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Articles by Marcia Meara
#GuestDayTuesday #JanSikes #ANobleBargain
(Ooops. Sorry … hit the wrong key, but that just means you get to enjoy Jan’s post a day earlier than expected! Happy reading! A NOBLE BARGAIN Today’s very special guest is fellow author Jan Sikes, who is celebrating Release Day for her newest book, A Noble Bargain. I know you’ll enjoy reading all about this one, and will gladly help Jan get the word out by sharing where you can.
Images from Hurricane Helene
Saw these images earlier and thought I would share, for those who have no idea just how horrifying a hurricane can be. Some of them astonished ME, and I’ve lived in “Hurricane Country” all my life. I hope we don’t see another like Helene for a long, long time! Chimney Rock & Asheville North Carolina were hit exceptionally hard. See for yourself: https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/01/weather/hurricane-helene-path-of-destruction-climate-dg/index.html
Still Feeling Poetic … another one from Summer Magic
Moccasins Sneakers on, Laces tight, Crunching noisily Along the path, And wishing… Wishing for The silent tread Of the Cherokee Who walked these hills Before him. Sighing, He flings himself Down on the rock, And stares at the Campfire. I could sneak up on deer, He tells his dad, If I had moccasins. I could walk Quiet, quiet, Down each trail. Now I clomp, Clomp, clomp! They know I’m coming. I’ll never see them Before they See me. Dad smiles. Here, son. Your mom said To give you this.
Feeling Poetic Today … Hope You Enjoy This One from “Summer Magic”
He sees her standing Below the falls, Carefully balanced On the slippery rocks, And laughing In the hazy October sun. Only yesterday The ice-rimmed pool Mirrored angry gray clouds, And a wind out of the north Chilled his bones. Today, a warm yellow sun Has eaten the frost, And resurrected the ghost Of a summer already laid to rest. She’s wearing shorts, As if she knew There would be a reprieve And dressed accordingly.
Now THIS Looks Much Better!
Happily, the rain and wind have disappeared from this area, the sun is out again, and if I had the energy to get in my canoe, I could head out on the river just like this gal. (If you look close, you can see the manatee she’s watching.) Even if I stay home, though, it’s nice to have the storms gone, at least for the time being. My thoughts are with those who are still dealing with “Debby,” and I hope their weather will soon clear up, too!
#Happy4thOfJuly - #HappyIndependenceDay!
A Writer's Path Sharing writing tips, information, and advice.
#GuestDayTuesday - #YvonneBlackwood - #CollegeLifeOfARetiredSenior
It’s #GuestDayTuesday once again, and I’m sure you all know what that means: another wonderful guest here on TWS! Today’s visitor is Yvonne Blackwood, and I know you’ll enjoy learning more about her. With that in mind, let’s get this show on the road! Welcome to The Write Stuff, Yvonne! Thanks, Marcia! GETTING VALUABLE BOOK REVIEWS. I have read many articles on promoting books. The list goes on and on about what authors need to do to make readers aware of their books.
#GuestDayTuesday - #JackieLambert
Today is #GuestDayTuesday, once again, and I’m very happy to say that Jackie Lambert is visiting us again, with a great “Five More Things” post. I know you’ll enjoy this one, so let’s get going! Thanks, Marcia! I have published six books in my bestselling Adventure Caravanning With Dogs series of memoirs, which follows the story of how hubs and I gave up work, rented out the house, and became perpetual caravan (trailer) nomads with four dogs in tow.
#GuestDayTuesday - #ChristineSkarbek - #ConfrontingPower&Chaos
Today’s guest is author Christine Skarbek, and I think you are going to really enjoy her post, so let’s get going! Christine, take it away! 1) Though I’m not particularly intelligent, I outsmarted both professionals regarding my daughter’s OCD which threatened her life for years and “spooks” who had invaded my home and harassed me and my 16-year-old son for about six months.
#GuestDayTuesday - #BillEngleson - #TheLifeOfGronsky - #Mystery - #Thriller&Suspense, #LiteraryFiction
Hi, Everyone! Here it is, #GuestDayTuesday again, and I know you’re going to enjoy today’s featured author, Bill Engleson. Bill’s here to share his book, The Life of Gronsky, so let’s get started. Bill, take it away! Thanks, Marcia! BLURB: Gilbert Gronsky has taken up writing late in life and decides in 2021 to spread his writerly wings and enter a three-day novel contest over the Labour Day Weekend.
#GuestDayTuesday - #DarleneFoster - #AmandaInScotland - #TheStandingStones
It’s #GuestDayTuesday, folks, and today our special guest is Darlene Foster. I know you’ll enjoy Darlene’s post, so please welcome her to TWS. Darlene … take it away! Thanks, Marcia! Interview with Amanda Jane Ross by Darlene Foster ~~~ I would like to welcome intrepid traveller, Amanda Jane Ross, to Marcia Meara’s radio show. DF: Hello Amanda. Welcome to the show. I understand you have just returned from a visit to Scotland.How did you enjoy It?
#SixPack - #BlueAngels - #AirDotShow
Air Dot Air Show Sanford, Florida April 20 & 21 Spent half of the day today standing in my front yard, looking up, where we were treated to the Blue Angels and their cohorts, flying directly over our house. And they couldn’t have had a more beautiful sky as a backdrop! Again and again, they performed maneuvers that were a treat to see. How lucky are we that we can walk outside and watch the entire show? I got goosebumps with every pass they made! Fantastic! ð â¤
#GuestDayTuesday - #GwenPlano - #SoulWhisperer’sDecision
Today, we’re welcoming my good friend Gwen Plano as our Guest. I know you’re going to enjoy this, as Gwen will be sharing a bit about her newest book, Soul Whisperer’s Decision, so let’s get right to it. Happy Reading, Everyone, and … Welcome to The Write Stuff, Gwen! Thanks so much for having me here today, Marcia. BACKSTORY: I have a special interest in the Near-Death Experience phenomenon. Since the 1980s, I’ve read original research of accounts, and I’ve also read numerous books by survivors.
#Sharing - #Serial - #TheEmissary1 - #Epilogue
Epilogue “Rockin’ Down the Highway” The Doobie Brothers ~~~ The Sorrow of Parting Is Not Sweet, No Matter What Shakespeare Said. It Hurts Like Hell, and That’s the Truth. “YES, JAKE. I have the magic credit card in my wallet, and the wallet in my zippered pocket. I know how to get to all the places we’ve stayed and the right way to register. I promise I will eat more than apple pie and ice cream for dinner every night.
#Sharing - #Serial - #TheEmissary1 - #Chapter12
Chapter 12 “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” Eric Clapton ~~~ Lying in a Dank, Black Atlanta Alley, Oblivious to Scurrying Roaches and Rats, Wanting Nothing More Than to be Claimed by Death. SOMEWHERE, A MAN quietly wept, his low, heartbroken moans and sobs threading their way through Jake’s mind. Maybe he ought to do something about it. Find out what was wrong. Offer to help, if he could. Wasn’t that part of his job?
#Sharing - #Serial - #TheEmissary1 - #Chapter11
Chapter 11 “Summer in the City” The Lovin’ Spoonful ~~~ A Whole New Park in a Different Part of Town, Just as Steamingly Miserable in July, As the First Had Been Frigidly Miserable in February. “THAT’S IT, THEN. Two more for the week.” As he walked alongside Jake, Dodger busied himself writing something down in the little spiral notebook he referred to as his journal.
#Sharing - #Serial - #TheEmissary1 - #Chapter10
Chapter 10 “Monday, Monday” The Mamas & the Papas ~~~ On the Coldest Monday in the History of Atlanta, Butt Gone Numb on an Icy Metal Park Bench, Wondering Where His Brand-New Partner Could Be. FIRST DAY JITTERS. That’s what Jake figured. He was nervous. Dodger was nervous. Their team effort was new to both of them. That had to be the only reason he’d been sitting here more than an hour with no sign of the boy at all, while his fingers ached from the cold and his butt slowly went numb.
#Sharing - #Serial - #TheEmissary1 - #Chapter9
Chapter 9 “New Kid in Town” The Eagles ~~~ A Very Clean, Very Cheap, No-Frills Motel Room, On a Well-Lit, Quiet Street in the Safer Part of Town, Showered, Dressed, and Ravenously Hungry. JAKE SAT IN the room’s only chair, looking over a handout featuring local eateries and movie theaters. His stomach rumbled loud enough to have embarrassed him, had there been anyone in the room to hear. As it was, Dodger was in the small bathroom, showering and dressing. “Hey,” Jake called out.
#Sharing - #Serial - #TheEmissary1 - #Chapter8
Chapter 8 “Takin’ Care of Business” Bachman-Turner Overdrive ~~~ Under a Dreary Mid-February Sky, In an Equally Dreary Mid-Atlanta Diner, Having a Surprisingly Undreary Mid-Day Meal. “MORE COFFEE?” THE waitress smiled as she held the steaming pot over his empty cup. “Yes, thank you.” Jake hoped the weariness in her eyes reflected fatigue and nothing more. Tired himself, he wanted to concentrate on his hamburger and not on whether her soul needed saving. As she refilled his cup, he studied her face.
#Sharing - #Serial - #TheEmissary1 - #Chapter7
Chapter 7 “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” Charlie Daniels Band ~~~ Four Event-Filled Weeks Later, On a Park Bench in Mid-Town Atlanta, One Way-Too-Cold January Afternoon. JAKE KNEW ONE true thing—if the devil really was looking for a few souls he could steal, Atlanta made a mighty fine hunting ground. In the two weeks since his arrival, he’d seen miseries and meanness of every kind written on the faces of rich and poor, black and white, male and female.
#Sharing - #Serial - #TheEmissary1 - #Chapter6
Chapter 6 “Don’t Stop Believing” Journey ~~~ On an Empty Stretch of Unnamed Beach, With Stars Wheeling Across the Ink-Black Sky, And the Scent of Warm Salt and Cooling Blood in the Air. A GUNSHOT IS a shockingly loud thing. A gunshot six inches from your ear is even louder. And a gunshot accompanied by hot blood spraying across your face and a body tumbling into you, bleeding out against your chest—well, that’s absolutely horrifying.
#Sharing - #Serial - #TheEmissary1 - #Chapter4
Chapter 4 “On the Road Again” Willie Nelson ~~~ Another Lonely Stretch of Highway, Closer to Here but Not Far from There, And Fast Approaching Dawn. WILLIE NELSON’S NASAL warbling filled the cabin of the big semi. More of a classic rock fan, Jake still found himself singing along. Maybe it was the catchy, easy to remember refrain, or the downhome sound of the tune. Or maybe it just fit his circumstances to a T. Whatever it was, it was irresistible.
#Sharing - #Serial - #TheEmissary1 - #Chapter3
Chapter 3 “Soul Man” Sam and Dave ~~~ A Still-Dark, Still-Deserted Truck Stop, Halfway Between Here and There, Much Later and Much Calmer. “THE RULES SEEM pretty straightforward, now that you’ve gone over them in detail. I wish I’d understood all of this before I headed out on the highway the first time.” “As do I, Jake. You would have been better prepared to do the job, and you would have been safer, too.
#Sharing - #Serial - #TheEmissary1 - #Chapter2
Chapter 2 “Don’t Fear the Reaper” Blue Oyster Cult ~~~ A Still-Dark, Still-Deserted Truck Stop, Halfway Between Here and There, But Nearly an Hour Later. “SO, WHAT YOU’RE saying then,” Jake said, “is this is a whole new concept?” The angel nodded. “Exactly.” “And that makes me, what? A guinea pig for your experimental pleasure?” “A potential emissary.
#Sharing - #Serial - #TheEmissary1 - #Chapter1
Chapter 1 “Angel Eyes” The Jeff Healey Band ~~~ A Dark, Deserted Truck Stop, Halfway Between Here and There, Wondering What Just Happened. AZRAEL’S EYES FLAMED a furious blue. In one blink, he disappeared from the cab’s passenger seat. In a split second, he reappeared by the driver’s door, ripped it right off the truck, and flung it to the pavement.
#Sharing - #Serial - #TheEmissary 1 - #Prologue
Decided it might be fun to share some of my work as a “serial” here on TWS. I’m going to start with The Emissary 1, and I plan to post a chapter a day for your reading pleasure. Here’s the Prologue. (There are twelve chapters to follow, plus the Epilogue.) Hope you’ll enjoy it! December 12, 2013 “Take This Job and Shove It” Johnny Paycheck ~~~ Midnight, December 12, 2013, Tooling Down a Lonely Highway, Somewhere Between Here and There.
#GuestDayTuesday - Featuring #MaeClair - #NewRelease - #TheKeepingPlace
I’m SO happy to have Mae Clair, one of my best online friends, visiting us today, and I know you’re going to enjoy learning all about her latest book, so without further ado, here she is: Take it away, Mae! Hi, Marcia! Thank you so much for hosting me on your blog today.
#Garden - #Roses - #Pinata - #KeepSmiling!
Just a quick post to share something beautiful that greeted me today when I walked into our backyard. We have been very, very slow in recreating the garden we had before Hurricane Irma smashed everything (including the roof of our house).
#NotSoClassicPoetry - #Promises
… NOT SO CLASSIC … I thought it might be fun to share some “Not So Classic” poetry with you now and then, namely … MINE. So now and then, I’ll be sharing verses from my book of poetry, Summer Magic, and a few others that I’ve never shared anywhere before. Hope you’ll enjoy seeing what I came up with. Happy reading! Up we climb again, My Love On yet another autumn day, Our trail meandering, higher, higher, Amidst October’s blazing glory.
#ClassicPoetry - #RobertFrost - #TheRoadNotTaken
Time for another quick jaunt through the world of Classic Poetry. Robert Frost has always been another of my favorites, since being introduced to his work more than 68 years ago, when I was twelve. I love him just as much today as I did then, though I’m not sure whether that simply means I had excellent taste at age twelve, or my taste has never developed any farther. Hmmm.
#ClassicPoetry - #JamesWhitcombRiley - “Granny”
Thought it was time for me to start getting back to some of my regular features from days gone by. Figured Monday was a good day to start, and Classic Poetry has always run on a Monday, so … here we go. Another classic poem by one of my all-time favorites, James Whitcomb Riley. I know some folks aren’t fond of the dialect, but for me, it’s perfect, and really makes the poem. Hope you like this one.
#NotesFromTheRiver - Here Comes the Stork!
NOTE: THIS POST WAS SCHEDULED TO RUN LAST WEEK, BUT A TECHNICAL GLITCH ATE MORE THAN HALF OF IT. HOPE I'VE MANAGED TO FIX THE PROBLEM, AND I APOLOGIZE FOR THE DELAY.WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, "HERE COMES THE STORK!" NOOO! Not the Baby-Carrying Kind of Stork! The Nesting Material Carrying Kind, Like THIS: Last week, I hinted I'd be talking about something quite beautiful in the air, but possibly a bit less so on the ground, and here it is--the wood stork.
#NotesFromTheRiver - Rattlesnakes on Parade: Watch Your Step!
A change of pace from birds today, with a post about one of the last two dangerous snakes found in central Florida. The last two species, that is, not the actual last TWO. I've done previous posts on the eastern coral snake and the water moccasin, and today, I want to talk about the Big Guy--the eastern diamondback rattlesnake. Next week, I'll deal with the Little Guy, the dusky pygmy rattlesnake.
#NotesFromTheRiver - Introduction to Central Florida Yard Birds - The Northern Cardinal
Today, I'm beginning a series of posts about the birds that call our backyards home. You know the ones I mean. You see these guys at your birdfeeders or singing from the branches of your shade trees. Maybe you have a vague idea of what they are, but don't know much about them. Or maybe you've been trying to ID them, and haven't had any luck so far.
#NotesFromTheRiver - Herons & Egrets Overview
I'm afraid Time has not been my friend lately as I frantically strive to meet various publishing deadlines, but I have really missed doing my #NotesFromTheRiver posts, so I'm doing something a bit different today. I'm going to share some highlights from one of my new series of presentations, "Central Florida's Fabulous Wildlife." These are PowerPoint slide shows that I do for various local venues, such as Enterprise Heritage Center & Museum and DeBary Hall Historic Site.
#NotesFromTheRiver - The Tiny Terror
Last week, I told you all about the largest venomous snake in the United States, the eastern diamondback rattlesnake. Today, I'd like to tell you about his "dotty little cousin," the dusky pygmy rattlesnake. If diamonds are the hallmark of last week's big boy, polka dots are the hallmark of this week's little guy. And yes, he's a pretty small snake, averaging about 15" to 22" in length, though once in a great while, you might see one a bit larger. I never have, but YOU might. Who knows?
#WednesdayWonders - The Photography of #DougLittle
In honor of wildlife photographer extraordinaire Doug Little's one-man exhibit at Enterprise Heritage Center & Museum this month, I thought maybe you guys would enjoy a #WednesdayWonders post featuring some of my personal favorite photos of his. Yes, you read right. Doug's photography will be on display at the museum throughout the entire month of April, so I hope those of you in the area will stop by to view--and possibly purchase--some of Doug's most beautiful work.
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