Melissa Groeling's Blog

Looking back on the first death of your life is not easy. For most of us, at that time, we’re too young to fully understand or even appreciate any of it, and that includes whomever is laying in the casket at the front of the room.

But my experience with the first death in my life and my most recent one was a study in a life of someone who was fiercely loved versus someone who was merely tolerated.

Perhaps this is an unfair comparison because the two people were so different. But the outcome was the same. It was known that the first death was of someone who would be sorely missed. It was an approximation that the second person may be missed for a short while, but the relief that followed is more prevalent.

Even though that first person was so loved, there weren’t many talks of remembrances. No shared memories or good times. Only muffled sobs and one horrible, miserable cry that I still, to this day, recall with absolute clarity. The shock of the suddenness of it took a long time to dissipate and the words would not come, even when it was time to say goodbye. For the second person, there was a sense of just trying to push through it and not in the way of “we’re trying to be strong and keep it together until we’re behind closed doors.” It was a push, a shove really, to get it over with. There were some in attendance who spoke of a funny antidote or recollection but even those held the same pressure of having to say something, anything, just to fill the silence in the room and the perhaps, shame of not having a better way to send this person off. It wasn’t for lack of trying. The disdain and misery the deceased had lived with for so long had permeated every square inch of those left behind. The funeral was the moment they needed to finally cut the strings of it, once and for all.

Unbelievable. This is the first thing I’ve written in months and it’s depressing as hell.

Seriously.

What do the majority of us do while we’re reading?

We’re snacking.

Whether it’s a box of Cheez-Its or a package of Girl Scout cookies, you know you’re inhaling it as you read the book you couldn’t wait to start, wrapped up in a blanket with a cat or a dog at your feet (or in your lap or maybe not, if you’re snacking).

Hey, no judgement here.

Pass the Thin Mints.

As if there wasn’t enough debate around Die Hard being a Christmas movie, now we must contend with Ghostbusters 2?

I’m sure people think there are more important things to argue about than movies, but seriously, wouldn’t you rather argue about this rather than who your great-aunt Sally thinks should be running to the country?

What say you, internet? Is Ghostbusters 2 a holiday movie? Is Die Hard?

Let me know!

Hey my dudes! Hope you’re all doing well!

I just wanted to post the schedule from the book tour I had last week for my YA novel, “Between the Dark Spaces.”

The book tour was put together by the spectacular Shannon from R&R Book Tours. Here’s the link: https://rrbooktours.com/

When you get a minute, check it out. It’s a great way to get exposure for your book or whatever promotional event you want eyes on.

As promised, here’s the list of all the stops along the book tour. There were so many great book bloggers, bookstagrammers, book toks, the whole nine and the images that these guys put together are incredible. So again, thanks to everyone who participated! You guys rock!

Keep on reading!

Cheers!

http://readsandreels.com – Feature

https://www.instagram.com/countrymamaswithkids – Review http://samanthainfantasyworld.wordpress.com/ – Review https://www.instagram.com/samanthainfantasyworld/

http://www.ismellsheep.com/ – Feature

https://www.instagram.com/calhoun.crew/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/mermaidsreadtoo_/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/copyrightxcasey/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/gryffindorbookishnerd/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/minionjenn/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D – Review http://www.crossroadreviews.com/ – Feature

https://breakevenbooks.com – Feature

https://www.instagram.com/id_ratherbereading_247/ – Review https://www.instagram.com/ninas_booknook/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/bookreviewsbytaylor/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/anta_syllaaa/?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D – Feature https://freelancewriterjannyc.com/ – Feature

http://www.thefaeriereview.com – Feature

https://instagram.com/beckerbingesbooks?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= – Review https://www.instagram.com/ashleys_endless_tbrlist/?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D – Review https://instagram.com/nvl_reads?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA== – Review https://www.instagram.com/fathomsamidstthelines/ – Review https://www.instagram.com/magicalmushroombookshelf/ – Review

https://www.thesexynerdrevue.com – Feature

If you’re trying to create a presence on the internet or grow your business or reach an audience that you’re certain is out there somewhere…well, you’ve heard it all before.

“It’s important that you establish yourself on all social media platforms.”

“You must have an audience, or rather, find one, if you can.”

“As a person in the creative sector of cyberspace, you must create and maintain an online presence so that you remain relevant and Google’s algorithms find and promote you to the top of the search results page.”

I’m a writer. 

I write.

Do I blog?

Not at all.

Why?

Because I suck at it.

Even as I type this out, I’m editing and re-editing every single sentence because what’s a blog post if it doesn’t sound witty or cute? 

Maybe that’s why I suck at blogging. None of my posts are witty or cute. 

(Or are they?) 

Perhaps it’s because I barely have time to do it. Or I do have the time but I just don’t want to because…

Cue the drum roll, please.

I’m just too lazy.

That might also be it. Actually, I’m sure that’s it. 

But how can that be? If I can find the motivation to write a few chapters for the story that’s currently clogging up my brain, why can’t I bang out a few paragraphs about how the Starbucks barista liked my shirt today? Or the idiot driver who cut me off this morning? Or the dog next door that just won’t…stop…barking?

These are all viable topics. 

So what’s the problem?

Okay, listen, the point of this little pep talk (or would that be, a pep post?): I need to quit screwing around and just write some damn blog posts.  

My book isn’t going to write itself, is it? Well, the same rules apply to this blog. 

Plus, my friend worked really hard to revamp my blog for me so I would be an utter piece of garbage if I let it go to waste. 

So, keep your fingers crossed, my dudes. Tomorrow or the next day, my blog just might be updated.

My dad would most likely murder me if he knew I was blogging about him.

No, he wouldn’t….but he’d probably be weirded out. He hates social media, as many people from the older generations do. But I wanted to see if anyone else was experiencing this.

Is my dad Duncan Hines?

Now, my dad’s been retired for eight or nine years now and he’s never shown any interest in baking. Cooking, yes. Grilling, absolutely (he’s got a Grill Sergeant t-shirt and everything) but baking?

He left that to my mom and me.

So what happened?

All of a sudden, I’m seeing him in the kitchen, covered in flour, surrounded by spice jars, leafing through old, disintegrating recipes or scouring the internet because “there has to be an easier way to make _________” (fill in the blank).

Now, I can’t blame the holidays for this because it’s has been happening for the last two or three years. It began with peppermint bark, (you should see the kitchen gadgets he got from Amazon to make this – any chocolatier would be proud), then deviled eggs, (I think he got tired of waiting for my sister to make them), then coffee cake (as pictured above and hell, yes, it’s as good as it looks).

Side bar: the price of coffee cake has skyrocketed, like everything else, so Dad took it upon himself to come up with his own. Hell of a lot cheaper and just as good, if not better (sorry, Entenmann’s).

Well, as you can see, my dad turning into Duncan Hines is hardly a bad thing. Mom and I are happy to be the taste-testers whenever he bakes something. But honestly, it just goes to show that no matter how long you’ve been around your parents, do you ever truly know them?

Maybe, maybe not. Me personally? I like the guessing and the not-knowing. It’s worth the delicious surprise when you get a plate full of coffee cake in front of you.

Happy Holidays, everyone!

Welp, here we are, my peeps, the last leg of the year. Even after gobbling back the last of the leftover Halloween candy, it didn’t seem like the holidays were that close….but they are. But suddenly, a turkey’s in the oven, apple pies are being served and the in-laws are knocking on your front door.

All the more reason to dive into a bunch of books. Even when there’s barely enough time to get in a chapter, between Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Christmas Eve, I found myself combing through my bookshelves and finding a few oldies but goodies. Also known as, Books-I-Will-Never-Get-Rid-Of-No-Matter-What.

Take a look:

Any of these look good to you?

Have you read any of them? Which one is your favorite? What’s a book you have that you’ll never get rid of?

Leave a comment below and let me know!

Come on, don’t be shy.

You know you have one.

Okay, I’ll go first:

Your turn!

What’s your favorite quote from David Rose?

I feel like I’m late to the party on this one….am I? Has anyone else read Phantom of the Opera recently? Did you like it? 

I thought it was good. Sad but good but also, about halfway through I realized, it was an awful lot like Moulin Rouge. 

Think about it.

There’s singing, greedy theater managers, a rich dude, and a broke dude, both obsessed over the same damn woman. 

Let’s start with Phantom of the Opera.

There’s Erik, the phantom, whose own mother didn’t love him. He’s the archetype for every villain ever written. He grew up isolated, unloved, hidden behind a mask and as such, resorted to the darker side of life. As bad guys go, he’s pretty straight forward. All he wanted was to be loved, then proceeded to go about it in pretty unpopular ways, like kidnapping, killing people, threats, intimidation, not to mention embezzlement. 

The “good” guy, Raoul, in the meantime, couldn’t have been more annoying if he tried. He was sick with longing for our damsel-in-distress, Christine, which is sweet, right? I mean, we could all only dream of a love that deep. But the dude wasted no time in making an abrupt about-face the second he realized he couldn’t get what he wanted from her, never mind that the poor girl was tormented constantly by the phantom or that she’d been taken against her will, not once but twice. All that matters is poor, rejected Raoul’s feelings as he launches into a mental diatribe about what a “courtesan” she is for not returning his feelings. 

(*side note: a courtesan is another word for whore.)

If we jump over to Moulin Rouge, we’ll find not a phantom but a rich-as-hell duke who’s also not above killing people to get what he wants. (Bear in mind that the duke doesn’t have a name in the movie. He’s simply known as The Duke). Our bohemian protagonist, Christian, is head over heels for Satine and believes with every fiber of his being that his love is purer than any amount of money or comfort that the duke could give her. Even fully well knowing from day one that she was a courtesan, Christian still manages to act surprised, affronted and cruel when he also doesn’t get what he wants from her, going as far as throwing a handful of money at Satine and calling her a whore in front of a packed house.

*sigh* 

(*another side note: even back then, men stamped their feet like four-year-olds and fell back on playground tactics when they were denied).

So in a world where tropes have been reimagined over and over again, is Phantom of the Opera a trope?

Well, if it is, then it’s the first of its kind. 

Well done, Phantom.

You’re a tough act to follow.