I saw this on Christine D’Abo’s post and thought it would be fun to give it a try. It’s actually pretty accurate, although success certainly does NOT come easily to me…

What Michelle Means

You are confident, self assured, and capable. You are not easily intimidated. You master any and all skills easily. You don’t have to work hard for what you want. You make your life out to be exactly how you want it. And you’ll knock down anyone who gets in your way! You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It’s easy to get you excited… which can be a good or bad thing. You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don’t stick with any one thing for very long. You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start. You are very open. You communicate well, and you connect with other people easily. You are a naturally creative person. Ideas just flow from your mind. A true chameleon, you are many things at different points in your life. You are very adaptable. You are truly an original person. You have amazing ideas, and the power to carry them out. Success comes rather easily for you… especially in business and academia. Some people find you to be selfish and a bit overbearing. You’re a strong person. You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together. You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow. You are light hearted and accepting. You don’t get worked up easily. Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is.

My dd and I just saw this movie and I truly am… enchanted.

The feeling that Enchanted conveys is why I write romance. The feeling that Enchanted left me with is why I read romance. Even while it pretends to be silly and mocking of fairytale princesses and “love’s first kiss” it shows us that it can happen, “if we only believe”.

My dd is only 5 (6 in two weeks) and she was alternately thrilled, scared and sad for the couple in this movie. And she clapped when it was over. She is never more happy than when there is a Happily Ever After. I must admit, I was pretty happy too. For even though I am (much) older, and know to expect an HEA, I’m still thrilled when it happens.

I have been in a writing drought once again and I’m hoping this movie just gave me a push to get back to what I truly love. Creating words that make readers sigh, smile, cry, and laugh. And maybe even clap at the ending. I want to take them on a journey where they have that bit of doubt that things will work out, then bring it all home to them in a perfectly wrapped present. It’s not often we get what we want in our life and have it stay that way. It’s nice that in works of fiction we can make the ending any way we want.

And I want my HEA. What about you?

Because it is phenomenal and I couldn’t resist. A little Christmas joy to spread around. Thanks to Ms. Day for posting the original video…

Bravo!! (or should that be Brava?! )

My Love’s Blessings trailer is up for the NEW Covey Trailer Awards. It is entry # 29 HERE in case you haven’t seen it before.

If you would go over and vote for me I’d sure appreciate it. There are two categories – Most Intriguing Trailer and Most Relevant Trailer.

Come on and show me some love!

No, not that kind of Diva… a Romance Diva.

I honestly can’t remember exactly how I found RD way back in the spring of 2005, but I’m pretty sure I followed a link from eHarlequin. And I’m willing to bet that link was from my friend Jenna Bayley-Burke, but then again maybe not. Maybe I found her on RD and followed her back to eHQ.

It doesn’t really matter because I loved RD instantly. I had been trying to write for a lot of years, but just kept setting it aside. This time I was determined to follow through. RD helped to steer me in the right direction. Then they crashed. My beloved forum was gone. But, thankfully, it came back bigger and better than ever, and I signed back up as quickly as I could once I realised it was back.

I began doing book reviews for the Divas. I learned so much about writing from that. Back then Lisa was my book review editor, now she is a hot shot big-time author and I’m so very proud of her. You really couldn’t ask for a better, most kind and gentle person to lead you into the world of writing. Really writing really putting yourself out there. And when a complicated pregnancy took me away from the Divas for a time, Lisa kept checking in with me, making sure I was ok. I couldn’t believe it. Why would she care? She only knew me from an online forum, and yet here she was making sure everything was all right. I was impressed. More than impressed I was touched. I vowed that as soon as I was able I was coming back and I would help as much as I could.

I didn’t end up helping a lot, although I was able to get through a lot of reviews (I read a lot while nursing a newborn), but I still hung out and learned as much as I possibly could. And mostly I met some of the most amazing people. People I call friends, who I’ve never even met. People who have touched my life, who have taught me, held me up and encouraged me. I need to mention some of these people now:

Immi – without you I wouldn’t be here – period, end of story. You help me look at my writing with fresh eyes, you are honest without being hurtful, you are funny and talented and the day I asked for a CP and you tentatively raised your hand was the luckiest day of my writing life. I hope one day to “drive” to your house my friend.

There are many other wonderful women (and men) at the Romance Divas, I’m not sure I can list them all, but they have each brought something to me in my writing career. I have learned from them, either by sitting back and reading, or by having private conversations, or by having the whip cracked as I struggled through a twenty-minute challenge.

I am very emotional as I write this. Last year at around this time I changed my name on the Diva forum to Diva MG. I was a Diva, darn it and I was going to prove it. I committed myself to writing and being published and I did it. I sold my first story last Fall and it came out earlier this year. That was followed my two more stories. I have a third under contract and a fourth in submissions. I have been to my first writing conference and pitched to a Harlequin editor. I will be attending my second conference at the end of this month, where I hope to pitch to an agent or two, and where I will meet the lovely Jenna in person, as well as several other Diva friends. I plan on attending RWA Nationals in SFO next year and meeting a lot more Divas – especially Lisa, Kristen and Jax.

My journey with the Divas started almost 2 1/2 years ago, and for me it made a difference. For this writer became an author. Would I have done it without RD? Sure, maybe, eventually. Did they kick my butt and set me towards my goal much more quickly? Definitely!

So I have to say thank you Romance Divas. Thank you Jax, Kristen and Lisa – for giving me a place to learn my craft, to feel comforted, to feel supported, to laugh and be silly. A place to be me and the writer I want to be. Thank you for giving me a whole new world of friends and helping me with a whole new career! I love you guys!