MJ Greenway

With my six year old in tow, I've spent a good amount of time at the library this summer. Here are three books on my to-be-read list. There's a mystery, a nonfiction and middle grade book, something for everyone:) Recently I finished Victoria Laurie's  Abby Cooper: Psychic Eye . It's a cozy mystery with a bit of romance told from the POV of a professional psychic. I found it entertaining and plan to read one of the books from her ghost hunter series at some point. I've also been yearning for some good nonfiction books to read. So I plan on reading  The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell . This book has been out awhile, but my husband recommended I check it out. I've checked out a few middle grade books to read to my kiddo. One is a classic written in the sixties that I'd heard was timeless. I've never read it before. We've just started it and are already enjoying seeing how this adventure in New York City turns out. It's titled:  From the ...

I stumbled on this when I was at Lincoln City. It's a nice sentiment and won't easily be washed away by the changing tides.

We took our family to Laughlin to celebrate my mom's sixtieth birthday. She loves the place. It's not really my scene but for a special birthday, sometimes you have to endure temps in the hundreds, a little smoke, booze and some late nights. Since she gave birth to me and raised me, I figure it was the least I could do, but we're happy to be home in the Pacific Northwest where it's cool. What are your vacation plans this summer?

Some readers have mentioned wanting to read a sequel to Sarah Starting Over. Well, I'm happy to say that I have started writing a book #2 so that readers can see what happens with Greyson and Sarah one year later. Here's a tiny sneak peak. We will see the story through Greyson and Sarah's eyes in this story: Greyson My size thirteen wingtips kicked a couple of oval pebbles until they were sucked into a crack in the sidewalk. Other indentations in the walkway were overgrown with green things. The near constant rain made living in Siletz Bay like taking up residence on the surface of a Chia Pet. I’d been advised to wear more comfortable footwear by the prosthetic experts. But I had an image to maintain, leg or no leg. The Canon camera I’d inherited from my mom after her passing hung around my neck most days. Clicking pics of married men sharing their beds with their assistants had become my bread and butter. 

Today a stocker at the grocery store asked me if I ever got a song stuck in my head. His was Van Morrison's Moonlight . Mine has been Cake By the Ocean . It's catchy but also makes me want to spend a day eating cake by the ocean:) I'd also settle for a pina colada by the ocean! What song gets stuck in your head? P.S. Why are the bikini-clad models in this video throwing cake at each other instead of eating it? What a waste of good cake...IMHO.

My computer at my new writing desk. Over the past few weeks I have been typing out every book idea that pops into my head. There have been some fiction ideas, a premise for a sequel to Sarah Starting Over , some nonfiction pitches and a few log-lines for memoirs. They are currently living on a word document called "book ideas." It's been a struggle choosing just one idea to develop right now. I've recently finished a romance that I co-wrote with my writing partner  Amber Roshay . That will make three romances written in just over a year. It's been a whirlwind of learning to craft love stories. And I have a lot more to learn about writing good fiction. Joanna Penn  is an author of both fiction and nonfiction. Her assertion is that writing nonfiction is a palette cleanser after writing fiction, and that notion really clicked with me. I've also been inspired because I am reading a memoir,  Meghan Daum's "Life Would Be Perfect if I Lived in That...

Felicity  originally aired in 1998, eighteen years ago. I watched it then and loved it. And recently I discovered all four seasons were on Hulu, so I started watching it again. It may surprise some to know it was created in part by J.J. Abrams, known for Lost, Star Wars, Star Trek and Alias.  Felicity is a girl whose just beginning college in New York after following (stalking) a boy there. It's hard to blame her, Ben is nineties eye candy for sure. Those piercing hazel eyes, brilliant smile and floppy dishwater blond hair would drive anyone across country to be in his proximity. Not really, in real life, I'm proud to say I didn't follow any hot boy from high school to college. But then she befriends Noel, the geeky/hot RA on her floor. And he's no slouch with his soulful brown eyes, dimples and floppy brown hair. Each year follows Felicity as she cycles back and forth between these two guys and makes her way from freshman to senior. And then there's the tim...