Randy Susan Meyers's Blog, page 14

Do-Gooder Gifts: Lovely & Helpful

I love giving gifts. I love helping nonprofits. Combining the two? Priceless. Below: my annual list of  shops where profits are plowed into good & the choices are terrific.  Helping Survivors  Sex Trafficking: The Resilience Bracelet, is one of many exquisite pieces of jewelry made by Her Future Coalition  “Our mission is to provide shelter, education, and employment […]

How Long Does it Take to Get Published?

Recently, a thread in an online writer’s community popped up, beginning with someone (who hadn’t begun querying) asking why folks sent query letters to so many agents. Did they have that many “dream agents? Why not send to just one or two top choices? And, really, how long does it take? Answers flew in—achingly honest […]

The Year Google (and Goya) Saved Thanksgiving

  My sister and I may not have grown up rife with traditions–when when Jill and I hung our socks on Christmas eve, the flat unfilled sight of them the next morning may have reminded us that Santa didn’t stop for little Jewish girls–but darn it, we had the stuffing handed down from Grandma Millie. If we […]

Re-reading Old Favorites: MOSQUITO COAST

Re-reading . . . how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love the guaranteed happiness (how often does one get that?); I love meeting old friends and familiar enemies; and oh, how I love the anticipation of coloring in the faintly remembered. Truly-addicted readers have books to which they repeatedly return; […]

Is He Abusive? Signs of Relationship Danger

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.  When I worked with batterers, people always asked why the women stayed.  Why didn’t they ask why the offenders were violent? Is it because it’s easier to blame the victim? Is it because these abusive men scare us as much as they scare their victims, so it’s easier to […]

Are You in an Abusive Relationship?

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.  When I worked with batterers, people always asked why the women stayed.  Why didn’t they ask why the offenders were violent? Is it because it’s easier to blame the victim? Is it because these abusive men scare us as much as they scare their victims, so it’s easier to […]

(The Real) Sexy Responsible Heart-Throbbing Heroes

Could it be possible that our lust for the bad boys—a hunger which begets dreams that bear nightmares—begins the night we aim our reading flashlights on Rhett Butler and his ilk? Face it—who took away our breath? Who were we trained to want? Namby-pamby Ashley or the dashing Rhett? How about the other side? The […]

What To Do Before Your Book Launch: A Guidebook

What to expect when you’re expecting your book? What’s going to happen first, and second, and third?  Pre-launch of my debut novel,  how much I had to learn, had never learned, and perhaps could/would/should have learned, overwhelmed me—were there an eight-day week into which I could tap. During the 2-24 months between signing a book […]

Postcards from The Widow of Wall Street

  “When Phoebe and Jake Pierce meet as teenagers, she knows he’s someone on the way up, and she wants to be there as he climbs the Wall Street ladder. He gets everything he ever wanted. When it turns out that Jake’s success rests on a huge Ponzi scheme, Phoebe has to make an excruciating […]

Another Storied Recipe: Mystery Novel Chocolate Pie Supreme

 About a million years ago I read (a now out of date) mystery, Gastronomic Murder, by Alexandra Roudybush (look for this book. I got a second-hand copy recently. Try the library. That’s where I got in back in the day. At that time, I couldn’t afford to buy books and the local Boston library was […]