Congratulations to all of the graduates in the Class of 2011! I bet you thought you’d never get here. Hats off to you for your accomplishment and best wishes in your future endeavors where ever they may lead you.

I remember being in middle school and counting ahead to the year when I would graduate. It seemed so far in the future. Now, I look back and it seems so far in the past. Why, when I graduated in 1885…errrr, I mean 1985, the members of the class of 2011 weren’t even a twinkle in their parents’ eyes.

Even though Tera already posted a link to old photos of me, I’ll go ahead and toss some up.

Here I am last year when I visited “the hill,” where Pike Liberal Art School sits in Troy, Alabama. The campus has changed quite a bit, but there was still the same familiar feel on the soil that I walked for twelve years.

Here’s my senior portrait. Keep in mind, this was back in the days when thick eyebrows and girl mullets were the fashion. LOL!

I had twenty-eight (28) people in my senior class. We were a really tight-knit group through our years together from first grade until twelth. It seemed as if our world would end being “busted up,” but so many people have gone on to wonderful lives. Careers that include, the military, lawyer, policeman, several school teachers, nurses, and even a district judge! Then there’s little old me…the published author. Who’d a thunk it? LOL!

Here’s our senior portfolio. I’m on the top line because I was a class officer. This is hanging in the hallway at my alma mater, along with all of the other classes. (Check out the big hair on everyone!) Sadly, there’s a prayer hand notation on one of my classmates who passed away.

Actually, when I left high school for The University of Alabama, I had planned on getting a degree in psychology and then going forward into medical school. That all changed after my freshman year at Bama when I my creative juices took over in my communication and writing classes and I longed to go into marketing/advertising/public relations. Now *that’s* a switch!

That’s the great thing about this time in your life. You can change your mind. You can try on dreams and ideas and see what fit. The only thing that matters is that you discover who you are…and who you want to be…and don’t let anyone or anything hold you back from your dream, whatever it may be.

So…congrats to the class of 2011! I wish you success and happiness!

Hugs,
Marley = )

I look at the calendar and it tells me it’s the middle of May. The middle of May? Seriously? Another school year is wrapping up, television shows are having their finales, and summer is just around the corner…literally.

Here are some signs that summer is almost here:

People Tweeting about the prom: So many friends of mine have been posting about getting their son or daughter ready for the prom. Amazing how the girls love the shopping, picking out their dress, how they’ll wear their hair and makeup, and the boys just complain that they have to stop playing video games long enough to take a shower and get ready. LOL!!

School’s Out: There’s no better feeling than the last school bell ringing to signify the end of a school year and the start of summer vacation. I remember that faithful bus ride home every year where people would celebrate by shaking up Coke cans and spraying them on each other. No one got off the bus dry. (I’m sure that’s not permitted theses days.)

Picking up the boys at the airport: With the end of school, that means my fiance’s son’s will be joining us on the RV until they go back to school in August. They’re flying up to Baltimore from Atlanta where we’ll spend a few days in Gettysburg, then up to Boston, and then to Illinois and upstate New York for events and then down to Florida. We’re planning on catching the VERY LAST launch ever of the space shuttle program.

Memorial Day: The official opening of summer! The campground is full of people with their grills and lawn chairs already set out. The pool will be open soon and hopefully, the sun will grace the east coast with its presence.

Good books to read: Well, my fifth GHOST HUNTRESS book, THE DISCOVERY, just came out and it would make excellent beach reading. So would any of the books from the Buzz Girls. Get them online, at the bookstore, or from us directly. Or, try downloading a digital copy for your eReader. Whatever the case, enjoy escaping into the story as you soak up the sun.

So what are some signs for you that summer is on the way?

Hugs,
Marley = )

I get emails a lot asking me where I come up with the names for my characters. Is there a specific formula or a particular way to do it? Absolutely not! LOL! Most of the time, I come up with my character names in the most peculiar ways. You want to make sure that your characters’ names fit their role in the story…as well as fitting the overall theme of the story. Here are some tips for naming characters: 1. Choose something that mirror’s your character’s personality. If your character is a science geek (like Celia Nichols in GHOST HUNTRESS), give them a name that fits their interests. My first manuscript was about a naive twenty-something working her first job in the tech industry, traveling to tradeshows, and unfortunately giving away a company trade secret. Her name was Vanessa Virtue. It was perfect for her. Could you imagine Thor with any other name? If he was Irving, it just wouldn’t work. 2. The character’s name should be pronouncable and easy for the reader to understand. Think of how the name sounds if you say it out loud. Is there a harmony or a ring to it? Avoid names that no one knows how to say. I respect all of the urban fantasy out there these days, but some of the names are just…unrecognizable. Being creative with a name is great, but not if you reader has no clue how to say it in their head. 3. Make sure the character’s name fits the time period. You wouldn’t want to write a contemporary YA and name the heroine…Ethel. (My grandma was Ethel…so apologies if I offend anyone.) If you’re writing steampunk or historical YA, make sure to use names from the time period. I don’t think anyone back then would be named Brittney. LOL! 4. Use the names of people you know…friends, family, colleagues. When I first sold my SORORITY 101 series, all of the guys at my sales office wanted to be in the book. So I put them in as random fraternity guys, teachers, and fellow students. I carried this tradition on with my GHOST HUNTRESS books. The character of Rebecca is one of my best friends (see below.) She’s not a goth chick at all, so she loves reading her “alter ego.” Be careful with this technique as you don’t want to make anyone look bad or make the character reflect something you can get sued over. Always get the person’s permission to use their name. Funny enough, the name Kendall Moorehead, the heroine of the GHOST HUNTRESS series came from an offensive lineman that played for the University of Alabama when I was in school. I always loved the name and wanted to use it. So I did. 5. Obituaries are a great place to find unique and personality-filled names. Now, before you throw rotten tomatoes at me, a LOT of authors do this. It’s a tribute to the person in that their name carries on and, you can read a lot of about who they were in their obituary, and pay tribute to their life. 6. There are numerous online sources you can use for naming characters. If you’re writing about someone that was born in a particular year, why not visit the Social Security website that ranks the popular names by year. Or, you can use any “name your baby” website. There are also name generator websites you can use, as well. Use a surname generator for your family’s history or ethnicity or country of origin. Be creative and search to find that perfect name you’re searching for. 7. Avoid using names in your story that are similar to other characters names. Look at the letters the names are starting with. Are you using a lot of “C” names? (Charles, Cathy, Christina, Callie) Mix it up a little bit. This makes it easier for the reader to keep up, especially when there are a lot of characters. What are some memorable character names that you’ve come across in your reading? Hugs, Marley = )

Wishing all the mothers of the world a very happy day!  And to my mommy…you know I love you very much.  That’s why I dedicated my new book, GHOST HUNTRESS: THE DISCOVERY to you…

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!!

Isn’t my little mommy the cutest?

Back in my college days at The University of Alabama (Roll Tide!) in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, I was introduced to and fell in love with the Buffalo chicken wing.  Okay…they were invented in Buffalo, New York, but we all know buffalos don’t have wings!

So…in college (85-89, yes, I’m old, deal with it), we used to frequent a dive hole in the wall on the University Boulevard “Strip” as we called it…a slice of culinary heaven known as Wings and Things.  This place was the bomb.  They’d deliver anywhere on campus.  They were cheap.  And they were delicious!!!  Wings, curly fries, bleu cheese dressing and celery. 

I wish I had a photograph of the old place, but alas…sigh…it is no more.  It was owned by Bob Baumhower of Bama and Miami Dolphin fame (part of the Killer Bees) and now it’s a franchised restaurant throughout the state as just Baumhower’s.  Sadly, they’re not as good in the fancy restaurant as they were in the mid-80s in the greasy hole in the wall.

I never thought I’d ever, ever, ever find chicken wings of the same caliber as Wings and Things in my college days.  The die-hard foodie in me tried restaurants in Washington, DC, northern Virginia, Baltimore, Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio…none of them offered me anything like I got in Tuscaloosa.

Until I moved home to Boston…and had a flyer slipped in my mailbox one day to call 617.783.BIRD.  What?  What, what, what?  Yes…a place called Wing It.  Chicken wings.  I had to give them a try. 

They did not fail me in 1993.  And they did not fail me today.

Wing It rocks!  They’re the closest thing to the original Wings and Things that I’ve found.  They offer wings in a variety of sauce flavors, they’re inexpensive, will deliver, and they’re quick.

We visited them today and were NOT disappointed, once again.  My Wing It single (with fries, celery and bleu cheese) was just what I needed on a Friday afternoon.  Finger licking delicious with a roll of paper towels on the table to anything left behind.

If you’re in Boston and have a hankering for the best chicken wings you’ll find in the northeast, give Wing It a visit!