Seleste deLaney's Blog, page 9

Humility Is Important

I was asked today how I felt about authors who do things like announce their standings on best seller lists.  It was an interesting question because this is something that I think can be done really well. And it can be done in a way that is arrogant and off-putting. You see, most readers don't care (in theory) how well your book is selling--they care about the product. So how is an author to do this well and how can they screw it up?

Examples of the former:

An author friend's book was on sale a...

No Post...Enjoy This Instead

Sorry about the lack of a post today. We just got back from a long weekend with the extended family (ski trip) that included severely bruised shins for me and a very expensive but ultimately unnecessary trip to the ER for the Boy. I am tired and just trying to get caught up again. So please forgive the lack of a post, and instead enjoy this public service announcement.


Okay time to go curl up with Jensen... er a good book.

What Makes a Man Swoonworthy?

You hear a lot of people talking about what makes famous people or fictional characters swoonworthy, but those attributes aren't usually things that translate well to real life. I mean, I know guys with the rock hard abs and huge guns and perfect hair and... I don't think I could ever live with one of them. (Granted, I could be wrong but, as a happily married woman, I don't anticipate finding out any time soon.)

I've been married over fifteen years now, through all the ups and downs and sidewa...

Getting Ranty Up In Here

I try not to get ranty on this blog very often. When it's writing related, I can do that over at the Evil League of Evil Writers, so I save my writerly rants. This time though, it isn't about writing. It's about the media and public perception.

I don't watch the Superbowl. Generally speaking, professional sports don't get me excited, so unless I cave and go to a party, the Superbowl passes without much notice around here. However, I do pay attention when people mention commercials that they lo...

Cupid's Conquests News!

After several months of debating how to bring more Cupid's Conquests stories to the world, I spoke to the owner of Evernight Publishing, and the decision was made to open the series up for submissions!

This is a multi-author/shared-world series, but we're doing things a little different. Because it's more than just "here's this set-up, run with it", there are steps prospective authors need to go through. There's this general information about the series on the Evernight site.

Cupid's...

My Nice Neat Orderly Desk

Over the weekend, I was poking around Facebook and came across a link from Heroes & Heartbreakers that led me to Jennifer Cruise's blog in which she laments the perfection of Susan Elizabeth Phillips's office. Go ahead and look--it's a very pretty office.

Not my desk, but you get the idea.But, I have to admit, I thought the post itself was funny. Cruise talks about how everything is put away and Phillips will never find random stuff because it's so neat and tidy.

I swear I had a picture of my d...

Woot and Woohoo! And Why It Matters

A lot of an author's job is done in relative solitude. We write alone, we edit under direction but essentially alone, we pimp and we promo while sitting at home at our desks/kitchen tables/sofas... alone. Our human interaction is generally of the digital sort. That's the sort of connection we have to others in the business when we start freaking out that our work sucks. And I don't know an author who doesn't go through the "my book sucks ass" phase at some point. So we run to the other people...

New Year, New Goals

Happy 2012! Sorry I didn't post last week. We were at Disney World and I wasn't around to talk to anyone, so I figured it was kind of silly to post.
Anyway... I'm back!

2011 was a big year for me. My first Carina Press release plus (counting YA-me) five others. This year is starting off a little slower, only in that I have no announcements right now. I will have some soon though! To add to that, my little girl started first grade, so I've been adapting to the home-alone thing all day. It's...

X-M@$ Is Fun, Really

Since the in-laws arrived for their holiday visit today, I'm a little behind and crazed. So, in lieu of a blog post, please enjoy this lovely video. (It seemed appropriate :P)

Sometimes My Experiments Actually Don't Explode

So, I have this thing where every year during my holiday baking, I try a new recipe. I've found a lot of meh and a couple okay cookies, but this year? I think I might have a new favorite cookie. And as a special holiday gift from me to you, I'm sharing the recipe :)
German Honey Bars (Lebkuchen) (recipe from Holiday Food Fun)
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour2 teas ground cinnamon1 teas baking powder1 teas baking soda1/2 teas salt1/2 teas ground cardamon (for those who don't bake a lot, be...