Friday, June 4, 2010

Guest Post: Marla Martenson, Author of Diary of a Beverly Hills Matchmaker

While I recover from my recent vacation and work on some book reviews, I'm happy to have Marla Martenson, author of Diary of a Beverly Hills Matchmaker, as a guest on Diary of an Eccentric today.  Please give Marla a warm welcome as she offers some advice to aspiring authors (and stay tuned for information on how to win a copy of her latest book):

As the author of three books I am often asked, “Marla how do you do it? How do you find the time to write?” I wrote all three of my books while still working full time at a matchmaking company, so my writing time was all over the place. Sometimes I would write a chapter on my lunch hour, sometimes I would write after work, which was difficult because I didn’t get home until 7:30 pm and my energy was drained, so I mostly wrote on the weekends. Some people have the idea that to write a book one has to sit down all day everyday writing for months upon months to finish their masterpiece but actually if you make a habit of writing something everyday, even a couple of pages, a few months later, you’ll have an entire book. That is what I did with my second book, Good Date, Bad Date and it felt almost effortless; there was no pressure or deadlines because I was consistently putting something onto the page.

It all comes down to priorities and goals. If your goal is to become a published author, then go for it. Laser in on that goal and take a step in that direction on a consistent basis. I have a small desk in the corner of our living room where I write. I open the door to the balcony and listen to the birds sing, it’s very inspirational.  The times that I do write in the evenings, I like to sit in bed with my laptop; it’s very cozy.

Truman Capote, the author of Breakfast at Tiffany’s and In Cold Blood, claimed to be a “completely horizontal author.” He said he had to write lying down, in bed or on a couch, with a cigarette and coffee. The coffee would switch to tea, then sherry, then martinis, as the day wore on. He wrote his first and second drafts in longhand, in pencil. And even his third draft, done on a typewriter, would be done in bed — with the typewriter balanced on his knees.

Stephen King, in his book On Writing, says that he writes 10 pages a day without fail, even on holidays. That’s a lot of writing each day, and it has led to some incredible results. I have not managed that kind of discipline yet, but maybe one day....

Find what works for you, what is comfortable and what inspires and excites you about the process and the routine, and you are sure to be a success!

Marla Martenson is the best selling author of three books, Excuse Me, Your Soul Mate Is Waiting, Good Date, Bad Date and her latest, Diary of a Beverly Hills Matchmaker. She also works as a professional matchmaker, life coach and motivational speaker. You can find more info on Marla at www.marlamartenson.com.

Thanks, Marla!  I wish you much success and look forward to reading your work in the future.

Marla would like to offer one of my readers a chance to win a copy of Diary of a Beverly Hills Matchmaker, in which Marla details her oftentimes hilarious dealings with eccentric clients.

To enter, please leave a comment detailing the most bizarre date you've been on.  Marla will be selecting the winner, so if you don't include this information, you will not be entered.  Also, please leave an e-mail address so I can easily contact the winner.

This giveaway is open to readers with U.S. addresses only and will end Friday, June 11 at 11:59 pm EST.

Disclosure: I am an Amazon affiliate.



© 2010, Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not copy or reproduce content without permission.

16 comments:

Serena said...

Thanks for some great advice. No need to enter me in the giveaway, but I'll post it in my sidebar.

Anna said...

Serena: Thanks!

Suko said...

Great guest post!
I'd love to win this book, but I'm not sure I've been on any bizarre dates. Hmmm . . .

suko95(at)gmail(dot)com

Anonymous said...

Ah- priorities and goals. Too things I'm not too good with.

I don't think I've ever been on a bizarre date, to be honest. Oh, there's the David and I went to a haunted house. This was before we were married, but turns out David really is afraid of haunted houses, so he was a nervous wreck the whole evening. That's the closest I've got. Sorry I'm boring.

carolsnotebook at yahoo dot com

Cheryl said...

I gave you an award for your blog: http://cherylbaryl.blogspot.com/2010/06/new-blog-award_04.html

Darlene said...

Hi Anna, I've got this posted at Win a Book for you :)

Blodeuedd said...

Sounds like a fun boook. Great post :)

baileythebookworm said...

One of the more bizarre dates my boyfriend and I have been on was a 6 1/2 underground cave crawling tour at Mammoth Caves. It was 6 1/2 hours of dark, damp, mud and crawling through really tight spaces or crawling up immense rock formations. It was amazing, but I was so tired he couldn't wake me up for dinner!
baileythebookworm[at]gmail[dot]com

karenk said...

please count me in...thanks :)

karenk
kmkuka at yahoo dot com

jane chase said...

I'm fascinated and appalled by the world of matchmaking, so I was thrilled to find out about Marla's memoir. I've reserved a copy at B&N and plan to pick it up in Santa Monica next week. Very much enjoyed this interview. I write on-the-fly myself and Marla is very encouraging about that. Particularly liked the writers' stories she picked out.

Nancye said...

This is LONG........Bizarre date? Hmmm, I guess this date wasn't exactly bizarre, but more nerve-wracking. I was not quite 16 and I was going on my very first date. To a SENIOR PROM. Not some place simple like the movies. Nope. There I was, all decked out in formal wear and a formal meal. I had NO idea what I was suppose to do! I couldn't evn go to the bathroom because I had too much dress to fit in the stall!! It ended up fine. Too nervous to eat and not being able to use the bathroom, but other than that I survived!

I would LOVE to win this book!

nancyecdavis AT bellsouth DOT net

Mystica said...

There were no dates as such!!! I know I know antiquated we are... but I'd like to be counted in for this giveaway anyway.

missreneer said...

When my husband and I went on our first date we decided to go out to a nightclub. I had never been to a club before and we were both new to the area so we decided to pick the first club we found while out driving. Well we get inside and there are people with glow in the dark contact lenses on and everyone is walking around with colorful hair and crazy makeup. All of a sudden there is an announcement that a musical act is coming out. The crowd goes crazy, the lights start to flash and all of a sudden a scantily clad woman comes through the floor wearing practically nothing but angel wings. Yes, angel wings. She starts dancing and singing. It was hilarious. My husband and I still laugh about it years later.
Thanks for the great giveaway :)

donnas said...

Sounds like a great book. I havent been on any truely bizarre dates. The weirdest was a baseball game blind date with someone who went though the entire game with nothing to eat or drink, even water. And really didnt even end up liking baseball.

bacchus76 at myself dot com

karenk said...

a bizarre date: visiting the zoo...in the pouring down rain.

karenk
kmkuka at yahoo dot com

Anna said...

This giveaway is now closed. Thanks to everyone who entered and/or spread the word. I will announce the winner soon.