MJ Greenway

I just finished reading Janet Evanovich's How I Write.   It was such a great guide on all the nuts and bolts of writing. She's infused her humor which made it a quick/fun read.  Wow! I wish I had read it prior to finishing my first novel.  What I learned will help me a lot as I work on my second book.  I highly recommend it for fellow writers.  Here is the the link:    How I Write

I was just contemplating plastic egg hunt vs. real dyed eggs that can stink if lost.  Now that we live in a place where it frequently rains on Easter, I'm a fan of plastic eggs filled with candy or coins.  Then I found this and realized we're not the only ones in the pro-plastic egg camp: Kim Kardashian's Kid's Easter Egg Hunting

Our family took a long road trip to Napa ; Alex had a work conference there.  I had been wanting to see more of Oregon, so it seemed like a good idea to tag along. We drove 10 hours there (five hours each day) and 10 hours home. First, we drove through Sisters , a small town consisting of Old West style buildings.  We then stopped in Bend for Supervillian Sandwiches, which were amazing! Nearby Mirror Pond had a play structure that Henry enjoyed. The terrain of red soil and pine trees reminded me of Flagstaff.   Klamath Falls was our overnight stop. We saw OIT , where Alex went to college and had Abby's Pizza , one of his old favorites. It was a small desert-y town with a college housed in old military barracks. A quick stop in Redding for In and Out Burger was the highlight of the trip for Alex, I enjoyed it too. Once in Napa, we enjoyed a vineyard walk.  Henry and I also visited my friend Wendy in Petaluma and had a picnic with her and her kiddo...

My friend's debut memoir just came out.  I ordered a copy and am looking forward to reading about all of her adventures.  Here is a blurb about it from her website: PIT To LAX: My Story Worthy Life  by Christine Blackburn For Christine Blackburn, the youngest of six kids growing up in Pittsburgh, the idea of living in Los Angeles and working in the entertainment industry seemed like a dream (or at least something you only saw on television). Instead she took a circuitous route—first as a flight attendant, then in the Peace Corps—with some unforeseen setbacks: a rare cancer diagnosis at age 31. With a survivor’s renewed sense of urgency, Blackburn finally found the courage to take the leap to Los Angeles and pursue her life as a performer, or at least... as a contestant on The Dating Game . PIT to LAX: My Story Worthy Life is a series of memories about loving, losing, and letting go, which will inspire you and stay with...

Grocery stores tantalize with crimson hearts filled with confections. When you add flowers and dinner, Valentine's Day can be hard on the wallet. Here's a solution: 10 gift ideas that will put a smile on your Sweetheart's face without breaking the bank. 1. Surprise your handyman or lady with a toolbox or flower pot filled with pink and red M&M's. 2. Write 52 things you love about your Valentine on slips of paper. Stash these in a mason jar. Each week your honey will have a sweet thought to jump start his/her week. 3. Do your little ones need a Valentine? Make them some pink play dough. Countless easy recipes can be found online. 4. Bake heart shaped sugar cookies. 5. Single and ready to mingle? Read 50 Shades of Gray and see where the night takes you. 6. Give a symbol of your growing love, a house plant. Flowers die but a plant might live for years. Every time your sweetheart looks at it, he/she will be reminded of your thoughtfulness. 7. Make...

When I need a break from writing, I bake.  Here is one of my favorite healthy recipes for muffins:   Gluten Free Applesauce Muffins Last year I tried Bethany Frankel's banana bread recipe, it was delicious.   It inspired me to make several modifications and come up with an apple muffin loosely based on her banana bread recipe.   In addition to being gluten free, this recipe is lower in fat and calories than your standard muffin.   The addition of oat flour gives a nice hearty flavor. You can also easily make your own flour at home.   Simply buy gluten free oatmeal, found in most health food stores.   Add the oats to your blender and pulse for a few seconds until it looks like a fine flour.   This is an amazingly versatile recipe.   You may use any puree and get a similar result.   I have used pumpkin, smashed banana and homemade strawberry jam.   You may also use other types of flour, like brown rice flour or al...

A friend recently shared The Lizzie Bennett Diaries with me.  It is contemporary re-telling of Pride and Prejudice.  It's a very entertaining series.  Each episode is about three minutes long.  It is a creative way to re-tell Jane Austen's classic romance.

I'm offering 20% off of my writing services until 3-30-2015.  Just mention that you read about the discount on my blog. WHAT I WRITE :  Blogs, Web and Social Media Content E-blasts and Press Releases Articles and Newsletters Resumes/Cover Letters and Personal Ads  Short Films and Plays I'm open to projects not listed here as well . Feel free to email me about your project: melissauhles@hotmail.com

I just finished reading Jim Gaffigan's book   Food: A Love Story . It was laugh out loud funny.  I highly recommend it to anyone who likes to eat french fries and donuts with reckless abandon.  I'm already thinking of all the people I know that would love it. Shannon Stacey's book  Falling for Max is one that I've just started reading.  I love the hero. He is the opposite of an alpha hero and that's what I like about him.  He's a little cerebral with no social skills. It seems like a re-imagining of My Fair Lady.  He meets a waitress that is going to help him become more dateable.  Although I can see where it's going, it's a great read so far. If anyone has a good book they'd recommend, I'm always looking for something new to read.

I've just finished my debut romance novel.  It is being read by beta readers now. The next step will be submitting it for publication. The  2015 Writer's Market is proving useful in conducting research on publishers. There are a few big houses that now offer digital first publishing and seem open to new writers with or without agents.  Does anyone have experience or advice in this area?