C.S. Smith's Blog, page 4

Cover Reveal Day for NEAR MISS!

Today is cover reveal day for Near Miss, book one in my upcoming romantic suspense series, Dìleas Security Agency!

I love this cover and I hope you do as well. Near Miss will be available on Amazon in Kindle Unlimited, eBook, and paperback on January 10, 2023.

Don't miss Lachlan and Sophia's story - pre-order today!

Get A Free Book!

Three men. One betrayal. A brotherhood forged in blood and death in the harsh environment of Afghanistan.

This novella is a background origin story that introduces the first three heroes of my former military romantic suspense series, Dìleas Security Agency.

Lachlan Mackay's story, NEAR MISS, will be available on January 10, 2023, through Amazon (Kindle Unlimited, Ebook, and paperback) and in paperback through other retailers.

Nathan Long's story, MISSING IN ACTION, will be available in March 2023.

Ryder Montague's story, MISSED OPPORTUNITY, will be available in May 2023.

Exciting News!

It's finally happening! The first book in my debut romantic suspense series, Dìleas Security Agency, releases on January 10, 2023.

Stay tuned for the NEAR MISS cover reveal on December 6.

Ten Things I've Learned in Quarantine

I’m back after an almost one-year hiatus from the blog! I have been busy writing and editing the first two books in my debut romantic suspense series, Dìleas Security Agency, and I’m about ready to start the third book. My writing adventures, however, are for future blogs.

Today, I wanted to throw out my top ten list of the things I’ve learned during the pandemic. We live in some crazy times, folks. I don’t think anyone is going to be sad to kiss this year goodbye on December 31st. Having spent over four months at home now, here is what I’ve discovered about myself. See if any of these apply to you:

I’m an introvert: Sure, I’ve got a big mouth, interrupt people, and use my hands when I talk, but…three plus months with nowhere to go? No problem. I happily holed up in my writing room. The only change I had to negotiate was tolerating the three other people in the house who didn’t leave after breakfast and return at dinnertime (made the dog happy, though). I drowned or suffocated in another life : I already have a shark phobia (big time), but trying to breathe through a mask was triggering at first. I never feel like I’m getting enough air (I’m getting used to it). It’s still not as bad as trying to breathe through a SCUBA regulator, which is usually done in the ocean (see: shark phobia, above). You really can get everything delivered: Groceries, restaurant food, household supplies, furniture. This may not have been a good thing for introverts to discover. I now order my groceries online, not because I’m afraid to go to the store, but because I’m lazy. Children are great... Until they kick you (routinely) out of your writing room because it’s the best place to take a final exam, AP exam, study…Oh, don’t worry kids, Mom can write anywhere. (But she’d really like to be in her writing room.) I’m a night owl: I already knew this, but having everyone in the house all day means my best writing time is now 8:30 pm to 2:00 am. Ugh. However, having everyone in the house all day means I can sleep in until 8:00 am. Yay! Yes, this night owl needs more sleep. My husband is still alive: Seriously, this is a big one, because pre-quarantine, I’d give him “the look” if he wasn’t out the door by 8:00 am each morning, and he’d get “the look” if he came back home before 5:00 pm (preferably 6:00 pm). He’s been working from his home office since March, keeping to a routine, and it’s actually worked out pretty well. No more reason to fear empty-nesting when the time comes (soon). Social media is terrible for the public health: I’m spending less time on social media. (I know, you’d think it would be the opposite.) People do nothing but complain, attack, and lecture on social media nowadays. This pandemic, the economy, and social injustice have given everyone adrenal fatigue. Let’s all try to mix some gratitude in with the attitude. Make sure you’re fully dressed and muted on your Zoom meeting: I had to throw this one in. It’s not so much me making these faux pas but I’m sure everyone at this point has had to conduct a meeting or other gathering on Zoom. First, don’t just dress from the waist up. You will stand at some point and flash your boxer briefs or jammy bottoms. Second, we can hear your dog yapping, your spouse talking (loudly), and your phone ringing (it’s even more fun when you answer the phone and start speaking to your caller). And don’t pick your nose, or your teeth, in front of other people. You can eat properly and stop drinking (for a while) while confined: I love my wine. Unfortunately, wine triggers my carb cravings, which love to put fat on me. The first two months of quarantine, you would have had to pry the wine bottle and snacks out of my cold, dead hands. By May, I decided to suck it up and quit drinking alcohol and stick to lean protein and veggies for a month. No bread products, no processed food. Once you get through that first week of carb withdrawal, it’s not so bad. Fifteen pounds later, I have slowly begun to reincorporate wine, dairy, nuts, and grains back into my diet and still maintain my weight loss. This is not my first rodeo, but each time, a bit more of the good habits stick. Check-in with me this time next year to see how I did keeping the weight off. I feel great, BTW. Learn to care but keep perspective: This, too, shall pass—all of it. Many writers are introverts, and we prefer to inhabit the worlds of our creation rather than face the ugliness of the real world. Others of us struggle with anxiety and depression, and the problems of the world hit us deeply and threaten to drag us under. Find the middle ground. Care about your fellow humans. Affirm their right to dignity and happiness but stay positive and hopeful. Spread love and compassion, even to those who disagree with you.

What have you learned about yourself during the pandemic? Feel free to chime in on my pages: Facebook: /CSSmithAuthor19; Instagram: @c.s.smithauthor; or Twitter: @cssmithauthor1.

Peace.

Immersed in Romancelandia

Last week I attended my first national conference of Romance Writers of America (RWA) in New York City. I literally did not leave the hotel once (it was in the middle of Times Square). I know, you’re horrified aren’t you. New York! But I’ve been to this hotel, Times Square and New York several times. I didn’t know many people at the conference, and I wanted to soak up everything I could, surrounded by almost two thousand people who are dedicated to writing romance novels of every kind you can imagine (and a few you maybe can’t). So, forgive me.

Where to begin to unpack my experience?

Knowledge: The workshops were terrific, and I attended as many as I could each day (which is why I never left the hotel). The presentations were by published authors, often NYT and USA Today bestselling authors. Talk about learning from the best! I won a bag of goodies from Kristin Higgins’ class (yes, that Kristin Higgins) and fangirled shamelessly at J.R. Ward’s “Ask Me Anything” presentation. J.R. Ward! (Still fangirling). The sheer knowledge dump I received of craft, branding, and the business of becoming a published author was invaluable.

Networking: Ever have a casual conversation with someone you just met, only to look them up later and find out they are an NYT best selling author? I have. I also met several writers like me, unpublished but working to become published. And, out of the vast throng of authors at this conference, I somehow, randomly, met three amazing women whose husbands also were officers in the U.S. Navy at one point – two of them submariners like my husband and one a Naval Academy grad, also like my husband. What are the odds? I’ve made a whole bunch of new connections and, more importantly, new friends that understand and share this journey I’m on. That is invaluable.

Validation: I was a finalist in the Daphne Du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense in the unpublished division. To see my name, photo and the name of my novel up on the big screen was amazing, and a validation that I can do this – I can write a romantic suspense novel that people will want to read. It’s still a work in progress, but this recognition is a huge confidence booster that keeps me grinding away at my craft.

Recognition: One of my author friends is a six-time Golden Heart nominee and a two-time winner. The Golden Heart is the Oscars for unpublished authors. A recognition of their work at the highest level pre-publication. Sadly, this was the last year of the Golden Heart, and I am sad that I won’t be able to participate in this amazing contest. I’ve seen firsthand through my friend the incredible friendships and networking that each Golden Heart class develops. They are a bonded sisterhood that endures through the years.

The other major event of the conference was the RITA awards ceremony – the Oscars for published authors. If you are looking for new books to read, look up the RITA winners this year and buy their books. https://www.bustle.com/p/the-2019-rita-award-winners-are-the-best-romance-novels-of-the-last-year-18364361 It was a glamorous affair and especially joyous because this year, two African-American authors (Kennedy Ryan and M. Malone), and a South Asian-American author, (Nisha Sharma) went home with RITAs. Incredibly, this was the first time that an African-American author has won a RITA in the 37 years of the RITA’s existence. It definitely won’t be the last. Whatever kind of romance/love story you are looking for, there is an exceptionally talented romance author out there who is writing it.

Now What? I came away from this conference even more excited to pursue this path I’m on to be a published author. I have a better understanding of the craft (i.e., I know what I need to improve on); I made some great friends and contacts who are all at various stages of the same journey; I received validation that I’m capable of producing quality writing; I got to fangirl at the celebrity authors in attendance - too many to list here; and I got my own worldview expanded as a reader and writer. There are a lot of outstanding romance writers whom you’ve never heard of. Try a new author, or try reading in a romance sub-genre that you don’t normally read. Some day day soon, I hope you will be reading my novels!

Live, From the Top of the Roller Coaster

If you have ever braved riding a roller coaster, you know that feeling as you reach the summit of the long climb upwards and are cresting over the hill, about to plunge into freefall. For some people, this moment is an exhilarating rush, for others a moment of terror that has them questioning their sanity for getting on the ride in the first place. The fall is brief but intense, and before you know it, the ride has come to an end.

This summer is shaping up to be a roller coaster ride for my family. This past weekend, I had reached the peak of the first hill, preparing to freefall at dizzying speeds through the next four months. It started on Thursday with my son’s arrival home from college. Friday, I spent at the hospital with my father as my mom had knee surgery. Saturday, I dropped my son off at the airport and made sure he properly checked in for his trip to Vietnam on a Maymester experience. We are on the downhill now to end-of-school exams; my youngest daughter’s trip to Spain; my own travel to my high school class reunion, and then to a writers conference; cross country camps; NROTC duty; the beach; a dive trip; and before you know it, back to college, back to high school, and back to real life. The usual grind begins again with the obvious markers of advancing time – new grade levels and one step closer to having three fully-formed adults and an empty nest.

What does this all mean in the grand scheme of life? I’m trying to slow down long enough to focus on gratitude – that my family is fortunate enough to have these enriching experiences, that we are all happy and in good health. I know what a blessing this is. As I try to carve out time to write in this wonderful madness, I am mindful of the swift passage of time. In two short years, another child will be out in the world on his own, and my youngest will be beginning her college journey. It’s easy to get so busy trying to simply survive the chaos that you don’t stop to appreciate its meaning until your house echoes with the ghosts of children past.

Don’t get me wrong, I am looking forward to being able to devote more time and energy to my writing career and myself (and I know my husband would love some additional attention), but I am finally becoming aware that the time passing is time I will never get back. I need to store these precious memories, not just get through each day.

I’m on the downslope, racing to the finish of this particular summer ride. I’m trying to keep my eyes open and enjoy the experience, no matter how quickly it passes.

Ishvara Pranidana (Surrender)

Ishvara Pranidana is a yogic term that means surrendering yourself to a higher power. My yoga teacher, Greg, begins each class with what he calls a “yoga chat,” where he takes a yoga concept and applies it not only to our practice but to our everyday life. Each week, his lesson always seems to speak directly to something I am grappling with at that moment. When I mentioned that to Greg, he told me our minds seek out connections, and that is why each lesson seems to speak to me. Or maybe it is that higher power at work, tapping me on the shoulder. I’ll leave it to the scientists and theologians to fight over the answer.

When most people think of the term “surrender,” they think of giving up as an act of losing. But surrender can also mean to give up control to something or someone else and trusting that you will be gaining something in the process. I’ve been working on a course called Purposeful Writer: Discovering Your Story, by Laura Baker ( http://www.discoveringstorymagic.com/), in an effort to identify where I am falling short in my writing. I would argue that the first few lessons are more lessons in psychology than writing. Two of the questions in Lesson Two, “What do you need to say” and Why do you need to say it?” required some profound (and not always comfortable) introspection. But it was eye-opening. Why do I read romantic and paranormal suspense books? Why am I drawn to badass alpha males, often with a profound trauma in their backgrounds, who are redeemed by the love of a strong woman? Why do I want to write the same kinds of stories and characters? My emotional motivator, the recurring theme that jumped out at me came down to this: FEAR of loss: of control, of safety, of acceptance. For someone always in control, the fear of surrendering that control can be profound. There is that word – surrender. What would it take for someone who is used to controlling everything in their environment to surrender that control? What in their background made them need to be in control in the first place? What role does love play in pushing them to surrender, to gain something (love) in return?

When I look at the characters I have written, fear is their motivation and why they need to be in control. Fear of betrayal, fear of losing their independence. That fear jeopardizes their chance at love. Now that I understand me better, I can understand what motivates my characters better and make them more three dimensional. Another lesson learned on my journey.

Surrender. Not to lose something, but to gain something.

Perseverance

,A week ago, I was riding high. My website was ready to go live, I had a new logo, the business cards were ordered. I had submitted the first four chapters of my debut novel work-in-progress to two different writing contests and had plans to submit to three more by the end of March. Life was good. I was confident--dare I say, overconfident. I sent those same chapters to a writing friend, one who has been writing for over ten years and is now winning or finaling in multiple writing contests. I’ve been writing seriously for one year. I told her to be honest, to tell me the truth about what she thought of my work. ,,,,Well, she was. Honest. Blunt. I was crushed. I got her email late on a Friday evening. My husband, sensing my mood as I stared down at my cell phone, said a quiet goodnight and snuck off to our bedroom. I had entered earlier versions of those same chapters in two prior contests and gotten back better scores than expected, so I think my writing friend was anticipating more from me than what she read. My craft needed work, she said. My story doesn’t start in the right place. Boring. Unnecessary. Telling, not showing.,,,,“Go to bed,” I told myself. “Don’t react. Sleep on it.” So I did, all the while reminding myself of the many lectures I had given my children over the years about working hard and sticking with things, even when they got tough. One of the character pillars of the K-8 school my children had attended was “Perseverance.” As I lay in bed wondering if I would ever have the energy to make major changes to my manuscript or even start completely over, I reminded myself that what was a good lesson for the children, was a good lesson for their mom.,,,,And I ,am ,persevering. When I gave myself time to get over my wounded ego, I went back and took a hard look at my friend’s comments. She had taken the time that others hadn’t to read with a critical writer’s eye. To give me the kind of advice I’m sure she wished someone had given her earlier in her writing career. My friend has spent several years painstakingly improving her craft. If my intent is to improve as a writer, am I going to choose to be insulted by her honesty? No, I am choosing to be grateful for the time and effort she put into reviewing my work. I am choosing to be grateful that she sent me that email, knowing it wasn’t what I wanted to hear and maybe fearful of its impact on our friendship. I am back to writing, taking workshops, reading others in my genre, and putting in the hard work necessary to develop my skills as a writer.,,,,I am persevering. One day soon, this manuscript will be worthy of presenting to the world. That day is not today. Stay tuned…

A Second Wind

Sixteen years ago, my youngest child (5 months old at the time) spent a week in the hospital with pneumonia from a virus picked up in daycare. Call it mommy-guilt, fatigue, boredom with my career - who knows - but I decided it was time to become a full-time stay-at-home mom. No one believed that I could do it. In fact, I harbored dreams of becoming a freelance writer of sorts, opining on globalization in my community and other matters that, at the time, I felt somewhat qualified on which to opine. The reality? I shut the door on my old life and instead turned my attention to carpools, dance, soccer, basketball, cross-country, Parent Association volunteering, and eventually, running the Parent Association itself. I burnt out on all the volunteer activities by the time my last child reached fifth grade. My mission in life thereafter became chief Uber driver, dance/game/meet cheerleader, backstage/team mom, scheduler, dinner chef and enforcer (yes, I was the mean parent while my husband was the nice one). That was my life...And it was enough, for a while. As my children got older, I began to wonder what I would do when they were all gone and I had no one but my husband and dog to "manage". In other words, what did I want to do when I grew up? It sounds amusing, but it can be a depressing, soul-crushing experience to realize you have subsumed yourself to the needs of others for so many years that you have forgotten what feeds your own soul. I started to make a list of what I liked to do, outside of my family. At first, the only thing I could write down was "drink wine". Hmm...not a promising start unless I wanted to become a sommelier. I kept thinking on it, however, and slowly other things emerged. I liked languages. I liked to spend hours on my computer researching family genealogy. I Iiked to read (mostly romance novels). I liked to write, and yes, I still liked drinking wine, although I don't love what it does to my bathroom scale. I didn't want to go back to a structured office environment. I did want to engage in something meaningful that required me to learn, grow and adapt. Voila! My "second wind" as a budding author emerged! I'm only a year in and have the draft of my first novel. Writing is a lot harder than it looks - if you want to do it well. I'm learning as I go and I'm energized. I hope my journey inspires you to find your second (or third or fourth) wind. Life is a journey, not a destination. Never has this cliche held so true for me as it does now. A second wind. Onward...