Blog Archives
Writing in the Modern Age blog New Year’s Eve Post
The publish button wasn’t working on my other blog, so I had to move the post here… š„
Writing in the Modern Age 2019 Year in Review:
Big Reflections – Past and Present
Hi, everyone! A year I imagined would crawl right by, in fact, did
not. Instead it flew so fast, I suffered vertigo several times. š
Ā
Tomorrow weāll adjust our calendars to reflect that life has
changed in a blink, welcoming 2020. For this yearās annual review
post, Iād like to commemorate the evolution of Writing in the
Modern Age. Six years ago, I opened the blog to guest authors and
itās been a wild ride ever since. WritModAge grew from the initial
seed of a place to help other writers at any stage of their careers, all
the way to not just that, but also a site where readers can
comfortably discover their new, favorite authors! Through author and
character interviews, book and writing service interviews, guest
articles, book spotlights and mega giveaways, it has become a unique
resource for writers and readers alike.
Ā
Soā¦give a warm round of applause to all 350 content writers and
authors who visited us via various events from 2013 to 2019.
However, there were 104 guest writers this year alone. Thatās
awesome! š
Ā 
Vote at the Critters Readers Poll!
Hi, readers! Great newsā¦Blood Instincts and the Heiresses in Love Trilogy were both nominated for the 21st Annual Preditors and Editors Crittersā Readers Poll!
So, help me out and cast your vote for each bookā¦
Youāll find Blood Instincts, book two of the Blood at First Sight Series, listed in the Romance Category on the site here.
And the Heiresses in Love Series boxed set is listed on the Anthologies page here.
http://critters.org/predpoll/antho.shtml
Reader votes wrap up on January 14th. There are SO many categories/genres in which you can cast your vote, including the Best EVER poll (of course I chose my favorite J.R. Ward novel)!
Happy voting, and wish me luck in the awards contest! š
Happy New Yearā¦and, of course, happy reading to all! ā„ā„ā„
Vote For A Romance Cover!
Vote for UYL and DoH here!
Hi, readers! I just wanted to stop in and announce that two of my books were entered in the big cover contest on Authors Database. Yay! When you get a chance, you can check it out and vote for the one you like.
Upon Your Love, book three of the Heiresses in Love Series, which is also a historical romance/family saga novel, is in there. As you can tell, Adrienneās eyes were fixed recently, to honor their unique violet hue.
This is the voting page for UYL:
https://authorsdb.com/2018-cover-contest-results/25047-cover-contest-2018-upon-your-love
Additionally, the cover for Directions of the Heart, a modern romantic drama collection, was nominated for the contest. Woo hoo! š Many thanks to Sherry Soule at SwoonWorthy Book Covers for her awesome work on the romance cover! ā„Ā
Hereās the voting page for that book:
https://authorsdb.com/2018-cover-contest-results/25046-cover-contest-2018-directions-of-the-heart
Also, check out my author page over at AuthorsDB here.
Thisā¦
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New Release Feature: Directions of the Heart by Marie Lavender
A new book released yesterday! Check it out! š
I am pleased to announce a great book release by well, yours truly! My modern romantic drama collection, Directions of the Heart, officially released this week!
Yay! Awesome! 
When a new book comes out, itās always an exciting time for an author!
I am thrilled to show Directions of the Heart to readers today. ā„
This is the blurb for Directions of the Heart:
Embark on a remarkable journey of drama, romance, and passionā¦
In all of these amazing stories, thereās one burning questionā¦is love worth the risk?
Without You
Reece and Jenna are two childhood friends separated by time and distance. Can they find a way to heal their bond, or perhaps forge a new one?
Strange Heat
Spurred by her friendās close call, Victoria decides to take a risk and prove the lifestyle she led was her downfall. But as Tory sinks deeper into the tumultuousā¦
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Mystery Blogger Award Nomination!
_Okoto Enigma is the creator of this award.
A FUN BLOG HOP
Iād like to thank the awesome Juneta Key at the Writer’s Gambit blog, for this nomination!Ā Thank you, thank you, thank you, Juneta! ā„ I do have a few mystery books out and some in progress, so I’ll play. I was lucky enough to be interviewed by Juneta – such a talented lady – twice, for two books in my historical series. Here is her blog nomination. You should really check out her great blog!
The Rules:
Rule 1: Ā Put the award logo/image on your blog. (ABOVE)
Rule 2: Ā List the rules. (Youāre Reading Them)
Rule 3: Ā Thank whoever nominated you and provide a link to their blog. (Ronel-ABOVE)
Rule 4: Ā Mention the creator of the award and provide a link as well. (ABOVE under LOGO)
Rule 5: Ā Tell your readers three things about yourself.
THREE THINGS ABOUT ME
Wait, I have to limit it to three?! All right, I guess I’ll try.
- I am a Libra. Contrary to popular belief about that sign, I’m neither lazy nor indecisive. The toughest issue I have with being a Libra is always seeing both sides to a problem, and only that can make me somewhat cautious about the decision. For example, deciding on a restaurant is the absolute worst for a Libra, unless I know exactly what sounds good that day. LOL.
- I am a shopaholic, especially a bargain shopper. I am crazy about online shopping, but I don’t mind going out now and then to find something either. Credit cards are my weakness, so I have to be good as much as possible. Which is hard, because I’m one of those people who loves to buy for family and friends.
- As a writer, my go-to writing subscriptions are Live Write Thrive, Indies Unlimited and A Writer’s Path. But damnit, there’s just never enough time in the day to read everything. š
Rule 6: Ā You have to nominate a bunch of people (some say 5, while others say 20).
Well…okay. I’ll nominate:
- C.L. Bush (she has a great historical mystery series)
- Ashley Fontainne
- D.J. Swykert
- Margo Bond Collins
- Christopher Davis
- Rachael Stapleton (time travel mystery)
- Anyone that would like to join us, consider yourself nominated.
Rule 7: Ā Notify your nominees. (Done.)
Rule 8: Ā Ask your nominees any five questions of your choice, one weird or funny question.
1. Who is your favorite author and which book is your favorite?
2. If you had three wishes, what would your THIRD wish be?
3. How long have you been blogging?Ā
4. If you could meet anyone in real life (alive, dead or even a fictional character), who would you invite to hang with on a day out in the city?
5. If you could have a superpower, what would it be? And what would your superhero or supervillain name be? Get creative!
Rule 9: Share a link to your best post.
Outside the Lines or On Perseverance or The Other Side of Our Dreams. I have three other blogs, but my author website was chosen, so I had to choose these. They are about equal in views.
ANSWERING JUNETAāSĀ 5 QUESTIONS:
- If you could get a redo on ONE thing in your life without impunity, what would it be? I’d choose to be a little more patient with myself. Putting the pressure on constantly has only harmed me in the long run.
- If you had three wishes, what would your THIRD wish be? I think I’d prefer that we have less hate in the world. People are always talking about other haters, and it’s hard not to see the “hate” which is descending our world into chaos. Hate comes in all forms, and sometimes it even arrives in sheep’s clothing. However, true hate starts at home. So fix yourself first; evaluate and erase the hate in your own life. Be a more honest, kinder person, and then you can worry about trying to help others do the same.
- Describe your ātrue selfā in three words. A little nutty, creative and open-minded.
- If you were a Star Wars character, who would you be? I think maybe I’d choose Luke Skywalker. Sure, he had a long, hard journey, but he usually did the right thing for everyone, including himself. And seriously?!…damn those Ewoks for being so cute! I just want to adopt one and let him baby my cats.
- If you had the opportunity to know your future, would you?Ā Nah, I probably wouldn’t. I think it would ruin the surprise! š
Thanks again, Juneta, for the nomination! Everyone else, feel free to jump into this cool blog hop! š
Radio Interview!
Check out a radio interview tonight at 8PM EST! š
For our lovers of paranormal romance, youāve gotta check this outā¦
Later today, Iāll be chatting with awesome author team and radio hosts of the Haunted Nights Live! show, Tamara Thorne and Alistair Cross. This radio show is quite popular, and the Thorne & Cross team has seen some very famous authors on there. Check out the list of past guests here.
Check us out at 8PM EST to get some sneak peeks of two books I have coming out later this year, a futuristic paranormal romance/urban fantasy, Blood Instincts, book two of the Blood at First Sight Series, and Awakening, a paranormal romantic thriller collection.
Plus, for those who have a fascination with the supernatural, weāll be talking about that too. š
So stop by tonight! You can call in with questions or sit back and listen in. Iām not sure if the interview willā¦
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The Process: A Writer’s Perspective
Guest post by: Marie Lavender
It starts with the seed of an idea. For a writer, itās one of the most exciting parts of the book process. Perhaps itās the flash of a scene in your mind, stemming from current events, something you read or witnessed in life. Or an object caught your interest, a mere speck of dust from the comet streaking across the night sky.
Suddenly, a plant has begun to grow. Scenes materialize in fits and starts, gradually forming a loose storyline. If youāre lucky, you know some of what might occur from the beginning. If thatās not the case, discovering each section of the whole is akin to the exhilaration of an archaeologist on her first dig. Soon enough, however, youāve accumulated sufficient knowledge to get an idea of the overall picture. If the writer has any hope at all of finishing the project, he orā¦
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New Release!
The Missing Piece, my new adult romance, is finally out on its own! Yay! ā„
Purchase Links:
Universal Amazon link:Ā https://bookgoodies.com/a/B06W5RYBD8
myBook.to/MissingPiece
Publisher:Ā http://solsticepublishing.com/the-missing-piece/
CreateSpace:Ā https://www.createspace.com/6933779
Wow! ā„ā„ā„ Thanks, Solstice, for giving my work a wonderful home!š
Author Newsletter!
This month’s issue of my author newsletter just went out last night. Here is the full link. Don’t miss the exciting news! ā„
MARIE’S NOVEMBER 2016 TO
JANUARY 2017 FLASHBACK NEWSLETTER
Here’s a guest post that I had to include below because the owner of the blog decided to shut her site down this year.
A Labor of Love
by Marie Lavender
Ā
It all started with my love of literature. I recall my mother reading me bedtime stories. I got so lost in those fictional worlds that I didnāt want to find a way out.
My own stories began to formulate in my head whenever Iād play with dolls as a child. As soon as I learned to write, I finally had an outlet. They found their way onto the page. Throughout my childhood, I knew I wanted to be an author. As I grew a little older, Iād stalk the reference section of the library, finding how-to books on writing, as well as writerās market books, exhibiting lists of publishers I could submit my work to.
This was my dream. I pursued it steadily, did anything I could to accomplish that aim ā I kept writing, entered young writerās contests, I familiarized myself with the industry as well as possible, and took creative writing classes whenever they were available.
In college, I made a goal of finally finishing a novel. In 2002, I had the idea for a historical romance book, which would be set in France. Of course, I didnāt know it would take nearly nine years of organization, writing and perfecting to complete the novel. I was aware of the growing popularity of self-publishing. With this one, however, I wanted to find a traditional publisher.
Still, I was reluctant to let the trend pass me by. I selected some works-in-progress and set to completing them. Between the years of 2010 and 2012, Iād released twelve books in various genres. Yet I maintained my dream of getting published traditionally.
After numerous rejections I finally found a home when Solstice Publishing offered me a book contract for Upon Your Return, book one of the Heiresses in Love Series. In February of 2013, the novel was released. Since then, Iāve submitted six other novels and stories to the same publisher, and theyāve accepted every one. I now have four series published, and many others planned for the future.
Just before UYR was published, however, I quickly realized Iād have to jump on the āpublic presenceā bandwagon. I began to develop my social media accounts. I wrote guest posts for book blogs or writing blogs. I learned how to participate in author interviews, radio spots, author timeslots during Facebook events, placed book ads whenever necessary, and, wellā¦I also launched two blogs (which actually became three later on). I struggled with them at first (i.e. What did I have to say, to offer?). But I eventually figured it all out. By the time Upon Your Return was published for a while, I had official book reviews on blogs as well as sites where the book was sold.
Now? I know Iām never finished learning about this industry, but I can say Iāve made quite a bit of progress. With 5,000 friends on Facebook, 1400 followers on my profile and 2500 likes on my author page, over 3500 Google+ followers and almost 15,000 Twitter followers, I havenāt done too bad.
Additionally, Iāve evolved from a romance author to a true multi-genre author, covering literary fiction, poetry, various types of romance, mystery/thriller, fantasy, science fiction, to wherever this crazy muse will take me. I no longer try to box myself in.
I am also proud to call the Heiresses in Love Series completed, as the final book, Upon Your Love, a full-length historical romance/family saga, comes out on February 28th. The series has been nearly fifteen years in the making, and it quickly became an empire of Victorian maritime drama, suspense and passion. I couldnāt be happier that the series pleasantly surprised me with its twists in development, all the characters coming alive on the page. I am beyond grateful to the wonderful people at Solstice for giving me a chance. I look forward to many more years with them, as theyāve taken me under their wing, and helped me to soar on my own. With my two books coming out soon, that makes a total of 25 published books to date.
And the muse, as always, is tireless, a true blessing for a writer. I just love writing, learning all about my characters, and experiencing their stories.
Itās been quite a journey, and I wouldnāt have changed a thing.
Guest Author: Marie Lavender
An old article of mine, but still some good tips! š
Are Your Characters Fleshy?
This may come as a shocker, but a lot of beginning writers donāt know how to make good characters. And Iām sure some tenured authors make the same mistake occasionally. Itās not enough to say, āHey, Mr. Character, you have dark hair and blue eyes. Now start talking.ā Dialogue is one aspect of a character. So is appearance. But, what is inside is what counts. What is inside of a character is what makes us keep reading.
Take the time to fill out the finer details of a character. For example, what do they like to eat for breakfast? Maybe they donāt eat breakfast. Some people donāt. What is their religious affiliation? Where did they go to school? What kind of home life did that person have? Notice I said āpersonā.
People are complicated. We are complicated. If we were all pretty typical, would life beā¦
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