A Writer's Words - Just Press Pause

Hocus Pocus and All That 

By Maureen L. Bonatch 

Just Press Pause 

The last year has left me feeling as if I’ve been living my life in fast forward. There have been many changes in my life, and that of my family, that have resulted in the months flying by. The swiftness of passing time has often left me fatigued from trying to keep up, although It’s struck me that as a reader this pace is something I enjoy in a book, and as a writer, it’s something I’ve strived to achieve. 

Fast Forward 

Start with the action. That’s the advice often given to writers, and what I look for as a reader. I don’t want to be weighted down with a lot of backstory before I even get invested in the character. As a writer, it can be challenging to achieve since I know these characters, and I want you to know them as I do and either love and hate them the same. Thus it tempts me to share all those little idiosyncrasies that make up their character right from the get go, and to tell you their whole backstory so you know why they act like they do. 

Don’t Constantly Rewind 

As a reader, I don’t care to learn everything about a character as soon as they walk onto the page. It’s as if the rewind button is constantly on during the story and we aren’t making any progress. Consider that when we meet a real person—not that our characters and book buddies aren’t real to us in our mind—we don’t usually start with hearing their whole life story. There are those people. You’ve probably met them. I know I have and most of the time that only tempts me to flee, or to try to avoid running into that person again. 

Press Pause 

The trick is finding that balance between learning just enough about the character to become invested, but not too much that you want to CTLR- ALT-DEL the story just to make it stop. When I read I love the action, but I also want some dialogue, and perhaps to pause a minute and tell me what’s going on in the environment. To allow me to see through the characters eyes and pause and reflect on what’s happening now and what might happen next. 

Hit Reset 

This hurried pace of this year has caused me to neglect some areas of my life as other areas demanded all of my time and attention. As the year rapidly comes to a close, I hope to spend some time reflecting on the things that make up a good story and apply some to my own. To make more time to pause so the fast paced action doesn’t prevent me from appreciating the little things that make up each day. 

One thing I have achieved this year was to find more time for reading. There’s nothing like a good story to reduce stress and add adventure into an ordinary day What Was the Pace of Your Year? 

*Post previously published on the Here Be Magic Blogspot 

© 2020 Maureen L. Bonatch All Rights Reserved 

Maureen Bonatch grew up in small town Pennsylvania and her love of the four seasons—hockey, biking, sweat pants and hibernation—keeps her there. While immersed in writing or reading paranormal romance and fantasy, she survives on caffeine, wine, music, and laughter. A feisty Shih Tzu keeps her in line. http://www.maureenbonatch.com/

A Writer's Words - Cooking Up A Conversation

Hocus Pocus and All That 

Maureen L. Bonatch 

Cooking Up A Conversation 

Social situations can be awkward. Over the years verbal conversation has become increasingly quiet as interactions are increasingly via text or other social media avenues. Restaurants, or other social spots, have people gathered, but often many of them may be physically with someone but are virtually conversing with others in cyberspace. Conversing in this manner allows for things that live conversations does not. Such as having the time to consider and edit our words (if we choose) or to validate our response.

He Said She Said
Most of us can think of a time when we:

• Wish the other person would just listen to what we had to say.
• Couldn’t find the right words to express what we meant.
• Wish could’ve edited what we said.
• Thought of the perfect response—about an hour later.
• Had no idea what the other person was trying to say.

Some of us may wish we were like the characters in a story because they can say just the right thing—usually. Those that do deliver the best lines are often the result of a writer laboring over each word to ensure that the reader understands what the character says. Because if the conversation is vague or unclear, then the reader may become frustrated.

Recipe for Readers
As a writer it can be difficult to pull a scene from our mind and bring it alive on the page. Sometimes it may seem like the prose is perfect, but the writer has the benefit of the awareness of the other aspects that are simultaneously occurring in the story. If these aren’t detailed for the reader to immerse themselves in the story, then the character isn’t doing it in the reader’s mind.

A conversation is more than just words. It’s a:

• Spoonful of dialogue.
• Sprinkling of description.
• Dollop of setting.
• Pinch of body language.
• Determined amount of time for other characters to respond.

Otherwise it’s just talking heads with no idea who is talking, where they’re at, or what is going on as if you’d just invaded someone else’s innermost thoughts. This may be where ideas and characters are hatched, but without the other elements of the conversation others can’t understand the conversation, or envision the setting in their own mind, which can make the reader abandon the story.

Sound of Silence
Even with all these ingredients for a great conversation, it still takes creating a balance between too much dialogue, or long intervals of silence while the writer takes a trip through the setting or the inner thoughts of the character until the reader forgets what the conversation was about. We’ve all read, or written, stories that can’t quite achieve that balance. The premise and story might be great, but it struggles to bring it to life from the page.

Writers can work to improve the balance with repeated attempts implementing the recipe for perfect prose while adding their own special ingredients to their stories. As readers, when we get a taste of an author who has mastered this we always want more.

Although sometimes we can overlook a character’s misspoken word, or a few lines of awkward prose, because it just might make us relate to them a little more and make them seem more human.

Do You Have a Recipe for Conversation?

Post previously published on Paranormal Romantics Blogspot

© 2020 Maureen L. Bonatch All Rights Reserved
Maureen Bonatch grew up in small town Pennsylvania and her love of the four seasons—hockey, biking, sweat pants and hibernation—keeps her there. While immersed in writing or reading paranormal romance and fantasy, she survives on caffeine, wine, music, and laughter. A feisty Shih Tzu keeps her in line. http://www.maureenbonatch.com/

A Writer's Words - How Do You Halloween?

Hocus Pocus and All That 

Maureen L. Bonatch 

How Do You Halloween? 

Halloween doesn’t have to have an age limit. Even though some neighborhoods forgo the traditional costume wearing and trick or treating, or put an age limit on it, that doesn’t stop some of us. It could be that there’s something about the leaves start to change, the air getting cooler and the plethora of spooky movies filling the movie and television screen that makes us want to join in the festivities. Or maybe it’s just me?

Have you taken advantage of the month of October to:
• Stock up on a plethora of edible treats for the cute little trick or treaters…or for us, admit it, most of the candy is for us
• Dress up as something scary, sexy, funny, or whatever strikes your fancy—no limits!
• Scare our friends and family
• Neglect housecleaning and leave some cobwebs up to add to your decorations
• Binge watch scary movies
• Devour every book related to magic, fantasy and horror

Need Some Help Getting Into the Spirit of the Season?

If you like ghost stories that might tempt you to leave a light on at night, or to tread a little more carefully through the house, check out my book Evil Speaks Softly.
They were never supposed to meet. Fame came easy for Liv by following in the footsteps of the female writers in her family. The cycle repeated for decades…until Liv changed the story. Her villain doesn’t like the revision—and he isn’t a fictional character. In his story, the bad guy always wins.

They were never supposed to find love. Liv never questioned her demanding nocturnal muse, or the strange incidents in her old, family home until she met Gage. His job was to watch her from afar, not reveal the truth about the curse and the stories of the dead.

They’ve broken all the rules. Together they unravel secrets as they strive to stop the cycle. Liv’s ability to find love, and protect her loved ones, hangs on the fickle whims of the dead—and they’ve got nothing to lose.

One of my Favorite Scary Shows:
• The Haunting of Hill House on Netflix—pssst! I may have looked over my shoulder once or twice—or more—while watching this.

Look Halloween in the Eye and Laugh?

If you prefer to keep the humor in Halloween and find the fun in all things magical, check out my book, Grandma Must Die.
Carman has worn out more towns and last names than impractical shoes protecting the secret of her magic blood. But when a friend goes missing, and another is infected with a deadly spell, Carman must choose. Expose her magic blood by curing the spell—or stop the infection from spreading by killing the source…the grandmother.

Magic bounty hunter Dylan has scoured libraries of banned magic paraphernalia seeking a method to distinguish genuine witches from impersonators. He suspects unorthodox librarian Carman might hold this information tighter than the hair he’s dying to unleash from her bun. With a past as hidden as his sleeve of tattoos, Dylan discovers he’s been used to gain Carman’s trust and their passion risks more than mixing mortals and magic.

One of My Favorite Fun Spooky Movies:
• Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetle—oops! If you don’t understand this third time isn’t a charm blunder, you’ll have to watch the movie to find out.

Advice for Getting Treats of Your Own Without the Costume
• Wait until the day after Halloween when all the candy is on sale
• Sneak some of your kid’s candy—you’re only making sure the candy is safe for consumption. Sometimes that might take taste testing one, or two…or more.
• Wear a scary costume to hand out candy and significantly reduce the number of Halloweener—their loss, your gain of extra candy leftovers.

All Things Halloween?

What can I say? When you write fantasy and paranormal, you usually geek out a little this time of the year with all things Halloween.

So Tell Me, How Do you Halloween?

*Post Previously Published on the Here Be Magic Blogspot

© 2020 Maureen L. Bonatch All Rights Reserved
Maureen Bonatch grew up in small town Pennsylvania and her love of the four seasons—hockey, biking, sweat pants and hibernation—keeps her there. While immersed in writing or reading paranormal romance and fantasy, she survives on caffeine, wine, music, and laughter. A feisty Shih Tzu keeps her in line. http://www.maureenbonatch.com/

A Writer's Words - Stir Your Childlike Curiosity

Hocus Pocus and All That 

Maureen L. Bonatch 

Stir Your Childlike Curiosity 

It seems that as we get older we tend to notice things less. Our lives are busy, our minds are always churning away at what we need to do today, tomorrow, or what we did yesterday. Being more observant, and curious, can enable us write better stories, make little changes in our lives, and maybe experience life more fully. 

Wearing Blinders

Often we go through each day wearing blinders, sometimes to the point that we’re so immersed in our routines that we might wonder if we completed a routine task—or if that was yesterday as time blends together.

Children usually go through their days blinder-free, filled with curiosity and the tendency to notice everything. Here are just a few examples of how my girls used to remove my blinders when they were younger.

Twins: “When did you go to New York?”
Me: (At the time, I’d never been to New York.) “I haven’t.”
Twins: “Then why do you wear that shirt that says New York on it all the time?”
Me: Confused. “I don’t.” Sure enough, I realized one of my favorite shirts said New York—I wore it all the time but never realized that.

Twins: “I know what your favorite room is.”
Me: “What?”
Twins: “The laundry room, because you’re always in there.”
Me: Vows to get out of the laundry room more.

Twins: “I know what your favorite color is.”
Me: Thinking they will say mauve, black or purple. “What?”
Twins: “Green. Most of your shirts are green.”
Me: Checks closet and vows to go shopping soon.

Me: “Have a good time at daycare.”
Twins: “Why can’t we stay home today with you?”
Me: “I’m going to work.”
Twins: Wailing. “No you’re not, you’re not wearing your work clothes.”
Me: …Caught in a fib.

Taking Off The Blinders

We spend a lot of time in our home, or other personal spaces, and tend to stop truly seeing things other than what we expect to see. Gain a fresh perspective on your life, personal space, or your story, by taking off your blinders, thinking out of the box, or opening the door for something more than ordinary.

Allow your childlike curiosity to guide you and ask “why” or consider what might be possible when:

You’re world building in your story, or adding some unique character traits

You’re spending time at home, or other usual places and look around with a fresh eye, or from a different angle by standing or sitting somewhere new. Maybe things could be reorganized better, or colors might not match, or would look better in another area or room. This might allow you to make something old look new again.

You don’t have to be a child to embrace the extraordinary, and believe in magic. You just have to look a little closer.

*Article previously featured on the Here Be Magic Blogspot

© 2020 Maureen L. Bonatch All Rights Reserved
Maureen Bonatch grew up in small town Pennsylvania and her love of the four seasons—hockey, biking, sweat pants and hibernation—keeps her there. While immersed in writing or reading paranormal romance and fantasy, she survives on caffeine, wine, music, and laughter. A feisty Shih Tzu keeps her in line. http://www.maureenbonatch.com/

A Writer's Words - Stay Calm and Read

Hocus Pocus and All That

Maureen L. Bonatch

Stay Calm and Read

Spending more time indoors lately? As an introvert, an author, and someone who works remotely at home for the ‘day-job’, spending a lot of time indoors and alone isn’t something new to me. It’s pretty much my way of life. That suits this introvert just fine. That doesn’t mean that all the recent panic in the world hasn’t gotten me a little stressed at times. 

Unfortunately, there are many situations where there is little we can do but take care of ourselves and find a way to decompress as we continue with our lives. I’ve found that reading has often provided me with a wonderful way to take my mind away from things that I can dwell on, and worry about, but do nothing to change. This is just one of the benefits of making time to read, and since we’re going to be avoiding social interactions and staying indoors more, it’s a perfect time to catch up on your TBR list and find some new books.

Three Reasons to Read

Reduce Stress- Reading can lower your heart rate, reduce tension and anxiety, reduce stress by 68% and calm your mind. I’ve found it to be a great way to improve sleep for those restless nights. Instead of lying awake with your thoughts, read for a little bit to relax and return to sleep.

Improve Health- Reading and participating in mentally stimulating activities can help keep your brain sharp, improve memory and prevent, or slow diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Practice Self-Care – The term self-care is all the rage over the last few years, although it’s something we should all do ongoing, but often neglect since most of us are accustomed to putting everyone, and everything else before our needs. Reading is a great way to do something that’s just for you, and do it without any guilt (no need- did you read the two reasons listed above? Reading is good for you!)

Three Places to Find Books

When I’m looking for a new book I usually start with my favorite authors to see if they have anything new. Then I might see other authors that write in a similar genre and take a look at the reviews. But as an author, I can assure you that reviews don’t always tell the whole story. We all have personal preferences of what we like in a story, or a character and one person’s favorite book may not be someone else’s.

A few other ways to pick out new books include:

BookBub- follow authors you like, or friends who read in the same genre on Bookbub. Review their recommendations and make some of your own to help someone else out when they’re looking for a new read.

Goodreads- follow authors, make friends, read reviews or join groups on this platform to help you choose new books, and recommend to others.

Ask for Recommendations- Most of us are all over one social media platform or another and generally we have friends with similar interests in those realms. Ask them what they’ve read lately that they recommend- although you might ask why, because as mentioned earlier, you might not share what they liked in the story, or you might be in the mood for something different and can tuck that book away on your TBR.

Regardless of reviews not telling the whole story, most people do go there first, so if you like a book, help another reader out and leave a review.

Can You Name Other Reasons to Read?

© 2020 Maureen L. Bonatch All Rights Reserved
Maureen Bonatch grew up in small town Pennsylvania and her love of the four seasons—hockey, biking, sweat pants and hibernation—keeps her there. While immersed in writing or reading paranormal romance and fantasy, she survives on caffeine, wine, music, and laughter. A feisty Shih Tzu keeps her in line. http://www.maureenbonatch.com/

*Originally featured on the Here Be Magic Blogspot

A Writer's Words - Coping With the New Normal

Hocus Pocus and All That

Maureen L. Bonatch

Coping With the New Normal

I love to read. Some of my favorite genres are fantasy, paranormal and horror. One of my all-time favorite books is The Stand, by Stephen King. In fact, it’s one of the only books I’ve ever read twice—although that’s because he released a version with additional scenes years after the initial release. Otherwise, my TBR list is usually far too long to have time to reread books, despite how much I might want to return to visit those characters. Usually I hope for a series if I want to get to know the characters better.

Not My Story

Lately I’ve felt a bit like I’ve woken up in one of the books that I love to read or write. Unfortunately, this ‘world’ isn’t one from Harry Potter or even Kim Harrison’s series. It feels a lot more like The Stand—a world with a weaponized strand of influenza—although so far I haven’t noticed any of the supernatural elements.

One of the reasons I, and probably many people, like to read stories that are different from our ordinary world is that we get to experience them without having to experience them in our reality. Because we get to be a different person. Maybe one who has a different personality, is a little bit more resilient, or braver than our everyday persona. Thus, as much as I enjoy the stories, I don’t want to live them in my reality.

Dealing with Change

I expect that this unexpected veer from our normal everyday will most likely leave many of us, and the world, changed. I’m hoping that some of the changes will be for the better in the long run such as appreciating time with family and friends more, and the value of everyday items and experiences that we’ve come to take for granted. Until that time, many of us are often feeling stress, or anxiety about uncertainties and unknown changes we may have to adapt to. Much of this is out of our control, but how we react to the situations is within our control and that often starts with self-care and nurturing our anxiety and stress. One of my stress relievers is, of course, reading.

Other Tips for reducing stress

Effective methods for reducing stress are individualized and can vary based on your personality and your interests. Here are a few suggestions, but most likely you have more to add to the list and know what works best for you.
o Exercise- get out and enjoy some fresh air.
o Revive an old hobby.
o Discover a new hobby.
o Listen to music.
o Go old school and write a letter or journal.
o Talk with friends and family through Skype, Zoom or another virtual platform.
o Take a hot bath or shower with some of your favorite soothing scents.
o Make time for yoga or mediation by pulling out those old videos, finding them online or on television, or on an app.
o Bake or cook a favorite meal.
o Crafting or going through old photographs.

© 2020 Maureen L. Bonatch All Rights Reserved
Maureen Bonatch grew up in small town Pennsylvania and her love of the four seasons—hockey, biking, sweat pants and hibernation—keeps her there. While immersed in writing or reading paranormal romance and fantasy, she survives on caffeine, wine, music, and laughter. A feisty Shih Tzu keeps her in line. http://www.maureenbonatch.com/

A Writer's Words - Maintaining the MoJo

Hocus Pocus and All That

Maureen L. Bonatch

Maintaining the MoJo

I have way too many story drafts that I’ve started, but not finished.

These characters remain suspended in time, waiting for their story to end, or the saggy middle to be crunched away, so the story can be released into the world. There’s not much better feeling for a writer than seeing their story out in the world.

So why hasn’t my mojo kept me in that story until it’s finished before I move onto something new?

New seems better. It seems more fun and exciting. It’s an adventure rather than…well…work. Because the fun was jumping into that story (Panster here) meeting those new characters, envisioning that new world—it’s so exciting. Rather than looking at the old story that needs extensive edits and rewrites. That’s not always as fun. I already know those characters, I know how that story ends. I know there’s a lot of work involved in that process.

Finish What You Started

The same thing seems to happen to many this time of year when it’s already half-way through the year. Many New Year’s resolutions and goals are already long forgotten, or perhaps left in the dust before the confetti cleared. It’s fun to see the results, but sometimes it’s no fun to do all the work to reach that finish line, not when It’s much easier to start something new.

A week into that diet and you might think that new shiny diet would work better if you just try that instead, or a different exercise regime than the one you’d committed to. That clutter you’ve accumulated isn’t going anywhere, so you put it off.

If you could just find that magic easy button, it would all come together perfectly.

Maintaining Motivation

For many years, I got up before the sun even thought about getting up and made time to write. It was an ingrained habit. Then, life happens, habits change, other demands take over your time. So how do we maintain the mojo that so many of us get at the start of a new year? To change bad habits, and master new ones for this year? Something motivates us to make that new goal, start that new adventure, but then what happens to that motivation? How can we keep that fire burning?

A few ways to include:
• Know your high energy times and take advantage of them.
• Ride that mojo when you hit a wave- you might be flying high one day and unwilling to get off the couch the next day.
• Remember past victories- have you done it before, if so, how did you succeed?
• Take baby steps and reward your efforts.
• Revaluate to ensure your goals are realistic.
• Remember your ‘why’ for the reason you made these goals in the first place.

Your Goals are Your Own

Most importantly, know what works for you. What works for one person, may not work for someone else. You may be struggling with those goals and resolutions that seemed possible at the start of the year but now seem impossible. Don’t shove them aside to plod through the rest of the year and then wonder where the time went, and make the same resolutions for next year.

Why not work to ignite your motivation now and finish what you started?

Post originally featured on Here Be Magic Blogspot

© 2020 Maureen L. Bonatch All Rights Reserved
Maureen Bonatch grew up in small town Pennsylvania and her love of the four seasons—hockey, biking, sweat pants and hibernation—keeps her there. While immersed in writing or reading paranormal romance and fantasy, she survives on caffeine, wine, music, and laughter. A feisty Shih Tzu keeps her in line. http://www.maureenbonatch.com/

A Writer's Words - When Your Motivation Takes a Nosedive

Hocus Pocus and All That

Maureen L. Bonatch

When Your Motivation Takes a Nosedive

Do you ever have one of those days when as soon as you wake up you know it’s going to be a fabulous day? You have a smile plastered on your face, and you’re showing your to-do list you’re the boss as you feel as if you can tackle anything that comes your way on this day. Then you go to bed and when you wake up the next day you wonder how in the world you can muster up the energy to get out of bed. What the heck happened to all that awesome from yesterday? If only we could bottle up that feel-good energy just imagine how much more we could accomplish.

Riding the Rollercoaster of Inspiration
This concept has fascinated me for some time but has been almost as elusive as the fountain of youth. (Still looking for that too! I could use a new back if you find it.) The way in which we can almost replica that day down to the amount of sleep, what we eat and do, yet feel completely different on the next day. On my ‘awesome day’, I’ll ride that invincible feeling to commit myself to a ton of projects, only to start another day struggling to get each word on the page and feeling as if I’m selling my soul 500 words at a time.

A Standoff with the Sloth
So far, I have not found the secret to avoiding the days that motivation seems to take a nosedive and spending the day in a sloth-like fashion seems like the most appealing, though unavailable, option. The closest I have come is by writing a character in one of my books (Hope, from Destiny Calling) with the ability to give, or take away, feeling of hope and happiness.

Instead, I just have to try methods to keep moving through those listless days and hope that the next day I wake it will be full of awesome so I can go forth and conquer.

Resuscitating Your Motivation
Sometimes it’s not immediately apparent that my motivation has taken an impromptu vacation. I might notice it when an hour has passed and I realize I’m still aimlessly surfing social media or when I can’t seem to escape from my emails.

• Take a break- get up and move around, or attend to another task—just move.

• Rewrite my To-Do List- taking the tasks out of my thoughts to organize them on paper often makes them seem more manageable

• Conquer the simplest tasks first- if I’m frozen with a major deadline sometimes it helps to stop glancing at my long to-do list by doing a few easy tasks and then returning to the major one

• Change track- if I’m working my fiction, change to my freelance writing or vice versa. That way I’m still getting things done, but my mind gets a little break.

• Do something else- whether it’s reading a book, getting a snack, closing my eyes for 5-10 minutes, often taking the time to stop thinking about what needs done

How Do You Get Your Motivation Moving?

Post originally featured on Paranormal Romantics Blogspot

© 2020 Maureen L. Bonatch All Rights Reserved Maureen Bonatch grew up in small town Pennsylvania and her love of the four seasons—hockey, biking, sweat pants and hibernation—keeps her there. While immersed in writing or reading paranormal romance and fantasy, she survives on caffeine, wine, music, and laughter. A feisty Shih Tzu keeps her in line. http://www.maureenbonatch.com/

A Writer's Words - My Useless Versus Not So Useless Talents

Hocus Pocus and All That

Maureen L. Bonatch

My Useless Versus Not So Useless Talents

I’d assume that anything deemed to be odd wouldn’t be a talent with much use to anyone but the individual. Although from watching a few episodes of America’s Got Talent. It’s obvious that people believe that they have talents that I hadn’t even thought might be considered a talent.

You’ll never see me on the show since I’d have immense stage fright and because I don’t know if I have a talent that is entertaining enough for the America. Although I do have a few things that others might find useless, but I find some good use for these odd talents.

Useless Talents

There are a few things that I seem to have become quite talented at over the years and the only purpose they serve is to be detrimental. Therefore, I’ve spent some time focusing on getting rid of these talents to make room for ones that might be a little more useful.

• Making Mountains Out of Molehills - the ability to make assumptions about something that may turn out to be completely irrelevant.

• Obsessive Worrying and Rumination – side effects of this talent include loss of sleep, increased anxiety and the inability to focus on things that are actually relevant.

• Driving a One-Track Mind – the detrimental (and frustrating) effects of this talent have become apparent when one of my daughters decided she was going to drive this train (now I know what my Mom used to complain about—who knew, I always thought this was a compliment).

Not So Useless Talents

These ‘talents’ don’t necessarily serve their true purpose, but they have proven to be not as useless as I once thought.

• Psychoanalyzing Others – With experience and education in psychology and mental health, long after I’ve left the floor I’m still analyzing why people act the way they do and what makes them tick. This can be beneficial to my own mental health because it enables me to develop empathy for others. (Plus, it’s great to apply to my characters!).

• Dancing – I never did become a Solid Gold dancer, not even close! But dancing brings me joy and always improves my mood. I make opportunities to dance every day in whatever I’m doing. Because it’s impossible to be in a bad mood if you’re dancing.

• Writing – You may wonder why I’ve listed this here when it’s obvious that I’ve published books, and that I also work as a healthcare freelance writer. So obviously, this isn’t a useless talent. It’s because it’s taken way too many years of my life to embrace this talent. Much of this is because I’d often heard that you couldn’t make a career out of writing. Or that writing a book was almost an impossible dream. So, I put this dream, and this talent of mine, aside for many years because I thought it was useless, when in reality it was my best talent.

Discover Your Talent
Do you have an odd, or useless talent you’d like to share? Perhaps one of them will be the next to display their unusual talent on television!

Post originally featured on https://www.maureenbonatch.com/

© 2020 Maureen L. Bonatch All Rights Reserved
Maureen Bonatch grew up in small town Pennsylvania and her love of the four seasons—hockey, biking, sweat pants and hibernation—keeps her there. While immersed in writing or reading paranormal romance and fantasy, she survives on caffeine, wine, music, and laughter. A feisty Shih Tzu keeps her in line. http://www.maureenbonatch.com/

A Writer's Words - 5 Places to Stalk Your Favorite Authors

Hocus Pocus and All That

Maureen L. Bonatch

5 Places to Stalk Your Favorite Authors

I was going to mention that it’s the perfect time to curl up with blanket and read. Then I realized, anytime is the perfect time to read. No matter what season, there’s nothing like escaping into a good book.

When I find a book by a new-to-me author, the first thing I do is stalk them. No worries, authors are safe, it’s only cyber-stalking. Lucky for us, there are plenty of places on the web that we can go to find out more about the authors behind the stories we love, the development of the stories themselves, and when we can grab the next great read. Here are a few places I like to check out authors and find new books.

Website or Blog
Authors may keep the information about their books, perhaps what the order to read their books and what’s coming next. It’s their website, so it’s pretty much whatever they’d like to share. Other authors might have regular blogs you can subscribe to, or guests, or giveaways.

As an author, as well as a reader, my favorite part of the author website is finding their bio and reading about how the author got started in their writing career.

Amazon
If you want a quick overview of the author’s books and an ability to grab every book they wrote so you can binge them, you can usually find the author page on Amazon. If you follow the author you’ll receive a notification when they have a new release. That way you never miss out on a book. You might see other books like the one you enjoyed and discover a new favorite author. (Favorite authors are kind of like potato chips, you can’t have just one!)

I leave a review for almost everything I purchase on Amazon, because if you’re like me, reviews are one of the first things I look at when I’m deciding on what to buy. So be sure to show your favorite author some love and leave a quick review.

Newsletter
Most authors have a newsletter that gives you an extra behind the scenes look at the mysterious author life. (Hint, most aren’t all that mysterious, but they usually informative, and often fun!) It’s like you get to be a VIP in the author’s life.

Goodreads
Goodreads has a plethora of information on authors, books and groups that can help you discover new books. There are groups available it you want to participate in what’s like an online book club.

BookBub
BookBub is the latest hot spot for authors and readers. You can follow friends and authors and make and receive book recommendations.

Authors might also like to spend more time on their author Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram or any of the new social sites that are popping up every day—but usually those are indicated on their website so you can follow them from there.

Where Do You Find Your Favorite Authors?

*Originally Featured on www.MaureenBonatch.com

© 2020 Maureen L. Bonatch All Rights Reserved
Maureen Bonatch grew up in small town Pennsylvania and her love of the four seasons—hockey, biking, sweat pants and hibernation—keeps her there. While immersed in writing or reading paranormal romance and fantasy, she survives on caffeine, wine, music, and laughter. A feisty Shih Tzu keeps her in line. http://www.maureenbonatch.com/

A Writer's Words - Ways to Win My Heart That Isn't A… Creepy Hannibal Lecter Way

Hocus Pocus and All That

Maureen L. Bonatch

Ways to Win My Heart That Isn't A… Creepy Hannibal Lecter Way

Romance is always in season, even for a paranormal writer like me, but especially this month. Sure I could spout off the usual things that most ladies love like chocolate, wine, candlelight, romantic movies and a bouquet, but I’m not going to. It’s true that I absolutely love all those things. But by the end of the night I’ve eaten the chocolate, drank the wine, burnt the candle, watched the movie and my flowers are quivering in fear (black thumb here, remember? I’m like Hannibal Lecter to plants.).

I’ll tell you ways to genuinely win my heart—and not in a creepy Hannibal Lecter way. Because no matter how creepy the critter, or how vile the villain, deep down we’re all looking for love and perhaps five other “L’s”. Such as for people to shut up and …

Are You Listening?
There is nothing more extraordinary than a good listener. You know the type; the person who actually listens when you talk instead of formulating what they’re going to say when you stop talking. Or interrupting so they can hurry up and add their contribution to the conversation. There aren’t too many genuine listeners; otherwise therapists wouldn’t be paid so well. But really it’s…

The Little Things That Really Are The Big Things
You see all these extravagant gifts celebrities get for each other like bajillion carat bling that blinds anyone within a mile shouting damn look how much I love this person. Besides the inability to wear the thing anywhere without a bodyguard and risking taking out your own eye, it’s not as endearing as little everyday gestures that aren’t meant to impress. They’re just meant to say; “I made your favorite dinner/coffee/rented this movie because I know you like it.” These are the kind of gestures that build…

Longevity—Persevering For the Long Run
If you skipped ahead in the post to here then get your mind out of the gutter. This post might be about hearts and love and stuff but we’re keeping that behind closed doors closed. I’m talking about after the honeymoon period ends and everything that glittered at the start of the relationship has faded to dull. Yet you still find those things endearing. You’re truly happy with the routine you’ve created with each other and find ways to…

Laughter Is Like a Love Potion
When you know each other so well that your humor has meshed. You know how to laugh at yourself and enjoy laughing together. Having a sense of humor is crucial to winning my heart. Heck I’d almost serve it up to Hannibal myself—almost. But that would be…

Sure It’s Ludicrous But …
I am a paranormal/fantasy writer. So if you really want to know how to win my heart it would go something like this: “Hello gorgeous! Go ahead and relax with that glass of wine with that gourmet dinner. The cleaning crew has finished cleaning the house from top to bottom and I’ve booked our weekend escape. Don’t worry, I insist that you bring your laptop—and your most comfortable sweatpants—since you’ll have so much free time to just write. Oh and don’t forget your dessert. The entire meal and dessert is calorie free thanks to the calorie blocker I invented that made us rich.”

Like I said, it’s a fantasy.

*Originally Featured on www.MaureenBonatch.com

© 2020 Maureen L. Bonatch All Rights Reserved
Maureen Bonatch grew up in small town Pennsylvania and her love of the four seasons—hockey, biking, sweat pants and hibernation—keeps her there. While immersed in writing or reading paranormal romance and fantasy, she survives on caffeine, wine, music, and laughter. A feisty Shih Tzu keeps her in line.
http://www.maureenbonatch.com/

A Writer's Words - Do You Suffer from FOMO?

Hocus Pocus and All That

Maureen L. Bonatch

Do You Suffer from FOMO?

The world seems to be getting noisier. Our everyday is full of a plethora of devices notifying us of Every. Single. Thing—the weather, the news, texts, someone’s comment on a variety of social media sites. The television has programs 24-hours a day, and the available shows are endless—just to make sure we don’t suffer from FOMO, otherwise known as Fear of Missing Out.

Although who are we kidding? The challenge is trying to miss out. Sometimes you can't even do it if you try.

It may feel as if we never unplug, or are fully “Off.” Some of us can’t seem to shut it out, or don’t want to.

Refuse that Busy Badge

Many wear this connection and brag about constantly being busy as if it were a badge, as if trying to ‘unplug’ from the noise and just enjoy the moment, or be, is being selfish.

Perhaps it stems from sending children for quiet time as if doing nothing is deemed to be some type of punishment. (One of many ‘childhood seeming punishments’ that some of us adults would enjoy today such as naptime, recess, and someone to do our laundry…oh wait, I guess that last one doesn’t quite fit there.)

All of this ongoing ‘noise’ and chaos in our environment can clutter our minds, and make it difficult to stop and just listen to the quiet, to our thoughts, to our characters.

Find Your Focus

Sometimes even if we shut out all the noise of our external world, we remain tuned into our internal thoughts. That to-do list that won’t quit churning through our mind, or the worry about something from yesterday or tomorrow leaves us unable to focus... unable to relax and sort through our jumbled thoughts vying for attention like you're trying to order a drink at the Last Call before the end of happy hour.

As a writer, often I realize that I need to write to calm the stressors of the everyday world and focus. To escape into a little fantasy or the magic underlying the reality of my story. Although at times the characters either ramble on in my mind, with their eagerness to share their story, or they remain stubbornly silent—causing me more worry.

Seek Silence in a Story

Reading an engaging story can provide that silence. Forcing you to focus on one thing—the story. If attention wanes and you lose your focus on the words on the page, then you don’t know what’s happened in the story. It’s one of the few places where you just can’t multi-task or you'll suffer from FOMO—of the story.

The last year has been a particularly busy one for me and multi-tasking has become my mantra. Although the pace can be draining. That’s why I’ve made an effort to fit in more time for reading. There I find my silence, my peace.

Originally featured on Paranormal Romantics Blogspot.

© 2019 -2020 Maureen L. Bonatch All Rights Reserved
Maureen Bonatch grew up in small town Pennsylvania and her love of the four seasons—hockey, biking, sweat pants and hibernation—keeps her there. While immersed in writing or reading paranormal romance and fantasy, she survives on caffeine, wine, music, and laughter. A feisty Shih Tzu keeps her in line. http://www.maureenbonatch.com/