the replies I received: (  my thoughts are in the ( ) )

  •  “Oh, isn’t writing a nice little hobby.” (No. Stamp collecting is a hobby. Writing in a calling.)
  •  ” I wish I had time to sit around and write stories.” ( What’s stopping you? Oh, yeah…no talent.)
  • “You must have too much time on your hands.”  (Sure, like the house cleans itself, the laundry puts itself into the dryer, and the food materializes out of the cabinets  by magic.)
  • One of my former English teacher’s said, “You write smut.” She claims she didn’t mean it “that” way, but it still annoyed me.  ( Really? She didn’t mean it that way?  In what other context is the word “smut” a good thing?? Bad English  teacher.)

Here are some I’ve heard from other writers as well:

  • “Print is dead. You’ll never be able to support yourself.” (This chick was TSTL – for those of you who don’t read romance that stands for Too Stupid To Live
  • “Is there any money in that?”(Rude, much?)
  • “I could write a book if someone paid me to do it.” (No, you couldn’t.)
  • “Aren’t you bored out of your mind at home all day?” (No. I’m bored talking to you about this topic.)
  • “You must be able to catch up on all your tv watching now.” ( Really?)
  • “It’s a good thing your husband works.” (This one was said to me!!) (( In reply, I smiled serenely and said, “Yes. And he’s a doctor, too. Bitchy, much?))

I never cease to be amazed by what comes out of peoples’ mouths. I’ve said this often in my life but it needs to be repeated: There’s a very thin line between saying something and thinking it. 99% of the stuff I think, I never give a voice to because I know it will either hurt someone’s feelings or be misconstrued. I have enough problems with impulse control issues without adding saying rude and inappropriate things to people who deserve to have rude and inappropriate things said to them into the mix.

So, back to my fingernail fandango. I explained to the woman sitting next to me that I treat my writing as my job. I get up each day just like she does; I get hubby off to work, do laundry, grocery shop, clean the house, pay bills and do a thousand other things before sitting down at my laptop for between 8-10 hours JUST LIKE A JOB I had to leave the house to do. Every two weeks I take a lunch hour break to get my nails done; once a month, an hour to visit my stylist so I can keep my bottle blonde hair coiffed. I told her I pen a blog 3-4 times a week, in addition to doing visit stops at other webpages, do my own marketing and promotion for my books and on any given day have 3-4 books in various rotations of edits, galleys and writing. I am not sitting on the couch in lounging pajamas eating Milano cookies and drinking Pomegranate Cosmos all day long. The television doesn’t go on until after dinner – if at all – and I make it a habit to try and get some sort of exercise 5 times a week. Plus, I cook a full meal from scratch every night for my husband and I. Once in a great while we will go out to eat on a weekend night.

bonbons

She stared at me, wide eyed and ( thankfully) speechless when I was done. The only sounds you could hear in the room were from the manicurists speaking in Vietnamese. And I sincerely hope they weren’t talking about me. But if they were,  I hope it was in a good way.

BTW my nails looked great when I sauntered out of the salon a half hour later.

manicure

 

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August 28, 2015 · 10:00 am

An interview with author Maria Imbalzano

 

 

mimbalzano-pressToday I’m hosting the lovely, talented Maria Imbalzano, a Wild Rose Press author and sistah. Maria is one smart cookie – not only is she a matrimonial layer in New Jersey ( hallaaaa, Jersey Girl!!) she juggles her demanding law practice, motherhood and a secondary writing career. And she juggles them well.  I recently interviewed Maria in depth – even she admitted some of the questions were a little hard – so read on and learn more about her and her most recent novel from the Wild Rose Press,  Dancing in the Sand

 Questions for The Writer in you…

What drives you to write? I love the creative process. It’s fun for me to make up stories, conceive characters, and determine their secrets, flaws and motivations.

What genre(s) of Romance do your write, and why? Contemporary. I am familiar with the present and as they say “write what you know.” It’s closer to real life and it’s easier to draw from real life experiences – whether my own or someone else’s. It would take an enormous amount of research and studying to learn enough to write historical. I suppose I don’t have enough creativity to write paranormal since I would have to build my own world. Contemporary is the place for me.

What genre(s) of Romance do you read, and why? Mostly contemporary, but I also like to read historical.

What’s your writing schedule? Do you write everyday? I wish I could, but my day job gets in the way. I’m a divorce lawyer, which keeps me in the office many nights until 6:30-7:00, and I’m also involved on non-profit Boards and attend many evening functions such as Chamber of Commerce events, Bar Association dinners, and charitable fundraisers. There are not enough hours in the day, but when I do sit down to write, I am very efficient.

Give us a glimpse of the surroundings where you write. Separate room? In the kitchen? At the dining room table? I am lucky to have an office all to myself. I have a large desk with three sets of drawers for filing, a printer, and a bookcase with dozens of books on writing. The office also has a couch where I often sit if I’m editing, and an elliptical machine in case I feel the need to move. This office was originally set up by my husband, but as soon as the desk came in, I took over. I do that everywhere in the house.

Are you the kind of writer who needs total quiet to compose, or are you able to filter out the typical sounds of the day and use your tunnelvision? I like quiet. The only sounds I hear are my characters talking in my head.

Do you listen to music while you write, and if so, what kind? If not, why not? I don’t listen to music when I write because I would be singing along, or worse, dancing in my chair. Neither is conducive to writing.

How did you come up with the plotline/idea for your new release? The premise for “Dancing in the Sand” came to me in a dream. Young, passionate love exploded over the course of a weekend–the kind of forbidden, but oh so exciting love. Horseback riding was involved along with an accident. The dream was so vivid, so romantic, and a little disturbing, that I wrote it down the second I woke up. From there, I created the heroine to be a dance major at NYU. I love dance and took lessons for years including ballet, tap and modern jazz. I suppose Ava is my alter-ego.

Which comes first for you – character or plot? And why? Plot comes first for me. I need to know the story before I can populate it with the appropriate characters.

What 3 words describes you, the writer?  Plotter,  Persistent,  Non-stop Editor

And now, you the Person ( mom, lawyer, wife, etc….:)

Tell us one unusual thing about yourself – not related to writing! I don’t think this is unusual but I love to dance. I took ballet, jazz and tap for twelve years when I was younger. Now I just go to Jazzercise to get in my dancing. For our daughter’s wedding, I choreographed a dance for the bride, bridesmaids and two moms to Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off.” We surprised everyone with our great dance moves.

Who was your first love and what age were you? I was fifteen, he was nineteen. We worked together at a movie theater. He was so handsome and had gorgeous green eyes and smelled amazing. Ahhh, first love.

If you could relive one day, which one would it be? Think GROUNDHOG DAY, the movie for this one – you’ll have to live it over and over and…. Our wedding day. It was such a beautiful October day (Halloween) and everything was perfect. Unfortunately, so much is going on that day that you don’t remember everything and all you want to do is have a replay. I felt the same way about our daughter’s wedding.

Do you like a guy in boxers, briefs, or commando? All of the above

If you had to give up one necessary-can’t-live-without-it beauty item, what would it be? Blush – I could improvise with lipstick, right?

What three words describes you, the person?  Social,  Hard-working, Persistent

If you could sing a song with Jimmy Fallon, what would it be? Sympathy for the Devil by the Rolling Stones

If you could hang out with any literary character from any book penned at any time line, who would it by, why, and what would you do together? Scarlett O’Hara before the war when we would dress up in ball gowns and attend over-the-top parties. We’d flirt and dance and vie for the same handsome man.

Bonus round

I love the Actor’s Studio show on Bravo, so this is my version of it:

  1. Favorite sound – raindrops on the roof when I’m snuggled up in bed
  2. Least favorite sound – lawnmower impinging on a beautiful summer day
  3. Best song every written– God Only Knows by the Beach Boys
  4. Worst song ever written – Yellow Submarine by the Beatles
  5. Favorite actor and actress – Julia Roberts
  6. Who would you want to be for 1 day and why? ( It can be anyone living or dead)-Hilary Clinton as Secretary of State-she’s a smart, strong, intelligent woman who fits well in a man’s world
  7. What turns you on? A guy in a suit and tie
  8. What turns you off? A guy in a sleeveless sweatshirt and sweat pants
  9. Give me the worst 5 words ever heard on a first date ( here’s mine: “Is that your real hair?”) “I have a girl friend”
  10. What’s your version of a perfect day? Sitting on the front porch of our beach house with my husband and listening to the ocean while reading.

Peggy here: Wow, Maria! You and I have a lot of similar likes and dislikes. Gone With the Wind is one of my all time favorite books and I would love a chance to hang with Scarlett for a day before a nighttime ball too! And I wish I could see that video of the dance routine at your daughter’s wedding. I’m betting it’s amazeballs. Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions – long and lengthy though they were. It was my pleasure to host and get to know you…

Now, for our readers, here’s a little taste of DANCING IN THE SAND available now...

 

DancingintheSand_w9669_300

BLURB:

An accomplished dance major in New York City, Ava Woodward is pursuing her dream of becoming a professional in a national dance company. But a celebratory weekend in Newport, where she meets the man of her fantasies, has devastating consequences that change her life forever.

Brian Stanhope, a Harvard graduate, poised to join his father’s company, suffers a brain injury in a horseback riding accident, which affects his memory. He has no recollection of his graduation party weekend or the beautiful dancer who turned his head and stole his heart.

When they reunite eight years later, the magic of their powerful attraction binds them together, but the past holds a secret that even love may not be able to overcome.

Excerpt from Dancing in the Sand:

Approaching his sister’s dance studio to the right, he heard a pounding beat, not at all similar to the classical music that fueled Carrie’s usual dance practices. He stopped to watch through a small square window off to the side. Ava, dressed in a black leotard and tights, leaped and twirled through the air like a spinning top, set on its course around the circumference of the room while Carrie spun in a more confined area in the center of the room.

Brian’s eyes sought Ava as her tight body coiled and released, coiled and released. Her arms were at once fragile and muscled, highlighting biceps and long, graceful fingers, sweeping through the air to mirror her legs. Her leaps were huge, with powerful extension and maximum air between her and the floor. No sooner would she land than she’d pull her limbs into herself and pirouette on her toes, spinning fast enough to make him question the physics of it all. This was no prissy ballet. This was fast and furious modern dance where you could feel the beat in your throat. Okay, maybe he’d experienced a little too much dance in his life, but this was definitely as good as anything he’d seen on the New York stage. Ava was even better than his sister.

What happened to the shy, vulnerable girl he’d just met? On the dance floor, she was a powerhouse. Full of confidence, energy, and magnetism.

When the music ended, he stood rooted to the floor, and his hands came up in a spontaneous clap.

“Who’s out there?” Carrie flung open the door to reveal their intruder. “Brian, what are you doing here? I thought you were playing tennis.”

“I am. I was. I-I had to come in for more balls.”

He stared at Ava, with her dark brown hair pulled tight in a bun at the nape of her neck, drops of sweat beading on her chest just above the scoop of her leotard and above her full upper lip. Hot and sexy. He swallowed, fantasizing about licking the moisture from her mouth, her neck, molding that cute little powerful body into his.

“Then why are you just standing there?” Carrie placed her hands on her hips, challenging him to stop staring at her friend and walk away.

“I’m going.” He backed away from the door, but couldn’t seem to make his body turn and move down the hall.

Until Carrie slammed the door in his face.

Biography:

Maria Imbalzano is a matrimonial lawyer in central New Jersey where she not only uses her law degree to navigate her clients through the court system, but her psychology degree to guide them through their personal struggles. While writing motions, legal memoranda, and briefs is fascinating, it pales in comparison to creating memorable characters and taking them on their emotional journeys.

In addition to practicing law and writing fiction, Maria enjoys spending time with her husband and two daughters either at home or at the Jersey Shore.

 

Visit Maria at http://www.mariaimbalzano.com

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

Facebook –

https://www.facebook.com/mariaimbalzanoauthor

Twitter

http://www.twitter.com/mariaimbalzano

@mariaimbalzano

Blog Link

http://www.mariaimbalzano.com/category/blog/

Website Link

http://www.mariaimbalzano.com

Goodreads Author Page

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7276749.Maria_Imbalzano

Buy Links for “Dancing in the Sand”

Kindle

http://www.amazon.com/Dancing-Sand-Maria-Imbalzano-ebook/dp/B0121Q8F5W/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1438005888&sr=8-2&keywords=dancing+in+the+sand&pebp=1438005895512&perid=18SVGPFKD2FG4CB7B7BR

Barnes and Noble Nook

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dancing-in-the-sand-maria-imbalzano/1122378243?ean=2940150767836

All Romance

https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-dancinginthesand-1857206-149.html

Bookstrand

http://www.bookstrand.com/dancing-in-the-sand

Kobo

https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/dancing-in-the-sand

The Wild Rose Press

http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/maincatalog_v151/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=195&products_id=6348

 

 

 

 

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August 26, 2015 · 9:18 am

I’m not a very good waiter…..

No, I’m not talking about serving you dinner or drinks. I mean I’m not good at waiting for things to happen, people to get back to me, emails to be answered.

I guess I could have titled this piece I’m Impatient and it would have meant the same thing.

I’ve always been impatient, even as a child. I was that kid in the cartoon tootsie roll commercial with the Owl – remember? Only I was the owl. “How many licks does it take to get the middle of a tootsie pop? one..two..three.crunch.” That was me. There was no way I was waiting to lick the pop down before tasting the chocolatey tootsie center.

I’m that adult that hits the elevator button 30 times just in case it forgets to stop at my floor.

The minute I sit down in a restaurant I expect the serve staff to be jonny-on-the-spot with a drink order and menu in hand. Those 9 months of pregnancy? Yeah, not happening again. I could only handle the long wait once, hence the only child. Good thing I’m not an elephant.

I’m that person in the 10 items only checkout line who  has 9 items and will chastise the person in front of her who has 12.

I hate waiting for people to get to the point – ergo my rude habit of finishing other people’s sentences. It’s a good thing I didn’t go into politics. Or Public Relations. I’d be a nightmare to work with. Who am I kidding?? I’d be fired from any job that required me to be subtle and play the waiting game.

I haven’t called someone  on a phone in years. Know why? When you call someone, 9 times out of 10 you need to leave them a message because they’re too busy to pick up. Know what I do instead? Text. Why, you ask? Because people respond to texts IMMEDIATELY!!! I never, ever wait for a text response because I don’t have to. They are always, always answered  as soon as they are received.

Love that. LOVE THAT!

I know: obnoxious, right? To the max. That’s me.

As a writer, I have to wait all the time. I wait for query responses from editors and agents; I wait for contracts, first and last edits; galleys; advance checks. I wait anxiously for release dates and the second I know them I start publicizing them. Pre-orders are my life’s-blood.  Writing is a waiting game and the road to publication is psychologically tortuous for someone  like me who has zero patience tolerance.

I must remember to ask my mother one of these days about my toilet training. Seems that might be where all this started…..hmmmmm.

So, are you a good waiter or a bad one like me? Let’s discuss…….

 

 

 

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August 25, 2015 · 9:46 am

More things I believe…

Yesterday’s blog was fun to write, and after I posted it I realized I had more things I believe. Here they are:

  1. Pizza should be included in the FOOD PYRAMID as an actual category.
  2. I will always remember to do something AFTER it was time for me to remember it! Or in other words, too late.
  3. Every child deserves the right to love, shelter, food and a future. Every child. Every child.
  4. I’m a grown-up and if I want to have dessert first, I can and will.
  5. When someone is speaking smack, they need to be shut down. Immediately.
  6. Do a good deed just because…not because you want someone to recognize that you did it.
  7. There’s never a punishment for the truth.
  8. There is always a punishment for a lie.
  9. If you make a vow – you stick to it. Same goes for a promise.
  10. A smile and a gentle touch go a very long way to making someone feel better.

What about you? What do you believe? Let’s discuss…..

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