Susan Hanniford Crowley's Blog: From Nights of Passion Blog, page 210

Reviews: To Write or Not to Write

Do you write book reviews?

I ask this of both authors and readers and wonder how different the responses will be.

As a rule, I don’t write reviews unless I am simply blown away by a book and want to share my experience with others. These have, unfortunately, been few and far between.

Oh, I’ve written reviews because I’ve been asked to do it, and I have no problem with that, as long as the person asking understands that it will be my opinion, good or bad. But reviews that come spontaneously from me are usually few and far between.

Usually, if I write a review, it’s 3 stars or above. Mostly because I know reading is such a subjective business. Just because I didn’t like it won’t mean that you won’t. (Of course, just because I did like it won’t mean you will either, but I don’t mind putting the positive out there.)

I began to realize that my perception of things (like books and movies) was not in sync with the rest of the critics when, years ago, I read a review of the movie Jewel of the Nile that praised it up and down while I thought the movie so much worse than Romancing the Stone. Time and again I’ve loved a book or a movie only to find it panned by the critics, or absolutely hated one only to find it had accolades out the wazoo.

So now I tend to keep my opinions to myself, except as I said, for those rare occasions when the book just overwhelms me, like Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander or Stephen King’s 11/22/63. And if I don’t write actual reviews of the books, I do tell people about them and describe, usually very passionately, why they should read the book.

Now, how about you? Do you tend to write reviews or not, and why? There seem to be a lot of them floating around on Amazon and Goodreads, so someone’s writing them. Is it you?

Filed under: Book Reviews, Jenna Jaxon

What Place Would You Like to Research?

By Juraj Tóth [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

For my star research, I sat outside on my back deck for a hour and saw three shooting stars and one bat.  That’s all I saw of the Perseid Meteor Shower. Though it wasn’t the most exciting meteor shower I’ve seen, it was relaxing. Here’s a time lapse photos of another shower, the Leonids, which happens in the middle of November. I also watch that one every year. For  more information visit, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteor_shower  or http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/everything-you-need-to-know-perseid-meteor-shower

I love stargazing, but I’ve been distracted lately with the last two chapters of my next novel, trying to get them just right.  It seems a lot of people on Nights of Passion have been doing research.

In addition to studying French, I’ve been digging deep into the catacombs of Paris, metaphorically speaking of course. Fascinating!  Though I have to say the information is enormous, and as it always happens you end up knowing far more than you might use in a novel. There are six million people buried in the catacombs below Paris, and as you can see by the photo below, they started to arrange bones artistically. The catacombs began as mines under the city, but when cemeteries were filled to overflowing, it was decided to use the empty spaces created by the mining for mass graves. Today you can go on a tour of the catacombs which is estimated to take 45 minutes. “The tour is unsuitable for people with heart or respiratory problems, those of a nervous disposition and young children.” That’s a quote from their website. http://www.catacombes.paris.fr/en/homepage-catacombs-official-website There are no accommodations for the mobility challenged. See the website for details.

The original uploader was MykReeve at English Wikipedia (Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons.) [GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

Now back to writing.  What place would you love to research?

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, Norse, paranormal, paranormal romance, romance, romance novels, Susan Hanniford Crowley, the romance of life, 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, What inspires you?, Writer's Life, Writing Exercises, writing prompt, Writing Topics, Yule

Real Life Writing Research by Stacy Hoff

When are writers not writing and yet still heard at work? When they are researching of course. And the best way to do research can be summed up in two words: road trip!

The latest manuscript I’m working on is set in the world of thoroughbred horse racing. After reading dozens of detailed (and often hard to understand) books about the sport, I decided to pack up my car, and my husband, and take off to learn about horse racing first hand.

The first stop was Belmont Park (home of the famous Belmont Stakes). My husband and I took an early morning tour to see what normal racing fans don’t typically see— the “backstretch.” This area is where the horses are housed, trained, prepped and cared for. The area seems as populated as a small city but is built like one big barn. The bustle here was stark contrast to the racetrack itself, which was pretty quiet due to the early hour. The only action on the track was from stable staff exercising the horses in gentle trots.

Here’s a picture of the track right at dawn. Watching the horses work out as the sun comes out is a beautiful sight to behold.

After Belmont, I dragged my husband all the way to Saratoga Springs to see the National Racing Museum, the Saratoga racetrack and downtown Saratoga Springs, where all horse lovers shop, play and eat. In fact, everything in the town is a tribute to the horse racing industry. See the horse statue “hidden” in my picture below of the town? And the very top photo shows another horse statue in another part of town. That horse statue, covered in rainbows and ice cream cones, is called “I’m too Little to Ride.”

Besides loving the town, I learned tons about horse racing from the National Racing Museum, right across the street from the Saratoga track. Everything from the history of the sport, to the nature of thoroughbreds, to winning horses throughout American history. We learned even more by taking the Museum’s “Oklahoma Tour,” where we got to see the horses prepare for the Saratoga races.

After all this learning, we needed to unwind. Luckily, we decided to hike the nearby New York State Park, where the famous springs of Saratoga are. I highly recommend it for a lovely hike and a chance to taste water noted for its healing power. Here’s a picture of one of the creeks.

I never knew research could be so much fun!

What are you researching this summer?

Find Stacy on Social Media: http://www.facebook.com/authorStacyHoff Twitter: twitter.com/authorStacyHoff Web: http://www.stacyhoff.com https://www.pinterest.com/authorstacyhoff/

AMAZON LINK FOR LAWFULLY YOURS: http://www.amazon.com/Lawfully-Yours-Stacy-Hoff-ebook/dp/B00U7U2WCC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1425508177&sr=8-2&keywords=book+-+lawfully+yours

AMAZON LINK FOR DESIRE IN THE EVERGLADES: http://www.amazon.com/Desire-Everglades-Stacy-Hoff-ebook/dp/B00NFSMCYG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410289138&sr=8-1&keywords=desire+in+the+everglades.

AMAZON LINK FOR SEASON OF LOVE: http://www.amazon.com/Season-Love-Box-Merry-Holly-ebook/dp/B00X3ZAR3E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1431122019&sr=8-1&keywords=Season+of+love+-+stacy+hoff

 

 

Filed under: A writer's life, Stacy Hoff, writing research

Does a Smartpen Make for Smart Writing? by Heather Novak

Many of you have been with me through this crazy journey of researching, buying, and testing the Livescribe 3 smartpen. But for those of you who are new to the party, please allow me to recap…

While looking through a Sharper Image catalog — because really, who can resist? — I discovered there was a piece of technology called a “smartpen.” What is a smartpen? A device that takes your handwritten notes or drawings and converts them to either a PDF, JPEG, or editable text. Sounds like a writer’s dream, am I right?

Yeah…

I write all of my first drafts by hand, away from the temptation of the internet and the desire to delete everything I did that day only to start over. I’m a seat-of-my-pants writer, and handwriting makes me focus on getting the story out and to the end. Then, I retype everything into the computer and polish it 3958447 more times. 

My biggest concern is that I’ll lose my notebook. Also, I hate retyping my notes. A smartpen sounded like a dream come true.

So I did my research, watched YouTube videos, read Amazon reviews, read tech guides, narrowed down my options, compared everything from battery life to price, and landed on the Livescribe 3 (for Mac – this pen specifically works better with Mac products) for $125-ish. Here, the “fun” began. 

…or did it?

I’ll not go into the tech side, quite frankly, because I’m currently sick with a cold (seriously, who gets a cold in August?!) and the thought makes my head hurt even more than contacting customer service FIVE TIMES (which I did). But you can read about the Livescribe 3 specifics here.

I ordered the pen from Amazon with a set of replacement ink cartridges from Cross, an approved Livescribe replacement (if you use the wrong ones, the camera can’t pick up what you’re writing). The reviewers were right, the Cross brand ink is smoother and much nicer than what Livescribe came with. They were like $7 for two cartridges, not bad.

The pen itself is nice. It’s heavy and about the size of a permanent marker. The “special dot” paper is alright, no complaints there. Here is a sample of my awful handwriting. And I’m not being modest, my handwriting is crap. Just ask my middle school handwriting teacher – straight C’s for this gal.

Next to my terrible sample, you’ll find the somewhat close Livescribe translation.

 

 

Not to terrible for a first run! Yeah, it doesn’t like to capitalize, but it is what it is.

So now I want to get my text into an editable word document for my computer.

But wait.

I can’t.

Seriously, WTF?

This started my 5 calls to customer service, hours of swearing, and countless pleas for the boyfriend to double check that I haven’t gone completely off my rocker. Apparently I missed the fact that unlike the previous generations of Livescribe smartpens, the Livescribe 3 offers NO way to export your handwriting to a computer, only to iPhones and iPads, or some BS.

Um, what? Seriously? This is why we can’t have nice things.

Sure, I can send it all as a PDF, but then it’s a pain in my a** to get it into word. Evernote proved useless for this as well and the Livescribe desktop…let’s not even go there. So, after hours of customer service “help,” and I use the word “help” loosely, I was ready to return the blasted thing. 

I had it boxed, shipping label on, UPS scheduled, when suddenly I came across an interesting review on an older generation smartpen’s post listing the pro and cons and cheats to each pen. Here I figured out that I can convert the handwriting to text directly in the Livescribe app (which I knew) and then copy it to my Microsoft Word app, which of course I have on my iPhone. 

The formatting in Word is awful, but again, first draft:

Bypassing all the extra apps they wanted to give me, this worked. From my word app, I can put my story in, edit it if I’m so inclined, and export it as a word doc whenever I’m ready. 

The pen fits in my purse, so do the smaller notebooks. Cheaper and easier to carry than a laptop or iPad (although my birthday is coming up and an iPad would be awesome – hint hint). I find myself fishing out my pen to use on lunch, when I’m sitting on the couch, when I’m on a long drive (as a passenger of course), everywhere. It hates when I cross things out and really doesn’t like profanity (“dammit” turns to “dave-get”), which keeps me from going back again and again to correct something. I’m being forced to keep on going, despite the fact that I hate the word choice.

No time to agonize over “chilled” or “windblown.” I can fix that in draft 2.

The conclusion?

I’m keeping the pen. When all is said and done, I spent about $130 on the thing, not including the additional notebooks I’ll need (they run about $15 for 4). But, it keeps me writing and writing often. It keeps my head in the game and my pen to the paper (pun intended). It also gives me a backup of my notes, synced automatically to my app, for when I ultimately lose my notebook.

I think the pen’s software is a bit of a joke and the customer service is as effective as chewing bubblegum to change the weather. However, a tool that can keep me writing is priceless. 

If you can afford the pen and aren’t a software idiot (thankfully, I’m not completely helpless), this may be a good item for you. Make sure to check your return date and keep your receipt handy.

All in all, only 3 I’m-going-to-stab-someone-in-the-eye-with-this-pen out of 5.

Fun Fact Alert! August 13 is known for: 

Happy Left Hander’s Day!

Wishing You Laughter & Good Books,

Heather Novak

Bold. Bewitching. Breathtaking. 

Find me at:

Twitter: authorheathern

Facebook: authorheathernovak

Website: Heathernovak.net

Author of Hunting Witch Hazel featured in Falling Hard (A New Adult Anthology).

Hunting Witch Hazel Trailer

Available Now!

Amazon U.S.

http://amzn.to/1G0aCoQ

iBooks

http://apple.co/1Fb1Nrp

Amazon UK

http://amzn.to/1bKvOmc

Kobo

 

Filed under: romance

What is Your Brand?

I know, the title is a pretty loaded question, but the truth is that whether we admit it or not, every one of us has a brand or an impact to some degree. Some have a greater impact or brand than others—at least on a world scale. Most importantly though, our brand and our impact needs to matter to us and this is pretty deep.

I spoke to my boss earlier this week about this (boss in the day job for clarification) and it really confounds me just how complex we tend to make our lives. We have jobs and if yours is anything like mine, you need to have impact—not only with your reports but with your peers and on up. What is your brand to those you work with? We contribute in our communities (willingly or not!) and whether you realize it or not, you have some sort of brand (ever refer to that neighbor who never puts away their trash bins?)

Anyhow, the reason I bring up this topic today is that there are many times I see those around me and even myself at times, leave the branding up to others. If there is one thing I have truly learned in this year is that YOU are the person who can and should create your brand. We can’t necessarily control everything that happens in this world to and around us, but we can control how we react and what we want to represent.

How does this pertain to writing? Well, I’d say that this pertains to everything in life. In writing, just as in everything else we do, we create a brand as to the type of authors/writers we are. We represent this to possible employers and partners (publishers/editors/agents) as well as to our audience. So now the bigger question… is your brand what you want it to be and if not, how do you plan to change it?

Happy writing this week!

Filed under: A writer's life, Toni Kelly

Finding Time To Read by Mandy Rosko

Okay, so I may have gotten a little hooked on subscription boxes lately. Namely the Bookworm boxes that Colleen Hoover is putting together for charity.

There’s more, like Owlcrate (which I keep missing because they sell out so quick), and Litcube (which I did manage to get and now just have to wait for), along with a couple of others, but here’s the thing…

As cool as these boxes are, my TBR pile is still disgustingly huge. At least when I buy my mangas, I can read them in an hour or so. That way they’re not just sitting around waiting to be read.

Of course, I still have some of those on my TBR pile, too :P

Yeah, I’m the worst, so since I want to get through my Goodreads challenge, I need to find time to read. I’ve been doing this while walking the dog lately. So far I haven’t walked right into any trees while I was at the park with him. Audiobooks helps, but I really want to chip away at the pile of physical books I have since they’re somewhat harder to ignore than digital books :s

I also like to read while in bed, I guess since lying down is most comfortable when I have a hardback. Lately however, drawing practice has been taking up even more of my time along with writing, editing, and wasting time watching Kitchen Nightmares on Youtube.

Looking for inspiration here, what do all of you do to buy more time to read your no doubt enormous pile of books? Also, are you like me and still buy your books even though you have a ton of them?

Curious to know :D

Cheers,

~Mandy

Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/user/Mandyrosko

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MandyRoskoRomance

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCD1z6r06dKoN-0WdUbi1pAQ/videos

Filed under: romance

Thunder in the Night Paranormal-Scope

Thunder will wake us from strange dreams. It’s August, when summer starts to fade, and the air is fragrant with the popcorn of country fairs and cool romantic nights.

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:

Pixies are mischief-makers. Are you not having enough fun? Go on an adventure. Meet new people. Come back with a new viewpoint and a smile.

Taurus:

Mermaids swim long distances for those they love. Are you willing to go the distance?

Gemini:

Gnomes are great dancers. Time to get exercising. There’s no reason it can’t be fun.

Cancer:

Vampires hide their loved ones from the sun. Keep those close to you closer.

Leo:

Dragons know when it’s time to head for the cave. Lay low. Avoid argumentative people. Be conscientious at work.

Virgo:

Hobbits love the home. Plants and flowers will give your home a more relaxed feel.

Libra:

Elves keep secrets to past treasures. Do you have a treasure in your past?  Have you looked?

Scorpio:

Faeries collect things.  It’s time to get rid of clutter and decide what to keep. You may have collected something valuable.

Sagittarius:

Shapeshifters like new clothes. Your wardrobe needs upgrading. Time to shop.

Capricorn:

Dragons are grateful for friends and family. Surprise someone dear with a gift or a special outing.

Aquarius:

Goblins are great with budgets. Re-evaluate your finances for your next big purchase.

Pisces:

A vampire finds you fascinating. A new friend will join your circle. Not all vampires bite.

-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 Makes A Great Heroine?

An interesting question.

There are many characteristics I could come up with, some of which you might agree with, some you might not.

The article “What Traits Make a Good Romance Heroine,” by Roz Denny Fox, hits the nail on the head with the statement, “A romance heroine needs to be someone any other woman would like to be.” That is the cardinal rule—you need a sympathetic heroine. I had one reader tell me she really wanted best friends of one of my heroines. That may have been the best compliments I’ve had on that book.

In “Three Characteristics a Heroine Should and Should Not Have,” Jeffe Kennedy states that the most important characteristics a heroine should have are to be believable, be relatable, and be admirable.  However, it is my belief that in order to keep heroines of historical romances relatable and admirable, authors in that genre have to sometimes sacrifice believability. Our historical heroines have to reflect the changing times and our changing sensibilities about women.

To be believable, relatable, and admirable today, heroines in historicals must have a bit more spunk that would usually be found in women of the period. Because of the feminist movement of the 1970s that convinced women they were just as capable as men in every arena, women today have grown up with that sensibility.

Readers today want to see a resilient heroine who can meet every challenge without waiting for a man to rescue her. In fact, many heroines not only save themselves, but their heroes as well. My favorite instance of this occurs in Jo Beverley’s Devilish, when the heroine out-shoots the hero and saves his life. These heroines are sympathetic and very entertaining, but are they a reflection of today’s woman or the woman of the period?

Remember, our heroine has to be believable.  How many women throughout history knew how to fight with sword and pistol?  Could drive a carriage?  Was adept at piloting her own ship?  Was head of a spy ring?  There may have been some, but I suspect they were a small minority throughout history.

Historical romance authors especially walk a fine line today with regards to their heroines.  They have to find ways to make these women appeal to contemporary audiences, while still holding true to the period.  One way to do this is to research your time period thoroughly. Find stories of true heroines and incorporate their characteristics with your heroine’s to make a composite woman who is true to herself and her niche in time.

Filed under: Heroines, Jenna Jaxon

Pi-Con Memories and Weird Research by Susan Hanniford Crowley

9Pi-Con was a blast. The Friday Writing Workshops was well received. The science fiction, fantasy and horror of the rest of the weekend was fun. Here are some photos!

After the Time Traveler’s Ball

 

 

 

 

 

 

D.L. Carter, Tanya Huff, and Debi Chowdhury

More tea, please!

 

 

 

 

 

 

William Freedman, Mario DiGiacomo, and me

After the Time Traveler’s Ball

 

 

 

 

There were so many photos. I was on so many panels and had so much fun, but I missed the Viking combat group!  Darn it.  To see more, please, visit my Facebook page Susan Hanniford Crowley, Author.  I know people have more photos but they aren’t all up yet.

Now for the weird research. As you may have read, I’ve been researching cemeteries in Paris. Well, one I needed to see as in right now. Since I can’t get there right now, I used Google Earth and virtually checked out the cemetery.  WHOA!  There’s nothing like getting up close and personal.  Have you ever done weird research?  I’d love to hear about it.  What have you researched and did you use Google Earth?

-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, Readers Conference, research, romance, romance novels, Susan Hanniford Crowley, the romance of life, 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, What inspires you?, Writer Workshops, Writer's Life, Writing Exercises, writing prompt, Writing Topics, Yule

Happy Left Handers’ Day by Stacy Hoff

  

Next week, Thursday, August 13th, is Left Handers’ Day. I’m right-handed, so why should I care? Let alone celebrate? Because “righties” can learn something from “lefties”—how to think on the right side of the brain.

For those of you not into psychology and neuroscience, our favored brain side is opposite   our dominant hand. Hence, right-handed people are mainly left-brain thinkers, and vice versa. Why does this matter? Because the left side of the brain governs logic and objectivity. The right side of the brain governs creativity and intuition. As writers, it is the right side of our brain we want to tap into. Hence, the advantage goes to the minority of writers (and all people) out there, the left handed.

Us righties have to struggle to put our emphasis on creativity and emotion. To think with our hearts instead of our heads. I guess that makes me a little envious of the left-handed. And that’s no left-handed compliment.

Which side of the brain do you rely on most?

LINKS FOR STACY HOFF

Find Stacy on Social Media: http://www.facebook.com/authorStacyHoff Twitter: twitter.com/authorStacyHoff Web: http://www.stacyhoff.com https://www.pinterest.com/authorstacyhoff/

AMAZON BUY LINK FOR LAWFULLY YOURS: http://www.amazon.com/Lawfully-Yours-Stacy-Hoff-ebook/dp/B00U7U2WCC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1425508177&sr=8-2&keywords=book+-+lawfully+yours

AMAZON BUY LINK FOR DESIRE IN THE EVERGLADES: http://www.amazon.com/Desire-Everglades-Stacy-Hoff-ebook/dp/B00NFSMCYG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410289138&sr=8-1&keywords=desire+in+the+everglades.

AMAZON BUY LINK FOR SEASON OF LOVE: http://www.amazon.com/Season-Love-Box-Merry-Holly-ebook/dp/B00X3ZAR3E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1431122019&sr=8-1&keywords=Season+of+love+-+stacy+hoff

Filed under: A writer's life, romance, Stacy Hoff, Writing