Writer Wednesday – Michael Meyer

An introduction: I was very fortunate to have been invited into an amazing online writer’s group in the summer of 2013. At current count there are 81 members in this group, and they range from newbies to well-established hybrid and traditionally published authors. They write in every genre and form imaginable. The Kiss Anthology, in which I have a short story, The Graveyard Kiss, will also feature 30 writers from this group. The anthology is due out at the end of the month and will be available for free. Yes, the groups’ bestselling authors are contributing right along with all of us lesser knowns. And that says A LOT about the great group dynamic.

I thought you might like to meet some of these fantastic people and check out their writing. I haven’t found the time to read all of these writers, but I’m hoping you will find a few that sound interesting to you.

Plus!! Each writer is also contributing a favourite recipe. Yes, I made them ‘tithe’ to the blog. Why not??!!

So, without further ado, here is my first Writer Wednesday!

Made by Michael Meyer

Spicy Cajun Seafood Stew

Spicy Cajun Seafood Stew
            Spicy Cajun Seafood Stew

1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces smoked andouille sausage, diced (1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 bell peppers, red and/or green, chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)
1 onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
One 8-ounce bottle clam juice
One 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 pound firm white fish, such as halibut, grouper or black sea bass, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 pound peeled and deveined large shrimp (21 to 25 shrimp)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Kosher salt
Cooked white rice, for serving

1. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large pot or Dutch oven. Cook the sausage until browned, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the sausage and cook, stirring, until lightly toasted and the meat is well coated, about 2 minutes. Add the Cajun seasoning, garlic, peppers and onions and continue to cook until the vegetables are softened, 5 minutes. Add the clam juice, tomatoes and 4 cups water, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot, and increase the heat to bring to a simmer.

2. Lower the heat slightly and simmer until the stew is thickened and the flavors are melded, about 30 minutes. Gently stir in the fish and shrimp. Cook, making sure the stew is not bubbling vigorously, stirring once or twice, until the shrimp and fish have just turned opaque, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley. Season with salt and serve over rice.

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OMG! This looks SO good!! I wonder if it would work without the sausage?

This was the meal that Mike and Kitty ate on their first date. Want to know more? I’m guessing you have to read The Three Kitties That Saved My Life.

The Three Kitties book cover

AN UPLIFTING TRUE STORY OF LOVE – from love and loss to love renewed – a feel-good read

Losing loved ones is an awful fact of life; losing one’s loving spouse, one’s day-to-day partner through life, especially in the prime of life, is one of the most unbearable tolls that we humans are forced to endure. This is the true story of my journey from grieving widower, not caring if I lived or died, to the once-again happily married man I am today, a man who both loves and cherishes life. My three kitties have given me a new zest for living.

Equally inspiring and entertaining, my story begins with loss and tears, but it ends with lots of love and laughter. I think that you will find yourself moved by my journey.

BUY NOW ON AMAZON

Michael Meyers Author Photo
          Author Michael Meyer

Michael Meyer is a retired English professor. He literally taught at universities throughout the world: Thailand, Saudi Arabia, the Virgin Islands, and he spent the last 25 years of his 40-year career at a California community college. He lives in Southern California wine country with his wife, Kitty, and their two adorable rescue cats.

Amazon Author Page — Facebook  — Goodreads

The Kiss Anthology – cover reveal

The Kiss Anthology

I, along with thirty other writers, have a short story appearing in this soon to be released anthology. My short, The Graveyard Kiss, is a 7,000 word young adult urban fantasy, but the themes and genres of the other stories will be an eclectic mix of romance, horror, fantasy, thriller, etc. These stories, written by some of the most prolific and prominent indie writers currently publishing, only have two things in common: they’re all based on the idea, or theme, of a kiss and they’re now all collected together in one place.

The Kiss anthology will be available for free by the end of the month. I’ll post more info as soon as I have it!

ETA: The Goodreads page is up!

Cupcakes (Etc) memes

Now I’m testing some Cupcakes, Trinkets, and Other Deadly Magic aka Dowser #1 quotes/memes. I have to put a push on the 1st book to also market the 2nd, it seems. Not sure about the brown font, but it’s CMYK for “baker’s chocolate” so how could I resist?

Do you have any favourite quotes from Cupcakes (Etc) you think might work better than these?

Cupcakes (etc) customer meme

Cupcakes (Etc) glasses-a-day meme

Cupcakes (etc) phone meme

I wasn’t just playing around with InDesign all afternoon – just in case you were fretting – I busted out 2250 words on Treasures (Etc) aka Dowser #3, but then my hand started aching!!

Dowser #2 – Cover Reveal and Giveaway

Without further ado, here is the book cover for Trinkets, Treasures, and Other Bloody Magic by the ever-brilliant Irene Langholm. I adore the magic and mystery that Irene has captured here. Thank you, Irene! You can find the synopsis and keywords on the Trinkets (etc) page (link above & on the side bar) but SPOILER ALERT!!

Trinkets (etc) book cover

eBOOK RELEASE DATE: DECEMBER 27, 2013

ENTER GIVEAWAY

 I’m giving away one (1) eARC of either Cupcakes, Trinkets, and Other Deadly Magic or Trinkets, Treasures, and Other Bloody Magic to celebrate the cover reveal and release date announcement.

In the comments below, tell me:

  1. Which ebook you want to win? Cupcakes (Etc) aka Dowser #1 or Trinkets (Etc) aka Dowser #2.
  2. What is your favourite trinket? I adore a Norwegian wood bracelet that a friend gave me for my birthday years ago. I actually need to replace the elastic I’ve worn it so much. The wood warms, like pearls do. I love that!
  3. Make sure you fill your email address into the blog comment form.

Yup, it’s that easy. Contest open internationally, of course. I’ll select winners by random number generator after 12noon PST on Friday, December 6, 2013.

Bonus entries?? Do the above and add any or all of the following:

  1. Sign up for my new release mailing list
  2. Follow me on twitter and tweet giveaway info … such as:  Cover Reveal & Giveaway for the #DowserSeries via @mcdoidge – #win a pre-release eARC#ebook http://wp.me/pP9tA-yW
  3. Like me on Facebook. I cannot ask you to post a link on your Facebook page because that is against FB’s code of conduct, but if you felt so inclined that would be lovely.
  4. WordPress user? Like this post.
  5. Blogger? Post a link to this post via your blog.
  6. Subscribe to this blog (link on side bar).

Are you already following me on any or all of the above platforms or mailing lists? Thank you!! Just remind me in your comment so I remember to give you the extra entries!

Halloween Freebies

Love Lies Bleeding is free from October 29 – November 2, 2013 on Amazon.

What about some other Halloween appropriate freebies? Well, I’m glad you asked!

Ten Dead Mice by Sharon Delarose – *Free 10/30 only* – Synopsis: We were supposed to fill in the blank: “Dead as _______.” Being a group of authors, we all jumped on board with our silly answers, mine being: “Dead as my hamster would be if our dog’s fantasy came true.” Several mousey answers were posted, and my head filled up with a lifetime of dead mouse and other rodent stories — true stories all — and Ten Dead Mice: See How They Died was brought to life. I’ll probably catch hell for calling it Ten Dead Mice when the stories involve mice, rats, gerbils, hamsters, and even a squirrel, but the title is catchy and they’re all rodents. So here goes…

Also by Sharon Delarose, perfect for Halloween but not free, The Wizard of Awe – $5.99

Brandon Hale has his book Day Soldiers (Amazon link, also free through B&N, Apple, or Smashwords) perma-free right now and he is also running a series of short stories by other writers on his blog throughout Halloween.

LLB halloween freebie

Halloween ebook Sale – $0.99

After The Virus is reduced from $3.99 to $0.99 from October 28, 2013 to November 2, 2013 on  Amazon, Kobo, and the iBookstore.

Happy Halloween!

Wait! There’s more! I thought it might be fun to collect some more $0.99 (or reduced) halloween ebooks and make this a real party. So, check these out!!

The Well Collector by Trish Marie Dawson – 4.9 star average out of 10 reviews on Amazon. Synopsis:  “Time was speeding up, moving faster every day. He had to have another one. Now…” Love, lies, loss and murder. Not everything is what it seems in this short psychological thriller that takes readers on a journey through the darkest depths of one twisted soul. Everyone has that special collection – what does the Well Collector keep hidden away? And what happens when the collection is finally complete?

Animals Odd by Alison Blake – Three short stories of animals crossing that narrow line where the imaginary, the dreamed of, and the remembered clash, and destroy, but also deliver the humans they encounter. There are animals that bring love and warmth into the human world, but there are others that are just…odd

Kellie’s Dairy – Decaying Innocence – normally $5.99 now $3.99  – Follow Kellie’s journey as she ventures out into the world, braving dangers of all kinds, both natural and unnatural, expected and surprising. She must learn to survive based on her own wits, and she will also learn which instincts she should trust. This is the novel version of the best-selling horror and zombie graphic novel series, with a lot of additional content not in the graphic novels. It includes “Sarah’s Despair,” “Dr. Crane,” and more.

ATV Halloween Promo

And the winner of the four paperbacks giveaway is…

Heather from Hellertown, PA! (a.k.a. H.Lee in the comments). Out of 80 entries earned the random number generator picked number 74 = H.Lee.

I have boxed up Heather’s paperbacks and will mail them off to her this afternoon.

Thanks to everyone who entered. I just absolutely loved reading all your comments over the last two weeks. You are a funny, smart group! I totally wished I could send paperbacks to you all.

Bummed out that you didn’t win? I’ll be giving away a paperback copy of Cupcakes (Etc) via Goodreads next week. I’ll update the giveaway page here and facebook/twitter with the entry info when it opens.

In other news, I’m at 16,000 words on the 2nd draft of the Cupcakes (Etc) sequel, Trinkets, Treasures, and Other Bloody Magic. Looking at an October release date if all goes well.

Still a little sad? How about a pretty picture? This is a chocolate dahlia from my chocolate garden. Yes, I have a chocolate garden. How can you possibly be surprised?

Image

Sunshine & Lollipops!