Cindy A. Christiansen's Blog, page 32

Christmas Letters... Don't Get Me Started

Have you written your Christmas letter thisyear? Hmmm. Some people do and some don't. I have to admit, I have issues withthe traditional Christmas letter. In retaliation and a joking mood severalyears ago, I posted the Christmas letter I'd sent only to my sister. Amazingly,it's had more hits than any other blog I'veposted.
Why? Maybe people are searching the Internetfor examples of traditional letters because they're not sure what to write. Imean honestly, what do you say about a whole year in one page? Or, maybe they'veshared my letter with others because they thought it was funny. It's anythingbut conventional. Here it is:
Greetings to you this holiday season!
I wanted to shareour year with family and friends.
New Years -surgery, yada, yada, yada.
St. Patrick's Day -son's surgery, wheelchair, therapy three times a week.
Easter - familyfight.
Fourth of July -blah, blah, blah.
Thanksgiving -turkey, baking, lots of stress.
Now it's Christmas.
Happy Holidays, everybody!
Personally, I've receivedsome pretty annoying Christmas letters where they just went on and on…and onabout all the wonderful things each family member had done (and even bought…andeven said). I guess they hadn't figured out that if we really wanted to know,we would've kept in touch maybe once through the entire blooming year! J  Let's face it. Nobody's year could be thatgood, and who are they trying to impress anyway? Get real.
Whoa. Sorry about that. Ihave issues with gloating Christmas letters. How about you? Are you a Christmas letterwriter?  Do you like to get the long(several pages long) letter from Cousin Hildy and hear every detail of everyfamily member's life over the year? (Save it for your diary.)  What's your view on Christmas letters?
Cindy A. ChristiansenSweet Romance, Comedy,Suspense…and Dogs!Fly into a good bookat:  www.dragonflyromance.com


Cindy A. Christiansen
Sweet (clean) Romance Author

I've Got a Bone to Pick… What About Was?

"I'm So Confused!"
I have multiple sources I could quote. Maybe you'veheard it before:  A writer must write in an active voice, not passive. Thatleads us to little words like "was" and "were."
I recently went to a popular bookstore and askedfor copies of the top romance authors. All covers touted that the authors were USA Today or New York Timesbestsellers. The first thing I noticedwas "was".  Wases here, wases there,wases everywhere.
Here's the stats on the top six authors:
AUTHOR WAS IN FIRST SENTENCE # OF WASES INFIRST 25 LINES Author A 1 6 Author B 1 6 Author C 1 7 Author D 1 7 Author E 0 5 Author F 1 5
I'm shocked. What about you? Another rule from literary agents, publishersand expert authors has been not to open the bookwith the backstory. Many of these bestsellers did. Shocker! I have to admit, I'ma bit confused. What about the rules? What makes these authors top sellers? What'syour opinion? Tell me, tell me, tell me. (Can you hear the panting?)
Cindy A. ChristiansenSweet Romance, Comedy, Suspense…and Dogs!Fly into a good book at:  www.dragonflyromance.com
123RF Stock PhotoCindy A. Christiansen
Sweet (clean) Romance Author

Celebrating Kiss of Death Day!

Does "Kiss of Death" mean my bad breath?
Kiss of Death: The Place for the Murderously Inclined Romantic
What great romancedoesn't have suspense in it? Whether a spy thriller in Regency times, aparanormal romance with a revenge-seeking zombie, or a traditional serialkiller after the heroine, romance relies on suspense, leading the readerthrough the trials of the heroine and hero to see if they will get theirhappily ever after ending. If you can call your writing suspenseful, then theKiss of Death chapter of the Romance Writers of America has something foryou!  I love being a part of the Kiss ofDeath chapter.  You can ask questions andget tons of help from the other authors.
Formed in 1994,KOD—as we call our chapter—promotes and supports the writing and reading ofsuspense and mystery fiction with strong romantic elements. We're one of thelargest RWA chapters with members from across the globe who join our onlinefamily of mayhem-loving writers. Joining gives you access to a wide array ofprograms to help your writing develop and grow.

Top amongmembership benefits is our College of Felony and Intrigue (COFFIN) onlineworkshops for only $15 per class for KOD members. In addition, KOD offersonline networking, a critique group, brainstorming support and a book-in-a-weekchallenge to help you to get that draft on paper. We support our members withan active Facebook group and Twitter feed giving you access to the informationyou need, whenever you need it.

Nothing saysromantic suspense like RWA's Kiss of Death chapter. Nothing says I'm a romanticsuspense author like being a KOD member. Join us today during our annualmembership drive. As an added bonus, all new members or renewing members whojoin in December will be entered to win a first chapter critique from PAN Kissof Death members Sue Swift or Kylie Brant.

To join Kiss ofDeath, visit us online at http://www.rwamysterysuspense.org/join.php for easy PayPalor traditional payment options. For the joining fee of $35 ($30 for renewal),you'll love us to death!Cindy A. Christiansen
Sweet (clean) Romance Author

Hot Digitty Dog – It's a Contest!

 Dogs bring so muchjoy.Share yours in Cindy's HotDigitty Dog Photo Contest . Just in time forChristmas!  Send your favorite photo of your dog to Cindyat cindy@dragonflyromance.comwith the subject: HotDigitty Dog Contest.All photos will beposted on Cindy's website at: www.dragonflyromance.com/contestso make sure you'rewilling to have your photo posted on the Internet.

This is a great time to order Cindy's books as gifts.The more copies she sells, the more she can donate to organizations that help abused and homeless dogs.Enjoy a good book and help a dog this Christmas.
The contest will runfrom December 1st - 14th.The winner will receivean ebook copy of Love on Laird Avenue AND a $15.00 egift card toeither: Amazon, Barnes & Noble
 or Petsmart Online.


Please pass the word.
(Cindy is not responsible for anypirated photos.)123RF Stock PhotoCindy A. Christiansen
Sweet (clean) Romance Author