Hello, Lovelies. Anna here, with some fabulous news. Melva’s newest nonfiction book, Thanks For the Memories, is now available in both Kindle and paperback.
I will never forget the moment I found out about the diagnosis of Melva’s own real life romance hero. We were in Melva’s car, on the way to a reginal RWA conference, chatting about our lives and getting up to date on domestic details. I said something about us having our real life Prince Charmings. Melva agreed that we did and added that her prince had Alzheimer’s.
Oof. That hit hard. I can’t count the times that Jerry welcomed me into their house, his sharp wit, warm regard, and obvious love for Melva. I love when my friends’ spouses are gaga about them multiple years down the road, and Jerry was definitely this. Seeing the two of them together was always something special, and now there was an unwelcome intruder in the form of something that would take little bits of him away at a time.
Many of the stories Melva shares about her own experience in caregiving, I heard first in real time. Glimpses into the cafe itself gave me even more insight. One of the many things Melva and I have in common is experience caregiving for loved ones with memory issues. For me, my father. For Melva, it was more than only one family member. Some fires can only be described by those who have walked through them. All of the emotions in these stories are raw, honest, and real.
To say that I am proud of Melva, for walking that road with her beloved in sickness and in health, is an understatement. I am proud of her for making her first step into indie publication, and her versatility. Thanks For the Memories is not a romance, nor is it a novel, but it is a love story, and one I highly recommend.
Hello, Lovelies. Anna here for but a moment, because today we get a blog entry from Melva. She and I first met in a writing group where we all wrote to prompts for a certain amount of time, then whoever wanted to share what they wrote could read it aloud to the group. Melva still attends one of those groups and wanted to share the product of one of her sessions.
All right, I told myself, it’s time to settle down and write that next chapter, the one where the two protagonists argue about that issue that will drive a wedge in their relationship. I couldn’t do that, though, until I settled my own argument with my microwave. Believe me, it’s almost human, and I have had a fifteen year, rocky relationship with it. It has a mind of its own, and lately, it decides whether or not I deserve a cup of tea. This morning, as I do almost every morning between 6 and 7:30, I filled a cup with water and snagged a tiny bag of tea leaves, dipping it into the cup with the wimpy string dangling over the rim. I put it into the heart of Monty the microwave. I set it for three minutes while I feed the two felines that have begun to nag me for their breakfast of tuna bits, a ritual that always makes me want to wait a while for my own first meal. As it has done for the last week or so, Monty begins to ding and tells me it has quit the job I have given it. “You may want to call service” scrolls across the digital panel as it turns off the power, and the screen reverts to a series of images that resemble the Japanese constitution. My tea did not even reach the tepid stage before it declared itself off duty.
Monty is only following a trend that the rest of my appliances have followed. Last week, my toaster decided to rebel and only toast one side of my bread. I had to pop up the slices of cheese loaf and turn them over so that they could be toasty on both sides. I lifted the device to see if I could detect something wrong with the wiring and the bottom flap opened up by itself and rained all the crumbs from bagels past onto my counter. “You can be replaced,” I admonished, although I am sure it knew I was too lazy and cheap to run to Target on a hot day just so I could do a simultaneous toast on both sides of my bread. It definitely knew on which side my bread was buttered – the one it decided to toast.
A little while ago, my oven decided to go on strike. I tried to tease it into being a compliant appliance, but it wasn’t having it. I tried sneaking up from it’s blind side and flipping the dial to 350 degrees with a quick rwist of my wrist, and it flashed on for fifteen minutes until it seemed to realize it was warming up and flipped itself off. If I were not the bigger person, I might be tempted to flip it off as well.
I did have to purchase a new oven, but the store told me that they did not install., giving me the number of a company that would be glad to shove it into my wall for a fee. I contacted the representative who sent a person out to size up the situation, who later told me he had developed a bad back and probably couldn’t do it. Finally, my grandson-in-law came over with a buddy, and they managed to manipulate the beast into the wall pocket with a minimum of grunting and groaning.
The rebellion has even reached such casually used appliances as the cleaning tools. I have three dead vacuums in my cellar. I would use them for a matter of months and each one, like wounded soldiers, would stop in mid suck, wheeze, and begin to cough up dust puffs back onto the recently dirt free floor. Yes, that corner of the basement is a sanitation cemetery.
Two weeks ago, my alarm clock refused to wake me up, which was alarming itself. It had been purchased as a birthday gift from my tech savvy son and had blue tooth components and mind reading capabilities. I did know how to set the time, but I was clueless about a lot of its other powers.
My washer has begun to protest if I do a large load for some reason. I think it just doesn’t want to be left out of the failure fashion that has taken the household by storm. I can’t replace it at the moment, so if it conks out, I’ll go down to the stream and bang my wardrobe on the rocks.
I won’t argue anymore. I just reminded Monty Microwave about what happened to the oven, but he didn’t seem to care. He still refused to heat my tea or cook anything I fed him, so I made a trip to the appliance store, and he’s being replaced. Since he won’t fire up, I fired him. I warned him. He should have seen what happened to Oscar the oven and taken heed. He should have realized I do know how to micro-manage.
I now have a new microwave, oven, and toaster, so I am hoping I can have some time to heat up my writing schedule. I think I hear the spirits of the deceased vacuums plotting something, though.
Storm’s blog, Typing With Wet Paws, gets a helping hand (or four) with the addition of the new guys, Melva’s two kitty boys, Oliver and Murphy. If you haven’t found out how they joined the gang, Storm will clear that up over at TWWP. Head on over there for that story and updates on Storm’s week.
Hello, loves. New post on my (Anna) other blog, Typing With Wet Nails. This time, I’m talking about five things I love about my new desk. You’ll never guess number five. Click below to find out all.
Dear Readers, do not adjust your screens. We, Melva and Anna, two writers with a single mind, are indeed back. Where have we been? It’s a long story, filled with life changes of pretty much every sort, but we are at last Back At It, as one might say.
First of all, many thanks to all who have read and loved our first co-written contemporary romance, Chasing Prince Charming. Many of you have asked about future entries in the Love By the Book series, and we are happy to announce that yes, there will be more. We have completed two more books in this series, with plans for more to follow. Drama King, the story of how clever and optimistic Kelly from CPC finds her perfect match in a grumpy British actor, will be next, and then Queen of Hearts, where Dominic’s sister, Heather, discovers that life, as well as publishing, has a happily ever after that is hers for the taking.
These books will be published independently, which is a new venture for us, so please be patient. Our followers will absolutely be the first to know. Since I (Anna) learn best by doing, we are jumping in feet first by independently publishing my medieval romance novella, A Heart Most Errant, the first entry in my Ravenwood series, set in fourteenth century England.
In the meantime, we are instituting a regular blog on this site, and a new section, the Reading Room, currently under construction, where you can read exclusive free short stories not available anywhere else. First up are “The Icing on the Cake,” by Melva, and “Perfect English,” by Anna.
Both covers are made with the help of technology. In this case, Canva, for “The Icing on the Cake,” and NightCafe plus Canva for “Perfect English.” No profit is made, and there is a learning curve, but we’re having fun. Comments on short stories are always appreciated, and if you have a question or suggestion, well, we won’t turn that away, either.
Hello, dear readers! Did you miss us? We missed you. Were have we been? Well, 2020. That about says it all, but we don’t come back empty handed. Melva and I (Anna) are thrilled to announce we have completed the first draft of Drama King (at long last!) and are starting laying the groundwork for the third book in the Love By The Book series, Queen of Hearts. Once Drama King gets to the end of draft two (much easier now, since 2020 is behind us) we will be sending it off for editorial perusal.
We have some fun stuff coming up sooner than that, as February will see us giving our first online workshop with Charter Oak Readers and Writers. In the spring, we get the full book club treatment as Chasing With Prince Charming will be the book of the month in a regional book club, details to follow. This will be new for both of us, and we can’t wait to share the experience with you.
For those wondering where things are going after the first three Love By The Book installments, may we invite you to a small town on the New England coast, with a storied past and a present that proves love can be found in the most unlikely of places?
Also on the agenda is a holiday collection (anthology? ) with solo and collaborative stories. Of course the priority right now is Drama King, and our own solo creations, but it’s always fun to look a little bit down the road. For right now, we will poll the room. What’s your preference, small towns or holiday stories? Small town holidays are also an acceptable compromise.
Thanks for your patience, your questions, and interest. Talk to you soon!
The waiting is over! If you, like Meg, have been Chasing Prince Charming, today is the day you can finally catch him. Big thanks to readers who have already told us their downloads are even now in their devices, and/or print copies are on the way.
Now begins the next phase, of waiting for the first reviews, on Goodreads, on Amazon, and other places. Will anybody read it? Will anybody like it? Should we ask if this or that Booktuber would like a review copy, or should that have been done before? Lots of questions, lots of options, but one thing is clear – that next book isn’t going to write itself. We have an author visit at Buried Under Romance later this week, which is tremendously fun, so keep an eye on this site for news of such doings.
For those readers who take a liking to Meg’s agent, Kelly (oh so nice and oh so crafty at the same time) or Dominic’s sister, Heather (single mom with keen editorial instincts and the heart of a true romantic) we are working on their stories, tentatively titled Drama King and Queen of Hearts.
in the meantime, check out our individual bios (I will figure out, soon, how to move them to their own page) and stay tuned for the origin story of our collaboration.
Melva And Anna 