Thank you for the reviews

Just a quick note of "thanks" to everyone who has written -- or plans to write -- a review of any of my stories on Amazon. More than just helping the search-engine ranking of the stories, the reviews mean a lot to me, they really do.

That someone would take a moment to write something nice about one of my stories? Really, it just makes my day, my week, my month ... heck, it makes my year.

So here is a big

THANK YOU. 

I appreciate it so very much.

I have the best fans

Seriously, you are the best, my readers. I had kind of a cruddy day ... Ok, a cruddy week, actually ... And your wonderful comments about The Pandora Chronicles turned the light back on in my life. Thank you so much.

We have a winner!

The other day, I said that the first person to comment on my post would have a character named after them in Story 5.

We have a winner!

Thank you and congratulations, Minna Bryant -- whose full name is Minerva. Both names are beautiful, and very exotic sounding. Perfect for Pandora Chronicles fiction.

In Story 5, you'll see a character named Minna or Minerva, whichever one seems to fit best.

It's great to get input from readers in real time like this. Keep the comments rolling in!

Have you read "Pandora" yet?

Here's what one of my readers has to say (and no, I do not know this person!):

The Pandora Chronicles are off to a great start with this first book, Pandora, which is the perfect introduction to what I think will be an amazing series. The story is incredibly intriguing and I couldn't put it down. The futuristic world that Maggie has created is interesting, extremely believable, and terrifying. The main characters are engaging, thoughtful and very adventurous. Hope and Jake quickly captured my heart and I'm looking forward to finding out what's in store for them.

I highly recommend this new series to anyone who enjoys reading about what life could be like in the future. Pandora is a quick read, yet it left me pondering about the future of our own world and what the possibility of this future could be for us, as well as anxious to know what happens to Hope and Jake. I can't wait for the next one!

First few lines of Story 4 ...

“Oh. My. God. The Wailers are here. Why do they have to be here today, of all days? They give me the creeps.”

Jake’s words hit me as hard as the winter wind that is still haunting us. This season has been cruel, with record cold temperatures and more snow than we’ve seen in a decade. Through the fog and light snowfall, Jake and I walk across our suburb’s main square. It’s so dark at this early hour that the blue streetlights are still illuminated, casting a watery glow over everything.

I’m sure everyone is proud of their suburb, but I really love Cerulean. Even in this season, our city square is beautiful. Gardens that during the spring and summer are filled with flowers now rely on the bare trees for beauty, but there are so many of them that it looks like a winter wonderland. Each branch glistens in the cool light of morning. The cleaning crews do a good job of clearing the snow off the walkways, which lead to small, secluded nooks decorated with benches and art -- places where people can find a few moments of peace and privacy.

Although our neighborhoods and units might be somewhat drab and gray, our sparkling city center brings all of us together. Even the Wailers are welcome here.

Storming and writing

Today I'm riding out Frankenstorm and working on story 4 ... I think Hurricane Sandy is really going to hit us hard here in NYC in about 6 hours (it's 1 pm as I post this).

I do apologize for the delay in publishing the next story in the Pandora Chronicles series. October was a tough month for me in a lot of ways -- I won't bore you with the details -- so I've only had snippets of time to work on story 4.

But now I'm back on track and should have it up on Amazon before you know it.

In the meantime, re-read stories 1-3 so you can be on the edge of your seat when story 4 begins.

Thanks for all the support!

I'm no Barton Fink

For fans of my series The Pandora Chronicles, I'm telling you ... story 4 breaks things wide open.

I decided not to write this particular story in public, although I definitely want to do so for one of the stories in this series -- maybe story 5. (At this point, I'm thinking that there will be 8 stories, total.)

A lot of people talk about writer's block. Stories have been written about it (irony much?) and movies have been made about it ("The Shining," anyone?)

But one of my favorite movies about writer's block is "Barton Fink."

If you're not familiar with the movie, I highly recommend watching it. Fink is a NY playwright who goes to Hollywood to try his hand at screenwriting. But the thing is, as hard as he tries, he just can't do it. As the guy at the studio says, "It's just a wrestling picture." And maybe that's the problem. He's not able to write a simple wrestling picture when he's used to grappling with much grander ideas.

I enjoy grappling with grander ideas, and I'm working to incorporate some into The Pandora Chronicles. (See my final paragraph, below.)

But I'm no Barton Fink. I like to bury myself in action and romance and suspense and thrills and chills and all that good stuff.

My cure for writer's block is ...  to write. Sound too simple? Maybe it is, but here's what I do: I give myself permission to say anything on paper, and my characters have had a lot of adventures outside what you've already read on your Kindle. Thousands of words' worth. I also use self-hypnosis for those rare times when I feel stuck. Maybe Barton Fink should have tried that ...

Story 4 will be published very soon, and if I may make a promise, it's this: it will definitely get your heart going and your mind racing.

And I also will try to write faster!

What broader topics in The Pandora Chronicles have resonated with you so far? I'd love to hear from you.

Should I go public?

Not like Facebook, no.

I mean, should I invite you -- and everyone else in the known world -- to watch me write, LIVE?

That's what Silvia Hartmann, of DragonRising Publishing, is doing as the "Naked Writer."

Don't believe me? Click this link.

Some of my writer friends think this idea is positively insane.

What do you think? Should I "write naked" for story number 4 of The Pandora Chronicles?

Write faster!

I received a very nice email from a fan who kindly told me to Write Faster! :-) She said that she doesn't want to wait so long in between episodes. I thought that was really nice of her to say, although I do wish I could accommodate by publishing one story per week instead of one or two stories per month. Alas, not possible right now because I still have a "real" job (but I could dump that 9-to-5 if I get a bigger fan base, folks!).

This month, I'll only be publishing one story because as you know, I've been driving the length of the state of California these first two weeks of October.

But never fear: The moment I get back to NYC, I'll work on story no. 4 -- as yet to be named -- and will publish it before the end of the month (hopefully WAY before the end of the month).

Keep those cards and letters coming: maggiewatersbooks@gmail.com. And feel free to join my mailing list (fill out the form on the right side of the page), so you'll hear before anyone else when the stories go "live" on Amazon.

Sharing is fun (& tasty, too)

I am a total -- and I do mean total -- newbie when it comes to book promotion.

Basically, I'm relying on two things right now:

1) You, my readers, to share my stories with your friends and family :-)
2) Me, myself and I, to keep writing fun, high-quality stories for you to enjoy.

We're a team, you and me.

So if you've read my stories and have enjoyed them, please tell your friends. You can take advantage of Amazon's lending program, too. It's just like the old days, when you'd lend a friend an "actual" book (after writing your name in it, of course!).

There's nothing better than sharing something we find with another person and turning them on to it -- and then having those awesome conversations about it ("What did you think it meant when he said that?" "What do you think will happen next?").

I'll share my book "finds" with you, too, OK? My latest is "Half-Broke Horses," by Jeannette Walls. LOVED IT. Great family story about an adventurous woman who didn't settle for anything, ever.

I am so very appreciative when a reader tweets about my stories or posts something on FB about them. It makes my heart sing.


Here's a giant
THANK YOU!