A Boy Named Rabbit Is Out On Kindle!

 

Now Available on Kindle

Wooohoooo! Finally, in spite of all kinds of obstacles in my way, I was able to upload A Boy Named Rabbit to Kindle last night, and it’s live and available for purchase today!! Those of you who have been asking when it would arrive…it’s here! Lots of launching bells and whistles have fallen by the wayside, due to my long bout with the flu, but no matter. Nothing can make me feel sad today! My third novel, the sequel to Wake-Robin Ridge is out!

If you are one of the ones who read Wake-Robin Ridge and asked if the sequel was coming, you’re in luck. Check it out here! If you haven’t yet read Wake-Robin Ridge, hang in there another day or two, and a boxed set with both books in it will be available at a special, discounted rate, so you can read Book 1 and Book 2 at once. 🙂

A Boy Named Rabbit is very dear to my heart, as it features an extraordinary little boy’s lonely journey through the wilderness on a quest to find the Good People. Rabbit was more fun to write than any character I’ve attempted so far, and his insights on the world (which he has been hidden away from for his entire life) vary from funny to surprisingly profound. I never knew what words were going to come out of Little Rabbit’s mouth until they fell off my fingers and onto the page.

Of course, there’s plenty of drama and danger involved, a few spills and chills, loads of worry from the ever angsty MacKenzie Cole, patient understanding and kindness from Sarah, and plenty of the kind of love only an adorable ten-year-old boy can inspire.  Hope you’ll cheer for him, laugh with him, cry with him, and most of all, never, ever forget him.

Join Rabbit on the journey that begins with his gran’s dying gasps: “Evil’s comin’, Boy…comin’ fast. Look for the man with eyes like winter skies…an hair like…a crow’s wing. He’ll keep you safe…from bad people. He’s the one…you gotta find.”

A Boy Named Rabbit

WRR Still in Amazon’s Top 100 List!

Wow! Wake-Robin Ridge has been in Amazon’s top 100 (PAID) Bestsellers Fiction/Ghost list all week, and is still moving up. Today, it’s at #32. I know this is probably old hat for you folks who have been writing a long time, but for me, this is exciting as all get-out! 🙂 Seeing my book on the same page as books by Stephen King, Joe Hill, Anne Rice, Heather Graham, and my personal favorite, Dean Koontz, is a dream come true! I’m stoked to finish the sequel, which should be out by October, if all goes well. But today, I’m just very, very grateful to everyone who has bought a copy. Hope you all enjoy it.

Wake-Robin Ridge

Exciting News About Wake-Robin Ridge!

I’m thrilled to say Wake-Robin Ridge moved up into the Top 100 Best Selling (PAID) Ghost stories this week. The best part about that, besides being able to refer to my book as an amazon best-seller, is that it is listed on the same page with books by Stephen King, Joe Hill, Heather  Graham, Anne Rice, and my very favorite, Dean Koontz! What a thrill to see my book alongside theirs, even if only due to a surge in sales this week. Next week might be different, but for now, I’m just thrilled. Thank you to everyone who has bought a copy of Wake-Robin Ridge. Hope you enjoyed it! And stay tuned for a new feature: Contest Saturday! Details upcoming.

FREE Today and Tomorrow ONLY!

Currently 4.7 Stars on Amazon!

Just a heads up! Wake-Robin Ridge is free today and tomorrow only. Last time this year! Romantic suspense, with a little touch of spooky, and a whole lot of Blue Ridge Mountains in the background. 😀 Download your copy today, and be ready for the sequel, A Boy Named Rabbit, which will be coming out this fall. Hope you’ll enjoy it, and if you do, hope you’ll consider leaving a review on amazon. It would mean the world to me! Thanks!

Wake-Robin Ridge

Poem of the Day: Summer Magic

Thinking about my sequel to Wake-Robin Ridge has me remembering how much I loved the idea of a little ten-year old boy who grew up camping in the mountains with his dad, every summer. The first part of my chapbook, Summer Magic, is called Mac At Ten, and celebrates those years of innocent childhood, as he learned to love those mountains with all his heart. Here’s one of those poems.

Summer Magic

Crawling quietly from his tent,
His dad still lost in slumber within,
He sits down alone on the granite slab,
Coltish legs drawn up to his chin,
And arms wrapped around skinny knees.
He gazes toward the pale horizon,
Watching the sleeping valley below.
With breath held in anticipation,
He waits for the magic
He knows will come.

There! A thin curve of molten red!
A far away sliver of fiery light
Breaks the horizon.
Rising slowly,
It bathes the tops of the rolling hills
In a brilliant spill of gold.
Mother-of-pearl dawn
Gives way to butter yellow
Morning light.

In front of his wide, blue eyes,
The world awakens.
Magic arrives and
Day is born,
Again.
He smiles to himself and wraps
His arms more tightly
Around his knees,
Shivering in private delight, and
Holding the beauty
Close within,
Having already learned
Some magic is
Secret.

  – Marcia Meara –

Summer Magic: Poems of Life & Love

Call For Beta Readers

Going back to the mountains again, as I start working on the sequel to Wake-Robin Ridge, and I’m looking for beta readers once more. I would like to have a few more this time around, so if you are interested in doing something like this, please email me. Contact info at the top of this page. I do this a little bit differently from many authors, so I would need to explain how it all works.

If you’d like to be in on the process of taking an idea and turning it into a finished publication, I’d love to hear from you. I think most of my Beta readers have enjoyed the journey, and the knowledge that their comments and support have helped shape the finished project. Would LOVE to talk to you about how it works. Email me for all the data.

And for those who’ve read Wake-Robin Ridge, this is your chance to find out what’s going on with Sarah & Mac before anyone else. 😀 Hint…odd things are happening in Darcy’s Corner, North Carolina. I’ll be waiting to hear from you.

Thank You!

Wake-Robin Ridge is available on Amazon.com
in print or as a Kindle download.
Hope you’ll check it out.

A big, heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined Sezoni Whitfield and I on her Writer’s Kaboodle page for our author interview. I’ll confess, I was a little bit nervous going in, since I had no clue what it would be like, but I needn’t have worried. It was SO much fun! Sezoni did a great job, and I felt very comfortable there, chatting and answering questions about Wake-Robin Ridge. I got to see some old friends and meet some new ones, too. I can’t wait to do it again! Thank you for having me, Sezoni. I enjoyed every minute.

Author Interview Wednesday!

Don’t forget to tune in to Writer’s Kaboodle this Wednesday evening at 8:00p.m.  I’m having my very first author interview with Sezoni Whitfield, and I hope you’ll stop by. She’ll be asking me questions about my first novel, Wake-Robin Ridge, and a couple about my upcoming one, Swamp Ghosts. The interview will last thirty minutes, and you can ask me questions, too, if you like. Or just enjoy reading the chat as it takes place. I hope you’ll all join us! (Don’t make me sit there by myself…gleeep! 😯 ) Check out the rest of Sezoni’s page while you’re there, too. Lots of other good stuff going on.

One more time:

Where: Writers Kaboodle

When: Wednesday, April 23, 8:00PM

Wake-Robin Ridge Only $1.99 – 2 More Days!

Only 2 more days! #WakeRobinRidge is available for download for only $1.99. (Regular price $4.99) Find out why librarian Sarah Gray quit her job and moved to a little cabin the beautiful mountains of North Carolina. Discover what secret her reclusive, enigmatic neighbor, MacKenzie Cole, is hiding, up there alone in his mountaintop home. And be there when, together, they unravel a mystery involving a decades old murder and the first woman who lived in Sarah’s cabin. Romantic Suspense, with a little touch of spooky. Check it out! 

Wake-Robin Ridge

Help!

Somehow I forgot to contact BookGorilla about my Wake-Robin Ridge sale this week. 😦 I need to promote this one myself, so I’m hoping you will all tell your friends and family about the promotion. If you have a blog, and reblog my post (below) about it, I’ll be happy to gift you with a free download of Summer Magic as a thank-you. Just let me know your email in order to receive it. I’ll do the same if you post about it on your Facebook page, or Tweet about it. You may use this link to help readers find it: Wake-Robin Ridge

Really hoping to get the word out, as I can’t offer this price again for 90 days. Thanks for any help you can offer!

Wake-Robin Ridge for $1.99!

For the next five days, Wake-Robin Ridge will be on sale for $1.99. If you haven’t gotten your copy yet, don’t miss out! Love and murder in the Blue Ridge Mountains! You’ll want to get to know Sarah and Mac, and find out what secret has kept MacKenzie Cole alone on his mountaintop, with only his Irish wolfhound, Rosheen, for company. Read how, together, they unravel the mystery of what happened to Ruth Winn, who lived in Sarah’s cabin before her.  Romantic Suspense with a touch of spooky. Get your copy today–you know you want to! 

Writers Digest says Ruthie is a strong and interesting character, Lloyd is compelling and psychotic, and Sarah and Mac’s relationship is adorable. 

“What a wonderful story! Funny, sad uplifting,could not put it down.” 5 Stars

“The author has a wonderful command of language.You feel you have been whisked away to the Blue Ridge Mountains.” 5 Stars

” I love books that evoke emotions. I cried real tears, and laughed out loud.” 5 Stars

“Great character development, beautiful imagery. It’s unique, endearing, funny and at times, tragic.” 5 Stars

“Two days later, I’m still thinking of the characters. Hope there will be a sequel.” 5 Stars 

“The suspense kept building until I just couldn’t put the book down.” 5 Stars 

Wake-Robin Ridge: A Darcy’s Corner Novel

Showers by Marcia Meara

Showers

Drip-drip.

Huddled and sighing
Inside the tent,
Boredom a damp presence
Keeping him company,
While Dad naps
To the sound of the rain.

Drip-drip.

Comic books scattered,
On his rumpled cot.
Superheroes as powerless
As little boys, while
The day spills water
Over all his plans.

Drip-drip.

No fishing today.
Those shimmery trout
Are safe in the stream.
No hiking alone,
That’s the rule.
What’s left to do?

Drip-drip.

Quietly, he crawls outside,
His stifled squeals
Turning to laughter
As the ice-cold water
Tickles his back.
This could be fun!

Drip-drip-drip-drip.

Rain falls harder.
He splashes wildly
Through silvery puddles,
Arms flung wide,
Laughing louder, and
Doing a rain dance all his own.

Drip-drip-drip-drip.

Awake now, Dad laughs, too,
Tossing him a bar of soap.
He grins at this new idea.
A rain shower? 
Why not, says Dad. May as well,
Once your rain dance is done, that is. 

Drip-drip-drop.

   – Marcia Meara –

Summer Magic: Poems of Life & Love

Thank You!

WOW! Thank you so much to the 1,969 good folks who downloaded copies of Wake-Robin Ridge yesterday. I’m very happy with how that free promotion turned out, and I hope each of you enjoys the book. If so, I also hope you’ll remember to leave a kind review on Amazon. That’s what helps move the book up through the listings so it’s easier for shoppers to find. I’d really appreciate it. Reviews are more important than you can imagine. 

Again, thank you to everyone who grabbed a copy while they were free. Hope you’ll also tell your friends and family. And make a mental note that I’m nearly finished with my second novel, Swamp Ghosts, and soon it will be available for download, as well. Book #3 will revisit Darcy’s Corner, and for those who have been asking, yes, Sarah & Mac will be featured in a completely new story. 

Happy New Year to all of you, and thanks for making mine so special!

Free Today Only!

Wake-Robin Ridge is free for download on Amazon. Free is good!! Grab it while you can, and be sure to tell all your friends. 

Wake-Robin Ridge (A Darcy’s Corner Novel)

Excerpt From Wake-Robin Ridge #2

Happy Reading!

(From Sarah Gray’s Point of View)

Oh, I felt very lucky, all right. And filled with an optimism I hadn’t felt in ten years of cataloging endless mountains of manuscripts and dusty documents. But no more of that for me. Now, I was free to

Excerpt From Wake-Robin Ridge

Available on Amazon in Kindle & Print Format

Thought I’d start the new year by sharing the occasional excerpt from my book, Wake-Robin Ridge, and possibly from the draft of my newest novel, Swamp Ghosts. So, here ya go. An excerpt from the Prologue of Wake-Robin Ridge. Enjoy!

~~~

..He found a spot behind some thick but low-growing bushes. It was a perfect place to hunker down and wait. In the gray light of early morning, he pulled out his favorite filleting knife and a small whetstone, spat on the stone, and began to slide the knife back and forth across the surface. Falling into a rhythm, eyes half closed, he continued to hone the knife, metal caressing stone again and again.

Wake-Robin Ridge On Sale!

I just discovered amazon.com has the print version of my book, Wake-Robin Ridge, on sale for $10.17, a savings of $2.82 over the regular list price. If any of you guys were thinking

Early Christmas Present For MEEEEE!

Just got my proof for Wake-Robin Ridge in the mail today, and I must say, it was the most exciting thing to happen to me in a long, long time. I’m absolutely blown away by how gorgeous it looks! (Excuse the poor quality photo. An iPhone in low light will only do so much.) My cover designer, Nicki Forde,

Summer Magic Has Gone Live!

Exciting news here today! My little volume of verse (also called a “chapbook”) has gone live on Amazon.com today. Wow. Two books live in less than a month and a half. I’m feeling pretty good right now, for sure. 

Summer Magic is a 44-page collection of seventeen poems. Part One of the book is called Mac At Ten, and features the main male character from my novel, Wake-Robin Ridge, as a little boy, camping in his beloved Blue Ridge Mountains, where he sees the magic in all that nature has to offer. From tales around the campfire to watching the sunrise, he knows instinctively that he is in a special place, and he throws himself into the pleasure of it all, with reckless abandon.

Part Two concerns itself with a variety of topics…whatever was on my mind on any given day, pretty much. Life, death, summer and autumn, betrayal and abiding love. 

I thought this little book would be the perfect opportunity to learn more about Kindle’s new Cover Creator, and I will be doing a post on that another day, as part of my series on self-publishing. I think it probably worked well enough for this project, but I’m not trading in my graphic designer yet, by any means.

Hope some of you will enjoy Summer Magic. I had a wonderful time writing it, and am already at work on another collection of poetry.

Summer Magic

FREE-ky Friday!

FREE TODAY!

I have decided that Friday’s need to be more than just “What Are You Reading?” Days.  My plan is to have some sort of weekly promotion or giveaway or contest, though I may have to figure out the details as I go. But to start with, for today only, the first five people to email me will receive a free download of my book, Wake-Robin Ridge. If you like romantic suspense, with not one, but two, very different love stories, a decades old murder mystery, and the triumph of good over evil, let me know, and I’ll send you a free download of my book. Just click on the Contact Me button at the top of this page, and let me hear from you. If you are one of the first five responders, you can have Wake-Robin Ridge on your Kindle, iPad, smartphone or computer today. Did I mention Free? How can you go wrong?

Wake-Robin Ridge

The Second Time Around: Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier

In keeping with my plan to intersperse some older reviews of more “literary” works with my current reviews, which are often Urban Fantasy works, here is The Second Time Around #2. Enjoy!

My Rating:  5 of 5 Stars

Written in 1997, Cold Mountain remains one of my favorite books of all time.  A modern day classic set during the Civil War, it details the long journey home

The Old Rope Swing

I thought maybe I’d share one of my poems tonight, from a series I’m working on, featuring a ten-year old boy named Mac, who has grown up spending his summers camping in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. He’s one of my favorite people, young Mac, and I hope you enjoy reading about him now and then.

The Old Rope Swing

Sailing up, up into
Blue summer sky,
Hot rope rough against his hands,
He shouts with joy, and lets go.
For a crystal moment,
He hangs suspended,
Frozen in time
Like a fly in amber.
All awkward angles–
Shoulder blades and
Elbows, and
Knobby knees,
Painted against the sky,
Heart filled with fierce joy.

Dropping, down, down
Into clear green water
Cold on his skin,
He sinks to the silty bottom
And sits suspended
In an alien world,
Watching  the silvered flashes
Of tiny fish darting to and fro,
Startled by his sudden appearance.
I am a fish, too, he thinks,
And holds his breath
As long as he can.

Finally, he rockets up
Through a stream of
Tickling bubbles,
Breaking the
Surface of the water
With a loud whoop of
Childish exuberance.
All thoughts of becoming a fish
Forgotten as he
Scrambles out,
Shakes the water from his hair,
And, grinning, hitches up his
Baggy shorts.

He’s ready
To do it all again.
Flying through the summer air,
Dropping into the cold water
To commune with fishes
Silvered in refracted light.
Then leaping to the surface,
A boy of ten once more,
Laughing through an endless summer
Made perfect by a cool green pond,
And an old rope swing.

     –Marcia Meara

 

Still Thinkin’ Autumn!

Wow!  I was able to take my cup of Earl Grey and sit on the patio for a half hour this morning.  It’s been months since it was comfortable enough outside for me to be able to do that.  The dogs were playing, the white-winged doves and cardinals were at my bird feeder, and the air didn’t make me feel like I was in a steam bath.  What a change in just one week!  I was so inspired, I came inside and changed my header, yet again.  This scene is from my absolute favorite part of the world, the Blue Ridge Mountains.  I think it’s the Linville Viaduct, though it wasn’t identified anywhere.  Wish I were heading there for a couple of weeks right now, in fact.  And while we are on the subject of headers, as you may have noticed lately, I’ve finally realized how easy it is to change them, so you will probably never know what to expect when you visit this page.  Of course, there will be plenty of cover art on display in that spot, but also seasonal images, and pretty much anything else that strikes my fancy for a day or two.  Hope you enjoy seeing what’s new “at the top” when you visit.

New reviews coming soon, I promise.  Painting my kitchen cabinets slowed my reading down a bit, but I’m workin’ on it.  Have a great fall day, folks!

 

Images found online.