How Many Books Do you Have In You?

How many books do you have in you?

A single (standalone) book or a spinoff or a series
My mystery, Two Wrongs, is a standalone, as is my romantic comedy, Girl of My Dreams. My new release this summer, Killer Career, will also be a standalone. So far, my work in progress, Forever Young, is intended to be at least two books, maybe more. One with the central story, heroine vs. villains, at least one or two spinoffs expanding on the core plot.

What about you? How many books are you working on or have you done? Are any of them spinoffs or series material? Please share.

Happy Easter!

HAPPY EASTER EVERYBODY!

Forecast here in Illinois is a beautiful Spring day, a rare treat around here for Easter.

I saw only one lady with a hat on at Church, but it was deep blue and didn't look at all like an Easter bonnet. Any Easter bonnets around you today?

We went to a brunch today at the Concorde. A pic is on the right.

Now I'm home and relaxing, but a little

bit too full. What's everyone else doing?

Have a HAPPY EASTER, however way you spend it!!

Juniors Cave Online Magazine

I first learned of Juniors Cave Online Magazine when its owner, Isaac Davis Jr., joined my book network at Book Place. I asked if he needed any book articles. That's how I became the magazine's Books and Literature Editor.

My spot there is called Big on Books, and wouldn't you know it, it's about books. Anyway, I've sent fresh content to the magazine in the form of new pics, plus my Blog Talk Radio player, which just happens to contain the last 4 episodes of my Books and Blogs Sunday shows, including interviews of JA Konrath/Jack Kilborn, Robert W. Walker, L. Diane Wolfe, and Barry Eva. Also included is a feed to this blog, which Isaac ingeniously set up in a rotating pattern, so readers can pick which blogs to catch.

I invite you to check it out when you get a chance at http://www.juniorscave.com/morganmandel.html
Please comment here and let me know how you like it.

Thanks,
Morgan

Cell, Land Line or Both?

When I was getting ready for bed Thursday night, I checked the power on my cell phone, as I often do. I happened to notice I missed a call from my friend. I had spoken to her fifteen minutes before, but she got another call and was going to call back. In the meantime, she called my landline. I had wondered at the time why she did that, but didn't ask.

Apparently the call to my cell didn't go through, or maybe I just didn't hear it with the TV on.
It's a good thing I have both kinds of phones.

What about you? Do you use a cell, land line or both? Which do you like better, or does it depend? Please share.

Carry Out or Go Out?

The DH and I prefer carryouts for dinner. We rarely go out to eat. We call, place our order, pick it up and dig in. Carryouts are so much easier than getting ourselves all fixed up, driving to a restaurant, waiting to get seated, waiting for the food, waiting for the check, and figuring out how much to tip.

We do have certain friends that we do like to go out to eat with, but not that often.

What about you? Do you prefer carryouts or going out to dinner?

A Good Night's Sleep

Since I so often fall asleep on the couch lately while watching TV, then stumble upstairs in the dead of night, sometimes not falling asleep again for a while, this got me thinking.

What's a good night's sleep? If I get close to six hours, I consider myself lucky. If I sleep more, most of the time I feel dopey all day.

What about you? How much sleep do you need? What do you consider a good night's sleep? Please share.

My Favorite Person

I like reading books in the third person, though if a book is well-written, I'll forget my preference and read one in the first person. Why? The only thing I can figure out is although I like to identify with the characters, first person seems a bit too intrusive.

As far as articles and non-fiction go, first or second person are fine with me.

What about you? What's your favorite person? Please share.

ACMs and Twitter

Sunday night I watched the ACMs (Academy of Country Music Awards) Show while on Twitter. What fun, tweeting back and forth about the performers. It was like we were all at a party together, dissing or cheering for favorites, commenting on clothes, voices, you name it.

Twitter makes it easy to do this. If you enjoy something popular on TV, you'll probably find the topic in the right hand column there. You click on it and you'll discover everyone that's doing tweets on it.

For a few minutes, Twitter went Over Capacity. Must have been the ACMs that did it!

Anyway, I enjoyed listening and watching. You can catch my tweets in the Twitter box to the left. Just use its scroller.

And if you're in the mood for something totally different, check out my blog today about Killer Career at http://makeminemystery.blogspot.com

Are any of you country music fans? Did you catch the show? If not, what kind of music do you enjoy? Please share.

Today's Guest - JA Konrath a/k/a Jack Kilborn at Blog Talk Radio Books and Blogs

JA Konrath/Jack Kilborn with Morgan Mandel at a 2008 mystery authors booksigning, Barnes & Noble, Arlington Heights, IL.

I'm excited to offer my new guest, JA Konrath, also known as Jack Kilborn, or just plain Joe, at Blog Talk Radio Books and Blogs today, Sunday, April 5. Please tune in from 4-4:30pm Illinois time (Central Daylight Savings Time) at http://blogtalkradio.com/booksandblogs to listen to the show live. If somehow you can't make it at that time, by all means stop by that site where you'll find the player. You'll also find the player here in the left column not far down.



Not only is Joe the author of the Jack Daniels mystery series, he's also got a scary new book of horror out called Afraid.

Joe is also responsible for a great blog called A Newbies Guide to Publishing, a great reference tool.

Let us know if you plan to listen or, if you comment afterwards, tell us what you thought of the interview. Have any of you read one of Joe's books? Do you want to? Please share

Frustrated, Aggravated, Determined

Don't be afraid to tune in to http://blogtalkradio.com/booksandblogs this Sunday, 4pm Central Daylight Savings Time (Illinois time) for my special guest -mystery and horror author, JA Konrath a/k/a Jack Kilborn. Learn about his new release, Afraid. You can hear it live at that time from the above website or about 15 minutes later on the player there or in the left column here.


I'm frustrated and aggravated because yesterday I lost one of my most valuable commodities - Time. The law firm I work for deals in workers' compensation law, which pertains to injuries on the job. Not as many people are working. Those that are, don't want to rock the boat when they're hurt. It all boils down to the firm not getting much business.

So, on Friday the boss called us each in separately and laid out new rules. What pertains to me is my 4 day work week is history. Starting immediately, I'm now working 5 days per week, but only getting paid for 4. This hits me especially hard, since I barely had enough time as it was to write, promote, blog, and spend time with the DH and Rascal.

I know the economy is bad. At this point, I can't afford to quit my job. I don't see any point in looking for another one either. On the plus side, I still get to keep my vacation time and sick days, which total 23 days. I don't want to lose that, since it's almost summer and that's when we visit our cottage in Wisconsin. Also, I still have health insurance, and definitely don't want to lose that.

At this point, I know I should be grateful I have a job at all, but I'd already put in my time by working 16 years full time at the firm before getting the privilege of a 4 day work week. The irony of it all was yesterday was my 37 year anniversary of starting work there.


So, right now I'm stuck. Losing a free day each week means I don't have that valuable time any more to play catch-up. I have less opportunity to visit my friend's blogs and leave comments, less time to get a few of my own posts ready ahead of time, less time to concentrate on Forever Young, my work in progress, less time to finish my edits on Killer Career.

When I was called in, I'd almost hoped to be fired, so I could go on unemployment and get my writing life in order. That didn't happen to me, but it did to another secretary who was actually a good worker and depended on her 2 days a week to make ends meet for herself, children and husband. Realistically, if I'd been laid off, I couldn't afford living on unemployment, but I would have loved to have that extra time. It's such a valuable commodity.

Anyway, the bright spot is I'm over 60. Who would think that would be a blessing, but it is. When I hit 62, I'm going on social security and taking a 2 day job close to home. Until then, I'll tough it out, unless a miracle happens. I'm determined to get my books completed and published, because they're important to me. It will require more finnagling, but I'll manage somehow.

What about you? Has the economy affected you? If you're a writer with a full time job, do you have trouble getting writing and promotion done?

Olympics

The Olympic Evaluation Committee is in Chicago for six days casing out the city to determine if it's the best choice for the 2016 Olympics. Suddenly I see signage on buildings, buses, and streets everywhere saying We support the Olympics and other such messages.

I can't get into the spirit, though the signs are lovely, with their yellows and oranges. For one thing, I'm not a sports fan and usually don't watch the Olympics. For another, I'm still not convinced that somehow the taxpayers won't be stuck with a large portion of the bill, though Mayor Daley says otherwise. I don't live in Chicago, but I work there and grew up there. It seems the money could be better spent elsewhere.

Still, even if none of the expenses were borne by civilians, my chief concern is terrorists. It's happened before with Olympics and it could happen again. I've heard all the arguments about not giving in and getting on with life since 9/11, but I still don't like the idea of Chicago setting itself up as a target. Even with top security, I foresee problems.

Am I being too much of a scaredy cat? What about you? Would you like the Olympics in your City or town? Please share.

Cheese

Marvin Wilson practically dared me to do a blog on cheese, so I am. It won't be too long, since I'm asking you to hop over to my other post today. More on that later.

Okay, here's how you can apply cheese to characters in your books.

Sharp Cheese - A sharp-tongued, clever, sharp thinking person

Mild Cheese - A mild mannered person.

Spicy Cheese a/k/a Cheezy - Sexy, hot person.

Runny Cheese - A person all over the place, can't handle life.

CheeseHead - Wisconsin resident. (Don't get mad at this one. I happen to love Wisconsin. It's my second home where we have our summer cottage. Notice my sweatshirt in the left column of this blogspot.)

Can you think of other characters from cheese? Please share.

Also, if you never saw my post on initials, please check out my On Demand post at
http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com/

Thanks,
Morgan

Worms

Today is supposed to be worm day, so I thought it appropriate to blog about them. There are good and bad worms. After a rain, sometimes you'll see them crawling on the sidewalks. Those are good worms. The birds are happy to eat them. Fishermen love to collect them for live bait.

There's also creepy worms like maggots, that are really gross to look at.

Anyway, unless you've been in seclusion lately, you probably know what this post is leading up to. I dare not say the name for fear it may go on the attack. A worm is supposed to slither across the Internet today, April 1, and attack computers. Because of the threat, I've scheduled this blogpost early, so I won't have to turn on the computer to make it appear. Whether or not I have enough courage to go online at all today, I'm not sure. You'll know if you see me.

It would be a great challenge for me to go cold turkey and ignore the Internet for one day, but I'm not sure if I can do it.

Since I wrote the above, I found out it doesn't matter if you're online today or not. It could attack you some other day. I may as well tough it out, so here I am again.

Okay, are there any brave souls out there who are reading this blog? If your virus protection is not updated, I suggest you do it right now. Comment first if you wish.

Spilt Milk

Don't cry over spilt milk. Everyone's heard that.

In fact, I have actually spilled milk. Depending on where it gets spilled, if you're not careful, it can leave a pretty sour smell, especially in weird corners of a car's carpet. Anyway, the best thing to do is clean it up and forget about it as soon as possible.

That applies to writing as well. I've received my share of manuscript rejections, as many authors have. That doesn't stop me. If the rejection contains constructive criticism, I follow the advise gladly and clean up my manuscript so it's ready to go out somewhere else.

What about you? Do rejections paralyze you, or do consider them challenges to progress as a writer? Please share.

Spoiled Milk

If you missed my interview of mystery writer, Rob Walker, on Blog Talk Radio yesterday, it's the first program in the player in the left column here.

Last week, as I swallowed a swig of milk at lunch, I realized it was sour. Since I was almost through eating anyway, I didn't request an exchange. I did go to the cashier, whom I know from eating at that cafeteria quite often, and I did get a refund. Still, the experience left me unsettled and wondering if I'd get sick.

To make an analogy, it's kind of like picking up a book written by a favorite author, starting to read it, then discovering it's not what you expected. In fact, it's so bad, you don't want to finish reading it. That kind of experience can make you swear off of an author for good.

Maybe you've learned more about writing since you began liking that author's work. Maybe that author is careless, riding the tide and pumping out books just for the bucks, not for the craft. There are lots of reasons for being disappointed in books.

What about you? Have you ever been disappointed with favorite authors? Or, maybe just a book that looked good, but turned out crummy? Please share.

Rob Walker is the Guest Today at Blog Talk Radio Books and Blogs

Today, I'm happy to host Robert W. Walker on my Blog Talk Radio Show. Rob's a great mystery writer, with many published books to his credit, and is also a great guy all around. He's also the Friday guy at my group blog, Acme Authors Link, at http://acmeauthorslink.blogspot.com





We'll be talking about his books, including his new one, with the great cover designed by someone very near to him. He also has some news about his wife, Miranda's, author career.

So, listen in today from 4-4:15pm Central Daylight Savings Time (Illinois) at
http://blogtalkradio.com/booksandblogs.


Rob's website is http://robwalkerbooks.com



Are any of you mystery readers? Have you tried one of Rob's books? If not, which mystery authors do you like? Please share with us. Or,if you get a chance to listen to the show, please also comment.

Does Your Dog Tell You to Go To Bed?

If I'm up too late typing on my computer, Rascal starts whining and nudging my elbow. She's telling me it's time to go to bed. She won't go to bed until I do. She follows me to the hallway, then sits there and watches me climb the stairs up to the bedroom. She's not allowed to go up there herself, but she has her own little space complete with comforters, in back of the easy chair in what we call our TV room. If

Right now she's pestering me to go upstairs. What about your dog? What does it tell you to do? Or maybe you have a cat or other pet. Please share.

Recycling Blogposts

In this age of going green and saving things, it makes sense to do the same with blogs. After all, we spend a lot of time thinking of what to say and how to say it. Then the post comes out. If you're a daily blogger, it only lasts twenty-four hours before it's replaced.

Those hours on that particular day may coincide with a major news event, a weather happening, like a snowstorm or even a beautiful Spring or Summer day. Maybe life intrusions keep regular readers away from their computers. Whatever the case, the result is the same - an overlooked blog.

The cure for such a condition is recycling. Consider posting your favorite blogposts on Facebook, Myspace, Ning, or maybe one of your group blogs, if you belong to one. First, be sure to update them. You wouldn't want to refer to a past event as if it were still coming up. If you think of better words or phrases, there's no law that says you can't include them this time.

When you're done editing and your post is up, you might be pleasantly surprised by the response it receives. You'll be glad it finally got the attention your hard work deserved.

Have any of you thought about or recycled blogposts? Will you try now? Please share.

Please Welcome My Guest, Children's Book Author, Donna Dumas

Donna Dumas was Born in Detroit, Michigan and raised in Ripley, Tennessee as well. She spent her early years excitingly writing short stories and poetry as she vividly remembers telling them to her smaller cousins and close friends. Donna is a Maintenance Administrator for AT&T and the vice-president of their non-profit organization, the AT&T Pioneers. Her dream is to open a day care while she continues to write children books. Donna credits the love and joy of her son and her nieces and nephews adding to her ambition of living out those dreams. She now resides in the suburban area of Macomb County Michigan with her family and her dog Onyx.



Donna's Book - Hard Head Fred:

Seven year old Fred will stop at nothing! Almost anything can happen, and will, when he refuses to listen to his Mom. Modest Mom is spinning in circles as she attempts to deal with his stubborn behavior. She warns him not to do things that he somehow ends up doing anyway.

Sound familiar? What does Fred do when Mom says don’t? Will Fred's hard, hard, head cause him to have little accidents or even lose his cat Ned, or will he finally have a change of heart and listen to Mom and stop having such a hard, hard, head?

“Here kitty, kitty,” said Fred.




Truly Unforgettable by Linda31
Reader Rating: Barnes and Noble
See Detailed Ratings, March 11, 2009: "I recently purchased this book for my three year old son whose name is Fred. He giggled every time I read his name!"

Website http://www.authordumas.com/

Buy Link at Amazon at: http://www.amazon.com/Hard-Head-Fred-Donna-Dumas/dp/0982256043/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238035822&sr=8-1

Buy Link at Barnes and Noble at: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Hard-Head-Fred/Donna-Dumas/e/9780982256046/?itm=1

Catch Donna's new blogspot http://authordumas.blogspot.com.

Please leave a comment for Donna about her delightful book.

Young and Old

Now that I'm up in years, 60 of them, actually, I wonder if maybe I should be reading books about people in my age group. If I do that, though, I'd be identifying with the characters and admitting to myself I'm not as young as I used to be. Is that a good or bad thing?

Sometimes I wonder. On the one hand it's fun to pretend I'm young again, yet on the other hand, it's also fun to read books featuring characters I can relate to.

What about you? Which do you prefer? If you're young, do you care if the main characters are older, or vice versa? Can you name some books you particularly enjoyed that are about older characters? Or about characters younger than you? Or, maybe you've written one?
Please share.