Susan Hanniford Crowley's Blog: From Nights of Passion Blog, page 245

Families—We All Have Them By Becky Lower

Love them or hate them. Parents, siblings, grandparents, step-brothers or sisters, step-children. See what I mean? Even if you’re an orphan, you had a mother and a father who you loved, hated, never knew, whatever. The fact is, you care about them. (Okay, maybe not in a good way, but still…)

My historical Cotillion Ball series is about a large wealthy family in New York in the 1850s. The children, one by one, find their true love and move off to form their own lives with their husbands and/or wives. They may move into a different house in New York, or to other parts of the young country.

Which brings me to the real reason for this post. At the end of September, my siblings (four girls and one boy) will be in the same place at the same time for the first time in fourteen years. In this, the age of fast cars and faster airplanes, we still can’t seem to all converge in the same place at the same time. What would have happened if we’d been born two hundred years ago? Would we have ever seen each other once we grew up and wandered off on our own?

My family’s last name is Lower, and my ancestors migrated, like most of that era did, through Berks County, PA and into southern Ohio. Some of the family is still in that area. Some moved to northern Ohio during the 1940s. So, imagine my surprise when my sister and I were driving in south central Ohio, and found a huge tombstone in a neat little graveyard with the last name of Lower. We drove on to the business we were visiting, and asked about the Lower headstone. The gentleman at the store asked me if I’d ever heard of Christian Lower, who had settled in the area long ago. A chill went down my spine. I ran home and opened up my Family Tree Maker program. Sure enough, fourteen generations earlier, in the 1760s, Christian and Johann Lower were brothers. Johann stayed in southern Ohio and was my ancestor, but evidently Christian moved to the central part of the state. Chances are likely they never saw each other again, even though they were only separated by 150-200 miles.

I met some of my long-distant cousins that day. What a lovely surprise. 250 years is a long time to not see that branch of the family. But we’re making up for lost time.

And, as for my siblings who are all coming into town at the same time, we’re going to celebrate by going to a baseball game. Go Tribe!

The Duplicitous Debutante releases today. Here’s a tidbit of information about this latest book in the Cotillion Ball Series:

In 1859, ladies of New York society were expected to do three things well: find a husband, organize a smooth-running household, and have children.

Rosemary Fitzpatrick’s agenda is very different. As the author of the popular Harry Hawk dime novels, she must hide her true identity from her new publisher, who assumes the person behind the F. P. Elliott pen name is male. She must pose as his secretary in order to ensure the continuation of her series. And in the midst of all this subterfuge, her mother is insisting that she become a debutante this year.

Henry Cooper is not the typical Boston Brahmin. Nor is he a typical publisher. He’s entranced by Mr. Elliott’s secretary the moment they meet, and wonders how his traditional-thinking father will react when he brings a working class woman into the family. Because his intentions are to marry her, regardless.

Rosemary’s deception begins to unravel at the Cotillion ball, when Henry recognizes her. The secretarial mask must come off, now that he knows she is a member of New York society. But she can’t yet confess who she truly is until she knows if Henry will accept her as F. P. Elliott.

The more time they spend together, the closer they become. But when Rosemary reveals her true identity to him, will Henry be able to forgive her or has her deceit cost her the man she loves?

Buy Link: http://amzn.to/1sGJQbq

Becky

Filed under: Becky Lower, Cotillion Ball Series, family reunion, historical romance, The Duplicitous Debutante

Cover Reveal for Time Enough to Love by Jenna Jaxon

This past week I revealed the cover for my medieval novel’s print version. Time Enough to Love was originally written as one long novel–almost 600 pages.  Afraid that no one would read such a volume, I published it in three e-book novellas over the past year.  But now that it’s complete, I wanted to offer it in a print version I could sign and send out.

Here’s the gorgeous cover, courtesy once again of the fantastically talented Danielle Fine.

Blurb:

When Lady Alyse de Courcy is betrothed to Sir Geoffrey Longford, she has no choice but to make the best of a bad bargain. The hulking knight is far from her ideal man, and although he does possess some wit and charm, he is no match for the sinfully sensual man she secretly admires, Thomas, Earl of Braeton, her betrothed’s best friend.

From the first, Sir Geoffrey finds himself smitten by Lady Alyse, and, despite her infatuation with his friend, vows to win her love. When Geoffrey puts his mind to wooing Alyse, he is delighted to find her succumbing to his seduction. But when cruel circumstances separate them, Geoffrey must watch helplessly as Thomas steps in to protect Alyse—and falls in love with her himself.

As the three courtiers accompany Princess Joanna to her wedding in Spain, they run headlong into the Black Plague. With her world plunged into chaos, Alyse struggles with her feelings for both the men she loves. But which love will survive?

Time Enough to Love is now available for pre-order at Amazon.  And one person who leaves a comment today will receive a signed print copy once the book releases on September 15.

Excerpt:

“What do you require of me, Majesty?” Her mouth so dry she could taste sand, Alyse fought to speak in a normal tone. With a sigh of relief, she dropped into a deep curtsy, hiding her face in the folds of her skirt. If only she could remain bowed thus before His Majesty for the remainder of the evening.

King Edward laughed. “Obedience, Lady Alyse, as I require of all my subjects. As your father requires of his daughter.”

Her heart thumped wildly in her breast. That could mean but one thing.

“Rise, my lady.”

She did so on unsteady feet. “I am ready, as always, Your Majesty, to obey my father as I would you.”

Holy Mary, let it be Lord Braeton.

King Edward lifted an eyebrow toward Alyse. “A very pretty answer, my lady. And are you ready to accept your father’s decree for your betrothal? His messenger has today reached me with the contract, as I am to stand in his stead in this matter.”

Alyse took a deep breath and hoped her voice did not tremble. “Yea, Majesty, I will obey my father.”

King Edward nodded and leaned over to whisper something to Queen Phillipa, who sat beside him, heavy with their twelfth child.

Mere seconds before she learned her fate. She could scarce affect an indifferent pose before the court when inside every inch of her quivered with anticipation of the name. His name, pray God, on the king’s lips

Thomas.

In her mind, she heard the word.

The king straightened, glanced at her then at the man by her side.

“What say you then, Sir Geoffrey? Does the lady not speak fair? I vow she will make you a proper wife and a dutiful one as well.”

Alyse turned, until that moment unaware that Geoffrey Longford stood beside her. Chills coursed down her body as the king’s words echoed in her mind. The sensation of falling backward assailed her, as though she rushed away from the tall man at her side even as his figure loomed larger and larger in her sight.

Not Lord Braeton.

Her numbed brain repeated the phrase, trying to comprehend that instead he would be her husband. Geoffrey Longford.

God have mercy on me, for by the look of him, this man will not.

 

Filed under: Historical romance, Jenna Jaxon, Promotion, Time Enought to Love

Going Nuts and Doing a Giveaway at The Romance Studio!

Have you ever been sick, really sick and you’re supposed to sleep and relax and take the medicine and get well? But that entails taking it easy. Do you what happens to me when I sleep? I dream more story. Lately everything has been about the Vampire King of New York’s daughter.

I’m writing as fast as I can.  In the middle time, my purse broke.  It developed a hole in the lining, so I’m taking it apart to find things that are missing.  :(    I have taken out everything and put the important stuff in an old purse I had put away, because it was too small.

Then I realized I lost one of my steampunk pirate earrings I wore at Pi-Con.   I thought I came home with both.  I hope so.  Don’t panic.  It’s not real pearl, but the missing one made a pair that completed a fun outfit.

So what do you do when you have a lot of meds, when things go missing, and it’s too hot outside?  What are you going to do?  I’m partying at The Romance Studio at http://www.trsparties.com

Go forth and find your bliss or your joy or even a smile for a while.  What am I doing there with the many other authors who are also partying?  Sharing excerpts of Vampire King of New York and giving one lucky winner of my contest a signed print copy of the book.  You can’t enter here.  You have to enter over there.  Be sure to follow the directions.  Go ahead.  Go party!!!

For those that cannot wait, Vampire King of New York is available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble in print and ebook.

Hugs to everyone!  Have fun in life!

Susan

Susan Hanniford Crowley

http://www.susanhannifordcrowley.com

Filed under: Love/Sex Scenes, Max Vander Meer, romance, romance novels, Susan Hanniford Crowley, vampire books, Vampire King of New York In Print, Vampire Maximillion Vander Meer, vampires, Writer's Life, Writing Topics

Cover Reveal by Stacy Hoff

It’s good you can’t hear me. I’m belting out–badly–I’m so excited by Donna Summer. It’s even more fortunate you can’t see me. My dancing makes Elaine Benes look like Mikhail Baryshnikov. But I’m singing and dancing anyway. I can’t stop myself because my cover is finally here.

When my book got sold, one of the first forms my publisher had me fill out was for the cover art. Knowing I’d even have a cover made me feel–finally–like a honest-to-God author.

Look, Ma, I’ve got a real book!

I had always wondered how the artist had the time to read all those books in order to create fabulous covers. Turns out they don’t. The author tells the artist all the important information they need to know. You give them the character descriptions, the sub-genre, and the general feel of your book. Then you give them your own ideas (which they often reject) as to how the book should look.

My original concept for my debut novel (a contemporary romance), DESIRE IN THE EVERGLADES, was something akin to the movie poster for Crocodile Dundee II. An elegant, city-slicker woman clutching for dear life onto a fierce looking, hulk of a man. On my book cover, however, a jungle would surround the couple. Deadly animals would be waiting to pounce. The sky above would be dark and menacing. The reader would hopefully pick up my book and wonder not just whether they’d fall in love, but whether they’d survive.

Then I read an article about books and marketing. Never clutter up your cover, the author of the article warned. “If the cover looks too busy, the thumbnail image on Amazon will look horrible. Nobody will buy that book.” Drat.

So much for my moonlighting as an art director. I’m glad I left this job to the pros. I wanted “wow factor,” and I sure as heck got it. Only in a much better way.

But I’ll let you judge for yourselves. The image is below.

What concept or project did you feel strongly about, only to have it altered for the better?

Facebook: Stacy Hoff    Web: StacyHoff.com  Twitter: @authorstacyhoff

 

DESIRE IN THE EVERGLADES will be made available in e-format on Amazon.com on September 17th by Soul Mate Publishing. Print books available soon.

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

Accountability by Gerri Brousseau

Have you ever joined a health club, gym, or work out facility? You begin with great intensions. You plan to go every day. You plan to go right after work. And you might do that for a week, or maybe two, but then something comes up and you miss a day. Then you miss the next day. And before you know it, you haven’t been to the gym in months. I have found that if I make a friend at the gym or have a friend who joins the gym with me, we keep each other moving and on track. When I don’t feel like going, she might say something like, “Come on. You have to go.” And so I’ll go. Or when she doesn’t want to go, I would do the same for her and I’ve found that we go more often than not because it made us accountable to someone.

What does this have to do with writing? Well, I’m going to tell you. Have you ever procrastinated so much that you haven’t written anything in days, weeks, months, or a year? You keep putting it off, finding other things that simply must be done. You keep finding distractions that keep you from putting some words down on paper? I think we all do. Well, I recently became involved with a small group of authors who are writing novellas for an anthology. It is a fast story, 25k words or less, but the deadline is coming up pretty darn quick. I started mine, but one of the gals in the group was having a little trouble getting her move on, so I thought of the gym scenario. Then I thought of the “writing sprints” that my writer’s group often does, so I suggested to her that we do writing sprints every night and it worked out great!

If you have never done one, here is how it works: You set a get in touch time, which for us was 8:00 p.m. She calls me on the phone and we briefly discuss where we are in our respective stories and we talk over our ideas for the scenes we’re writing. Then we set a time (30 minutes from when we hang up) and then we write. Thirty minutes later, we touch base again on the phone to read to each other what we have written.

It’s really worked out wonderfully for both of us because it made us be accountable to someone for getting the writing done. It doesn’t allow time for procrastination, and it turned out to be a lot of fun. I finished my novella and my writing buddy is moving right along with hers. At the rate we’re going, she’ll be finished long before the deadline. Not only that, but having someone to listen to your writing as you read it aloud helps you hear the errors and also boosts the writer’s confidence when the listener tells you it’s good, or they like it, or they laugh in the proper places.

Have you ever done a writing sprint? If you are stuck in procrastination mode, I highly recommend that you try it. Find yourself an author friend, set your timers, place your butt in the chair, your hands on the keyboard, and write.

Filed under: romance

Writing, It’s More Than Entertainment

Why do so many of us write? Even more, why do so many of us writers strive to continually improve our writing? Most of us do it because we are storytellers at heart and it is a passion. Creating these stories in our mind and letting play out as we get to know our characters is a lot of fun, but it also requires a lot of time. Still, writing has its other uses too.

There is a tote bag I see when I go into Barnes and Nobles. It reads a quote that goes something like this: reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body. I have to think that writing is of equal importance, especially for those who are interested. It keeps our imaginations and minds alive!

For my day job I work very closely with retirement investment vehicles in the financial industry. Sounds glamorous, huh? Not really, but it does five me great perspective on how to save money and a realistic view of what many are facing in retirement. I see so many clients, family members and friends spend their whole lives saving or not, without giving much thought to what they’ll do at that point in their lives (at least beyond travel). Perhaps writing and more reading can be a part of the equation. What I’m getting to with all of this ramble scramble is that writing is more than entertainment, it is exercise for the mind and food for the imagination and soul. This is all the more reason to stick with it even when those rejection letters come our way.

Happy writing this week!

Filed under: Toni Kelly, What inspires you?, Writer's Life, Writing

I May or May Not be in a Book Bundle with Opal Carew by Mandy Rosko

I wish I had some cover art to post so that everyone can see what I’m all excited for, but that’s going to have to wait a bit, but anyway, I was contacted by Opal Carew and asked if I would be interested in being in a book bundle with her and a few other authors. My reaction was something along the lines of Hells yes!

Lol, but even though I’m super excited because her bundles always do very well, I’m trying not to get ahead of myself. I’m beyond stoked that she looked at my not yet released novella Burns Like Fire and liked it, and then liked it enough to offer me a spot in one of the bundles she does. But I have to remember that this is still very early in the game, and as one of the lesser known authors in the group, if the theme doesn’t match up to what the other authors have available, then I have to quickly get used to the fact that I might be the one getting bumped.

Which is still fine, because hey, Opal Carew read and liked my work :) Though I really, really hope this goes through!

I’m also going to be in a second book bundle, probably in October or late September, and this second bundle will feature M/M stories by authors who write primarily in that genre. This is also exciting to be a part of, though I don’t have enough details to give more information than that, so the next couple of months are going to be incredibly busy. The second I get a cover for Burns Like Fire, I’m going to post it so that everyone can see it for themselves. :) I can’t stop smiling lately, so I’m going to be putting in all of these smiling emoticons :D

Onto some other news, the German translation of Der Drachenprinz was just uploaded for pre-order on Amazon, and assuming I did everything right and didn’t mess up, it should be available on the Amazon.de store in a couple of days, which is also an exciting milestone since I was hoping to have that done about a week ago, but complications arose, etc, etc, etc. Doesn’t matter, it’s getting up there and I’m starting to realize how much stuff I’ve been getting done in the month of August, and I still have at least 27,000 mire words to write before I can take a break :S

Apologies for the post that’s fairly quick and only about myself, but this is all my mind can process at the moment, and I just wanted to share. I’ve barely even gone on my facebook or twitter in the last little while, avoiding it more than I usually do. Anyway, I need to get back to work,

Cheers,

Mandy Rosko

Connect with me online:

Facebook

www.goodreads.com/Mandyrosko
 
Twitter: @rizzorosko
 
Mandyrosko.com
 
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Filed under: Mandy Rosko, Reading, romance

Sunny Weekly Paranormal-Scope by Susan Hanniford Crowley

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.  Sunny could be the weather or a disposition. Let’s see how this plays out.

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

The week for:

Aries:

Sacred Koi swim in clear water but will sometimes hid beneath a water lily.  Look for balance in your life as to when you can swim in the limelight and when to take a break.

Taurus:

An old gnome is coming your way with a wealth of knowledge.  Make a friend that will inspire you.

Gemini:

Shop for soothing colors to wear and accessorize.  Sometimes fashion trends are bleak. Ignore them.

Cancer:

It’s time to cuddle.  Werewolves are adorable and come in a variety of sizes.  Be open to a sweet person with some quirks.

Leo:

Dragons roar and blow fire when angry, upset , or hungry.  You’re getting mixed messages from someone.  Take it slow and be patient until they can express themselves.

Virgo:

Mermaids are singing as the waves roll in and the future changes.  Keep your eyes open for new opportunities.

Libra:

Faeries invite you to a dance.  Let’s get magical.  Dress your best.

Scorpio:

Dragons are good at staying out of the business of others.  Let them work it out and keep your nose to the grindstone.

Sagittarius:

Elves are clever and make the most out of the least.  Be clever.

Capricorn:

Dragons are going to teach you to soar.  Appreciate their efforts.

Aquarius:

Hobgoblins of little minds are running amok.  Don’t let negative people get you down.  Keep your smile.

Pisces:

Pixies enjoy every moment, every pleasure.  Take up a hobby that will let you enjoy those things you love more.

-Susan

Susan Hanniford Crowley

www.susanhannifordcrowley.com

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

Reading Across the Genres

In a discussion I had yesterday with several authors about collaborating on one of the boxed sets that are all the rage currently. We were trying to decide which genre of romance we would choose to publish, each person having a different genre that they write. We couldn’t come to an agreement, so one author suggested that a set might be made up of different romantic subgenres: contemporary, historical, erotic, fantasy, sci-fi. As long as the theme was romance, people would buy it.

Until recently I believe,  boxed sets were usually all of one author’s works, but that’s changed  now.  Boxed sets including books from a variety of authors have become very popular.  All the sets I’ve seen recently, however, have been of one subgenre or another, not mixed, although I’ve not made a study of them certainly. So I began to wonder if a mixed set would indeed sell.

I don’t think that I would buy a set that only had one historical book in it out of say 8 or 10. I only read historical romances now, although I guess I could stretch that to historical fantasy as I’m currently enamored of the Outlander series, which is time-travel and therefore fantasy. In the past I have read much more than just historical romance, being a fan of Stephen King, John Grisham, Patricia Cornwell, and Phillipa Gregory. However, ever since I began to write historical romance, that genre seems to be all I’m interested in.

I am also certain that my tastes are not everyone’s. Authors are often given the advice to read outside their genre, so they are not influenced by other writers. (Advice which I obviously ignore.) Of course, readers have no such restrictions on what they read, so likely there are readers who would pick up a set of books that spanned the genres.

Tell me, do you read across the genres? Or do you stick strictly to one or perhaps two? Would you buy a set of novels or novellas from which you might only read one or two books? Do you instead prefer a variety? Is there any genre you would be more apt to buy?

Filed under: Jenna Jaxon, Reading

CT Authors Night at the Bozrah Farmer’s Market by Susan Hanniford Crowley

I want to thank the crew of CT Authors Night at the Bozrah Farmer’s Market. Being there was a delightful experience. I met a lot of great people, sold books, and the music was great.  Though I chose not to eat, my daughter Cera was a great companion and inspiration.  She said the food choices were yummy.  Many people came through and bought food but also visited the authors.

Being in the public is always an unusual experience.  You never know at what is really going to happen.  Who you’re going

meet.  I was glad to see friends and make

new ones.

I had put notice up on Facebook and people had said they had seen it.  YAY, for Facebook.  The event was so beautifully planned and supported.

I was also impressed that it was a dog friendly event.  There were a lot of children but I asked parents before they could take a piece of candy from my goodie basket.  I also passed out goodie bags to parents in addition to the sheet for my ebooks.  All in all, a wonderful fun event.  Now this person is off to sleep.  I’ve been sleep deprived lately and need to dream up more stories.

–Susan

Susan Hanniford Crowley

http://www.susanhannifordcrowley.com

Vampire King of New York is available in Amazon Print and Kindle, Barnes and Noble Print and Nook and Kobo

The Stormy Love Life of Laura Cordelais is available in Amazon Print and Kindle.

 

Filed under: Marketing, romance, romance novels, Susan Hanniford Crowley, the romance of life, The Stormy Love Life of Laura Cordelais, vampire books, Vampire King of New York, Vampire King of New York In Print, Vampire Maximillion Vander Meer, vampires, Writer's Life