Prairie Sounds

I love to take a walk on the prairie early in the morning.  

See the tall prairie grasses? They're about up to my waist. When the wind blows they sound like a gentle voice saying, "Hushhhh."

Goodbye Dear Friend

My sweet friend Sharen Watson is moving back home to Texas. Today. I'll miss her terribly. 

I met Sharen in 2005 when she moved to Colorado, and we promptly became very good friends. Through a God-cident Sharen started a local chapter of WFTJ (Words For The Journey Christian Writers Guild). She appointed me assistant director. The past three years have been a blessing to me and many other writers in the metro-Denver area.

She said goodbye to Words For the Journey Christian Writers Guild Rocky Mountain Region on Tuesday night.

Here's a photo of Jan and Sharen.

There was a hug line.

For more information on WFTJ visit the new blog that Sharen created.

Is it just me. . .

Is it just me, or does that silly, clueless little creature on the left crack you up too?

Writing with Kay!

This morning I got an email from my friend Kay, asking me to meet her at Panera Bread to write together. 

This is the two of us hard at work. To be honest, I think she wrote more than I did. 

Hop over to Novel Journey

I'm happy to share that I'm featured on Novel Journey today. 

If you're a writer or a book lover you should be familiar with that site. It's wonderful. It has amazing interviews with authors, publishers, agents, publicists and all types of literary folk. 

Novel Journey has recently been named one of Writer's Digest 101 most valuable websites for writers in 2008. Wow. That's quite an accomplishment. Those ladies who run the site are very sharp, in-the-know gals. 

Do yourself a favor, and read through the Novel Journey blog. It's got a wealth of information for the writing community. 

Thanks to my friends and book giveaways

I was delighted to receive my friend's newsletter this week. Author Kim Sawyer graciously endorsed Searching for Spice and is giving away a copy. For a chance to win, sign her guestbook between now and June 14th. 

Check out her newsletter,  sign her guestbook and take a peek at her newest gbaby. Also spend some time visiting Kim's site and reading about her wonderful novels. 

And when you're surfing the web also check out Niki Nowell's lovely post about me and Searching for Spice. Niki is also doing a giveaway, so be sure to enter for a chance to win a copy of SFS. Niki manages two blogs, her other one is very cool--Sex, Love and Marriage has a lot of thought-provoking posts.

National Fiction Day

Oh, what fun!

I had the pleasure of meeting lots of book lovers and Colorado author Robert Liparulo. It was a lovely afternoon. 

The appearance was hosted by LifeWay, they were terrific and welcoming. I was at the store in the Yosemite Park Shopping Center (behind La-Z-Boy Furniture) in Centennial. What a beautiful store. If you haven't been there, do yourself a favor and check it out. 

National Fiction Day, May 17th, 2008!

I'm sure you're all aware of this, but tomorrow is National Fiction Day. 

As part of the celebration, I hope you come over to LifeWay Christian Store at 8222 S. Yosemite Street in Centennial. 

I'll be there from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. I look forward to meeting all the book lovers and signing copies of Searching for Spice. Also appearing at LifeWay will be author Robert Liparulo. 

Please stop by and say hello!

My Friends Smell Good

Yeah, I thought that title would catch your attention.

2 Corinthians 2:15

For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 

About once a quarter I get together with some of my girlfriends for dinner and prayer. It's difficult to find words to explain how wonderful a time is it with those dear women. The freshness of our Lord surrounds us. If you could peer into the spiritual realm, I'm sure it would be beautiful. In my imagination we all sparkle like super novas in a galaxy, fragrant with the scent of everlasting life. 

We eat.

We laugh.

We pray.

We cry.

We pray. 

We met again last week, and this time we shared communion. How special.

My family jokes about my "prayer dinners" because it's not uncommon for me to be out until 2:00 a.m. on prayer nights. And believe me, that's late for me. 

Thank God for friends, laughter and prayer. 

Searching for Spice goes cruising!

Two of my best friends couldn't make it to my book/career launch party--but I understood their absence. They had long before made plans for a Mediterranean cruise.

And what's the perfect book to bring along on a cruise, do you ask? Why Searching for Spice, of course.

Here's Leah at the Acropolis of Athens in front of the Erechtheum.

And I think Ron's posing in front of the Parthenon.

To give you some insight as to how good of friends they are--they're not sharing a book. They each purchased their own copy. How sweet is that? His and hers copies of Searching for Spice.

Oh, and the tiny teeth marks in the upper left corner of the photos are courtesy of my little dog Belle. She was kind enough to pick up the photos from the footstool where I had left them and bring them to me.

Sorry

Hi Friends,

I'm sorry my blog's been static for a week. Stuff's been going on. 

First, when I tried to post, I was denied access. It seems blogger has robots that roam the site on the lookout for spam blogs. Apparently the robot decided my blog was spam, so I was shut down. All I had to do to reverse that ruling was to request that a human look at my blog to determine it's not spam and unlock it. That and be patient for a few days. 

Then my email started giving me fits. Aaargh! I spent four hours with tech support from three different companies. Everyone said the problem was not their issue. I became so convinced that my computer was messed up that last weekend I went out and bought a new MacBook. The next day I realized that my email STILL was not working. It was a problem with my Internet provider. Aaargh, again! On Sunday I spent another hour with tech support, and it seemed my issues were resolved. 

Then Tuesday rolled around and I discovered my emails were leaving my outbox and evaporating. I spent another 40 minutes on the phone with tech support today. The outcome? The techie is stumped. 

Swell. 

I now have a new gmail account that I'll be using. So if you were expecting an email from me and it never arrived, it's probably because the Internet ate my email. 

Oh, about the MacBook. It's very nice.  :)

Happy May 1st

I was so looking forward to working outside on my patio today.

But it snowed.

This is where I would have been sitting if the temperatures were in the mid-80s like it was yesterday.


I hope you had a great day and that you remembered to bow your head in observance of National Day of Prayer. I did.

Book Reading/Signing at Barnes & Noble

As I said to the audience Tuesday night at Barnes & Noble, I am living the dream every wanna-be novelist has. To enjoy the warm company of friends at a local bookstore and have a successful book signing. I did just that. Thank you, Jesus!

I started the evening by discussing one of my favorite parts of being a writer--marketing.

Then I read excerpts.
I don't look very happy in this photo, but my heart was singing.

I had a nice group of writers and book lovers who were very kind in giving me their attention.

And look, Robbie's even taking notes, bless her heart.

And then I signed my books!

Look at Darcie (in the red shirt) hamming it up for the camera.

Okay, I have to share the following because it just makes me laugh. Remember that old Elmer Fudd (Warner Bros.) cartoon song, "Kill the Wabbit?"

If you substitute the words, "Eat the chocolate," then you'll see our WFTJ fearless leader, Sharen Watson, singing her heart out. LOL. And she does this at every meeting. :)

"Eat the chocolate!"
"Eat the chocolate!!"

And then her voice gets a little deeper, and she sings, "Eat the chocolate!!!"

Cool Review

I was thrilled to see Searching for Spice on the Faithful Reader site.

Go here to enter their contest to win a copy of the book.

Here are excerpts from the review they gave Searching for Spice:

Can Christian marriage in mid-life have (gasp!) passion? In SEARCHING FOR SPICE, Megan DiMaria’s debut novel, a middle-aged mother longs for a hot romance with…her husband. As the story unfolds, readers are invited to think deeply about what a true “passionate” relationship might be. Hint: It’s not just candles, lingerie and public smooches.

Readers may feel a jolt when the lighthearted first half of the novel takes a darker turn in the second --- a surprise for readers who presumed it was lightweight mom-lit. When teen daughter Emma makes a tragic mistake, it impacts Linda and Jerry’s relationship --- and threatens to change the family’s lives forever. How will their marriage fare under this kind of stress? DiMaria shows the tension that occurs between spouses trying to keep it all together under difficult circumstances. Jerry, who looked a little clueless in the first half, becomes the strong support spouse in the second.

I appreciated some of the plot twists, especially the diabolical Carol’s role in Linda’s life in the closing pages. Any parent of a teen will identify with the chaos one bad decision can bring and sympathize with Linda’s family’s plight. The ending is satisfying and redemptive.

DiMaria drives home her point in an enjoyable way: the value of a spouse who stands by his family during the rocky times as well as the easy moments, and whose steady faith and solid parenting mean more than glittering jewelry or lavish gestures. Food for thought the next time you finish a Harlequin romance and wonder what might have been.

Go here to view the entire review.

2008 Colorado ACFW Writer’s Retreat

It’s amazing how much you can squeeze into 24 hours! The Colorado ACFW writer’s retreat was wonderful. It was fun to have so many ACFW members together in one place.

We met at Camp Eden in the beautiful foothills of the Rocky Mountains. The wind was whipping and the snow was flying, but I was warmed by the friendships of 19 talented, God-loving writers and the huge fireplace in our meeting area.

The event was led by Paula Moldenhauer who took us deep into God’s word and purposes and challenges and encouragements. The topic of the retreat was Courage to Pursue Your Writing Dreams.

A part of the retreat I loved most was the beautiful prayers that Paula penned for us to share at the beginning of each part of the workshop. They were tender, God-inspired prayers, and I’ll tuck them away for future blessings.

Kim Woodhouse is at the keyboard. She provided our worship music.

The accommodations were clean and the food was good. However, I haven’t stayed in a dormitory-style room since 4-H Camp, many, many years ago! This is the room I shared with several other women. Can you believe that none of us were snorers?

Of course, I was fortunate enough to get the private suite. :) I advocate always carrying a tablecloth in your car. You never know when you’ll need it. I use mine when I eat lunch on the concrete picnic table outside the office building where I go to my day job. It also comes in handy when you’re eating outside at a casual café or coffee shop. (Yes, I know I spoil myself—but my friends also enjoy the luxury of my tablecloth when they join me.)

This is the view from the bunkhouse deck. Isn't it beautiful?

We had some fun and played some games. This is a photo of Stuart and Tiff Stockton giving away prizes. He's really got that Vanna-pose down, doesn't he? BTW, the retreat hosted 19 women and one man. Stuart’s a good guy to enjoy the company of 19 women for 24+ hours.

These are the views from the meeting room:

I can never get over the thrill of driving on mountain roads. See that? No guard rail. You don't want to slip off this road! These trees are taller than they appear. The base of the trunks are several feet below the surface of the road.

Some of the roads are even scarier. I put the car in "park" to take this photo. :)

Sentimental . . .

I just got an email from a friend who listened to my interview on the Chuck and Kelly Show (it's available on the upper left side of the blog), and I got in a sentimental mood and went in search of some old photos.

This is a photo of Chuck and Kelly at my wedding. Kelly's gift to us was to DJ our reception. It was quite the hip thing to do in 1979!

On the left is another radio friend, Dave Schreiber, Chuck, Kelly, my friend Debbie, another radio guy--Don Brooks, and my girlfriend Doreen and her husband Andy.

This is me and my darling bridegroom. I was joking about his garter. LOL. My mother was horrified because I didn't have my veil on. Carl and I liked to have fun together--still do, thank God!

I wish I could say that was the first and last time my husband rolled his eyes at me.

SFS on the Internet & Book Giveaway!

I had the pleasure of being interviewed on a few radio stations. The most fun, though, was with my old friend from my radio days, Chuck Taylor. He's posted the interview on Buzz 1057.com and on the site he has with his morning-show partner, Kelly Stevens, at The Chuck and Kelly Show.

I’ve been so fortunate to have been hosted on so many blogs and to have received the great coverage that I’ve gotten.

Recently I’ve been hosted on these sites:
Sormag--coming April 29th
Edgy Inspirational Author
Musings on This, That and the Other Thing
Amber Miller
Revved Up For Jesus
Double Booked
A Christian Writer's World
One Step Closer

And currently two blogs are also doing book giveaways! Hop over and check out A Christian Romance Writer's Journey “Authors-helping-writers-interview and Net's Notes for a chance to win Searching for Spice.

A Mountain Top Experience in the Foothills

That’s what I’m hoping for this weekend. I’ll be joining the Colorado ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) on their first writer’s retreat in the beautiful foothills of the Rocky Mountains.

Don’t be misled by the term foothills, we’ll be at an elevation of 8,000 feet. I was so looking forward to meeting God on a greening hillside of the Rockies, but according to weather forecasts, we should expect SNOW!

Please pray that the Lord moves among the writers gathered and refreshes and renews them to continue to write God-inspired words.

Radio Interview 105.7 FM, Albany, NY

An old friend friend of mine, Chuck Taylor, who is a morning air personality in Albany, NY was kind enough to host me on his morning radio show. It was a delight to speak with him again after so many years.

Thank God for friends who endure through the years. BYW, his voice sounds exactly as it was 30 years ago!

The interview is short, less than four minutes.

Words For The Journey

Words For The Journey Christian Writers Guild, Rocky Mountain Region held its first meeting in January 2006. Sharen Watson, who founded WFTJ in Texas, has led the organization with devotion, love and purpose. Under her guidance, many local writers found their voice, spread their wings, accumulated rejections/redirections and garnered writing credits. She’s taught, encouraged, prayed, and rejoiced with local writers. Sharen’s made a difference in many lives.

This is a photo of our meeting today. You can see that we start them out early at WFTJ. See the hard-working young lady on the bottom right and the adorable little fellow at the top right? Also in the bottom right corner is little Brooke, our newest author-in-training, attending her first meeting at the tender age of two weeks.

Today Sharen passed the baton because she’ll be returning to Texas in a few months. The new director of the WFTJ RMR is Michele Cushatt. This decision was a result of prayer. Michele is truly God’s choice to guide this group through a new season. Michele is an experienced leader. She’s written and taught Bible studies, and she teaches the art of public speaking. She’s an accomplished non-fiction writer and has published articles in Today’s Christian Woman and Hearts at Home. I’m also proud to announce she’s coming out of the closet and admitting that she dabbles in fiction. Write on!

This is a photo of Sharen passing the flower pot (you didn’t think we really use a baton, did you?) to Michele. I’m honored to continue as assistant director of the group. And if you’re wondering? No—I didn’t want to assume the directorship. I thrive at being the second banana instead of the big cheese, and I know Michele is going to be very Gouda at being the big cheese. (Sorry, couldn’t resist that one.)

Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed

I went to see this movie today, and I highly recommend seeing it. It's a sad commentary on the "authorities" in our society. The "leaders" of the scientific community are very arrogant. They think they're so right, so intelligent--when really, they're just common bigots.

I. Just. Want. To. Write!!!

To say I’ve been busy lately is to put it mildly. Not that I’m complaining, mind you. It’s been the best, most long-awaited busyness one could dream of.

I completed and edited book # 2 (Out of Her Hands) in my Tyndale contract and planned and executed my book launch party. (Sorry to mention that again, I’m sure you’re all sick of hearing about it.)

My houseful of relatives emptied on Tuesday, and I went back to my day job. Yesterday I realized I was experiencing the first day I didn’t feel stressed or rushed about what needs to be done and what I could possibly be forgetting to do. That’s been my reality for months. You only have one shot at being a debut novelist, and I truly want to do it right.

And now the sun is shining, the sky is Colorado-blue and I can’t wait to get back to story #3. I felt the urge to dive into writing last night, but practicality overrode impulse, and I allowed myself to get the most hours of sleep I’ve had in over two weeks.

But now I’ve gotta go. . .

I. Just. Want. To. Write!!!

More party photos

My friend Jan posted a slide show of photos from the launch party. Click here: Bold & Free to check it out.

Author Buzz

Wow! I'm featured this week on Author Buzz. Check it out. You can enter to win an autographed copy of Searching for Spice and a romance-inspiring scented candle.

Romantic Times ~ Mother's Day Article

I was featured in an article in the May 2008 edition of Romantic Times Book Reviews. If you click on the article, it will open large enough to read.

Wowie!

The thrill continues. Tonight I visited my local Barnes & Noble store to see if my book was on the shelf. It is.

But wait, it gets better. After I walked out of the Religious Fiction aisle, I saw this . . .