Introducing: Meika Usher!

I met Meika Usher at a Capital City Writers meeting (or perhaps conference—I can’t remember now) a few years back. She was just starting out then, and we met at a local coffee shop to write together, or chatted after meetings, went to book signings for local authors.

Then I gave Meika her very first deadline.

Asked her how long she thought it would take her to finish her first book, have it edited, formatted and released on Amazon. She gave me a date. I said I was holding her to it.

From time to time I would heckle her when I saw her on social media instead of writing. I’d check in periodically on her progress. Mostly, though, Meika buckled down, risked carpal tunnel, and finished that manuscript. Then she did all the other things an author must do to get a book out.

She met her deadline. And I got an acknowledgement in her book. <3

Now, her third book, READY TO RUN, has just released. Her fourth book is currently releasing on Radish as well, so if you hop over there and subscribe, you’ll be getting a sneak peek at the next book as well.

Meika is feisty and funny and snarky and has the most gorgeous green eyes. She’s a riot to hang with because you never know what’s going to come out of her mouth—and that’s reflected in her books.

So, for a little fun, I invited Meika to do a Lightning Round of questions, a la James Lipton.

Ready? Set? Go!

Blue jeans or party clothes? Dresses are my go-to, but don’t try to get me in heels. I’ll fall and die.

Sushi or steak? DON’T MAKE ME CHOOSE!!! Um…sushi? No! Steak. Yes. Steak. I think.

Cats or dogs? (Or hamsters?) Pssh, dogs. Mine would kill me if I said anything else. Seriously. She’s scary.

Beer, wine or water? Beer, please.

Coke or Pepsi? (If you answer Pepsi I hereby disown you. Ask my father.) Coke! No disowning necessary! Technically, Cherry Coke Zero.

Favorite color? Burgundy. Almost everything I own is this color. Even my hair. It’s a little absurd.

Favorite word? Wanderlust. (PS Alyssa here, adding that Meika is also a solo international traveler, like moi!)

Least favorite word? Hmm. I don’t know if I have one. I know there’s a whole anti-moist movement, but that word has never bothered me. I think I’m gonna have to go with…gaping? Especially when paired with “wound.” Ughhhhh.

Coffee or tea? Hot? Tea. Cold? Coffee.

And last but not least…. Chris Hemsworth or Chris Pine or Chris Evans? This is cruel. Like, super cruel. I don’t know how I’m supposed to choo—Evans. With the beard, please.

Now for a peek at READY TO RUN!

SHE SIDESTEPS FEELINGS LIKE A PRO

Comic book artist Sunny Oliver is prepared for anything. Rabid fans? No biggie. Zombie Apocalypse? Piece of cake. Her older brother’s best friend? Er…not so much. He’s obnoxious. He’s gross. He’s…hot? Back in high school, Ben Owens made her feel invisible. But now he sees her. And the way he’s looking at her has her ready to drop her walls…AND her pants. 

HE’S A MASTER AT DODGING COMMITMENT

ER nurse Ben Owens is a one girl kinda guy. One girl a NIGHT, that is. As a rule, he doesn’t get attached. Sunny Oliver has always been the exception to that rule. Years ago, he made a promise to keep his distance. Breaking it could cost him. But if it’s such a bad idea, why does it feel SO good?

BUT NEITHER CAN OUTRUN LOVE

With each pizza shared and every digital zombie vanquished, Sunny and Ben rekindle the friendship they shared years ago. Only, this time, something’s different. Will they give in to their newfound feelings, or will past promises–and past hurt–send them running in the opposite direction?

Want a little more Meika?

Meika Usher is a Michigan-based romance author, a puppy mama, and a pizza lover. When she’s not writing snarky, sexy love stories, she can be found binge-watching Supernatural (she’s a Dean girl), memorizing all the song lyrics ever (it’s her superpower), or planning her next solo trip (she’s thinking Estonia). She is on the board of Lansing’s Capital City Writers, and a member of Romance Writers of America, and Mid-Michigan RWA. READY TO RUN is her third novel.

Find Meika:
www.meikausher.com
www.facebook.com/authormeikausher
www.instagram.com/meikausher
www.twitter.com/meikausher
meikausher@gmail.com


Finding My Tribe

Tribe (n): a social division in a traditional society consisting of families or communities linked by social, economic, religious, or blood ties, with a common culture and dialect, typically having a recognized leader.

 

I remember the first time I went to a writers meeting. It was in the fall, circa 2007, at a sweet little restaurant about an hour from my house.

I was terrified. Sick-to-my-stomach, close-to-hyperventilating, certain-I-was-going-to-make-an-ass-of-myself, TERRIFIED. These women were writers. Real, honest-to-goodness writers. I was just a wannabe, with one not-so-good book under my belt. I wasn’t published, had yet to have even query an agent, and knew nothing about the industry. Or even how to properly format a manuscript. Certainly, I had no business being there.

But I screwed up my courage and went to a monthly MMRWA meeting, because I desperately wanted to be a writer.

They welcomed me with open arms. And when I say open, I mean it. Pretty sure I got a hug that day.

Discovering other people heard voices in their heads—which meant I wasn’t alone in my particular brand of crazy—was a gift and a miracle.

I found my tribe.

Now, over a decade later, that tribe meets once a year for a special Retreat From Harsh Reality. I’ve attended every year but one (when I was in Paris for a romance festival—they forgave me, lol). From 2008 when I was six months pregnant, to 2009 when my baby wasn’t even a year old and I had to cart around a breast pump all weekend, to 2014 when my first book came out and I received a plaque from the group in celebration, to 2015 when I received an Angel Award for service to the chapter, to this very weekend. April 2018.

The Mid-Michigan Romance Writers of America chapter is my home away from home. My tribe. A small “social division” of romance writers in Michigan, who are part of a larger “traditional society consisting of [a] communit[y]” of worldwide romance writers.

We come from all walks of life and are at all stages of our careers. Some of us are pre-pubbed, some are querying. Some have self-pubbed their tenth book, some have sold their first. We write contemporary, historical, suspense, cozy mystery, sci-fi romance, and everything else you can think of.

Everyone is welcome. Everyone is appreciated.

And there are a ton of laughs.

At the Toot Your Own Horn ceremony, where everyone gets a chance to celebrate an accomplishment from the past year.

This year, our speaker was the incomparable Jennifer Probst. She’s funny, brilliantly intelligent, a wonderful writer, and slipped right into our tribe as if she belonged there. I picked up her craft book, WRITE NAKED, and then a romance novel, SEARCHING FOR DISASTER, because I simply couldn’t resist.

 

Jennifer, speaking on craft.

 

 

My roommate was a long time friend and critique partner, my fav-fav-fav Tracy Brogan, who I have known since those way back pre-pub years. We brainstormed current books, laughed over (fixed) plot holes in HIGHLAND SURRENDER and (fixed) character problems in A DANCE WITH SEDUCTION, snickered into wine glasses, and ate Doritos. (She politely shared the nacho cheese flavor. I hoarded and ate an entire bag of cool ranch flavor…Is that even a real flavor?!)

Our weekend snack table, courtesy of Tracy, because I was busy eating.

 

Meika Usher, my almost-weekly coffee shop compadre, received a first book plaque for SOMETHING SO SWEET, and we celebrated the May 2 release of her second book. I knew a few weeks in advance she would be receiving it, and it was the hardest thing to keep secret.

Courtesy Meika, cuz I forgot.

The Angel Award nominee was Diana Stout, who is professor, friend, don’t-forget-to-write heckler, cookbook author, chapter website guru, and all around deserved of the award.

Words abounded in the write-ins. Craft was discussed in depth during Jennifer’s presentation on WRITE NAKED. Raffles were won and lost and won again. Ideas were exchanged during the industry talk.

And many, many laughs happened around bowls of chocolate, glasses of wine, mugs of coffee, and pads of paper.

Sometimes life gifts you with a place you can belong without working at it. A place that sees you, in all your crazy glory. A place that pulls you up when you’re falling down, lifts you higher when you’re already on cloud nine, and most importantly, speaks your language.

MMRWA is my tribe.