Multiple Personalities #names #amwriting #RB4U

Pen Names or Multiple Personalities?

Hello and thank you for stopping by today. With my marriage, divorce, and remarriage, my name changed which was sometimes a problem for people. My step-son is dating one of my former students and she remembers me with a different last name. It leads to some fun talks as we laugh about having drinks with teachers. 

Some of my favorite authors have more than one name. Nora Roberts who writes contemporary and paranormal romances under her own name, also writes a futuristic police series under JD Robb. Michigan author, Nancy Gideon goes by three different names, Dana Ransom, Rosalyn West and her own. Another author used her "real" name for her YA books but her pen name took off and now she's re-branding all her books under the pen name. 

For me, it was always too confusing. I wrote under my married name (Melissa Keir). It was also my only name on FB until my husband's cousin married an woman named Melissa and she changed her name on FB!  

If I used a pen name, I worried about people finding all my books. I didn't want them confused about who I was. Then there is the additional marketing for two people. I spoke at length to people who used pen names and those who didn't...and then I took the plunge.

I have written two children's books under my childhood name- Missy Watling. My experts suggested that people who read my children's book wouldn't necessarily want to read my small town romances. There are different audiences for each, but I hope that my faithful readers will take a chance on my children's books. Both books have important messages and will be favorites of young kids with their beautiful illustrations. 

Huzzah- A Pool Mouse is available now in ebook and print.

Huzzah loves puddles and loves to watch the children swimming. He's too scared to get in the pool until he must save the day.

Come along as a mouse learns to take chances and finds that being yourself is the most important thing.  This sweet tale will be a family favorite for years to come.

Do you use a pen name? Has it ever been too confusing when you search for your favorite author?

Until Next Month,

Melissa Keir (and Missy Watling)

www.melissakeir.com

Making A Dream Come True #RB4U @melissa_keir

Making A Dream Come True

We all have dreams. We set goals, whether to lose weight or become a best-selling author. But what about when a dream isn't yours? Have you ever set out to help someone else realize their biggest wish?

I am fortunate to be able to make my mother's dream come true. Back in the early 1980's, she wrote a romance novel. The woman who introduced me to the world of swashbuckling alphas and the feisty women who tamed them, had a dream of becoming an author with her books on the shelf next to her idols. 

After writing her story, she sent it off to publishers who returned her book with encouraging words but a polite 'No Thank You'. She kept all those rejections but put away the manuscript, letting her life move in a different direction.

Her life took a tragic turn and she passed in 1998, never seeing her dream come true. When my father downsized, my sister discovered my mom's manuscript and gave it to me. Reading through it, I had a huge smile on my face. The typewritten pages and her handwritten notes and edits reconnected me with her. But the story had some major issues. It lacked dialogue and had a great deal of head-hopping. There were also problems with some secondary characters who were little more than stereotypes. But how to keep her story while making the changes??

Over weeks and weeks, I typed her story into a word document, making changes along the way. I added character actions, rather than 'said' and took out the stereotypes. But how much of the original story to keep? Should I keep the head-hopping? It felt like the books I used to read by Johanna Lindsay. 

With the help of an amazing editor, we trimmed down the point of views and created a finished product, I'm sure she'd love. Finally, I am able to bring her dream to life and share her talents with others. 

Eighteen-year-old, Andrea “Andy” Lawrence has enjoyed freedom since the death of her mother. Her eyes change color with her moods, especially when her legendary temper sparks. When her father sends her to her aunt and uncle in Richmond to experience big city living, Andrea will need her stubborn determination to navigate backstabbing women and her drunk uncle.

Travis Winfield Scott enjoys his freedom as a rake and scoundrel, charming all the women while investigating which Southern gentlemen are shipping ammunition and stirring up the Native Americans. Settling down is the last thing on his mind until he comes face to face with spirited Andrea Lawrence.

Can Andrea learn to temper her freedom with society’s rules or will she lose the one man who truly understands her heart? Will Travis solve the mystery of who wants to incite the Natives, or will his passion for the spitfire win his heart?

Follow this sweeping love story spanning Virginia to New Mexico after the Civil War as two headstrong personalities clash.

Available in Ebook and Print

Amazon

BN

Itunes

Until Next Month,

Melissa Keir

www.melissakeir.com

And The Oscar Goes To... #RB4U #Movies

And The Oscar Goes To...

Are you a movie fan? Each week, I go to a movie and then review it on the local radio station. Throughout the year, I see some amazing movies and some real duds. (I also eat a great deal of popcorn!) 

On February 24th, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) will present a gold trophy to the best of the best for 2018. This year is the 91st presentation of the Oscars. Can you believe they have been around for so long?

Whether you love movies or not, the Oscars is a sight to behold from the gorgeous gowns to the musical numbers. This year there won't be a host which hasn't happened in thirty years.

There are some amazing movies and actors up for awards this year. Here's the complete list of nominations:

Best Picture Black Panther – Kevin Feige BlacKkKlansman – Sean McKittrick, Jason Blum, Raymond Mansfield, Jordan Peele and Spike Lee Bohemian Rhapsody – Graham King The Favourite – Ceci Dempsey, Ed Guiney, Lee Magiday and Yorgos Lanthimos Green Book – Jim Burke, Charles B. Wessler, Brian Currie, Peter Farrelly and Nick Vallelonga Roma – Gabriela Rodriguez and Alfonso Cuarón A Star Is Born – Bill Gerber, Bradley Cooper and Lynette Howell Taylor Vice – Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Adam McKay and Kevin J. Messick	Best Director Alfonso Cuarón – Roma Yorgos Lanthimos – The Favourite Spike Lee – BlacKkKlansman Adam McKay – Vice Paweł Pawlikowski – Cold War
Best Actor Christian Bale – Vice as Dick Cheney Bradley Cooper – A Star Is Born as Jackson "Jack" Maine Willem Dafoe – At Eternity's Gate as Vincent van Gogh Rami Malek – Bohemian Rhapsody as Freddie Mercury Viggo Mortensen – Green Book as Frank "Tony Lip" Vallelonga	Best Actress Yalitza Aparicio – Roma as Cleodegaria "Cleo" Gutiérrez Glenn Close – The Wife as Joan Castleman Olivia Colman – The Favourite as Anne, Queen of Great Britain Lady Gaga – A Star Is Born as Ally Maine Melissa McCarthy – Can You Ever Forgive Me? as Lee Israel
Best Supporting Actor Mahershala Ali – Green Book as Don Shirley Adam Driver – BlacKkKlansman as Philip "Flip" Zimmerman Sam Elliott – A Star Is Born as Bobby Maine Richard E. Grant – Can You Ever Forgive Me? as Jack Hock Sam Rockwell – Vice as George W. Bush	Best Supporting Actress Amy Adams – Vice as Lynne Cheney Marina de Tavira – Roma as Sofía Regina King – If Beale Street Could Talk as Sharon Rivers Emma Stone – The Favourite as Abigail Masham Rachel Weisz – The Favourite as Sarah Churchill
Best Original Screenplay The Favourite – Written by Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara First Reformed – Written by Paul Schrader Green Book – Written by Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie and Peter Farrelly Roma – Written by Alfonso Cuarón Vice – Written by Adam McKay	Best Adapted Screenplay The Ballad of Buster Scruggs – Screenplay by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, based on the short stories All Gold Canyon by Jack London, The Gal Who Got Rattled by Stewart Edward White, and short stories by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen BlacKkKlansman – Screenplay by Charlie Wachtel & David Rabinowitz and Kevin Willmott & Spike Lee, based on the book Black Klansman by Ron Stallworth Can You Ever Forgive Me? – Screenplay by Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty, based on the book by Lee Israel If Beale Street Could Talk – Screenplay by Barry Jenkins, based on the book by James Baldwin A Star Is Born – Screenplay by Eric Roth, Bradley Cooper & Will Fetters; based on the 1954 screenplay by Moss Hart and the 1976 screenplay by Joan Didion, John Gregory Dunne & Frank Pierson; based on a story by Robert Carson & William A. Wellman
Best Animated Feature Film Incredibles 2 – Brad Bird, John Walker and Nicole Paradis Grindle Isle of Dogs – Wes Anderson, Scott Rudin, Steven Rales and Jeremy Dawson Mirai – Mamoru Hosoda and Yūichirō Saitō Ralph Breaks the Internet – Rich Moore, Phil Johnston and Clark Spencer Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse – Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller	Best Foreign Language Film Capernaum (Lebanon) in Arabic – Directed by Nadine Labaki Cold War (Poland) in Polish and French – Directed by Paweł Pawlikowski Never Look Away (Germany) in German – Directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck Roma (Mexico) in Spanish and Mixtec – Directed by Alfonso Cuarón Shoplifters (Japan) in Japanese – Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda
Best Documentary – Feature Free Solo – Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin, Evan Hayes and Shannon Dill Hale County This Morning, This Evening – RaMell Ross, Joslyn Barnes and Su Kim Minding the Gap – Bing Liu and Diane Quon Of Fathers and Sons – Talal Derki, Ansgar Frerich, Eva Kemme and Tobias N. Siebert RBG – Betsy West and Julie Cohen	Best Documentary – Short Subject Black Sheep – Ed Perkins and Jonathan Chinn End Game – Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman Lifeboat – Skye Fitzgerald and Bryn Mooser A Night at The Garden – Marshall Curry Period. End of Sentence. – Rayka Zehtabchi and Melissa Berton
Best Live Action Short Film Detainment – Vincent Lambe and Darren Mahon Fauve – Jérémy Comte and Maria Gracia Turgeon Marguerite – Marianne Farley and Marie-Hélène Panisset Mother – Rodrigo Sorogoyen and María del Puy Alvarado Skin – Guy Nattiv and Jaime Ray Newman	Best Animated Short Film Animal Behaviour – Alison Snowden and David Fine Bao – Domee Shi and Becky Neiman-Cobb Late Afternoon – Louise Bagnall and Nuria González Blanco One Small Step – Andrew Chesworth and Bobby Pontillas Weekends – Trevor Jimenez
Best Original Score Black Panther – Ludwig Göransson BlacKkKlansman – Terence Blanchard If Beale Street Could Talk – Nicholas Britell Isle of Dogs – Alexandre Desplat Mary Poppins Returns – Marc Shaiman	Best Original Song "All the Stars" from Black Panther – Music by Mark Spears, Kendrick Lamar Duckworth and Anthony Tiffith; Lyrics by Kendrick Lamar Duckworth, Anthony Tiffith and Solána Rowe "I'll Fight" from RBG – Music and Lyrics by Diane Warren "The Place Where Lost Things Go" from Mary Poppins Returns – Music by Marc Shaiman; Lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman "Shallow" from A Star Is Born – Music and Lyrics by Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando and Andrew Wyatt "When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings" from The Ballad of Buster Scruggs – Music and Lyrics by David Rawlings and Gillian Welch
Best Sound Editing Black Panther – Benjamin A. Burtt and Steve Boeddeker Bohemian Rhapsody – John Warhurst and Nina Hartstone First Man – Ai-Ling Lee and Mildred Iatrou Morgan A Quiet Place – Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl Roma – Sergio Díaz and Skip Lievsay	Best Sound Mixing Black Panther – Steve Boeddeker, Brandon Proctor and Peter J. Devlin Bohemian Rhapsody – Paul Massey, Tim Cavagin and John Casali First Man – Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño, Ai-Ling Lee and Mary H. Ellis Roma – Skip Lievsay, Craig Henighan and José Antonio Garcia A Star Is Born – Tom Ozanich, Dean Zupancic, Jason Ruder and Steve A. Morrow
Best Production Design Black Panther – Production Design: Hannah Beachler; Set Decoration: Jay Hart The Favourite – Production Design: Fiona Crombie; Set Decoration: Alice Felton First Man – Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Kathy Lucas Mary Poppins Returns – Production Design: John Myhre; Set Decoration: Gordon Sim Roma – Production Design: Eugenio Caballero; Set Decoration: Bárbara Enrı́quez	Best Cinematography Cold War – Łukasz Żal The Favourite – Robbie Ryan Never Look Away – Caleb Deschanel Roma – Alfonso Cuarón A Star Is Born – Matthew Libatique
Best Makeup and Hairstyling Border – Göran Lundström and Pamela Goldammer Mary Queen of Scots – Jenny Shircore, Marc Pilcher and Jessica Brooks Vice – Greg Cannom, Kate Biscoe and Patricia Dehaney	Best Costume Design The Ballad of Buster Scruggs – Mary Zophres Black Panther – Ruth E. Carter The Favourite – Sandy Powell Mary Poppins Returns – Sandy Powell Mary Queen of Scots – Alexandra Byrne
Best Film Editing BlacKkKlansman – Barry Alexander Brown Bohemian Rhapsody – John Ottman The Favourite – Yorgos Mavropsaridis Green Book – Patrick J. Don Vito Vice – Hank Corwin	Best Visual Effects Avengers: Infinity War – Dan DeLeeuw, Kelly Port, Russell Earland Dan Sudick Christopher Robin – Christopher Lawrence, Michael Eames, Theo Jones and Chris Corbould First Man – Paul Lambert, Ian Hunter, Tristan Myles and J. D. Schwalm Ready Player One – Roger Guyett, Grady Cofer, Matthew E. Butler and David Shirk Solo: A Star Wars Story – Rob Bredow, Patrick Tubach, Neal Scanlan and Dominic Tuohy

I've seen many of the pictures up for best picture and have my own thoughts on what movies and actors will win. 

For best picture: The Favorite

Best Actor: Rami Malek

Best Actress: Glenn Close

Best Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali

Best Supporting Actress: Regina King

Best Director: Spike Lee

You can check out my reviews of the movies I've seen on my website under Melissa's Morning After Movie Reviews. Or you can listen to my reviews on WHMI (I'm live on Monday mornings at 8:40 am).

It's fun to see if my guesses are correct. Do you have your own predictions? Which of the movies have you seen? Do you agree with the nominations? Were there any movies which were missing?

Schoolteacher, Melanie Whitman’s dating life is in shambles when her boyfriend and former boss dumps her. Her best friend arranges for Master Draikoh San, matchmaker extraordinaire, to provide her with a night to remember.

Breakout star of the third season of the reality TV show Laguna Nights Cole Hayes was burned by the limelight and started a family. After a messy divorce and looking to move back into the dating scene, he agrees to a one-night stand.

Can Cole and Melanie create a relationship that will last a lifetime, or will their one-night stand crash in the waves of Laguna Beach?

Available in ebook and print.

Amazon

Until next month,

Melissa 

www.melissakeir.com