BACK IN THE GROOVE

Wow! It is amazing that the last post I made was right about the time COVID came into our lives like a fox in the hen house, destroying almost everything that we accepted as normal.

Fortunately, because I am a devout coward about things like that, I kept my social distancing, stopped going to public venues and, unfortunately, cancelled book signings and public appearances. Zoom helped, but it just wasn't the same. I got my vaccinations and booster as soon as I was eligible and definitely wore a mask and have been healthy throughout the past two years.

Imagine, here I am living in Las Vegas, the most incredible entertainment city, and a big event has been going to a doctor's appointment or a restaurant in my area where there are never more than a few people in the dining room. I discovered ordering groceries online and having them deliveered. It is so easy, I may never go back to the old way.

On the plus side, it finally gave me the time to work on my own memoir. Deciding upon the format was hard because I have had so many careers and experiences, and met so many interesting people  throughout my long life. I finally decided to do it as a series of short stories.

Right now, it is at the stage of waiting for a printed proof, and the target release date is late March or early April. It will be available in paperback, Kindle, ePub and Hardcover, and also available for preorder.

BOOK SIGNING AT BARNES & NOBLE FEBRUARY 8, 2020

FEATURING "SCAMMED" - THE 5TH BOOK IN THE REVENGE IS FUN SERIES. 

Life in the upscale Los Angeles area community of the Venice Canals takes an ominous turn when retired doctor Al Shady and his wife Barbara Shady, Vice President and Treasurer of the Venice Canals HOA, disappear after a meeting. 

The cops are on it, but looking in all the wrong places. What appeared to be home invasion and kidnapping turns out to be so much more including murder.

Get ready for characters from different books in this series to come together to dig the dirt. As fate would have it, advertising agency owner Cameron Harson from GETTING EVEN and RIPOFF-- the first and second book in this series--and former FBI agent turned author Danny Garrett from BUMPING OFF FAT VINNY, the fourth book, are neighbors who didn't know each other. 

A mutual friend and neighbor--89-year-old retired Colonel Michael Thompson introduces them at an HOA meeting where the main focus was to celebrate the settlement of a multi-million dollar suit for construction default against developers who built mini-mansions and polluted the canals in the process. When the trio walks home together along Grand Canal, accompanied by the Colonel's aged Afghan Hound Clarence, something looks suspicious at the Shady home on the other side of the canal. 

They cross over the bridge to investigate and find the house door ajar, the house is in a shambles and the Shadys are missing. With their backgrounds in investigating crimes, they are tempted to see what they can uncover, but should they? With Cameron's friend Kate Steele, CEO of FraudBusters, who is visiting from San Francisco and Danny's friend, co-author and fellow sleuth Margaret Stanton, how can they resist? They delve into things that the cops won't, and they find plenty but in the process risk getting in the way of Federal agencies! Twists and turns make this a fun meeting of the minds with a surprise ending.

LINK TO MY MEDIA KIT

MEDIA KIT

I've recently had requests for a link to my Media Kit, so here it is

Morgan's World with Morgan St. James: COFFEE HOUSE TOURS SIGNING AT GROUCHY JOHN'S

Morgan's World with Morgan St. James: COFFEE HOUSE TOURS SIGNING AT GROUCHY JOHN'S: Yesterday I had the pleasure of sharing a signing table with fellow writer and Coffee House Tours member Cynthia DeBoers. It was my first e...

COFFEE HOUSE TOURS SIGNING AT GROUCHY JOHN'S

Yesterday I had the pleasure of sharing a signing table with fellow writer and Coffee House Tours member Cynthia DeBoers. It was my first experience of doing a signing with this group. Kudos to Vickie Ann Bush and her team for putting together and maintaining this unique way for writers to meet their public.

Book stores and libraries are always a good venue, but there is so much more. With an organization managing alternative bookings, it allows the writers to do what they have to do--write books and promote them. I am so glad I discovered this group.

Thanks to those who stopped by to chat and buy books. Talking about writing is one of my favorite things. As we gear up for Christmas, it's nice to be able to sit at a table in a very cool coffee house and chat with a fellow writer and the customers. Be sure to watch for postings for upcoming events from CHT. I understand there are now 40 members and 2020 will be a very active year..

This was the first time for me to use my new table runner, and I loved it. What fun to have a photo of me looking just about identical to the runner that draped my side of the table as I held up WRITERS' TRICKS OF THE TRADE.

I would be remiss if I didn't add a plug for the new edition of WRITERS' TRICKS OF THE TRADE, the book, updated and added to for 2020. It was originally compiled from my most read columns when I was writing for examiner.com while it was in publication. Totally, I've written over 600 published articles and 18 books, so you can feel confident that the information I offer in this book will be of value to writers at all stages of their career. Plain language, some humor, what worked and what didn't alerts you to pitfalls, and there is something for everyone. http://bit.ly/WTT-2020-4. If you buy a paperback on Amazon to keep handy for quick reference at your desk, you can get the Kindle edition free. The introductory prices will be good through January 31, 2020.

Happy holidays to all.

Morgan's World with Morgan St. James: PLANS FOR 2020

Morgan's World with Morgan St. James: PLANS FOR 2020: In 2020 I intend to spend more time giving talks and workshops. One of the things I realized as I honed my writing skills and knowledge thr...

PLANS FOR 2020

In 2020 I intend to spend more time giving talks and workshops. One of the things I realized as I honed my writing skills and knowledge through the years is that I really enjoy sharing with writers at all stages. The other thing is the fun I have by being an energetic, entertaining speaker. Hey, not bad for someone who spent her youth afraid to speak in public. You might relate to those old symptoms---sweaty hands, shaky voice and a pounding heart. Definitely doesn't happen any more.

I also want to spend more time staying in touch with family and friends. Writing can consume you. The hours fly by and suddenly all of the things to do and contacts you want to make are moved to the next day---then the next. Hours fly by when it seems only minutes have passed.

Yes, I will be working on new projects, but will try to split my time in several directions. I say "try" because sometimes the best laid plans fall by the wayside.

A wonderful friend, Virginia Hawthorne, who was around my age passed away a few weeks ago. It made me take stock and decide to change a few things. Next year I want to put some time into something her husband and I discussed yesterday, but it is not open for discussion yet. All I can say, is that he plans to carry on with the amazing "giving back" that couple has done for all the years I've known them and I will offer assistance as I can.

I did spend a lot of time writing this year, and the result was 3 books released:

New Silver Sisters Mystery Murder on the Menu, written with my real life sister Phyllice Bradner. Always a fun thing to do and a real bonding for sisters who live in different states. #Kindle #ePub and #Paperback

5th Silver Sisters book

Scammed, the 5th book in the Revenge is Fun series #Kindle  #ePub #Paperback #Large Print Paperback  I finally got to implement the portion of a plot that I'd been trying to settle upon for several years. I was ripped off by a nasty president of the HOA for tens of thousands of dollars when I lived in California. I got to pay back a character in this book inspired by him, but the fellow had the nerve to actually die many years back so I can't send him a copy to see if he recognizes himself. LOL

4th Edition of Writers' Tricks of the Trade, updated for 2020. #Kindle #ePub and #Paperback Things and sources are constantly changing and this book gets updated periodically. Always a cool book for writers to keep handy for info, technique or inspiration. Heck, I actually learned from my own book while doing the editing.

I didn't include links to these books here, because the point of this post wasn't to sell books. It was to talk about future plans and past endeavors. If you really want to find them, they are on most online bookseller sites.