Susan Sey's Blog, page 2

It’s TIME FOR TROUBLE….

That’s right, you heard it here first!  It’s finally TIME FOR TROUBLE!  Just yesterday, I released the final book in my Blake brothers trilogy.  It was touch & go for a while there but the Book The Would Not End has finally ended.  And though I know I haven’t caught all the typos (they are legion, & I suspect they’re reproducing), I published it anyway.  Because lordamercy I needed to cross that finish line.

Why?  Well, this series has produced three full-length novels & one novella.  That’s a lot of words for one writer, & committing them all to the page took me the better part of three years. (I’m a tragically slow writer, as I might’ve mentioned in the past.)

Now, setting aside the fact that readers like to be fed, and quickly, being a slow writer isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  I mean, I met TIME’s hero, Drew, back in the first book of this series, TASTE FOR TROUBLE.  He was just a kid back then, barely 20. When TIME picks up, he’s nearly 30.   I’ve given him about ten years of story-world time to grow up, but he’s also been living in my head–talking to me, arguing with me, nudging me–for the better part of three real-world years. It’s a good long while to live with somebody.

And that’s kind of a luxury when you’re writing a book.  I usual get one year, tops, to live with my heroes.  And I have to start the book when I barely know the guy. But I got three whole years with Drew’s voice in my head.  It allowed me to really get to know him, inside & out.  I watched him grow up.  And that gave me plenty of time to dream up his One True Love.

Which is how I met Meghan Wise, & she’s a firecracker.  Which is, of course, exactly what our easy-going, lazy-bones, baby-brother Drew needed.  Meg’s driven & smart & sharp, and she doesn’t suffer fools lightly.  She’s totally worthy of him, but better yet?  She makes him want to be worthy of her.  Which could’ve been a tough sell, because Drew’s a lover, not a fighter.  But I’ll tell you what–the second somebody threatened his Meggy, he discovered his inner hero, no problem.  Quick, fast & in a hurry.

And it was absolutely delicious.

Meg & Drew’s happy ending was exactly right for them.  And it was right for me.  As I said, I’ve lived in this world for a looooong time.  I’m ready for something new, something fresh, something exciting.  Something that pushes me in new creative directions & stretches me as a writer & a thinker.

But I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t miss these guys.  The Blake brothers showed me what family could be.  What it could mean.  Their bedrock belief in putting family first, in valuing each other above all else, reminded me of what’s important.  Spending time in their world every day made me want to be a better sister, daughter, wife & mother. I might be moving on to other stories & other worlds, but I’m leaving a little piece of my heart in theirs.

Which is how every good story should end, don’t you think?  If the author does it right, you really ought to leave a little chunk of your heart in the book.  And take a little chunk of the book into your heart.

So what about you?  Did you ever read a book–or a series of books–that kept a little chunk of your heart?  Is there a story-world that lives in your heart?  That you revisit every now & then like comfort food?  What is it?  One lucky commenter will receive a free Kindle copy of TIME FOR TROUBLE!

 

Ka Is A Wheel….

Any Dark Tower fans out there?  Stephen King describes this epic series of his as a mash up of The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly and The Lord Of The Rings.  It’s an epic-fantasy-western, if you can even wrap your mind around all of those genres in one story, & it’s not for everybody.  But I love a good hero, & the Dark Tower provided.

Heroes are very important to us romance novelists (and romance readers!), after all.  We love men.  Love figuring those stubborn souls out.  We want to know what they think, how they feel, and what matters to them.  We want to know what’s on that mental landscape they keep so private, & we really hope it’s us.  We’re not really surprised to find that it isn’t, though.  Or–if we are on there–that we don’t take up nearly as much geography as we’d hoped.

But Roland from the Dark Tower was my kind of hero.  The last gunslinger, he was born to a mission.  The world was under seige & he was the last of the heroes.  It was his job to get to the Dark Tower (wherever/whatever that may be) and do what must be done (whatever that may be) to restore balance.  This would involve great sacrifice, as all good quests do, but he didn’t question that.  He was a world saver, & there was a world to be saved.  Game on.

That said?  There are, like, eight books in this series, & it took Stephen King most of his career to write them all.  So he wrote book one as a young man, very certain of  the world & his role within it.  He wrote the last book in his mid-sixties, with grown kids & a marriage that had endured despite a great deal of physical & emotional trauma.  (Car wrecks, addictions, & world-wide fame, oh my.)  In other words, the man’s lived a full life.  He has perspective now.  He knows what pain is, what joy is, & what family is worth.  He knows what sacrifice is–his own & others’ on his behalf.  He knows what success costs.

Which means that Roland does as well.

I don’t want to spoil the ending for anybody so I’ll just say this–by the time Roland got to the Dark Tower, he was no longer nearly so sure of himself.  He’d sacrificed so much, broken so much, lost so much, killed so much in single-minded service to the quest.  Did he win?  Was it ultimately worth what he paid for it?

The grown-up Stephen King is remarkably opaque on this.  He doesn’t provide answers.  But the fact that he asks the questions is growth enough for me.  Because young Roland didn’t even ask.  The questions never even occurred to him.  But they occur to older, wiser Roland.  He’s changed.  He sees things that were previously invisible, places value on things that he once sacrificed without a second thought.  So was he successful?  Hard to say.  Is success completing the original quest?  Or do we get the chance to revise our definition of success as we get older & wiser?

I’ve been thinking about this as the Romance Bandits wrap up this, what, eight year run of daily blogging?  I’ve been thinking about where I started this journey & where I’m ending it.  I’ve been thinking about the Then Susan, so certain of her place & her plans.  I’ve been thinking about how different she is from the Now Susan.  Goodness knows my definition of success has certainly changed.  I was supposed to be the unholy love child of Nora Roberts, Jennifer Crusie & Susan Elizabeth Phillips by now, with a major publisher behind me, & a shelf full of RITAs behind my computer.

I think it’s safe to say that didn’t happen.

But I’m still writing.  I’m putting out books I love on a schedule that allows me to stay sane & be the mom I want to be.   I have relationships with other writers that I cherish, & that make any small success I’ve eked out possible.  (And yes, my dear Romance Bandits, I’m talking about you. )

And I have you.  You faithful bandit buddies who make writing worth it.   Who love the stories, who love the lair, who even love the Rooster Of Questionable Morals.  Your support, your confidence and your friendship have meant the world to me.  To us.  Thank you for taking this journey with us.

But, as Roland himself would say, Ka is a wheel.  Its only purpose is to turn, which means that there aren’t really any endings or beginnings, just the world rolling along.  So this isn’t goodbye.  I’ll catch you all on the next turn of the wheel–or of Twitter or of Facebook or whatever–because the world is small & people who love stories the way we do will always find each other.

So I’ll see you soon.  Looking forward!

I’m not dead yet…

Today is not my last day on the blog.  Everybody’s been doing these beautiful farewell posts, & I love them, but I still have another blog coming up & I’m not ready to say goodbye just yet.

Also, the Oscars are coming up this weekend, & I want to talk about movies.  Specifically movies that have provided a line so perfect, so useful that it’s been subsumed into the Sey Family Lexicon.   Here, in no particular order, are three movies that have so blessed us:

1)  From TANGLED:  “This is the strangest thing I have ever done!”  –Flynn Rider, upon discovering that he has somehow become engaged in a fight with a horse, & is defending himself–successfully–with a frying pan.  Anytime we find ourselves doing or saying something we never thought we’d do, this line gets trotted out.  Watch the clip on Youtube here.  Totally worth it!

2)  From EMMA:  “PORK, MOTHER!” –a nice spinster, reading a letter aloud to her deaf mother in which a neighbor family was gifted with a nice slab of pork.  Shortly after I fell in love with this movie, I visited Ireland with my family & my own mother was confused about what was next on our itinerary.  I took the opportunity to shout, “CORK, MOTHER!” and it became the line of the trip.

3)  From THE PRINCESS BRIDE:  Vezzini (frustrated with Inigo & Fezzig’s endless rhyming game)–“No more rhyming, & I mean it!”  Fezzig (still innocently playing the game)–“Anybody want a peanut?”  Anytime anybody in my family ends a shouted instruction with “…and I mean it!” some brave soul will invariably be unable to resist the peanut line.  It’s a classic for a reason.  Watch it here if you don’t already have it memorized.

Okay, so those are our very favorites.  I know you all must have some.  What are your favorite movie lines, & what are the situations you use them in?

Quick Five with Susan

Hello, dearest bandita buddies!

So I’ve just now–like ten minutes ago–finished binged watching all 10 seasons of Grey’s Anatomy.  I didn’t intend to do this.  I didn’t intend to sit down & watch an unconscionable amount of television all by myself.  (Mr. Sey isn’t a fan, & the girls are far too young for the soapy goodness that is Grey’s.)  But Mr. Sey was traveling a fair bit back in the fall & I found myself up late a few evenings with a pile of laundry that needed folding.  I figured I’d treat myself to some trashy TV.

But I didn’t want to watch a show Mr. Sey would want to watch with me–like The Walking Dead or Breaking Bad or House of Cards, all of which we adore.  No, I had the golden opportunity to watch something purely because I wanted to watch it, without haggling or bargaining with anybody.  Now this is a rare beast once you’ve been married a while.  Even rarer once kids come along.

Long story short?  I discovered Grey’s Anatomy about a decade after everybody else, & got myself caught right up.  And it only cost me about a three hundred hours I’ll never get back.

I don’t regret a single one.

But it did get me thinking.  I’ll bet there are other great shows that I haven’t seen.  Tons of them.  And I never know when Mr. Sey’s travel schedule is going to heat up again.  I might find myself with a basket of laundry at ten pm & nothing to watch.  And that would be a shame.  So I made a list–five shows I’m totally going to start next time Mr. Sey is out of town:

1)  Downton Abbey

I started this show back when everybody else did & it fell off my radar.  But the instant I have a pile of laundry that needs folding & the house to myself, I’m checking back in.  Because the clothes!  And Professor McGonagal.  Enough said.

2)  Orange Is The New Black

I’ve heard this show is incredible & it just keeps winning awards.  I’m a little hesitant about the prison setting–depressing!–but am willing to at least give it a try.

3)  Modern Family

I have multiple friends who continue to recommend this show, & once again it’s an awards show darling.  I might even have the first season sitting on top of my TV, lent to me by a friend who’s a little evangelical about Modern Family.  It’s on the list, if only because I’m starting to feel guilty about having those DVDs so long.

4)  Brooklyn 99

Because Andy Samberg.  That is all.

5)  The Good Wife

Because Juliana Marguiles.  And because I live in hope that George Clooney will find some way to make a guest appearance & we’ll have Dr. Ross and Nurse Carol reunited again!  Also because it’s won so many awards it’s practically TV royalty at this point.  And it had that guy from Sports Night on it, & I love him.

How about you?  What shows are on your missed list?  Anything you’re loving now?  I’m making a list…

Game Night!

So my family has been really into games lately.

Mr. Sey & our oldest have been playing MAGIC:  THE GATHERING a lot recently–I guess it’s sort of a role playing game.  Sort of like Dungeons & Dragons but with cards?  I don’t know.  It’s not really my thing so I haven’t paid a lot of attention to the fine points.  But when half of your family is into something, the rest of the family is along for the ride, regardless of whether they’re interested in the destination, you know?

It got me thinking about my favorite games, the ones I love the best.  I grew up in a family of gamers, so I do have a few.  And here—in no particular order–are my top three favorites:

1)  Euchre.  I’m a Michigan girl, & this is a midwestern classic.  It’s a four hand, partnered, trick taking game that you play with only 8s & up.  It sounds weird, but that’s Michigan for you.  I think I was born knowing how to play.  It’s in my blood, so it’s number 1.

2)  Cribbage. My math skills aren’t great, but I can add to 15 with the best of ‘em.  If you can do that, & count to 31, you can win this game.  My dad swears cribbage is the finest two-man card game ever invented & if you ever want to divert his attention from something–like a chore that needs doing or a walk that needs shoveling–you need only suggest that this might be a good time for a hand of cribbage.

3)  Yahtzee.  This is one of those games you can play with anybody of any age at any time.  You need 5 dice, a pad of paper & that’s it.  I carry this one in my purse at all times & have successfully diverted many, many boredom-induced meltdowns with a quick roll of the dice.   No purse is complete with a deck of cards & five dice.

So what about you?  Are you a gamer?  What are your favorites?

All images courtesy of Free Digital Photos.  Mouse over for attribution

Rerun #2

Welcome to Day #2 of our Lazy Weekend here in the Lair!

In honor of the Oscar Nominees being named last week, we’re rerunning a few of our favorite movie-themed posts.  I just ran across this great one Anna Sugden posted a while back about songs in the movies.  I totally got lost in these clips.  Hope you enjoy!

 

 

Rerun #1

Good morning, Bandita buddies!

It’s a frigid January weekend here in the lair, & your faithful bloggers are taking it off.  That’s right–we’re taking the weekend OFF.  We’ve never done this before in the history of our blog but, hey, it’s January & our fingers are too cold to type.  We will be mainlining hot cocoa, watching Oscar nominated movies & staying by the fire until Monday when our regularly scheduled program resumes.

In the meantime–and in honor of Oscar season (did I mentioned that the Oscar nominations are out?)–I’ll be posting movie-related blogs from years past for your reading pleasure.  Click here for a post I did last year on the horrors of…well, horror movies:

Enjoy, and stay warm! We’ll see you on Monday!

Coming Attractions…

Welcome to 2015, Romance Lovers!

Here’s hoping your holidays were everything wonderful — low-key, low-stress & full of delicious pie!  On the off chance that they were actually full of family drama & burnt cookies (as so many are!), never fear!  We have your back.  Here at the Romance Bandits, we specialize in justice served & happily ever after.  Check out what we’ve got queued up for you in January & tell me if you don’t feel better!

 

GUESTS!

On January 3, we have the lovely Melanie Scott returning with one of those beautiful boys of baseball in ANGEL IN ARMANI.

We always love to see historical romance author Miranda Neville in the lair. She has a sparkling sense of humor that even gets Ermingarde laughing. On Monday, 5th January, Miranda is visiting us to talk about her latest release THE DUKE OF DARK DESIRES.

 

Debut author Erika Kelly brings a hot story about a rising rock star and his manager to the Lair on January 6th, when she talks about YOU REALLY GOT ME, the first book in her Rock Star Romance series.

 

On January 9, we have a change of pace as Helen Fordham and Barbara Milech join Nancy to discuss their research on romance, romantic Love, and ‘the want of a fortune.'” This look at economics and romance was inspired by their conversation about shows like The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, and The Farmer Takes a Wife. Should be a great discussion!

On January 20, Laura Simcox will be visiting with our own Caren Crane here in the Lair and talking about the first book in her First Daughters series, VARIOUS STATES OF UNDRESS: GEORGIA. That title alone should grab some attention!

On January 21, Nancy welcomes the fabulous Gerri Russell who is celebrating the release of her first contemporary, FLIRTING WITH FELICITY. Gerri writing contemporary? Now that’s going to be fun!

 

CONTESTS!

Don’t miss Anna Campbell’s latest website contest where she’s giving away THREE ARCs of her May release, A SCOUNDREL BY MOONLIGHT. Just email her on dsc26655 @ bigpond.net.au (no spaces) and tell her the name of the hero and heroine of Scoundrel. You might find the answer here.  For more information about the contest, check out her website!

Anna Sugden says:  I have the third book in my New Jersey Ice Cats series launching on Jan 30th – A PERFECT CATCH. Keep an eye out for my blog tour where you can read the entire first chapter for free! Details on my website.  I will also be running a Goodreads contest during January to win copies of A Perfect Catch, so keep your eye out if you’re over on Goodreads!

NEW RELEASES!

A SEAL’S SACRIFICE kicks off the Sexy Short Stories series from New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Tawny Weber, companion stories to her award winning Sexy SEALs series. Never underestimate a sexy, stubborn SEAL…

On January 30th Anna Sugden is releasing book 3 of her New Jersey Ice Cats series, A PERFECT CATCH!  And keep a lookout for the French release of Book 2, A PERFECT TRADE, in February!

NEWS!

Anna Campbell’s third Sons of Sin book, WHAT A DUKE DARES, was featured in major Aussie book retailer Booktopia’s list of the top books of 2014.  Click the link to check it out!  We’re so proud!

And that’s just what we’ve got planned!  Who knows what awesomeness will crop up as the month rolls on?  Stay tuned, dear readers!

We’re playing a fun game with our newsletter subscribers this month (wait, you’re not a newsletter subscriber??  Get over to the Members Only tab immediately & sign up!  Fun, games, prizes!  Don’t miss out!)  Ahem, so where was I?  Oh, yes, the game.  We’re asking our newsletter subscribers to play a game with us in which we offer up a New Year’s Resolution – not for ourselves but for the rest of the world.  If you could improve ONE THING about everybody else, what would it be?

On the Road Again…

When you have no family in town, you spend a lot of your precious vacation time in the car.  There’s even a name for this sort of travel–it’s call the “oblivacation,” a mash-up of obligation and vacation.  As I type this, we’re pulling ourselves together from a lovely week spent in Omaha with the Sey side of the family.  I’m doing all the last minute things we do to get ready for the six-hour road trip home–searching out the Christmas presents (which the kids have flung far & wide), gathering up our pie dishes & cookie tins, & seeking out the missing shoes & laundry.

All these check lists have put me in a Quick Five frame of mind, honestly.  So without further ado, here’s my Quick Five Tasks to do before Heading Home:

1) Do the laundry.  I like to go home with my suitcases full of clean clothes.  It’s such a luxury to unpack straight into the drawers instead of having to face mountains of laundry upon returning home.  And family are probably the only people you can visit who don’t look sideways at you if you ask to do a quick load or two of laundry before heading home.

2)  Find your dishes.  I  never travel home–to Mr. Sey’s home or mine–empty handed.  I come bearing food, & in this case it was pies.  My sainted mother in law put on Christmas dinner, but I handled dessert.  We complement each other nicely, the original Mrs. Sey & I.  But this meant I had to transport my favorite pie dishes & rolling pins, plus all my tattered & stained recipes to Omaha for the holidays.  Which means I have to gather them up again.  Wish me luck!

3)  Do the returns.  I believe in Christmas miracles, but there is no power on heaven or earth that can produce a return-free holidays.  So I try to bring all the receipts & deal with all the returns & exchanges before leaving the scene of the crime.  It’s so much easier to handle this stuff in person than trying to return a sweater long-distance.

4)  Locate all our cords & chargers.  It’s the age of technology & between Mr. Sey, the kids & me, we probably have a dozen Things That Charge.  Then there was all the battery operated stuff we received for Christmas.  If you want to avoid a howling weeping fit 200 miles down the road, it’s best to make sure you have that little robot’s charger before you pull out of the driveway.  Again, you might want to wish me luck.

5)  Go to the movies.  Because you totally deserve a little brain break after dealing with all the hassles of putting the show back on the road.  So you should definitely zip up your suitcases, pack the car, then head to the movies for your last night in town.  Nobody should cook, either.  Just go out & enjoy.

How about you?  What are you top five must-do tasks before heading home after a holiday out of town?

All images courtesy of www.freedigitalphotos.net.

Susan’s Dark Holiday Secret

Before I confess my secret holiday shame, I should lay the ground work.  There are some things you should know.

1)  I go to church for the music.  My faith is spotty at best but I love to sing, & there’s nothing like feeling your way through the alto part of an unfamiliar hymn to wake a girl up.  Plus, when you’re only one of a hundred or so voices, nobody can hear you fumble.  It’s just good, clean fun.

2)  I learned to harmonize from my mom, who knew every alto part to every Christmas carol ever written.  And after a huge holiday dinner, my sisters & I would dry while my mom washed, & we would sing carols.  My dad would wander in to hold down the melody with a few of my less musical sisters but a couple of us would follow my mom & we learned to sing while we made sure Grandma’s silver didn’t spot.

3)  As a result, I believe that kitchens were made for singing.  And dancing.  I thought all families busted into song at the least provocation.  In my childhood home, you could start a song alone but you wouldn’t hit the chorus before somebody joined in & by the time you got to the bridge, you usually had yourself a kick line going.  I thought this was normal.  Then I had a holiday dinner at my then-fiance-now-husband’s house & let’s just say that I was quickly disabused of this notion.  I won’t go into detail.  We still don’t speak of it.  It was…awkward.

So now that it’s the holidays, you might think that I’m in my glory.  It’s all Christmas carols, all the time up in here.  There’s a radio station here in the Twin Cities that plays nothing BUT Christmas music from Thanksgiving day straight through the new year.  It the one time of year that you have an actual license to go door to door singing in public.  People are even supposed to give you treats or figgy pudding or something.

But…are you ready for my big confession?

I hate caroling.

It’s true.  I do.

I dutifully go caroling with my church & my girls’ Scout troops every year & every year I hate it.  It’s awkward.  People don’t know what to do when they encounter large groups of singing people any more.  Do they join in?  Do they smile?  How much?  Are they obligated to hang around for all five verses of Joy to the World, or is it okay to wander off while we’re repeating the sounding joy?

And while we’re on the topic, exactly how many verses are we going to sing here?  This never seems to come up in discussion beforehand, & then suddenly we’re on verse two of something & trying desperately to have this conversation with our eyes.

And I won’t even get into the quagmire of who’s going to pick the key.  And I can’t stress enough how important it is to begin Away in a Manger much, much higher than you think you should.  Always.  But we never do.  Ever.

Which is why I dislike caroling.  There.  So now you know.

I don’t know about you guys, but I feel better.  Confession really must be good for the soul.

That said?  I’m going caroling with the Brownies on Saturday.  Oh, help.

So how about you?  Is there any holiday tradition that you faithfully participate in that nobody knows you hate?  We’re friends.  You can tell us.  Share!

All images courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net.  Mouse over for artist attribution.