Stephanie Haefner's Blog - Posts Tagged "books"

Summer at My Inner Fairy had a great blogfest the other day...bummed that I missed it :( It was all about ending sentences and beginning sentences. Participants had to post the ending line of one story and then beginning line of another. Very cool! read some really neat lines!!

So I decided to post some of mine! Some are published, some are not. Some will be released this year, others are barely even started projects!!

Ending lines:

Maybe I could invent my own genre of fiction: Having-It-All-Lit.

She’d truly found paradise.

The happiness of mother and daughter was her top priority, and never again would she find herself anywhere other than where she wanted to be.

It was always there and would never leave them.

I’m flying once again.

I know that if a time ever comes that we find ourselves in need of answers, we’ll find them together.

It would stand for a dream, a chance to live one moment in the limelight, even if it was only in my imagination.

Just another layer of daughter protection, but we’ll save that story for another time.


And some opening lines:

They say you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince.

I fidget with my hair, smoothing an already perfect knot atop my head.

Many things in our lives go unexplained.

“Finito!” I screamed, not caring if the entire building heard me.

“Two egg whites, scrambled, wheat toast with blackberry jam and coffee.”

The crash of ocean waves echoed in Shelby Saunder’s ears while a soft steamy breeze blew the chocolate-colored strands of hair trailing from her twisted up-do.

Robyn Miller’s hands dove knuckle-deep into a mound of raw ground beef and egg as her daughter yelled from the living room.


Does anything entice you?? Maybe tomorrow I'll reveal where they came from! ;)

I made a goal last year t read 30 books in 2010. I almost made my goal...having read 28. I was proud...it was still a dozen more books than I read the year before. And there was no way i could tackle the 100 book challenge that many readers do...no way I could ever make that goal. But I made the same 30 book goal for 2011.

But I ahve to say...I;m not doing so well. :( Here we are, almost the end of April, months into the new year, and I am almost finished with book # 4. yeah...basically 1 book per month. that's not good at all. Definitely not gonna come anywhere close to my goal at this point.

But I think I know my problem. So far this year, only two of the books have engaged me so deeply that I had to just keep reading. The other two...took me a loooooong time. They just didn't suck me in. :( The one I kept reading becuase I did want to find out how it ended, as boring as the middle was. The other...well...I bought it so I feel like I need to finish it...there is promise of a steamy sex scene in there somewhere and I am just waiting for it!! LOL!

Do you have a favorite book/s you read over and over again????

I rarely re-read books. I think that is why I rarely buy books. At least not physical paper books. I do buy ebooks...but they don't take up space on my shelf.

But if it's something good that I know I will read again, I like to have a copy!! I have read The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series several times (which reminds me, it's probably time to reread those!!) I like to read Gone with the Wind every once in a while, though it's been a long time. And I ADORE Meg Cabot's Queen of Babble series. I only own digital copies of those books...but I'm okay with that.

I am always on the lookout for something new and exciting to read though, so that's why I rarely re-read something.

What about you???

Back in 1996, my boyfriend (now hubby) needed a new car. A friend of his dad's was a service manager at a local Nissan dealer. So he checked out what they had on their used car lot. We knew we could trust whatever he said. Hubby found a 1987 fully loaded Maxima. It had 120,000 miles, but it was a good price and his dad's friend had given it his seal of approval.

We've been loyal Nissan buyers ever since. That first Maxima we had was awesome. We drove it 70,000 miles over the next three years. (Hubby was downstate for a while for work and traveled 750 miles round trip most weekends to come home.) It became my car and hubby bought a small Nissan pick up truck.

Since 1996 we have owned an 87 Maxima, 97, 99, and 02 Altimas, an 88 truck, an 07 Quest and a 2010 Rogue. We still have the 02 Altima and the Rogue.

My point is, we've found a brand we know and trust. We don't need to do research on vehicles...we know we will love whatever Nissan comes out.

When it comes to writing, authors are kind of a brand. Most people I know, once they've found an author they love, they tend to stick with them and will buy their new releases without even knowing what they're about. I hope to find fans like that!!! I want my readers to trust me and trust in my work. I want them to expect great things from me and I never want them to be disappointed.

Now I know you can't please all the people all the time. I'm not looking for every reader on the planet to adore my every word. And I know I will have fans who will love some of my work more than others, but I do want that trust. I want readers to know that when they purchase my books, they won't be wasting money. I know some people will think that, regardless, but I hope to never disappoint my fans who have loved my work in the past.

SUCH a fun time suck if there ever was one!! I've learned so many great things and I have actually made some of the recipes I pinned!! :) How about you? Love it or loathe it??

Aside from my own fun, I did make some boards just for my characters! That was so cool! I love giving people a visual for my characters...helps them get to know them even better! :)

If you're on Pinterest, come stop by my boards!! :)

http://pinterest.com/stephanihaefner/

I know some people think it is a waste of time to read fiction. There's nothing to learn. The brain isn't stimulated.

Well, I completely disagree.

No, the purpose of fiction is not to learn facts, but I sure as hell learn a lot when I read it. If I'm reading a book about a rancher, I learn a little bit about what it's like to work that job. If I read a book about a fashion student, I learn a little bit about design and clothing. If I read a book about a football player, yeah, I learn a little more about something I knew nothing about before reading the book.

And yes, all of these scenarios are books I have recently read.

My point is that fiction does not have the main goal of informing it's readers, but the readers sure do learn something.

I read fiction for entertainment and escape. I like to forget my daily life and lose myself in another world. When I read Lone Star Trouble, it was real fun to "travel" to Texas and "meet" some people who raised cattle, got dirty, and worked hard. I never knew so much about vintage clothing until I "met" Lizzie Nichols in Queen of Babble and it was really interesting. Made me wanna peruse some yard sales for fabric treasures. And as a girly girl, it was super interesting to immerse myself in the world of a female high school quarterback in Catching Jordan.

I read for pleasure and entertainment....and if I learn something too, great. I don't think it makes me a less of a person because the books I choose to read are filled with imaginary people. As an author I know how difficult it is to create and imaginary world and do the research necessary to also make it realistic and believable.

I LOVE summer! The long days, the laziness, the sleeping in, the beautiful weather, the picnics and parties. Going to the beach, going on vacation, going to festivals, going to the park. ALL kinds of fun stuff going on everywhere!

So I decided to do a fun celebration on my website with TONS of awesome prizes!! Stop by for details!!

http://thewriterscocoon.blogspot.com/...

Stop by my website for an AWESOME giveaway! Choose your own prize! Lingerie or books!! :)

http://thewriterscocoon.blogspot.com/...

So excited! Book 2 in my Classy n Sassy series is releasing in less than 2 weeks!! If you haven't read book 1, read TRY ME ON FOR SIZE now!!

I'm throwing a fun Facebook party on release day to celebrate!! There will be TNS of special guests and fun and prizes. Check out out and RSVP now so you don't miss out on anything!! https://www.facebook.com/events/14360...