Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
*Grab your current read
*Open to a random page
*Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
*BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
*Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

He knows his family better than he knows himself.  They would have been there for him from the moment he came to.  No matter how long it took they would have waited for him to come around.
  Why aren’t they here?
  The answer:  only something terrible could be keeping them away.

If you are a regular visitor at CMash, today’s guest may be familiar to you.  She visited last month when she was on tour with her book Megan’s Way.  I want to share some personal thoughts about Melissa Foster with you.  Before she was showcased here last month, she sent me an email me and we then started corresponding and it was evident the type of person she is.  Melissa is a very kind, compassionate, exuberant, loves life, and family, down to earth person.   Nothing pleases her more than knowing that a reader has enjoyed her book.  Melissa is the type of author that is available to her readers, and today, not only is she stopping by to talk about her latest novel, Chasing Amanda, she will be chatting with us by responding to comments and answering any questions that you may have.    Welcome Back Melissa Foster!!!!

Melissa Foster is the author of two novels, Megan’s Way and Chasing Amanda. She is the founder of the Women’s Nest, a social and support community for women, and is currently collaborating with Director Wendy Crouse, Dream Real Pictures, in the film production of Megan’s Way. Melissa hosts an annual Aspiring Authors contest for children, she’s written a column featured in Women Business Owners Magazine, and has painted and donated several murals to The Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC. Melissa is currently working on her next novel, and lives in Maryland with her family. Melissa’s interests include her family, reading, writing, painting, friends, helping women see the positive side of life, and visiting Cape Cod.

Some people like to think of a writer’s life as being relaxing, maybe even a life of liesure—typing in your pajamas all day, steaming cup of coffee set to the side, maybe a croissant (chocolate filled, of course) next to the keyboard, and no distractions. Oh, how I wish! Let me unveil a few secrets of this writer’s life.

The world does not stop when it’s writing time, and I, for one, have never written in my pajamas—but I’d sure like to! I have children, a husband, and household chores that nag at me while I’m writing. I’m not complaining, just saying…the silly things won’t go away!

Writing from home has its advantages—the keyboard is always just a few steps away. I can take a two minute break to throw a load of laundry in the washing machine or empty the dishwasher. I can sit at my keyboard all night, if I choose to, or well into the wee hours of the morning. Then again, working from home also has its disadvantages—like being able to take breaks to do household chores, and being just a few steps from “work” at all times.

Managing family and career is difficult for any working parent, and working from home offers its own challenges. There’s the ever-present snackage in the kitchen calling out, the open-door policy of the house itself, begging you to procrastinate, and the kids who often say, “Mom, all you ever do is play on your computer. That’s unfair. How come Daddy has to go to work?” ** Mommy rolls her eyes**

When I take apart the pieces of my life, writing is a very solitary act. It’s something I cannot do when my children are running under foot, or when family is milling about waiting for Mom to take care of one urgent thing or another. It has to be just me, my keyboard, and some rockin’ tunes on the radio (doesn’t matter what station – if it has a beat, it works for me).

I finally have a system that works for me. I write from September through June, during the hours when my children are in school. I leave my desk only under duress, and love every second of my writing time. I do admit to jumping up to change a load of laundry over from the washer to the dryer, but then it gets dumped on the bed until later in the evening—I no longer give up writing time to fold clothes or sweep floors. Those things, it turns out, can wait. Summer months are meant for family, and I take full advantage.

There’s one last piece that I’ll expose, and perhaps expand on in a future post if Cheryl would like to have me back. Writing, I’ve found out, is the easy part. I never believed this before writing my first book, but it’s true. Once the book is written, then it’s off to find a publisher, then the world has to know about your book, so there are months of marketing ahead of you, and let’s not forget the all important social media (a discussion we’ll save for a future post).

I would not trade my writer’s life for anything, even if it means that when all my time is accounted for, I probably make negative $1.00 per hour. Writing, family, and helping women are my passions. As long as they’re all in my life, I feel like a millionaire.

Now that you have a true picture of a woman with a spring on her butt, jumping up every ten minutes to face the evil food demons in the kitchen or the chore demons that are tugging at her leg, you see that the writer’s life is one of controlled chaos. It’s a complicated juggling act that’s quite beautiful, at least through the rose colored glasses that I wear.

Thanks for listening to me ramble, and I hope you enjoy my books, because I enjoy nothing more than writing them for you and discussing them with you. Drop me an email and let me know your thoughts on writing, reading, and life. Thinkhappygirl@yahoo.com

You can visit Ms. Foster at the following sites:
Her website, Facebook, Twitter, FB fanpage
Chat with her The Women’s Nest
Sign up for her monthly newsletters here

Chasing Amanda and Megan’s Way have both been nominated for Dan Poynter’s Global eBook Awards

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
*Grab your current read
*Open to a random page
*Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
*BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
*Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

He knows his family better than he knows himself.  They would have been there for him from the moment he came to.  No matter how long it took they would have waited for him to come around.
  Why aren’t they here?
  The answer:  only something terrible could be keeping them away.

What a way to start off August!!!!!  This is so exciting!!!!  Molly, my partner in Partners In Crime Tours, is stopping by today to introduce us all to today’s guest as she the tells us about her latest book, and if that isn’t enough, there is a chance to win a copy of her book.  So grab a chair, sit and stay a while and let’s chat with Ms. Natasha Deen!!!

The Crimson line of The Wild Rose Press was looking for stories that centered around a jewel. I wanted to do something funny and as a nod to 1984’s Romancing the Stone. So, I took a heroine who, whenever she tries to do anything remotely take charge, has everything go wrong—but who, in the end, always perseveres and gets the job done.

*What kind of research did you do for the book?
I did a lot of internal research (by which I mean, napped a lot and called it work). When I wasn’t “internally meditating and drafting” I talked to police contacts to make sure the story, while a fictional take on police procedure, was still within the realm of possibility. And I touched base with friends who live in Las Vegas to make sure the roads I mentioned (and the casinos) were geographically correct.

*Does you feel that research is important or is the majority of the book based on your thoughts and creativity?
I think research is important—depending on the kind of genre you’re writing. If I’m doing a contemporary (like in Sneakers, Sandals & Stillettoes: Fairy-Tales for the Well-Heeled Princess), then I only need enough information to create a sense of place and time.

But if I’m doing something else—historical or fantasy (like the upcoming True Grime), then I need to spend time making sure my facts are right.

At the end of the day, a book is written for the entertainment of the reader. If my reader is always saying, “Hey, wait a minute, Columbus didn’t sail in 1962,” or “Wait. On page three, she said fairies are immortal, but on page forty-three, she’s saying they can die” then I ruin the experience for that person.

I did my best to make What Happens in Vegas realistic, but I also took a lot of artistic license ( I mean, the chances of anyone ever having a chalet-style home in Vegas are pretty slim).

*Because it is in ebook format….what are your thoughts as a rising author and the new era of publishing? Does you feel that indie authors now have a better chance of recognition via virtual tours and indie publishing?

I think we’re in a very exciting time with publishing. Back in the day (think Jefferson—Thomas, not George), everything was about individual initiative. You’d print off your thoughts, then sell the papers/books yourself. In fact, I read that there were more newspapers during Jefferson’s day than now.

Right now, publishing companies are just trying to survive, which means they have to be ruthless about who they take. So, it’s fantastic for those authors whose writing is a little off the beaten path to have options to create and distribute on their own, and to take advantage of virtual tours.

I like virtual touring. It’s kind on the environment, allows me to stay home, and let’s me reach a wider audience than I would in a brick and mortar bookstore.

*Does you prefer ebook or print?
I like both—print when I’m home, and e-books when I travel.

*Writing in general…do you have a certain spot for writing? Need solace or background noise?
I’m very eclectic in how I work. Usually, I write in my office, with music going. During those times when I really need to listen to my inner voice, though, I shut off the music, and on days when I’m feeling bored (or need to edit) I go into the living room to give myself a change of environment.

*What about interruptions?
I have two dogs, two cats, and my husband also works from home…I don’t call it interruptions, I call it “spontaneous breaks in the day.” I actually get up extra early because I’m never sure what will happen in my day. So, if I give myself a couple of extra hours, then if the day goes sideways then I’m still okay with my schedule.

*Do you have have bouts of writer’s block and how do you handle it?
I’ve found my writer’s block is usually when I’m trying to write and edit at the same time. Writing is writing. You shouldn’t try to edit and polish at the same time that you’re trying to get words on the page. That’s like trying to lay the foundation of your house and at the exact same time, you’re trying to install the decorative curtains. One thing at a time. Write first. Edit later.

When Natasha was little, there was only one thing she wanted to be: a superhero. Unfortunately, being a klutz isn’t a super-power. She turned to writing because it allows her to be anything she wants, including a caped crusader. When not writing, she is an instructor and editor.



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