Susan Hanniford Crowley's Blog: From Nights of Passion Blog, page 172

Where do ideas come from?

People ask me this question all the time. They wonder how I thought of a book idea or character name or even how I could have imagined a scene. It’s as if inspiration was something magical that only a few people ever experience.

Yet, I wonder that same question about other people, not writers. I know where writers’ ideas come from. Our ideas come from everywhere. Anything can be inspiring. I walk my dogs every day and ideas come to me. I drive down the road and more ideas come to me. Once I was sitting in the mall and a scene popped into my mind. Writers get ideas from everything in life.

The “place where ideas come from” is not a mystery to me. How we each interpret, then share our ideas is the mystery. Inspiration comes from everywhere. It’s a matter of how we process what we see or hear that helps us create something no one else could imagine.

How artists create paintings, or home decorators design a living room, or how my cover artist takes my abstract idea and comes up with a beautiful cover, or how the baker creates a cake that’s more a piece of art than plain old cake—those are the things I wonder about.

Everyone has a gift. Some of us write. Some paint or draw. Others are gifted in working with people. Still others have “the gift of gab.”

What’s your gift?

Find me on:

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Filed under: romance

Adventures in Publishing By Contemporary Romance Author RC Bonitz

Publishing barely entered my mind when I started my first book. You wrote, edited and submitted your manuscript to a publishing house, then kept your fingers crossed, right? Well, I did that and by gosh my book was accepted. It was a small press, but what the heck- I was going to be published!

Wrong. The day before my release date, they advised me they were only going to handle religious books from then on. My book, A Blanket for Her Heart, didn’t qualify. Sue them for breach of contract? A small house- it wouldn’t have been worth the trouble.

I swallowed hard and sent my next book to a different publisher. They took that one and the sequel, and I was in heaven. Until the head of the publishing house absconded with everyone’s royalties.

My next publisher was recommended by a fellow author. They even promoted their author’s books. Wow, they sounded great. The book, Dangerous Decisions, my fourth,  got rave reviews. This was great. Too good to be true? You got it. They have stopped advertising, and I haven’t seen a dime in royalties.

I had a fifth book almost ready to go out. What to do? I guess I’d been a little slow, but by that time the answer was obvious. I did what you have no doubt been waiting to hear. I decided to go the indie publishing route with ONLY EMMA.

Everything looked good. ONLY EMMA had a vulnerable but feisty heroine, beta reader feedback was enthusiastic, and the book was priced to sell. I blissfully set it up for Kindle sales on Amazon and set out to promote it.

Care to guess what happened? Bet you can’t. One of those charming creatures, a hacker, got into my computer. He also got into my Amazon author page, where he sabotaged the promotional blurb just as Amazon was introducing the book. Nice guy.

If you saw the doctored up blurb he created, I’m sure you thought I wrote like a two year old. (Actually, I’m just a bit older than that.) Please give the book a second chance. Here’s the blurb I actually wrote-

A tragic loss has colored Lissey’s world and closed her heart. When spunky little Emma sails into her life with her ever so annoying father, Jake, Lissey would love to claim the adorable child for her own. Jake’s reckless treatment of his daughter resonates against Lissey’s own pain.

When Jake entrusts Lissey with their special secret, she finds herself even more determined to protect Emma and, to her surprise, Jake as well. A few nights later, when he rows ashore in the moonlight just to see her, everything changes. But, can she keep Emma safe and trust the man with her heart?

It’s only $ 0.99!  Try it now- ONLY EMMA on Amazon   https://www.amazon.com/Only-Emma-RC-Bonitz-ebook/dp/B01G5Z4RJS/

I’m so excited for you, RC!  A big YAY! Okay, everyone, follow me as we click on the link and get ONLY EMMA.  Please, be sure and leave comments in our comment box. Thank you, RC, for visiting Nights of Passion!

-Susan

Susan Hanniford Crowley, Amazon Kindle Bestselling Author of Vampire Romance

www.susanhannifordcrowley.com

Where love burns eternal and whispers in the dark!

Vampire King of New York, Arnhem Knights of New York, Book 1 available in Kindle and Print and  Nook and Print

Vampire in the Basement, Vampires in Manhattan, Book 4 available in Kindle.

Poseidon’s Catch (mythology romance) available in Kindle.

Mrs. Bright’s Tea Room (steampunk romance) available in Kindle.

A Vampire for Christmas,Vampires in Manhattan, Book 3 available in Kindle.

The Stormy Love Life of Laura Cordelais, Vampires in Manhattan, Book 2 available in Kindle and Print and Barnes and Noble Print

When Love , Vampires in Manhattan Book 1 available in Kindle and Print, Nook, Kobo and Smashwords.

 

 

 

Filed under: A Vampire for Christmas, A writer's life, author beware, contemporary romance, Guest Blog, Max Vander Meer, Norse, paranormal, paranormal romance, publishing, RC Bonitz, romance, romance novels, Susan Hanniford Crowley, The Stormy Love Life of Laura Cordelais, vampire books, Vampire David Hilliard, Vampire King of New York, Vampire King of New York In Print, Vampire Maximillion Vander Meer, vampires, Viking, Yule

Racing Towards The Travers Stakes by Stacy Hoff

Tomorrow, Saturday the 27, is the day of the Travers Stakes in Saratoga Springs, NY, as any horse racing fan can tell you. This event, also called the Mid-Summer Derby, is one of the highlights of the racing season. And one of the most exciting, too. Is it a big deal? Big enough American Pharaoh ran this race after wining the Triple Crown.

Photo of the Nat. Museum of Racing

Before I wrote my upcoming novel, JOCKEYING FOR YOU, I knew nothing about horse racing. But researching the sport for my book was more exciting than I could have imagined. Now I’m passing my knowledge on to the next generation—my kids.

Last weekend my whole family traveled to Saratoga so I could show them about the sport, first hand. I took them both to the track and to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. The Museum was first. It was a good place to start, giving an interesting, easy-to-understand overview. The wide range of exhibits, from movies to mannequins, was more than enough to keep my kids attention.

The race track was second. My boys “bet” on a horse, which came in last place. Good thing they didn’t actually use their allowance money. But they didn’t go home empty-handed. Famed jockey Samuel Camacho, Jr. gave them a pair of his racing goggles after my younger one got up the courage to ask. Better still, Camacho, Jr., who currently ranks number 10 by the New York Racing Association, was lovely to my boys, even autographing the goggles for them. (The picture of which is above).

For my family, horse racing was a sure bet for our weekend. I am glad my writing endeavors provided me with yet another wonderful way to spend my time. No matter how our horse comes in!

Will you be watching the Travers?

Stacy Hoff news update – DESIRE IN THE ARCTIC is a finalist in the “I Heart Indie” contest, as chosen by book clubs selected by the Las Vegas chapter of Romance Writers of America (LVRWA).  

http://amzn.to/1KjfP9V

WEBSITE & SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS FOR STACY HOFF:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authorStacyHoff

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/authorStacyHoff

Web: http://www.stacyhoff.com

DESIRE IN THE EVERGLADES http://amzn.to/1YEseie

LAWFULLY YOURS http://amzn.to/1Ky5CZm

 

SEASON OF LOVE http://amzn.to/1NsByfu

Filed under: A writer's life, For Family Fun, Great Places, Settings, Stacy Hoff

Be Open to a New Opening by Heather Novak

As I navigate down the “looking for an agent” highway, I’m struck by how important it is to never stop learning and striving for what you want. With several partials/fulls of my manuscript out, and an ever growing pile of rejections, I’m well into my querying journey.

I took a chance on a twitter pitch contest and was happy to get a request for a partial which led to a full. (For those confused, a partial is a specified part of the manuscript – usually first 50 pages/first few chapters. A full is your entire completed manuscript.) I received an extremely encouraging revise and resubmit email stating I need to rework the beginning.

I promised to work on it before the wedding (because after the wedding, you all get Threat of Raine and Rosemary for Remembrance!) and promptly went into OH MY GOD I DON’T EVEN KNOW HOW TO CHANGE THIS AND WHEN AM I GOING TO HAVE TIME?!

So between having to reorder my invitation proofs, locate a new hair stylist for my wedding after my first two fell through, add in another snag with the invitations, an issue with our dance, and a delayed wedding dress, I was going crazy. To decompress, I decided to lock myself in my house on Saturday and clean everything. EVERYTHING. Also, I live off Woodward Avenue and there was this HUGE event called the Woodward Dream Cruise Saturday, which is where thousands of people come to watch fancy old cars drive around, so I stayed safely locked away.

I threw on an audiobook and got to work. When I finished that audiobook (I told you, all day cleaning!) I put on my book writing Spotify playlist. Then I took a break and texted my friends about a few ideas. Suddenly, it hit me. I was starting the book in the wrong place.

I WAS STARTING THE BOOK IN THE WRONG PLACE! 

The hardest part with coming to this realization is that I have to change my beginning. I love my beginning, but it’s not the right one for this story. Cutting your favorite lines is always the hardest thing. The good news is that I can try to incorporate several later on in the book.

I was up until early Sunday morning writing notes and sketching a new outline for the first few chapters. A game plan is coming together.

I’m hoping to snag a few hours this week to start the rewrites, you know, after stuffing invites, designing the program, writing the ceremony, selecting a reading, finding shoes I don’t hate (I’ve been through like 20, it’s ridiculous), and day job, OMG SOMEONE MAKE ME A COFFEE IV STAT. But what needs to be done needs to be done. 

At least I did my laundry and I now have clean socks

Choices

Nothing seems simple these days. Go to the store and you have at least six different types of apples to choose from. A whole bakery section houses so many different types of bread. Don’t even get me started on cheeses or types of beans. And to think, these are the easier choices to make.

What do I do when I grow up? What do I study in school? Who do we date or make friends with? Each day is full of choices–some easy and some hard. For some, the answer is always changing.

Why is it so hard for us to make choices? My husband loves collecting different sayings and one he uses quite often is, everything in life has a solution except death. I love this saying because it grounds me and gets me to try things I might not usually try. And why not? A lot of times we fear the unknown or don’t want to put ourselves out there because we don’t want to face rejection. At the end of the day should we really care? Will the choices we make now haunt us for the rest of our lives? Some might but most won’t, so is it worth denying ourselves the opportunity to take a risk?

My advice? Choose what you want and go for it. I’m living that advice now and loving it. Don’t live in fear and miss out on what is important. You’ll only regret it later on.

Happy writing this week and may you be inspired!

 

Filed under: A writer's life, romance, Toni Kelly

Deadlines! by Mandy Rosko

I am officially 30K words into my third book in the alpha series, and this one is looking to be about 60-70k words long before it’s finished, meaning this will be the longest book in my Alpha Bites Series.

Won’t be much of an alpha bite at that size, but I’ll see if I can make it work

Winds Are Coming Paranormal-Scope

Winds are blowing my way and perhaps your way too. Change is in the air. Look sharp for storms and be prepared for emergencies.

While I am not qualified in any way to read neither stars nor planets, I am intimately linked to the paranormal in the world in many ways. So are you.

The paranormal-scope is for entertainment purposes only and is not meant to guide your life by.

The week for:

Aries:

Werewolves cherish family and friends. Plan a get-together.

Taurus:

Elves dance in the circle in the woods. All work and no play makes a dull person. Add play to your schedule.

Gemini:

Pixies lose their fairy dust in high winds. Be careful of keys and wallets this week.

Cancer:

A dragon comes to bring you comfort and friendship. Never judge a book by its cover. Dragons make great long-time friends.

Leo:

Gnomes are happy in a less cluttered home. Time to sort and toss.

Virgo:

Faeries love good clothes. Refresh your wardrobe with new things.

Libra:

Dragon fly above the storms. Soar above your worries. Spend more time with a friend who always listens.

Scorpio:

A faery is watching out for you. Follow your guts instincts and trust in yourself.

Sagittarius:

Mermaids watch the rain from beneath the waves. It looks like art. Truly a watercolor. Indulge your creative side.

Capricorn:

Griffons roar and take wing. They persevere against obstacles. So will you.

Aquarius:

Leprechuns are funny. Sometimes their jokes don’t turn out for the best though. Beware the prankster.

Pisces:

Hobbits sometimes wander and marvel in wonders. But there’s no place like home.

-Susan

Susan Hanniford Crowley, Amazon Kindle Bestselling Author of Vampire Romance

www.susanhannifordcrowley.com

Where love burns eternal and whispers in the dark!

Vampire King of New York available at Amazon Kindle and print, Barnes and Noble Nook and print and in Kobo

A Vampire for Christmas in Kindle

Filed under: A Vampire for Christmas, Max Vander Meer, Norse, paranormal, paranormal romance, romance, romance novels, Susan Hanniford Crowley, The Stormy Love Life of Laura Cordelais, vampire books, Vampire David Hilliard, Vampire King of New York, Vampire King of New York In Print, Vampire Maximillion Vander Meer, vampires, Viking, Weekly Paranormal-Scope, Yule

What are you doing this fall?

Some kids have already gone back to school. Others are back-to-school shopping. Moms and dads are a bit giddy with anticipation! I don’t have kids so the excitement of the school year doesn’t affect me.

However, the change in seasons does. I love summer and am having a very nice August. We vacationed in Vermont for a long weekend and are preparing for another week off to enjoy the end of season beach days. But, fall is coming, and I love this time of year.

Apple picking with my niece has become an annual tradition that now involves lunch and extended planning to pick a different orchard each year. Then there’s pumpkin picking. Then, there’s leaf peeping, which I’ve loved to do since I was a kid.

New England is one of the most beautiful places on earth. We get to experience every season to its fullest. I’d love to be able say I have a favorite season, but I can’t. I enjoy something about them all, though, I’d be lying if I said winter was my favorite. I have a somewhat lower tolerance for the cold and snow!

But fall…yeah, it’s high on the list. This year I’m super excited to be attending the Fall In Love With New England conference in Manchester, New Hampshire on October 14 and 15. Susan Hanniford Crowley and I will both be there, participating in panels and events, giving away books and swag, and happily getting to know readers from all over.

We would love to see you there. If you can come for the full weekend, great! If the weekend doesn’t work, come for the book signing on Saturday. The conference is going to be great fun.

Don’t miss out! Register for the Fall In Love With New England Conference here. Meet lots of great writers, get lots of fun swag, and make some new friends!

 

 

Join my readers group and receive books from each of my series for FREE! Plus, by joining you’ll keep up with all my latest news and releases. Jordan

 

Filed under: romance

Spacious Spaces by Historical Romance Author & Artist Gail Ingis

Nights of Passion is excited to have Author and Artist Gail Ingis with us today.

Thank you Susan, for having me as your guest at Nights of Passion. I am honored and thrilled to be here.

Today I am writing about the real tale of Rork and Leila, and also of spaces built and used by artists. As an artist myself, I know spacious spaces are prized—like lofts and two-story high areas—where we can paint massive canvases.

“The Tenth Street Studio, 51 West 10th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues in New York City, on the island of Manhattan, was designed by Richard Morris Hunt, and built for artists to have high-ceiling spacious spaces to create their art.

 

“The story goes–I discovered an amazing work of art where I curate art, Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum in Norwalk, Connecticut, a huge painting, Domes of Yosemite, that once hung in the rotunda of the mansion, commissioned by Mr. Lockwood, was painted by Albert Bierstadt in this Tenth Street Studio, a place of importance in my book, INDIGO SKY. This is actually where Albert (Rork) Bierstadt first met Rosalie (Leila) Osborn Ludlow when she and her husband, Fitz Hugh Ludlow, visited the studios for the first time. It was here they viewed Bierstadt’s work. Ludlow was impressed with Bierstadt’s work and wrote several articles in Harpers, Atlantic monthly, and Frank Leslie’s Weekly, spreading the word of his talent and his art.  Ludlow and Bierstadt developed a relationship that brought them together often and united them as they traveled to Yosemite. Plan was for Bierstadt to sketch while Ludlow journaled. At some point within a four-year period, Bierstadt became enamored with Rosalie. A romance ensued, followed by a divorce from Ludlow, then a marriage to Bierstadt. I was shocked, (Did those things happen back then?) by the entire goings on, and had to write a book, I had to tell the story. Although INDIGO SKY is fiction, it is a historic romantic adventure, inspired by Bierstadt’s Domes of Yosemite, and his life.

“Brief history about this place: The Tenth Street Studio Building, constructed in New York City in 1857, was the first modern facility designed solely to serve the needs of artists. It became the center of the New York art world for the remainder of the nineteenth century.

“The building helped to make Greenwich Village central to the arts in New York City, drawing artists from all over the country to work, exhibit, and sell their art. These studios were occupied by Winslow Homer and many artists of the Hudson River School, including Frederic Church, Lockwood de Forest and Albert Bierstadt.

“In 1920, in order to forestall a commercial takeover, the building was purchased by a group of artists. From that time forward, a number of New York City artists rented studio space in the building. Hats off to artists that are always on hand to save broken down architectural beauties.

“In 1942 the building’s basement became the meeting place for the Bombshell Artists Group, an alliance of 60 modernist painters and sculptors, many who had studios in the building. Its long history dates from 1857 to 1956, when it was razed to make way for an apartment building. In 2010, a penthouse apartment in the newly constructed apartment building at 45 West 10th Street was purchased by the actress, Julia Roberts.”

Courtesy of Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenth_Street_Studio_Building

INDIGO SKY AMAZON REVIEW BY SUMMER LEA, 5-STAR:

VICTORIAN AMERICA COMES ALIVE THROUGH AUTHOR’S VIVID WRITING

INDIGO SKY is the poignant tale of a spirited young married woman, Leila, who faces a difficult decision:  live constrained by the rules and expectations of her Victorian society, or follow her heart to happiness.  Her husband (a drug addict) has betrayed her; her waspish mother seeks to dominate her; and the only person who truly makes her feel alive is forbidden territory: Rork Millburn, the handsome artist who heroically saves her life. I felt deeply for Leila’s desperate plight, and I cheered for her courageous determination to live as a free spirit in an age when female non-conformists were cruelly shunned by society — or brutally repressed by their disapproving relatives.

Like the hero in this story, the author, Gail Ingis, is an artist, making her a connoisseur of visual detail.  Throughout INDIGO SKY, she literally paints with words.  For instance, the Catskill Mountains come alive in all their breathtaking glory through Ingis’s gift of vivid verbal description. If you enjoy immersing yourself in historical detail, you will thoroughly enjoy Ingis’s writing.

Back Cover:

In a whirlwind romance, a lovely New York socialite marries a fêted, debonair author. But beneath the charm is a cheating husband addicted to hasheesh. Her dream marriage turns sour and the simplicity of her life runs amok when a handsome stranger, her husband’s business partner, threatens her staunch loyalty to her wayward husband. When she faces the ugly truth about her marriage, her need to finalize her divorce sends her on mad chase across the wilds of nineteenth century America with a handsome stranger—she learns hard lessons of

murder, kidnapping and more that almost destroy her.

Webpage with sign up and art & author websites: http://www.gailingis.com

Amazon Author Page with updates and trailer: http://amzn.to/1K4GVQA

Amazon Buy Link: http://amzn.to/29NYE5w

INDIGO SKY IS AN

E-Book and Print Book now available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. AudioBook coming shortly.

Find Gail with these links:

 

INDIGO SKY | “A Triumphant Tale of Courage.” Get this one!” 5-Star

Gail Ingis, Author and Visual Artist | gailingisclaus@gmail.com | Website | Artist Page | Amazon | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter | Trailer

Amazon Author Page:  http://amzn.to/1K4GVQA

Amazon Buy Link: http://amzn.to/29NYE5w

Artist Page:     http://artist.gailingis.com/blog/

Facebook:       https://www.facebook.com/gail.ingis

Goodreads:     http://bit.ly/29Pem1S

Trailer:            http://bit.ly/29xUJ1H

Twitter:           http://twitter.com/gailingis

Website:         http://www.gailingis.com

Do you want to meet Gail? This is a wonderful art reception and booksigning invitation! Here’s your chance!

Thank you Gail, for gracing the pages of Nights of Passion. Remember, everyone, this is an event you don’t want to miss!

-Susan

Susan Hanniford Crowley, Amazon Kindle Bestselling Author of Vampire Romance

www.susanhannifordcrowley.com

Where love burns eternal and whispers in the dark.

Vampire King of New York, Arnhem Knights of New York, Book 1 available in Kindle and Print and  Nook and Print

Vampire in the Basement, Vampires in Manhattan, Book 4 available in Kindle.

Poseidon’s Catch (mythology romance) available in Kindle.

Mrs. Bright’s Tea Room (steampunk romance) available in Kindle.

A Vampire for Christmas,Vampires in Manhattan, Book 3 available in Kindle.

The Stormy Love Life of Laura Cordelais, Vampires in Manhattan, Book 2 available in Kindle and Print and Barnes and Noble Print

When Love , Vampires in Manhattan Book 1 available in Kindle and Print, Nook, Kobo and Smashwords.

 

 

 

Filed under: A Vampire for Christmas, Max Vander Meer, Norse, paranormal, paranormal romance, romance, romance novels, Susan Hanniford Crowley, The Stormy Love Life of Laura Cordelais, vampire books, Vampire David Hilliard, Vampire King of New York, Vampire King of New York In Print, Vampire Maximillion Vander Meer, vampires, Viking, Weekly Paranormal-Scope, Yule

Cover Reveal by Stacy Hoff

Of all the posts I do for Nights of Passion, cover reveals are my favorite. Cover reveals are my time to celebrate a melding of two arts – visual art and the art of writing. Seeing how a graphic designer interprets my written story is always a thrill for me. Even better, each new book cover gives me fresh insight into my own story.

So, without further ado, here is the new cover for my upcoming full-length contemporary romance, JOCKEYING FOR YOU, to be released September 28, 2016! (Cue fanfare trumpets!)

 

I hope you like this new cover. I think it sums up my newest story quite well. But see for yourself – here is the book blurb – and then let me know what you think. I’d love your feedback!

Jockeying for You – Book Blurb

Jake Carter is on a mission—to prove his family wrong. He may have bought a troubled horse, but he’s hired Ryder Hannon, a “horse whisperer,” to get his horse back on track.  She’s more than just a trainer to him, she’s the woman he’s been looking for.

Ryder Hannon, a thoroughbred horse trainer, has a big problem—fighting her fear of racing again. Her emotional scars run deeper than her physical ones. But her romantic feelings towards handsome, uber-rich, stable owner Jake Carter is a bigger problem.  Is Jake truly in love with her or is he using her to get back at his smug family? ­

When Jake’s jockey gets injured, he wants Ryder to race. He knows deep down she wants to live up to her family’s legacy. So why does she keep fighting him—and her destiny—so hard?

WEBSITE & SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS FOR STACY HOFF:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authorStacyHoff

Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/authorStacyHoff

Web: http://www.stacyhoff.com

DESIRE IN THE ARCTIC http://amzn.to/1KjfP9V

DESIRE IN THE EVERGLADES http://amzn.to/1YEseie

LAWFULLY YOURS http://amzn.to/1Ky5CZm

 

SEASON OF LOVE http://amzn.to/1NsByfu

 

Filed under: Cover Art, Cover Reveal, Marketing, Promotion, romance, romance novels, Stacy Hoff, Writer's Life