Posts By: MJ Pullen

M.J. Pullen is a distracted writer and the mom of two boys in Roswell, Georgia, where she is absolutely late for something important right now. Her books include quirky romantic comedies and playful women's fiction. She blogs erratically with writing advice, random observations, and reflections on raising very loud kids and dogs. Join her Distracted Readers newsletter list for updates, free content, giveaways and more.

Atlanta Writer’s Club Meeting Oct. 18th

posted on 10/15/2014

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I’ll be doing the “Member Minute” talk at this month’s Atlanta Writer’s Club meeting, talking on the topic of “My Self-Publishing Success Story.” Despite a slight squeamishness at the term “success story” for my story, I still think it will be a fun talk and welcome those of you who are AWC members to come […]

Relax, Dammit

posted on 10/15/2014

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Last week Hubs and I went out to California for a six-day vacation with some friends. It was the longest we’d been away from Fozzie and Skywalker, with both of us gone, and I am SO grateful for my mother-in-law and our amazing babysitter for making it possible. It was totally an “Eye of the […]

My Coffee House Family: Writing and Community

posted on 09/30/2014

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There are the five old guys who meet faithfully on Monday mornings, laughing, reading aloud to one another, maybe praying (I try not to eavesdrop for that part) — heads bent together over empty plates and steaming mugs of coffee and then thrown back in joviality. Young people starting and running businesses. Women gossiping, talking […]

It’s Official: The Marriage Pact Series Coming to St. Martin’s Press

posted on 09/29/2014

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Here. We. Go! It’s been a couple of months of biting my tongue while all the final details were hammered out and contracts inked, but I’m thrilled to announce that The Marriage Pact trilogy has been picked up by St. Martin’s Press/Macmillan Entertainment. They have bought the English-language publication rights to all three books and […]

Read The Marriage Pact (Ehe Auf Papier) in German!

posted on 09/23/2014

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That’s right, we can now hear Aunt Mildred say, “Nur einen Moment auf den Lippen, ein Leben lang auf den Rippen.” (a translation of “A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips.”) That old bat. I am so delighted to have my first translated publication available (and for a short while it will […]

Even if You Didn’t Go to My Alma Mater…

posted on 09/15/2014

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… I bet this story will touch you. Malcolm Mitchell is a junior wide receiver at the University of Georgia (Go Dawgs!), and this story about his joining a ladies’ book club in Athens went a long way to ameliorating my feelings after a tough loss to South Carolina on Saturday. If you don’t tear […]

Things Every Couple Fights About

posted on 09/12/2014

This video made me laugh, mostly because I’ve said just about every thing in it at some point or another. Enjoy! Post by BuzzFeed Video.

Overheard at Whole Foods – What Do You Think?

posted on 09/08/2014

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So I had to run a couple of errands late this morning and stopped in at Whole Foods to grab some lunch. And some hummus. And a chocolate bar, because organic = healthy, right? I’ve explained before that we writers in general and novelists in particular are notorious eavesdroppers, and I am no exception. Also, […]

It’s Never Too Late for a Scene in the Rain

posted on 09/05/2014

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Maybe I’ve got Emily Giffin on the brain after attending her talk at the Decatur Book Festival last weekend, or maybe there’s something else, but I’ve been seeing this scene from Something Borrowed in my head all morning [yes, some people get songs stuck in their heads, I get scenes]. And, okay, from this clip […]

I’m Sorry?

posted on 09/05/2014

So I was at my favorite coffee shop the other day, waiting outside the single-user women’s restroom with my bag, when a woman emerged in a perfectly reasonable amount of time (perhaps 30 seconds or a minute after I’d originally tried the door and found it occupied). She was in professional dress with a badge […]