Last Few Hours!

Check It Out!

Last chance to download your free copy of Swamp Ghosts for quite some time. Grab it while you still can! Meet Maggie Devlin, Gunnar Wolfe, and Big Blue, an incredibly beautiful and rare force of nature…a white alligator! And Blue’s not the only dangerous thing in the swamps, either! Lester Purvis can attest to that. Swamp Ghosts…it’s not just the cover that’s scary!

Don’t Forget: FREE Today – Swamp Ghosts

Amazon Rating: 5.0 Stars

Don’t forget! Swamp Ghosts is free today and tomorrow. Download your copy now! Find  out why fiery, red-headed Maggie Devlin hates photographer Gunnar Wolfe on sight., and why Gunn hires her to be his river guide anyway.

Thank You!

Thanks to everyone who helped make my Swamp Ghosts giveaway such a success yesterday. SO many downloads! I hope each of you will enjoy reading this book, will be able to imagine yourselves canoeing down peaceful Florida rivers, and will be appropriately entertained during the romantic bits, as well as the scary ones! If you enjoy it, please tell your friends and neighbors, and consider leaving a review on amazon. Writers LOVE (and NEED) that kinda stuff! 🙂

Thanks again, and have a wonderful week. Will be announcing the Monday giveaway soon.

FREE TODAY! Swamp Ghosts by…ME!

TODAY ONLY, you can download Swamp Ghosts for free! You know you want it! Now’s your chance!

Swamp Ghost Available in Print Format Now!

It’s official! You can now download the Kindle version of Swamp Ghosts, OR buy the book in print format! Those of you who have been waiting for the print version can order it on amazon.com as of today! Doin’ the happy dance, here! Don’t wait! Grab yours today!

Meet My Main Character Blog Tour

Last week, I was invited by author Stella Tarakson to take part in a new blog tour, this one focusing on a main character from one of our books. Stella writes books for children and young adults, and lives Down Under, so I’m always confused about what day it is when I’m talking to her. (No big deal. I spend half of my life confused about one thing or the other.) But no matter what day of the week it is where Stella lives, I’m very happy to participate in this fun blog tour. Thank you so much, Stella, for thinking of me.

If you go HERE,  you can read Stella’s “Meet My Main Character” blog tour post. Check out the rest of her blog while you’re there. It’s a nice place to visit.

And now for my answers to the Meet My Main Character Blog Tour questions.

Swamp Ghosts Cover Reveal for Print Book!

(Click for Closer View of Details)

Okay, I ask you…how lucky am I to have a Graphic Design Goddess as my very, very good friend and cohort? No matter what I ask for, she can do it! I’m so tickled with this layout of the cover for my print version of Swamp Ghosts, I can’t tell you! Okay, I CAN tell you. And I am. I’m ecstatic! I’m finishing up the final formatting details on the book today, and then I’ll be uploading to CreateSpace. If all goes well, I could be ordering my proofs in a day or so. Once I approve those, the book will go live on amazon in no time at all. So all you good folks out there who prefer not to read eBooks will have access to it. And for those of you who do just fine with eBooks…well, why wait? Here you go: Swamp Ghosts 

Swamp Ghosts Excerpt #5

 

Swamp Ghosts Excerpt
Chapter 8

     GUNN PULLED UP in front of Maggie’s house just in time to see her garage door going up. He turned off his headlights, cut the ignition, and sat watching her for a moment, not sure if she had seen him yet. She was standing on tiptoe, pulling down the canoe cushions from one of the shelves along the wall of her garage. Her arms were raised over her head, and her body was defined by the glow of the garage lights. She was wearing khaki shorts and a tank top, showing off her lithe figure to perfection—tall and slim, with curves that stretched the knit top in just the right ways.

     Okay, Gunn…enough staring at the lovely Captain Devlin. She probably has some kind of built-in radar device that pings every time a guy ogles her, and you’re already skating on thin ice in that regard. Get out and go help her load the canoe.

Promo Done!

My Swamp Ghosts promo is over, and what a ride it was. I had so much fun, watching my rating climb all day. And you guys downloaded a TON of copies, too. I hope everyone who reads it will enjoy this novel, and, if so, will remember to leave a positive review on Amazon and Goodreads. Those reviews are what sell our books, and the reason we don’t mind giving away hundreds (or in this case, thousands) of them. So, read on! And enjoy!! And thank you so much for downloading Swamp Ghosts. Have fun on the river! 🙂

Swamp Ghosts Promo Blowing My Mind!

I don’t want to be obnoxious, but I’m just so truly happy at how well this promo is going. When I first decided to get busy and write a book about a year and a half ago, I was doing it for ME. Call it a Bucket List item, if you will. I wanted to write it and learn how to publish it. I have a theory that in order to stay young, you must learn something new every day, and you should also hang out with people younger than you are. (Not difficult after a certain point. I’m thinking by the time I’m ninety, all my friends will be in second grade!) 😀

At any rate, I wanted to write and publish a book, and satisfy a lifelong dream in the process. So I did. And it did surprisingly well, especially since I had no idea at all how to market it. (I’m STILL learning that part). But Wake-Robin Ridge was such a satisfying experience, I couldn’t wait to write another, so I started Swamp Ghosts immediately, and now I have a second novel (and a book of poetry) published, and all in less than a year. This time, I used social media a bit better, and even though I’m still a newbie at that, I think that has made a huge difference in the response to the first Free Promo of Swamp Ghosts.

I was so excited when I got up this morning and checked on how it was doing, I had to take screen shots for my Inspiration Board. They are VERY inspiring, believe me. See for yourself:

Swamp Ghosts is #5 of the Top 100 Free Books in Contemporary Women’s Fiction

It’s also #5 in the Top 100 Free Books in Women’s Romance Fiction

And amazingly, it made the Top 100 Free Books in the Kindle Store, currently at #55! Wow.

Now I’m more thrilled with all of this than you can imagine, and sharing it with you feels great. But the MAIN reason I’m sharing this is because there’s a lesson to be learned here, you Newbie Writers of all ages. It is never too late to follow your dream, and with persistence and hard work, you CAN do it! If I can do it at 70, with nothing but my long-ago high school English classes to fall back on, a lifelong love affair with reading, and a darn good editor, YOU can do it. You younger people have so much time ahead of you to perfect your craft, too. Something I don’t have, I know. But I’m going to keep on trying to get better with each book, learning stronger writing skills, and putting my heart into everything I write.  And by golly, when it’s my time to shuffle off this mortal coil, heading to that Great Library In The  Sky, I’ll have left something behind for my children and grand-children, and maybe for a few fans here and there, as well.

For me, that’s enough. I’m happy. Now you go and get YOUR happy, too. Take that first step, and don’t look back!

(And if you haven’t grabbed YOUR free copy of Swamp Ghosts, what are you waiting for? Go get it now. 😀 )

Swamp Ghosts: A Riverbend Novel

 

Book Promo Doing Great So Far!

 

Thanks to everyone who has downloaded a free copy of Swamp Ghosts today! Because of you, my book is now #16 in both of the categories I’m listed in. Yep, I’ve reached the top 100 Free Books in each one. I’m very happy with that, and can’t wait to see what happens over the next 30-some hours. It could get even better! That would be sweet!

Swamp Ghosts FREE Today & Tomorrow Only!

Free Today & Tomorrow Only!

Download your copy today! Swamp Ghosts is free Monday & Tuesday, May 12 and 13, only, so head right on over to amazon.com, and download your free copy today. Read about Maggie & Gunn’s adventures on the rivers of central Florida, hunting the rarest of the rare, and never dreaming they are being hunted, themselves, by a predator more dangerous than anything that lives in the swamp.

5 Stars: “A beguiling tale of love and murder on the St. John’s River. Like her first book, Wake Robin Ridge, Swamp Ghosts is a well-written love story, mixed with suspense. Marcia Meara has a way with words. That’s true whether she’s introducing her characters, describing the lovely setting in which the love story unfolds, or plotting mayhem. Languid descriptions of Meara’s gorgeous protagonist, Maggie Devlin, and her hunky paramour, Gunnar Wolfe, stand in stark contrast to the malevolent forces aligning against them. “

5 Stars: “Great for your summer reading list. I wish I could give it 10 stars! You will not want to put Swamp Ghosts down, it will keep you on the edge of your seat and will keep you guessing.”

5 Stars: ” The main characters are believable and the chemistry between the two is incredible. I highly recommend this book. “

Swamp Ghosts: A Riverbend Novel

 

#SwampGhosts Excerpt #4

Lest you think Swamp Ghosts is a grim, dark book, I thought I’d share a few lighter moments. Yes, the book does have grim, dark scenes scattered here and there, but overall, it’s a love story, with plenty of humorous moments.

Swamp Ghosts Chapter 5 Excerpt

     SUNDAY MORNING arrived looking like a picture out of a travel brochure. A buttery yellow sun beamed down from a cloudless swath of blue sky, and the trees along the river were that jewel-like shade of green you only see in early summer.
I watched Gunn as he surveyed the boat launch. “You sure you don’t want to do a dry run on land first?”
     “Maggie, I’d feel silly standing over there under a tree, getting in and out of the canoe, instead of just launching it here, like anyone else. I’m sure I can do this.”
     “Okay, Thor. Your funeral,” I muttered.
     Gunn’s eyes widened. “Excuse me? Thor? Did you just call me Thor?”

#SwampGhosts Excerpt #3

Time for a bit more creepy with this one. Hope it makes you shiver. A bit.  🙂

Swamp Ghosts Chapter 4 Excerpt

THE ROOM WAS lit only by two small nightlights on each side of the dirty mattress. He liked it dark, knowing it would add an extra element of fear. There needed to be just enough light for him to see the terror in the eyes of his latest…guest…or it wouldn’t be nearly enough fun. Leaving the rest of the room shrouded in darkness was exactly the type of horror movie effect he wanted to achieve.
     He’d been gone several hours, and now the girl was lying on her side, curled into a protective ball–as if those pale little arms wrapped around her body could save her from him. He stood there contemplating various ways to wake her up, each guaranteed to bring her screaming into consciousness as she struggled against the restraints.

Swamp Ghosts Excerpt #2

Maggie Devlin owns an eco-tour boat on the St. Johns River. Billy Truitt is her unofficial first mate and mechanic. They have just finished their last tour of the day, and are about to head home.

Swamp Ghosts Chapter 3 Excerpt

A man was walking down the floating pier, reading the name of each boat he approached. A really big man. Big enough that his weight caused the pier to bob up and down, which seemed to worry him, if his frown was anything to go by. Billy and I watched his cautious approach with curiosity. The tours were over for the day, and he just didn’t look like he belonged here at the marina. When he spotted my boat, he smiled and picked up his pace, causing the floating pier to dip sharply. He lurched to a stop in front of us.

#SwampGhosts Excerpt #1

 

I promised you some excerpts on a fairly regular basis, especially for the next two weeks, and here’s the first one. Most won’t be this long, but I figured cutting this short prologue in half would be silly. Plus, the first one might as well be a bit longer, just to whet your appetite.  And yes, I know the current trend is to shy away from prologues, but as a reader, I love them, and always have. So I started paying close attention and discovered that some of my very favorite writers…best-selling writers, at that…use them regularly. I figured if it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for me. So without further ado, here’s the Prologue to Swamp Ghosts, in its entirety. Hope it’s creepy enough for most of you. 🙂 Enjoy!

SWAMP GHOSTS
PROLOGUE

     THE CAR BUMPED and rocked as he drove down the rutted dirt road, steering by a wash of silver light from the gibbous moon. Only a few more nights until it was completely full, making the road nearly as bright as it would be by day, but there was still enough light tonight to see that the way ahead was clear—except for the tall grasses and weeds, indicating no one had driven the road in a long time. That was all the visibility he needed. Not much chance of meeting anyone along such a remote stretch of river, anyway, especially since the state had bought this entire tract of land a few years ago, and chained off all the roads, posting No Access signs everywhere. Still, he wasn’t going to tempt fate by turning on his headlights. Not with what he was carrying in the back on this summer night.

Extending Giveaway One More Day!

In keeping with my new weekly schedule, I’m making Monday my day for giveaways and freebies. (Is there a difference? Probably not, but I like both words, so I’m using them. 🙂 ) And I’m extending my offer of a free download of Swamp Ghosts to five more people. Email me today (contact info above, in Menu) and I’ll send you an amazon gift of one download. Grab it while you can! You’ll love the adventure! And keep an eye open for an excerpt to be posted shortly, just to whet your appetite.

Have a great Moon’s Day, everyone!

Win A Free Download of “Swamp Ghosts!”

 

The first ten people to email me directly will receive a free Kindle download of Swamp Ghosts, my new novel set on the rivers of central Florida. Meet Maggie Devlin, an eco-tour boat operator on the scenic St. Johns River. Find out how she and Gunnar Wolfe, a wildlife photographer, plan to make history together. Well…that was the plan before they made a grisly discovery,  and found out the hard way that a serial killer on the prowl is more deadly than any other predator in the swamp.  Email today, and win your download. (Contact info in Menu at the top of the page.)

Swamp Ghosts

 

Fanfare, Please!

Ta-daaa! The Big Day is finally here! The first Riverbend novel, Swamp Ghosts, is live on amazon! I’m so excited to have this one “out there,” I can’t tell you, and I want to thank everyone who has been there for me throughout this long process.

Hope you’ll come along for the boat ride, and meet Maggie Devlin, Gunnar Wolfe, Willow Greene, Billy Truitt, the Painter brothers, Lester Purvis…and best of all, my personal favorite, Big Blue. They’re all waiting for you in the sleepy little Florida town of Riverbend. And oh, yeah…did I mention there’s a serial killer on the prowl? Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Swamp Ghosts: A Riverbend Novel

“Romance meets danger in Swamp Ghosts, as a serial killer proves more deadly than any other predator in the swamp.”

It’s ALMOST Here!

Coming Tomorrow!

I’m busy reading today, checking for last minute errors in my Kindle version of Swamp Ghosts. I want it to be as close to perfect as I can possibly make it, before it officially goes LIVE tomorrow! Mark your calendars! I will have some special offers starting tomorrow, too, so don’t forget to check back here.

Snakes, and alligators, and psychopaths, oh, MY!