Friday, January 04, 2013

I'm Still Here

Just to let you know, I'm still here. Often, I don't have the time to update my Double M blog here, because I'm so busy getting my other blogs done, or working on my books.

For those who don't know, I also operate group blogs. Here are three that have been very active lately, which I invite you to check out some time:

Acme Authors Link - http://acmeauthorslink.blogspot.com
Romance and mystery authors share their writing life.

Make Mine Mystery - http://makeminemystery.blogspot.com
As the name entails, you'll find lots of mystery and thriller authors over here.

Spunky Senior Authors and Talents - http://spunkyseniors.blogspot.com
Designed as a guest blog featuring seniors 50 years and older, authors and other

Morgan Mandel's most current releases are
the romantic comedy, Her Handyman
http://amzn.com/B0097EVXBK and
the Thriller, Forever Young: Blessing or Curse,
at http://amzn.com/B006MO28CQ

Find all of Morgan Mandel's books at
http://www.morganmandel.com

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

What's Next?

Her Handyman by Morgan Mandel
I got a little sidetracked by Thanksgiving and my freebie promotion of  the romantic comedy, Her Handyman, which took a lot of doing. The competition is fierce. To get anyone to notice a book, even if it's free, isn't very easy. I did zillions of tweets, visited my Facebook groups and pages more than people probably wanted me to, and also sent out email blasts to egroups and personal friends, plus devised other methods to get attention, kind of like my dog, Rascal, does when I'm at the keyboard.

The result was 2,322 more readers got to see Her Handyman than would have otherwise. At one point I got up to #137 on the Free Kindle Store list at Amazon, and was also #40 in Contemporary Romance. This was a decent showing, considering my promotion took place over Black Friday and Small Business Saturday, when tons of people were shopping, recuperating from Thanksgiving, or still out of town.

I will be doing further promotions from time to time, but now must buckle down and finish Blessing or Curse, the sequel to Forever Young: Blessing or Curse.

Blessing or Curse
by Morgan Mandel
While Forever Young: Blessing or Curse is a thriller with a touch of romance, Blessing or Curse is a romance, with a touch of thriller.

Blessing or Curse focuses more on the personal lives of five very diverse people and those they love, but there are a few villains lurking in the background and also the aspect of the Forever Young pill, which turns someone back to a desired age. I wish someone would hurry up and invent one!


Forever Young: Blessing or Curse
by Morgan Mandel

If you didn't get your copy of Her Handyman, it's still available for kindle at the huge amount of 99 cents at http://amzn.com/B0097EVXBK


Morgan Mandel
Twitter: @MorganMandel



Sunday, November 18, 2012

My Guest, Romance Author Debra St. John, Tells Us About Her Next Big Thing for Thanksgiving

My guest today is a very good friend of mine and a great romance author, by the name of Debra St. John. Debra is answering questions to share her Next Big Thing for Thanksgiving with us.

What is the title of your book?
An Unexpected Blessing

Where did the idea come from for the book?
I wanted to write a Thanksgiving story, so I had a lot of the background details in my head. I knew it would include all the best things about the holiday: food, things to be thankful for, and time with family. I also knew I wanted the setting to be a small town. The actual plot for the storyline just came to me one day.

What genre does your book fall under?
Contemporary romance. I’d call it cozy with some spice!

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Well, he’s not really an actor, but country singer Justin Moore has the right look and the right smile to play Joe. I think Natalie Portman would make a good Katy.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
When an ex-con and the girl he’s had a secret crush on for years reunite, the sparks fly and attraction blooms, but their love is put to the test by small town gossip that can’t get over his past.

Is your book self-published or represented by an agency?
It’s available from The Wild Rose Press.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
About two months.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?
Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday, but it so often gets pushed aside and forgotten in the rush to get to Christmas. I wanted a book to celebrate all of the wonderful things about Thanksgiving.

What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?
My heroine, Katy, shares my views about Christmas needing to wait its turn in order to give Thanksgiving its rightful due!

Links:


Excerpt:
 “Are you going to dance with me or not?”
     “Yes, ma’am, I am.” He stood and offered his hand.
     She slid hers into his warm grasp. As always, his touch caused a little shock in her heart. The weight of a hundred pairs of eyes followed them out onto the floor. The dirt was packed smooth, and a ring of hay bales marked the area. Her tummy quivered with a combination of nerves and anticipation.
     He found an open spot, which wasn’t difficult with the other couples affording them a wide berth, and then curved his arm around her waist to draw her close. Her body fit perfectly against him. A shiver tingled through her. She rested her free hand on his shoulder.
     His thigh brushed hers as he rhythmically shuffled his feet to the music. His gaze captured and held hers. The rest of the room faded as she stared into the warm, melted chocolate brown of his eyes.
     She didn’t care that people whispered. Snuck glances. Or outright gaped. All she cared about was swaying to a soft, slow beat. The quicker thud of her heart. Strong arms wrapped around her. And the desire to stay right where she was. Maybe forever.

Please welcome Debra St. John by leaving a comment. 

To see my review of Unexpected Blessing, go to:
http://www.amazon.com/An-Unexpected-Blessing-ebook/dp/B00A53KMSC

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Blessing or Curse Coming Soon

Blessing or Curse
by Morgan Mandel
What Blessing or Curse is:

Blessing or Curse is the sequel to the science fiction thriller,  Forever Young: Blessing or Curse. This book can be read as a standalone or part of the projected three-book series.

In the first book, the emphasis is on a 55-year old widow, who takes the young pill turning her back to 24. All should have been wonderful, but then she makes a discovery which has her fleeing both from the villains and the law.

Blessing or Curse, the new book, is chiefly a romance, with a smattering of science fiction, since no one yet has invented a Forever Young pill. It's broken into five separate stories depicting how the pill impacts the lives of five test market subjects, and whether or not their choice was the right one. These participants come from differing ethnicities, ages and classes, yet all have a reason to be young. The loved ones of these characters are also at some point in the stories impacted by the test subject's age reversion.

Here's the lineup of stories:



Desperation forces Consuela to order the Forever Young pill to cure her husband, Diego, who suffers from Parkinson’s Disease; but will the cure become a curse?

Ezekiel, an African-American male with  E.D. difficulties, sends in for the young pill to prevent his lady love, Luana, from discovering he can’t get it up. Will the pill draw her closer or drive her away?

Strawberry blonde model, Sherri’s popularity is fading with her looks. The pill can bring her fame and fortune, but what about love?

Overweight Chicago Police Officer Walinski must pass a new physical or lose his job, along with his canine partner. Will the young pill provide security, when danger lurks in the line of duty? 

Downtrodden going-on-sixty housewife, Dee Dee Marshall, suspects her husband of infidelity, and will do anything to keep him, even take an experimental pill. What she really needs is self-confidence.

A Sneak Peek at Consuela and Diego's Story: 

First Trial Run -  Albuquerque, New Mexico

Consuela & Diego Morales

Ah, the wonderful love they’d shared. Why must it end this way?
“Diego, eat,” Consuela Morales said, holding out a spoonful of puree to her shrunken, wheelchair-bound husband. His dry parched lips remained obstinately shut, his gray eyebrows furrowed. He wanted to die and she didn’t blame him. God help her, sometimes she wanted him dead too. Till death do us part seemed a long time to live with half a man.
Placing the spoon into the jar with a klunk, Consuela gazed morosely at her husband. Mamacita, God rest her soul, had warned her not to marry a man twenty years older, but the ripe, chestnut-haired Consuela had paid no heed, choosing passion over common sense. Diego of the raised eyebrows, straight black hair and cocky mannerisms had fevered her blood, making her come alive as no other man could.
She remembered the exact moment he’d strode into the basement of her friend, Isabella’s brownstone. As their eyes met, her heart raced beneath the confines of her ample breasts, almost drowning out the background sounds of New Year’s Eve TV reveling.
Quickly averting her eyes, she whispered to her friend, Isabel, “Who is that studly guy?”
Isabel glanced at the new addition and frowned in concentration. “Oh, that must Diego, Alessandro’s cousin. He broke up with his girl and asked if he could come with tonight. He’s hot, if you go for father figures.”
 “My father never looked that good his entire life. That man steams. I need to cool off some.” 


I'm still rounding out Dee Dee Marshall's experience. Then we'll have the full house! Hope to have it ready soon, in between promoting Her Handyman, my humorous romance.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Thanks for Participating

Hi Gang,
Her Handyman by Morgan Mandel
Thanks to everyone for participating in my recent freebie Friday and Saturday for Her Handyman. So far, I'm happy to report I've gotten lots of positive feedback for my contemporary romance.

One of the joys of being an author is being able to share my novels with readers, and Amazon has a great program for doing so.

During the promotion, 2350 readers downloaded Her Handyman, and that was 2350 more than would have normally seen it!

If you didn't get a chance to download a copy from Amazon, Her Handyman is still a bargain at 99 cents, less than a dollar, at http://amzn.com/B0097EVXBK

If you're a prime member at Amazon, you can download this novel for free.


This one's about the unlikely romance between a regular guy, handyman, and a rich girl, artist, with the added complications of her mischief-making dog and his fiance waiting in the wings.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Her Handyman Free on Friday, Oct. 12 and Sat, Oct 13


This is the first time I'm offering a book for free on Amazon. It will take place on Friday, Oct. 12 and Saturday, Oct 13, and is my very latest romantic comedy novella, Her Handyman!!!

The link for this freebie is:

Even if you don't have a kindle, Amazon has an easy way for you to download for other formats, so don't hesitate to take advantage of this offer. 

Here's a link for easy downloading to your computer:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=kcp_pc_mkt_lnd?docId=1000426311

What it's about:
A novella length romantic comedy, with a dash of the serious. Longer than a short story, shorter than a full-length novel - just the right size for a busy reader!

Throw a crazy canine, a handyman, and a quirky artist together and you've got mayhem!

Who'd guess it's Jake, the handyman, who needs rescuing when he answers a call by the distraught artist, Zoe, to stop a toilet flood begun by her crazy canine, FuFu? 

Please take advantage of this offer and click to buy FOR FREE on either day.

And, if you happen to feel inclined, I'd love for you to do a short review on Amazon to tell other readers.No obligation to do so. The book is still free.

Thanks,
Morgan Mandel


Sunday, September 16, 2012

Marilyn Meredith Shares Excerpt from Raging Water


 About Marilyn Meredith: Meredith is the author of over thirty published novels, including the award winning Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery series, the latest Raging Water from Mundania Press. Writing as F. M. Meredith, her latest Rocky Bluff P.D. crime novel us No Bells, the forth from Oak Tree Press. Marilyn is a member of EPIC, three chapters of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and on the board of the Public Safety Writers of America. Visit her at http://fictionforyou.com and follow her blog at http://marilymeredith.blogspot.com/

Marilyn Says: I know there are some people who like to read a series in order, but let me reassure you that every book is complete. Though the characters grow through each book, the crime is always solved. Here is the order of the books for anyone who wants to know: Deadly Trail, Deadly Omen, Unequally Yoked, Intervention, Wing Beat, Calling the Dead, Judgment Fire, Kindred Spirits, Dispel the Mist, Invisible Path, Bears With Us, Raging Water.


What Raging Water Is About:  Deputy Tempe Crabtree’s investigation of the murder of two close friends is complicated when relentless rain turns Bear Creek into a raging river. Homes are inundated and a mud slide blocks the only road out of Bear Creek stranding many—including the murderer.

EXCERPT from Raging Water by Marilyn Meredith


Miqui Sherwood woke from a sound sleep. A floor board creaked. She raised her head and listened. No, she wasn’t imagining things. There it was again. Someone was in her house. Neither Cleopatra nor Blondie stirred from their comfy spot tucked beside the bend in her knees. No wonder, her two darling pets were both old and hard of hearing.
Maybe it was that raccoon again who had sneaked in through the doggie door. No. It took more weight than that to make a floor-board creak.
Someone was in the house. She’d heard from several of her friends, that they’d been burglarized but didn’t know when it happened. Well, she knew, because it was happening to her right now. Crap.
She eased out of bed as quietly as possible. What should she do? She didn’t own a gun, didn’t know how to use one, and wasn’t sure she would if she did have one. She scooped up her dogs and plucked her cell phone off the nightstand.
With her heart thumping madly, she tiptoed across to the other side of her large master bedroom and opened the door to the walk-in closet. Besides her clothes, this was one of the places she stored many of her holiday decorations, and since she still had her Christmas decorations out, the back was fairly empty.
Her Christmas decorations. She prayed the intruder didn’t share a fondness for any of her collectibles handed down to her from her mother and grandmother, priceless and irreplaceable. She adored each and every one.
Cleopatra and Blondie squirmed in her arms, letting her know they wanted down.
Miqui yanked a blanket off a shelf and put it on the floor. Carefully, she set the dogs down. Within minutes they both emitted soft snores, already back to sleep. So much for being any kind of protection.
Her bedroom was at the end of a long hall. She thought she heard the door to one of the spare bedrooms open. Good heavens, why was she waiting to make a phone call? She punched in the home phone number for Deputy Crabtree, the resident deputy of the mountain community of Bear Creek. Calling 9-1-1 would take longer, and someone else might be sent. She knew the deputy lived close by. It seemed as though it took forever for the phone to start ringing.
Two rings later, a sleepy sounding female voice answered. “Crabtree.”
“This is Miqui Sherwood,” she whispered. “I think there’s someone in my house.”
“Where are you now?”
“My dogs and I are hiding in my bedroom closet.”
“Give me your address. I’m sure I know where you live, but just in case.”
She rattled off the number. “Hurry.”
“I’m coming right now.”
It couldn’t be soon enough to suit Miqui. Since she’d awakened the deputy, she’d have to dress first and then it was at least eight to ten minutes driving time from the deputy’s place to Miqui’s home tucked into the mountainside overlooking the town of Bear Creek.
She’d never been so scared in her life. Maybe she should find something to hit whoever it was if he came into her bedroom and opened the closet door.
To do that, she’d have to leave the safety of the closet and she might go back in the room the same time the burglar came in. No, she’d just stay right where she was and hope Deputy Crabtree arrived at her house before the intruder made his way into the bedroom.
Though she’d given up watching scary movies a long time ago, deciding that wasn’t a good idea since she lived alone, this was far worse than any scary movie could possibly be. It wasn’t often she wished she had a man in her life. She’d given up on that scenario though she still had a spark of hope the right guy might come along. Now was the time a strong, muscular man would’ve come in handy. There’d been a few fellows she’d dated and even considered marrying, but for one reason or another, it had never happened. In most cases, she knew her love of independence got in the way. She’d yet to meet the man who could accept her level of self-sufficiency.
She’d worked long and hard as a partner in a medical insurance group that gave her an excellent retirement, and she’d made wise investments over the years, so she didn’t need a man to support her. Nor did she want one to support. Yes, she was lonely at times, but she belonged to many local organizations, did volunteer work associated with each of them, and had many female and male friends.
Right now, cowering in the closet, she wished she’d not been quite so choosy about the males in her life.
Oh, dear God, the hinges on her bedroom door squeaked open. Whoever was there would see she wasn’t in bed.
Cleo, the black-and-white mixed terrier lifted her head. Her ears stood straight up. Blondie, a long-haired Doxie mix, stood, emitting a low growl.
Before Miqui could shush them, the closet door creaked open and gloved fingers appeared on the edge. She screamed. The two small dogs raced past her, barking.
The intruder turned and darted off, the little dogs barking and nipping at his ankles. “Ow. Stop that. Quit it.” His protests faded as he ran through the house.
Whoever it was wore black from head to toe except for white spots on his running shoes. He quickly disappeared from view.
Now afraid for her pets, neither of them young, Miqui ran after the man and the dogs. “Cleo, Blondie, come back.”
All she could see of the burglar was his back and those white spots moving quickly as he dashed through the living room and past the kitchen. He disappeared into the laundry room. Her dogs galloped right behind him.

Contest: The person who leaves comments on the most blogs will have his/her name used for a character in my next book—can choose if you want it in a Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery or a Rocky Bluff P.D. crime novel.

Visit Marilyn at http://fictionforyou.com and follow her blog at http://marilymeredith.blogspot.com/

Please leave a comment to welcome Marilyn Meredith to Double M.

Friday, September 14, 2012

DogLovers Mini Blog Tour for Her Handyman by Morgan Mandel

I've started a DogLovers Mini Blog Tour to Kick Off My New Release, Her Handyman!!!

Why a DogLovers Tour for my romantic comedy? Stop by my tour stops for the answer.

Today's blog stop 
(Friday, Sept. 14, 2012)
Candid Canine -  http://candidcanine.blogspot.com
At Candid Canine, I'm interviewed by  Christine Verstraete, where I answer the burning question of why there's a dog in my book, plus other important questions which inquiring minds might want to know.
Also provided is an excerpt from Her Handyman.

Next Wednesday 
(Wed., Sept. 19, 2012)
The Book Connection, a blog owned by Cheryl Malandrinos, at http://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com. There I'll share a post about Rascal, The Dog Who Owns Me, and include FuFu, the dog who owns my heroine, Zoe.

Find Her Handyman on Kindle at http://amzn.com/B0097EVXBK
Morgan Mandel's Amazon Author Central Page: http://amazon.com/author/morganmandel
Find Excerpts and Buy Links in various formats for Morgan's books at http://morgansbooklinks.blogspot.com



Saturday, September 08, 2012

HER HANDYMAN IS RELEASED ON KINDLE

HER HANDYMAN BY MORGAN MANDEL -
JUST RELEASED ON KINDLE FOR 99 CENTS!!!

http://amzn.com/B0097EVXBK


Throw a crazy canine, a handyman, and an artist together and you've got mayhem!


Who'd guess it's Jake, the handyman, who needs rescuing when he answers a call by the distraught artist, Zoe, to stop a toilet flood begun by her crazy canine, FuFu?

A novella length romantic comedy, with a dash of the serious.


Tuesday, August 07, 2012

Her Handyman


You haven't seen much of me lately because I've been working on my new romantic comedy, called Her Handyman.

It's almost done, and will be featured first on Kindle.

Once again, I was fortunate enough to collaborate with the talented Stephen Walker of SR Walker Designs, to come up with just the right design to fit the mood of my story.

I'm sharing the cover with you now. Hope you like it as much as I do!

Throw a crazy canine, a handyman, and a talented artist together in one bathroom, and you've got bedlam.

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Please Welcome Small Town Gal, Helen Ginger, an Author and Editor at The Corner Cafe

Helen Ginger
The Corner Café
I live in a small town outside of a big town. When I moved here ten years ago, we had one stoplight and a couple of stores. We were just a bump on the road to the lake. Now we have many stoplights, two huge walking malls, a cinema, and lots of traffic. Big or small, one thing we don’t have is a corner café.

So, when an online group I belong to decided to put together a short story anthology and call it The Corner Café, I wondered what I could contribute. As it turned out though, we didn't have to write about a café, we just had to mention the corner café somewhere in the story. Since all proceeds on sales would go to charity, I really wanted to contribute.

I ended up writing two stories, one long, one short, and both got accepted.

The long one is called Gila Monster. Here is its logline: Neree, who parked her beat-up truck, Gila Monster, in the senior parking lot, hopes to find it still there at the end of school, but what she finds is an unexpected possibility.

The shorter short story, called One Last Run, is only 360 words: When a couple ski a black diamond run in a blizzard, the truth of what happened is in the blood.

The length of a short story doesn't matter as much as the story itself and the twist or surprise at the end. You want the reader to have a visceral reaction to the story - a laugh, a gasp, a smile, an "ah-ha" or an "oh no" or perhaps an "I didn't see that coming!"

But as you write, you have to remember that it's a short story. That means every word has to count, have meaning, move the story forward. Cut wasteful words. Focus on the character. Focus on the ending. Get there without being distracted by minor characters or incidental plot lines. Short stories mostly have one plot line -- the one that leads directly to the end. But that means that the end is the pay off, so you can't reveal it beforehand. This isn't to say that the end will always be some huge surprise or reveal. It may be quiet or satisfying or something that doesn't hit you upside the head, but touches your heart.

A short story can be two paragraphs or twenty pages. After all, what's short to you may not be short to someone else. I’m 5'9". I used to be tall, but now I'm short. Oh, I'm still 5'9", but my daughter is 6'1", my husband is 6'6", and my son is 6'10". So, when you see us together, I'm short. It's all in how your look at it.

If you've never tried your hand at writing a short story, give it a go. Why not!
                            
About Helen Ginger's new release, Angel Sometimes.
Angel Sometimes has a plan: Go home to Oklahoma and ask her mother why she loved her one day, then threw her out like garbage the next. At 12, she was left on the streets. She's now 22 and swimming as a mermaid at The Aquarium. She's almost ready to confront her parents, but to do that, she needs three things: her high school diploma, a car and a gun.

Helen Ginger is also the author of three books in TSTC Publishing’s TechCareers series. You can find two of her short stories in the just released anthology, The Corner Café. Her free ezine, Doing It Write, now in its thirteenth year of publication, goes out to subscribers around the globe. You can follow Helen on her blog, Straight From Hel, on Twitter or connect with her on Facebook and LinkedIn. She is also Co-Partner and Webmistress for Legends In Our Own Minds® and the Coordinator of Story Circle Network’s Editorial Services.

Amazon Author Central Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/helenginger
Website: http://helenginger.com/diw.htm
Blog: http://straightfromhel.blogspot.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/MermaidHel
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/HelenGinger1
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/HelenGinger
Legends In Our Minds®: http://legendsinourownminds.com/
Story Circle Network Editorial Service: http://www.storycircleeditorialservice.org/

Please welcome Helen Ginger to Double M by leaving a comment.
Next Tour Stop is Tomorrow At http://patbean.wordpress.com/

Check Out the Complete Corner Cafe Tour List Here At:
http://morganmandel.blogspot.com/2012/06/blog-book-tour-for-corner-cafe-tasty.html

Saturday, June 09, 2012

Blog Book Tour for The Corner Cafe: A Tasty Collection of Short Stories

FREE FOR KINDLE ON JUNE 9 AND 10

AT http://www.amzn.to/Cornercafe


I may have already mentioned, I've done something new and exciting by contributing two short stories to
The Corner Cafe: A Tasty Collection of Short Stories, prepared by the BBT Cafe Authors, an online group of which I'm happy to be a member. During June, our group is going on tour, promoting The Corner Cafe.

If you don't have a kindle, go to http://amzn.to/CCKindleApps
for free apps to download this book.


Below, you'll find the listing of all the Blog Book Tour Stops our groups is making. Please join us to learn not only more about our book and about each author.

June 4 Blog Book Tours Kick-off http://blogbooktours.blogspot.com/

June 5 Bob Sanchez http://bobsanchez1.blogspot.com/

June 6 Red Tash http://redtash.com/

June 7 Magic Dog Press http://www.magicdogpress.wordpress.com/

June 8 Heidi Thomas http://heidiwriter.wordpress.com/

June 11 Marian Allen http://www.marianallen.com/

June 12 W.S Gager http://wsgager.blogspot.com/

June 13 Chris Verstraete http://candidcanine.blogspot.com/

June 14 Helen Ginger http://straightfromhel.blogspot.com/

June 15 Kathy Wheeler  http://kathylwheeler.wordpress.com/

June 18 Morgan Mandel Double M http://morganmandel.blogspot.com/

June 19 Pat Bean http://patbean.wordpress.com/

June 20 Shonell Bacon http://chicklitgurrl.blogspot.com/

June 21 Alberta Ross http://albertaross.wordpress.com/

June 22 Karen Casey Fitzjerrell http://karencaseyfitzjerrell.blogspot.com/

June 25 Pat Stoltey http://patriciastoltey.blogspot.com/

June 26 SB Lerner http://www.susanblerner.com/

June 27 Maryann Miller http://its-not-all-gravy.blogspot.com/

June 28 Mary Montague Sikes http://marymontaguesikes.blogspot.com/

June 29 Stephen Tremp http://breakthroughblogs.blogspot.com/

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Where You Can Find Me

Just thought I'd offer an update on where I'll be in the near future.

This coming Monday, May 21, I'll be hosting the writing duo known as Evelyn David, on my group blog at Make Mine Mystery. Come on over to learn more about their books, and look for those cute dogs on the covers.

This Tuesday, May 22, on Sweet Not Spicy, I'm happy to have as my guest, sweet romance author, Celia Yeary. Coming attractions are Debra Holland on June 12 and Leanne Tyler on June 19.

Wednesday, May 23 you'll find me over at Acme Authors Link, where my topic is Sharing the Load.
On March 24, at The Blood-Red Pencil, I'll be giving a preview from my point of view about the coming release of The Corner Cafe: A Tasty Collection of Short Stories. My contributions to the collection are The Closing of the Corner Cafe and What Nice Blessings. More to follow on this.

Thursdays are usually my day for hosting at Spunky Senior Authors and Talents. I'm not sure yet about my guests, as there as been some changes in schedules. I do know for sure Dr. Bob Rich is scheduled for May 30, Anna Jacobs for June 14, and Shirley Bosius on June 28. Stay tuned for more.

On June 5, you'll find me at The Blood-Red Pencil with the branding feature of What's Your Answer, where I and the blog readers answer questions about blogs and e-books.

I'm also doing a blog tour stop on June 14 when Helen Ginger will be hosting me at her blog about The Corner Cafe: a Tasty Collection of Short Stories, where I'll be discussing my own contributions of The Closing of the Corner Cafe and What Nice Blessings.

Monday, April 30, 2012

Spring Fling Conference Was Great!

Morgan Mandel at the Book Signing Portion
of Spring Fling 2012
The Chicago North RWA Spring Fling 2012 Writers' Conference went off fabulously! The quality of the Chicago Mariott NW venue was superb, in looks and service, with the added bonus of being only 20 minutes away for me!

Lots of great workshops, terrific featured speakers, and many chances to network. Also, some free books from featured speakers, a tempting array of books to purchase in the bookstore and at the book signing. Of course, I came home with a bunch for my TBR pile, which is quite large as it is.

The committee did a terrific job putting this quality conference together. I'm hoping the same people step up to the plate to volunteer next time.

You can find 53 photos from Friday, April 27 and 34 from Saturday, April 28 at my Facebook page -
http://facebook.com/morganmandel


Just a reminder - for Excerpts and Buy Links to all of my books, Check out
http://morgansbooklinks.blogspot.com/

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Spring Fling Writers' Conference Report Soon

Things have been hectic lately, with preparing for my Book Launch Party, working on two short stories for The Corner Cafe anthology, soon to be released, plus keeping up with my guest and group blogs.

Friday and Saturday are the Spring Fling Writers' Conference, and I'll offer a report on some of the highlights here.

Sunday, April 08, 2012

Recap of Week Starting April 1 and Preview of Upcoming Week

If you missed any of my guests during the week, here's your chance to catch up.
Also, mark you calendars to check out any of my upcoming guests.

LAST WEEKS LINEUP:
TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2012 - Sweet Not Spicy
Like cowboy romance? Lisa Mondella Stopped by on her Texas Hearts Blog Book Tour
http://sweetnotspicy.blogspot.com/2012/04/texas-hearts-romance-author-lisa.html#comment-form

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4, 2012
Mystery Author, F.M. (Marilyn) Meredith, stopped by to tell us about her new book, No Bells, in the fantastic Rocky Bluff, P.D. series, and to share some of her publishing tribulations along the way -
http://morganmandel.blogspot.com/2012/04/please-welcome-fm-marilyn-meredith-on.html

THURSDAY, APRIL 5, 2012
Spunky Seniors and Talents Guest Was Author Roseanne Dowell, Who Showed Us Another of Her Talents Besides Writing At
http://spunkyseniors.blogspot.com/2012/04/spunky-author-roseanne-dowell-shares.html

PREVIEW OF UPCOMING GUESTS:
TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 2012 - Sweet Not Spicy
Bella Street - http://sweetnotspicy.blogspot.com/
About HerTime Travel, Sweet Discreet Romance, Kiss Me, I'm Irish

THURSDAY, APRIL 12, 2012 - Spunky Senior Authors and Talents
Alicia Rasley - http://spunkyseniors.blogspot.com/

She's an English College Instructor & Guest Lecturer, Along with Being an Author
Her Topic - It's Not Too Late to Start or Return to College






Morgan Mandel -
For Fast Paced Thrillers, Mysteries, Romances on Most Electronic Media  -
Excerpts & Buy Links- http://morgansbooklinks.blogspot.com/
Amazon Author Central Page: http://amazon.com/author/morganmandel

Wednesday, April 04, 2012

Please Welcome F.M. (Marilyn) Meredith on Tour For Her Mystery, No Bells

CONTEST: The person who comments on the most blogs on Marilyn (F.M.) Meredith's tour will win three books in the Rocky Bluff P.D. series: No Sanctuary, An Axe to Grind, and Angel Lost. Be sure and leave your email too, so Marilyn can contact you if you are the winner.


F.M. (Marilyn) Meredith
F.M. Meredith, also known as Marilyn Meredith, is the author of over thirty published novels—and a few that will never see print. Her latest in the Rocky Bluff P.D. crime series, from Oak Tree Press, is No Bells. Rocky Bluff P.D. is a fictional beach community between Ventura and Santa Barbara and F. M. once lived in a similar beach area.

Marilyn is a member of EPIC, Four chapters of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and serves as the program chair for the Public Safety Writers of America’s writing conference. She’s been an instructor at many writing conferences.

Website: http://fictionforyou.com/
Blog: http://marilynmeredith.blogspot.com/


About Marilyn's latest mystery, No Bells:





Officer Gordon Butler has finally found the love he’s been seeking for a long time, but there’s one big problem, she’s the major suspect in a murder case.




Paperback: http://amzn.com/1610090861








And Now Marilyn Shares her publishing journey:


DEAD BODIES AND CROOKS


That almost sounds like the title for a mystery doesn’t it? Actually it’s what I encountered along the way on my publishing journey.

I began writing in “the olden days”—the days of typewriters and carbon paper and mailing your whole manuscript off in a box with another addressed and stamped box inside for it to come back to you.

My first book that I ever sent off to a publisher was an historical family saga based on my family’s genealogy. It was rejected and returned to me many times—often with pages wrinkled, coffee stained and smelling like cigarettes. About every fifth return, I rewrote and retyped it, quite a chore at 500 plus pages.

After nearly 30 rejections it was accepted by a major publisher—and I think it was about a three or four year process. In the meantime I was writing a second saga about the other side of my family. When I sent that one to the same publisher, the editor who had accepted the first one had left the house—new editor wasn’t interested.

I finally found a publisher for that one—and my first encounter with a crooked publisher. The book was published, looked great, never got a royalty and after my first order of books couldn’t get another. Found out the publisher had taken all the money he made and gambled it away in Las Vegas. He eventually went to jail.

Of course I was writing other things by this time. When I finished what I called a Christian horror I couldn’t find a Christian publisher who would publish it because it was too scary and those who published horror thought it was too Christian. Found a small press, publisher loved the book, but he wanted me to make it camera ready. Remember this was “the olden days.” No easy way to make the manuscript look like book pages. By this time I did have a computer, but had no clue how I should do this. A friend who owned a computer store, let me use his computer before he store opened and showed me how to do what I needed. I worked on it diligently for weeks. When I was done I contacted the publisher. His wife answered, her husband died and she wasn’t interested in carrying on with the business.

My first mystery was published by another crooked publisher—this one printed 50 copies of my book, cheated a bunch of authors out of co-op money, and fled the country. Fortunately, I found another small press willing to republish that book. She also published the first four of my Deputy Tempe Crabtree mysteries—and then she died. (That was terribly sad, we’d become friends and her death was unexpected.)

I’ve had at least 5 agents along the way, and not one did anything for me. I’ve had encounters with other publishers who weren’t on the up and up, but I’m going to make a really long story a bit shorter and move to the publishing of the Rocky Bluff P.D. series. Final Respects the very first one was picked up by a publisher I found in Writers Market. It was my first experience with an e-publisher. This was long before e-readers came along. The book was wonderfully edited, but buying it was far too complicated.

The Rocket eReader was invented and another publisher picked up the first and second book in the series. We had some problems. The next two books were published as paper and e-books, but the publisher soon went out of business. That’s when Oak Tree Press came along and the next book in the series was published. Since that time, OTP has published the earlier books in the Rocky Bluff P.D. series on Kindle and the latest three as paper and e-books.

And of course that brings us to now and the publishing of No Bells the latest in the Rocky Bluff P.D. series, available in e-book format and trade paperback.

The whole process of getting published is much easier now with computers, the Internet and email.

Find F.M. (Marilyn) Meredith at:
Website: http://fictionforyou.com/
Blog: http://marilynmeredith.blogspot.com/

CONTEST REMINDER: The person who comments on the most blogs on Marilyn's tour will win three books in the Rocky Bluff P.D. series: No Sanctuary, An Axe to Grind, and Angel Lost. Be sure and leave your email too, so she can contact you.

Please welcome Marilyn by leaving a comment, even if you  haven't commented on any of her other tour stops.

Saturday, March 31, 2012

Recap for Week Ending March 31, 2012 & Preview For Next Week

It's been a little over a week since I instituted a new Facebook Group called Books Gone Viral.
Since then, the Group has really Gone Viral! We are now at 556 members! You can find us at http://facebook.com/groups/booksgoneviral. You are all invited to join, whether you are readers or writers or both. If the link doesn't work, just go to the Search Bar at Facebook and type Books Gone Viral, then click to join, and one of us will be glad to let you in.

That's not all I was up to last week. Here's the rundown of last week's blog happenings:


TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 2012
Guest  - Roseanne Dowell - Sweet Not Spicy
Shares Her Romance, Time to Love Again, & her views on a controversial topic - To Plot or Not to Plot

http://sweetnotspicy.blogspot.com/2012/03/romance-author-roseanne-dowells-views.html

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 2012
Guest - Jean Henry Mead - Acme Authors Link
Shares her new book, the Mystery Writers, a compilation of mystery writer interviews and advice -

http://acmeauthorslink.blogspot.com/2012/03/jean-henry-mead-author-of-mystery.html

THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 2012
Guest - Carolynn Carey - Spunky Senior Authors and Talents
About her Prognosis for Happiness
http://spunkyseniors.blogspot.com/2012/03/spunky-senior-author-carolynn-carey-and.html

NEXT WEEK SO FAR:

TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2012
Guest Lisa Mondello - Sweet Not Spicy - http://sweetnotspicy.blogspot.com/
Sweet Romance Author on her Texas Hearts Blog Book Tour
Giving away 1 ebook copy of HER HEART FOR THE ASKING to one commenter.



WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4, 2012 - RIGHT HERE!
Guest, F.M. (Marilyn) Meredith on Tour for her Mystery,
No Bells
Check out her giveaway contest.




THURSDAY, APRIL 5, 2012 - Spunky Senior Authors & Talents - http://spunkyseniors.blogspot.com/
Roseanne Dowell - Shares Her Quilts

Excerpts & Buy Links  For All of Morgan Mandel's Books are at http://morgansbooklinks.blogspot.com/
Amazon Author Central Page: http://amazon.com/author/morganmandel