C. Margery Kempe's Blog: Lady Smut, page 205

Authors After Dark: Night Three

Memorable Quote:

If the voices in your head make you money, then they're not a problem.

Coming up next–photos. Yes, I found that cord.

Here's the evil mastermind a.c. Mason and me at the Mythos Ball.

Here's a photo of Mason and Grace.  Grace won best costume.

Now for a photo of wild dancing.  We danced past midnight and were part of the last dance.



More photos to come tomorrow.  I have two panels and then the booksigning in the Ormondy Ballroom from 2-4 pm. That's in the Doubletree Hilton at Locust and Broad in Philadelphia.  The booksigning is open to the public.  Then we have our Steampunk dinner and the Steampunk Ball.  Good night everyone.  See you tomorrow.

Susan

Susan Hanniford Crowley

Filed under: romance, Susan Hanniford Crowley

Calorie Count v Word Count by Gerri Brousseau

As some of you may know, I recently made a commitment to post my daily goals, one of which is health related.  I am not obese by any stretch of the imagination but recently have put on a few extra pounds.  After checking out some diet programs, I opted to try Weight Watchers Online.  As I follow their guidelines and shave off the unwanted weight, I thought about  how this relates to writing.

As authors, we have all written flowery passages over weight with wonderful prose, bulging with those few extra adjectives.  We cleave to our written words because they are a comfort food to our soul, but are they healthy for the body of our manuscript.  Oh, I still get cravings for potato chips and the occasional bar of chocolate, the irresistible urge to add  yet another sentence full of effervescent description or maybe just one more paragraph.  We have become a society  obsessed with being thin and I ask myself if that could apply to writing?

I have heard "less is more" and KISS (keep it simple, sweetheart) and I can't help but ask myself whether that is true.  Wouldn't the reader now hunger for lean, crisp writing or would they rather indulge themselves by "over-reading" a high work with a high word count?  Knowing all too well the extra time one must spend in exercise, and in the case of writing,  editing, after indulgence, I ask myself, why eat it/write in the first place?  So now, as I become more conscious of the fat content and calorie count of the food I am eating, I grow more conscious of the word count I am feeding my manuscript.  Hopefully this, combined with a little exercise both physical and written, and soon both my manuscript and I will both be in great shape!

Gerri Brousseau

Filed under: romance

Authors After Dark: Night Two

There was no sex in the champagne room.  Only champagne.  There was a cute man with a kilt.  I have secondhand that he was wearing it in the traditional style.

You don't have to take your clothes to have fun.

The doorman will not forget Mason from Montreal.  (Note:  She is not from Montreal.)

Yes, above are some memorable quotes from Authors After Dark.  Today we participated in wonderful panels on blogging, motivation in writing, and erotic historical romance.   We've meet editors, agents, and publishers.  Then we visited the vendors room.  Next the parties.  Woo hoo.

–Susan

Susan Hanniford Crowley

Sorry, no photos.  I have packed my camera cord and now I can't find where I packed it, but I will.  I'm determined.  After the party.

Filed under: a.c. Mason, C. Margery Kempe, romance, romance novels, Susan Hanniford Crowley

At Authors After Dark: Night One

Mason, yes, the evil mastermind a.c. Mason is here with me in Philadelphia.  We're talking about torturing readers with plots so twisted, so evil, so engrossing, you can't take your eyes off the page.  Ah, the inspired plotter with a dab of mischievous glee and a pinch of inspiration.

I'm on a panel tomorrow on 'Motivation For Writing'.   I'm on this panel with a.c. Mason.  I'm very afraid.  Motivation can be looked at in many ways like holding ones feet to the fire or unrelenting tickling or leaping into the dark.  Yes, I'm looking forward to mayhem we will cause on the panel.

Mason is innocently typing away on Twitter, while I'm writing this.  She is also claiming to be innocent.  Not likely.

So I leave you now.  Hopefully we won't be in the tabloids with our mischief at Authors After Dark, but who can tell.

–Susan

Susan Hanniford Crowley

Follow the fun on Twitter at #AADPhilly

Filed under: a.c. Mason, Authors After Dark, Readers Conferences, Susan Hanniford Crowley

Another Year Gone By

My husband celebrated another birthday this weekend and I must at some point acknowledge that mine is not too far away. That's right, another year has gone by, which really wouldn't be so bad except somebody hit the "fast forward" button on my and they forgot to tell me.  Does it ever feel like that to any of you all?

Young and idealistic in university, I made so many plans to learn several languages, travel the world and absorb as much knowledge aspossible. Many years later, I've learned 1.5 languages (besides English of course), traveled to a few places and find that I am continuously lacking in knowledge.  Not to mention that at some point during these years, I reconnected with writing and now find much of my goals revolve around my family and writing. Time has passed and with it I have

changed, but I'm also okay with it all. Something that surprises me every time I consider it.

Also surprising is my tendency to get distracted every time I sit down to write. I'll crank a few paragraphs out then suddenly have to check emails or read blogs. Perhaps it's because I'm nearing the end of my work and the scenes or rewriting I'm doing take more thought. At least that is what I'm trying to convince myself. Most likely it has something to do with a new work unfolding in my mind. I'm restraining myself from starting it as I need to tie up loose ends with my current manuscript, but you all know how that goes. Anyway, before I continue rambling and get off track, I'd like to encourage all you out there to go with the flow. The fundamental truth is that with each passing day, life may lead us in a direction we either like or we don't. Sometimes we have a say and sometimes we don't, but we do what we can with what we have. And what we don't understand today, we will most likely understand and learn to accept tomorrow.

Happy writing to you all and have a great rest of your week!

Filed under: Toni Kelly, Writer's Life, Writing Topics

Beat Stress Before Stress Beats You: Nip It And Write by Debralee Mede

Beat Stress Before Stress Beats You

Nip It And Write

A quote from a familiar Aesop's Fable "The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse" was recently brought to mind:  "A crust eaten in peace is better than a banquet partaken in anxiety." The daily grind of stress is something everyone has to deal with at some point: the tension and pressures that occur just from life being lived. One must deal with difficulties and try to persevere in the accelerated and high pressured world where one lives or one will quite possibly and  may eventually succumb to the stresses.  These include such difficulties and experiences as a new birth, death, fears, job loss or change, health crises or issues, family turmoil, family changes or needs, and anger that will affect their lives for better or worse,  sooner or later.  If the stressors  are not dealt with, then the individual may begin to experience an array of emotional and physical ills that are a result of these pressures getting the better of them.  Even if a person can escape the detrimental effects from the tension for a time, it is possible that he or she will not be able to avoid the result of what the added strain from these adjustments in life bring.  Is there another way to deal with these hassles?  How can one deal with these times of testing and pressure?

Under Pressure by Paul freeddigitalphotos.net

One way is by writing in a journal or just writing on simple pad and paper about what is bothering them.  With this emotional outlet there is frequently resolution and catharsis simply by being able to express those fears and anxieties.  It may be the way that a person  can find the answers that they need. Setting those feelings and thoughts down on paper, especially during times when an outlet is needed, is a very effective way to handle difficulties appropriately.   When one is  feeling as if he can't unburden himself in any other way, and that he can't impose on a friend or relative, and he needs to gain focus on what the real issue/s  is/are, then this may be the method that he needs to try and explore.  Even if he is seeing a professional for a particular problem, writing down concerns and solutions may be what helps him to unravel a problem enough to gain the necessary understanding and discover an appropriate answer with a therapist.

A way to reduce stress is to just start to list whatever seems to be preventing you from peace or happiness.  You may want to brainstorm some possible solutions to the obstacles that you face so that you gain more clarity, order, and calmness.   Here are some steps you may want to follow:

Write the list of stressors causing you issue at this time
Next, try to focus on solutions beside each issue
Make each solution an action that you can use.
Do avoid ideas about how things won't or can't work as this can become a way that you enslave yourself in the negative emotion.
Deal with what you can handle first and then deal with the more overwhelming issues later.  In this way you will find that you have smaller successes to build on.
If you are unable to do the above just try to write about an imagined or real place that you find relaxing.  Yes, it is like guided imagery that you create for yourself on paper.  You need to imagine being there and relaxing there.  It is the place, the nirvana, that you visit you live.
At times, especially for anxiety or anger, it is a better idea to free write.  This is a kind of stream of consciousness writing where you write whatever comes into your mind.  You are not looking at this point to create beautiful prose or to be grammatically correct. It is meant to weed out bothersome issues clogging your life and creativity and cut them off where they grow.
Sometimes ripping up or burning the issues that you write that make you angry help by virtual destruction.  Then again, you may also want to keep them in a book that you keep in a secure place for later review.

Interestingly it has been found that when people write about events that cause them anxiety they have less stress and fewer resultant illnesses, and as a result fewer doctor's visits, better sleep, and better overall immune function.  It has also been found that among the people who journal to solve their problems there are fewer incidents of dementia later in life. The act of working through issues and creating by writing is an outward flow of energy and is such a productive act that has the added benefit of making the individual feel useful, invigorated, and relaxed.  Just by sitting in a quiet and calm place and writing for five to seven minutes, as one would in the exercise examples above, is actually therapeutic and allows the participant to deepen their consciousness thus allows their own genius, intuition and the discovery of appropriate answers to their problems to surface.  It has been found that by doing this exercise the individual, who is actually using both sides of their brain; the right side or the experiencing side and the left or the methodically, solution-seeking side that uses language, is harnessing more brain power and is unblocking their road to happiness.

So it is time to learn to weed stress at its roots. Allow the seeds of insight and creativity to grow and flower.  Stop feeling overwhelmed, enjoy the banquet.  Feast on more than the crust. Have the full course of gratification and peace of mind; you deserve it.  Beat that stress now and write.

Deb

Filed under: inspiration, journal, problem-solving, stress, writing, journal, diary, resolve, worked, relax., Writer's Life

Beat Stress Before Stress Beats You: Nip It And Write

Beat Stress Before Stress Beats You

Nip It And Write

A quote from a familiar Aesop's Fable "The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse" was recently brought to mind:  "A crust eaten in peace is better than a banquet partaken in anxiety." The daily grind of stress is something everyone has to deal with at some point: the tension and pressures that occur just from life being lived. One must deal with difficulties and try to persevere in the accelerated and high pressured world where one lives or one will quite possibly and  may eventually succumb to the stresses.  These include such difficulties and experiences as a new birth, death, fears, job loss or change, health crises or issues, family turmoil, family changes or needs, and anger that will affect their lives for better or worse,  sooner or later.  If the stressors  are not dealt with, then the individual may begin to experience an array of emotional and physical ills that are a result of these pressures getting the better of them.  Even if a person can escape the detrimental effects from the tension for a time, it is possible that he or she will not be able to avoid the result of what the added strain from these adjustments in life bring.  Is there another way to deal with these hassles?  How can one deal with these times of testing and pressure?

Under Pressure by Paul freeddigitalphotos.net

One way is by writing in a journal or just writing on simple pad and paper about what is bothering them.  With this emotional outlet there is frequently resolution and catharsis simply by being able to express those fears and anxieties.  It may be the way that a person  can find the answers that they need. Setting those feelings and thoughts down on paper, especially during times when an outlet is needed, is a very effective way to handle difficulties appropriately.   When one is  feeling as if he can't unburden himself in any other way, and that he can't impose on a friend or relative, and he needs to gain focus on what the real issue/s  is/are, then this may be the method that he needs to try and explore.  Even if he is seeing a professional for a particular problem, writing down concerns and solutions may be what helps him to unravel a problem enough to gain the necessary understanding and discover an appropriate answer with a therapist.

A way to reduce stress is to just start to list whatever seems to be preventing you from peace or happiness.  You may want to brainstorm some possible solutions to the obstacles that you face so that you gain more clarity, order, and calmness.   Here are some steps you may want to follow:

Write the list of stressors causing you issue at this time
Next, try to focus on solutions beside each issue
Make each solution an action that you can use.
Do avoid ideas about how things won't or can't work as this can become a way that you enslave yourself in the negative emotion.
Deal with what you can handle first and then deal with the more overwhelming issues later.  In this way you will find that you have smaller successes to build on.
If you are unable to do the above just try to write about an imagined or real place that you find relaxing.  Yes, it is like guided imagery that you create for yourself on paper.  You need to imagine being there and relaxing there.  It is the place, the nirvana, that you visit you live.
At times, especially for anxiety or anger, it is a better idea to free write.  This is a kind of stream of consciousness writing where you write whatever comes into your mind.  You are not looking at this point to create beautiful prose or to be grammatically correct. It is meant to weed out bothersome issues clogging your life and creativity and cut them off where they grow.
Sometimes ripping up or burning the issues that you write that make you angry help by virtual destruction.  Then again, you may also want to keep them in a book that you keep in a secure place for later review.

Interestingly it has been found that when people write about events that cause them anxiety they have less stress and fewer resultant illnesses, and as a result fewer doctor's visits, better sleep, and better overall immune function.  It has also been found that among the people who journal to solve their problems there are fewer incidents of dementia later in life. The act of working through issues and creating by writing is an outward flow of energy and is such a productive act that has the added benefit of making the individual feel useful, invigorated, and relaxed.  Just by sitting in a quiet and calm place and writing for five to seven minutes, as one would in the exercise examples above, is actually therapeutic and allows the participant to deepen their consciousness thus allows their own genius, intuition and the discovery of appropriate answers to their problems to surface.  It has been found that by doing this exercise the individual, who is actually using both sides of their brain; the right side or the experiencing side and the left or the methodically, solution-seeking side that uses language, is harnessing more brain power and is unblocking their road to happiness.

So it is time to learn to weed stress at its roots. Allow the seeds of insight and creativity to grow and flower.  Stop feeling overwhelmed, enjoy the banquet.  Feast on more than the crust. Have the full course of gratification and peace of mind; you deserve it.  Beat that stress now and write.

Deb

Filed under: inspiration, journal, problem-solving, stress, writing, journal, diary, resolve, worked, relax., Writer's Life

How Passionate Are You?

We all like to think that we're pretty hot stuff.  But are you?  Really. really?  Let's take a fun little quiz to see how you rate.  This is an old fashioned 'do it yourself, add them up' quiz.  No one but you will know the answer.  No one but you will know whether you have to increase your passion level.  Remember when you increase your passion level, it increases that of your beloved.  Now on to the quiz.

1.  Your idea of a passionate supper is….

1.  Eating pizza and beer in front of the tv.  (1  point)

2. Going out to a ribs joint and licking your beloved's fingers when no one is watching. (2 points)

3.  Cooking and laughing together, sitting down to eat by candlelight, and then taking dessert into the bedroom and you can imagine the rest.  (3 points)

2. Your idea of a fun day out is …

1.  Shopping for sports equipment and having your beloved carry all the bags.

(O points)

2.  Taking a walk on a forest trail and telling your beloved the story of Red Riding Hood and the Wolf (only it's a more adult story)  (2 points)

3.  Walk on the beach at twilight when everyone else is leaving and find a secluded place among the dunes for an interlude of passion.  (3 points(

3.  Your idea of respect and consideration is…

1.  Opening the door for your beloved (1 point)

2.  Going to the museum's new exhibit instead of the ball game (2 points)

3.  You ask your beloved their opinion on an important matter and choose to go along with it  (3 points)

4.  Your idea of true love is …

1. Kissing and then falling asleep.  (1 point)

2. Make wild love and hug.  (2 points)

3.  Have fun, tease a little, and try something new.  (3 points)

5.  For your beloved's birthday, you  …

1. Forgot all about it.  (0 points)

2. Bought a piece of jewelry.  (2 points)

3. Gave your beloved something he or she has always wanted.  (3 points)

Add up your points and score yourself.

Rating

0-5  Oh, dear.  Well, practice makes perfect.

5-10  You definitely have charm, but could become more charming.

11-15  Well, aren't you HOT STUFF.

How passionate were you?  The good thing about quizzes that aren't automated is that only you will know how you did.  Tomorrow is a chance to be more passionate.  Leap on it.  (All right, I might have been too enthusiastic there. LOL)

–Susan

Susan Hanniford Crowley

Filed under: quiz, romance, Susan Hanniford Crowley

Weekly Paranormal-Scope

I have inherited the Paranormal-Scope from Mason.  I'm not qualified in any way to read neither stars nor planets. But I am linked into the paranormal in the world.

The week ahead for:

Aries

A ghoul is knocking at your door.  Don't answer.

Taurus

Leprechauns indicate that money may be coming your way.  Spend wisely.

Gemini

Shapeshifters have invited you to a party.  Enjoy yourself.

Cancer

Spiders are spinning a large web.  Be careful.

Leo

A vampire has moved out and left a gift behind.

Virgo

The fae are kicking up their heels and have invited you to dance.

Libra

The Loch Ness Monster is just an old teddy bear.  Reconsider old fears.

Scorpio

The local werewolf thinks you're great.  Time to shine.

Sagittarius

Dragons can be tamed.  Believe in your talents.

Capricorn

A mermaid blows a sweet memory into your mind.  Relax in a sea of light and free yourself from worries.

Aquarius

Pixies are clearing the way for fun.  Enjoy it.

–Susan

Susan Hanniford Crowley

P.S.  I will be blogging from the Authors After Dark convention.  Drop in to share the fun.  If you're in Philadelphia on Saturday, don't forget the Public Booksigning.  For details go here:  http://www.susanhannifordcrowley.com/publicbooksigning.htm

Filed under: romance, Susan Hanniford Crowley, Weekly Paranormal-Scope

Authors After Dark

C. Margery Kempe here! The madness begins this week! The Nights of Passion crew head toward Philadelphia for the extravaganza Authors After Dark, the romance readers and writers conference that's all about the FUN — and the fans! Susan and A.C. Mason will be rooming with all three of me, including Kit Marlowe and K. A. Laity.

Quite a crowd, eh?

Sue and I will both be on a panel at 2pm on Thursday: I Have a Blog: Now What? where we'll be offering suggestions about how to build an audience and connect with readers on your blog, as well as how to develop good habits to be effective. Doubtless we'll also talk about ways to coordinate and automate you blog postings, so new posts show up as tweets and on Facebook.

At 4pm I'm on the panel for Erotic Historicals. Maybe I'll get a a chance to talk about some ideas that are brewing as well as The Big Splash and Spinning Gold. I'm sure we'll find a lot to say. Friday morning at 10am I'll be on the similar panel, Paranormal Historical which looks to be a rip-roaring panel chock full of great writers.

At 2pm on Friday (and opposite the BDSM panel, sob!) I am on the ever-so-appropriate Several Names, One Person panel. I think we'll probably talk about the pros and cons of our multiple voices and identities, something I've written about previously, but it's always a work in progress (as is life).

Join us: the big book signing on Saturday is open to the public so even if you can't come to the whole of the conference, you can come then. If you are part of the readers, be sure to say Hello! Especially if you're a Nights of Passion reader. We'll be sure to give you a hug, too. We hope to see you there!

Filed under: a.c. Mason, Authors After Dark, C. Margery Kempe, erotic regency romance, erotic romance, fantasy romance, historical romance, Kit Marlowe, Leanna Renee Hieber, medieval, paranormal, paranormal romance, Readers Conference, Readers Conferences, Regency Romance, romance, steampunk romance, Stella and Audra Price, Susan Hanniford Crowley, Writer's Life, Writers Conferences