MJ Greenway

The Proposition

I just answered this reader question over at Goodreads and thought I would post my answer here as well. If you write, what inspires you? How do you get inspired to write? MY ANSWER:  There are so many times when I'm inspired by something I've read or watched on TV. For example, I remember reading Gone Girl and yearning to be able to one day write a book that well crafted. That said, most of the writing time isn't about inspiration, it's just about writing most days and seeing where you get. I write an outline and start with a few characters and conflicts and an idea for an ending. As days pass, more details occur to me and snowball into a full fledged story over time. Walks or bike rides can help too. For my romantic mysteries, Sarah Starting Over and Greyson Starting Over , I wanted to write about parenting and grief and my friend urged me to write about a disabled character. Because of my childhood love of Murder She Wrote, I also wan...

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.