Cardeno C.'s Blog, page 17
August 10, 2018
Inspirations by Felice Stevens
I rarely have inspirations from real life when I write a book. I get ideas that pop into my head and while I might take my feelings about a certain, real life person and portray them in a character, I've never had one person inspire a character for a book.
But then came Harlan in Cort—Unbreakable. You see, Harlan is based on a real-life character. I'll tell you a little about him.
As an attorney in my agency, I had different job functions in my over 30 year career. I was a tax litigator, I wrote position statements on real estate law. I litigated discrimination cases, was my agency's EEO officer and at one point was the Managing Administrative Law Judge (MALJ) of the Hearings by Mail Division of the Parking Violations Bureau.
While an MALJ of that division, there was another MALJ, a man who wielded a terrorizing hand over another group of ALJs. He was cruel, picked on people, used his position to berate and belittle people and overall was a rude and nasty person to almost everyone. He also ran a law practice on the side and had employees working for him, doing his private legal work, while they should have been working at their own job. When this was discovered, he was fired, as that was specifically against agency policy.
We often wondered what happened to this man, but figured he was so arrogant and had a law degree from a well-known university, he'd have no trouble finding another job and other people to terrorize. But we were wrong.
Approximately two years after he was fired, this man was spotted picking food out of a garbage can on the street not far from our old offices. When he was approached by a former colleague, he said after he was fired he began to drink and he lost his apartment. His partner left him and he ended up homeless and living on the streets.
That man was my inspiration for Harlan. I wanted to show that no matter how high up you can be in the world, it doesn't take much to kick you down and keep you there. It doesn't matter sometimes if you are highly educated or seemingly have everything in the world, you too can end up in terrible situations because of your own doings.
Cort—Unbreakable is now available at a release week price of $3.99 and is free to read in Kindle Unlimited.
Amazon link: https://amzn.to/2nqlh8o
But then came Harlan in Cort—Unbreakable. You see, Harlan is based on a real-life character. I'll tell you a little about him.
As an attorney in my agency, I had different job functions in my over 30 year career. I was a tax litigator, I wrote position statements on real estate law. I litigated discrimination cases, was my agency's EEO officer and at one point was the Managing Administrative Law Judge (MALJ) of the Hearings by Mail Division of the Parking Violations Bureau.
While an MALJ of that division, there was another MALJ, a man who wielded a terrorizing hand over another group of ALJs. He was cruel, picked on people, used his position to berate and belittle people and overall was a rude and nasty person to almost everyone. He also ran a law practice on the side and had employees working for him, doing his private legal work, while they should have been working at their own job. When this was discovered, he was fired, as that was specifically against agency policy.
We often wondered what happened to this man, but figured he was so arrogant and had a law degree from a well-known university, he'd have no trouble finding another job and other people to terrorize. But we were wrong.
Approximately two years after he was fired, this man was spotted picking food out of a garbage can on the street not far from our old offices. When he was approached by a former colleague, he said after he was fired he began to drink and he lost his apartment. His partner left him and he ended up homeless and living on the streets.
That man was my inspiration for Harlan. I wanted to show that no matter how high up you can be in the world, it doesn't take much to kick you down and keep you there. It doesn't matter sometimes if you are highly educated or seemingly have everything in the world, you too can end up in terrible situations because of your own doings.
Cort—Unbreakable is now available at a release week price of $3.99 and is free to read in Kindle Unlimited.
Amazon link: https://amzn.to/2nqlh8o
August 4, 2018
Computer Woes By S.C. Wynne
Hello, Peeps!
Sorry for the late day post. I've been having computer issues lately. My computer is five years old and suddenly it's become a massive diva. I've tried putting up with it as long as I could, but lately it wants to give me the blue screen of death every half hour. It's hard to be creative when I'm nervous about hitting save every few lines.
I ordered a computer online from Bestbuys and paid for one day shipping, but alas, at midnight last night they informed me of a shipping delay. I was not a happy girl. I may have ranted just a bit to my sleepy husband and anyone who'd listen. lol
But I've been assured the computer will arrive Monday. I really, really hope so. I'm sick of thinking about my computer all the time. It's very stressful. First world problem, I know!
Hopefully you've had a much better week? I certainly hope so. I will talk to you guys next week and hopefully it will be from my brand new gadget! :D
S.C.
www.scwynne.com
August 2, 2018
Sometimes you just need to chill by Felice Stevens
How did it get to be Friday again? And AUGUST?? I am so not ready for the fall. Fall means the start of school again and my son is now a college senior. It also means the Jewish holidays which are either always early or late. No one time is ever right.
But this weekend, I'm meeting with my Boozy Brunch crew for our Rocco's get together where we talk about books, and drink margaritas and try to figure out publishing and what the hell is Amazon doing NOW.
That's on Saturday. Tomorrow I'm going to hunker down with another author and my copy editor and we are going to do a mini writing retreat. I am only about two chapters away from finishing James's book in the Man Up series (!!!!) and have my collaboration with Christina Lee as well as some other projects to work on. I'm so excited to see my friends and work with them. We did this at the NJ conference back in March and had the BEST time.
Next week is the release of Cort—Unbreakable and the early reviews are that this is a redemption ARC like no one has ever read. You may remember that Harlan was a key character in One Call Away. He was arrogant, cruel, mean and a downright bully and yet I always wanted to redeem him. This is his story and Cort's. You can add it to your Goodreads shelf here —>
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...
But this weekend, I'm meeting with my Boozy Brunch crew for our Rocco's get together where we talk about books, and drink margaritas and try to figure out publishing and what the hell is Amazon doing NOW.
That's on Saturday. Tomorrow I'm going to hunker down with another author and my copy editor and we are going to do a mini writing retreat. I am only about two chapters away from finishing James's book in the Man Up series (!!!!) and have my collaboration with Christina Lee as well as some other projects to work on. I'm so excited to see my friends and work with them. We did this at the NJ conference back in March and had the BEST time.
Next week is the release of Cort—Unbreakable and the early reviews are that this is a redemption ARC like no one has ever read. You may remember that Harlan was a key character in One Call Away. He was arrogant, cruel, mean and a downright bully and yet I always wanted to redeem him. This is his story and Cort's. You can add it to your Goodreads shelf here —>
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...
August 1, 2018
Horses, Bulls and Cowboys... Oh My!!!!!
I love me some cowboys and I'm happy to announce that Don't Let Go will release August 7. I'm so thrilled to be able to go back out west. It always lifts my spirits and makes me happy. And I have to give special props to my friend BA Tortuga. She helped me so much on the rodeo parts of this story. Its always so amazing to get to work with her. She is so very special to me.
Don't Let Go is a bit of a romp with secrets, hidden identities, hot cowboys, and even a song. Yes, I had to write a song. Lord help us all. I hope you love Don't Let Go as much as I loved escaping into the west for a month or so.
Avery Rivers is a country music sensation, selling records by the millions and playing to sold-out crowds. But behind that persona is Robert, a burned-out musician cracking under the pressure. He’s unable to write any new songs, and he wants out of the business—at least for a while. He changes his appearance and finds honest, hard work in Jackson, Wyoming. Maybe getting to be a regular guy for a while will get him past his block.Hy Whitely was a championship bull rider until he watched his best friend thrown in the arena and decided the rodeo circuit was no longer the place for him. He wants to be plain old Zeke for a while, and when he returns to his family ranch, he bumps right into Robert—a one-night stand from his last rodeo appearance who is now working there as a ranch hand.The heat between the men could sear the grass off the range, but each one is hiding a secret. Robert and Zeke, the men behind the public images, fall in love, but can they hold on when Avery and Hy are pulled back into the spotlight?
Purchase an advance copy: https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/boo...
Excerpt:"Yeah.” Robert saw some of his desire reflected in the other man’s eyes, and it sent his heart racing a little faster, the pit of his belly zinging and fluttering slightly. “I just got into town a few hours ago and needed something to eat.” He also wanted to drink and relax. Robert had no illusions that Cheyenne was going to have any rainbow-type nightlife, but it looked like some might have found him. That was, if he could still read the signs.Robert got a refill and slipped off his barstool to wander toward the back of the bar, where a bunch of people were watching the dance floor. The cowboy came right along with him, which in Robert’s mind was a sure sign of interest. He leaned against the wall as couples line-danced their way across the floor.“I love his music,” the cowboy said from next to him.“Me too,” Robert said about his own song. He had loved it when he wrote it and recorded it, but now he’d heard it and sung it so many times…. He needed something new to get the creative juices flowing. “I’m Robert.” He held out his hand.“Zeke,” the cowboy answered, shaking firmly, his touch lingering just a little longer than normal, which only upped the flutter of excitement. “I never got to see him when he was in Denver. Me and some friends talked about getting tickets, but they were sold out in minutes.” Zeke sipped his beer as the song came to an end, and Robert did the same, trying not to be too obvious about watching him. “I wonder if his voice really sounds like that or if it’s Auto-Tuned or something.”Robert pulled a face as his temper threatened to rise. He had never used Auto-Tune or any of that synthesized shit in his music. That was cheating as far as he was concerned. What was heard on all his recordings was truly him and nothing else. “I suspect it’s real. It sounds it.”Zeke nodded. “True. How can anyone conjure up those soulful rich undertones that get you just right?”Robert shrugged. He certainly didn’t want to get too deep into a discussion of himself. It seemed wrong and was way too close to home.Half the place was dancing, and a pretty girl in boots and a Western denim skirt came up to him, all smiles and huge eyes. “Do you dance?” she asked Robert, fluttering her eyes at him.Robert smiled and nodded. Then he held the lady’s hand and led her onto the floor. It took him two seconds before he was into the moves, and he danced to her delight, adding a little extra spring to his step.Author Information
Andrew grew up in western Michigan with a father who loved to tell stories and a mother who loved to read them. Since then he has lived throughout the country and traveled throughout the world. He has a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and works in information systems for a large corporation.Andrew’s hobbies include collecting antiques, gardening, and leaving his dirty dishes anywhere but in the sink (particularly when writing) He considers himself blessed with an accepting family, fantastic friends, and the world’s most supportive and loving partner. Andrew currently lives in beautiful, historic Carlisle, Pennsylvania.Author LinksAmazon Author PageBarnes and Noble PageDreamspinner PressFacebookFacebook Group All the Way with Andrew GreyGoodreadsTwitter @andrewgreybooksWebsite
For Other Works by Andrew Grey(Please Be Sure To Stop by His Website to See All of His Works)
July 31, 2018
Summer fun with BA, Julia, Kiernan and Sean
What was your favorite part of summer vacation?
what was your favorite back to school supply?
What was your best favorite summer song and or movie?
What do you have planned the rest of this summer
Kiernan
Every year for summer vacation, my parents would take me to Atlantic City, New Jersey for two weeks. This was way back before the casinos, mind you, when it was nothing but sand, ocean, and boardwalk. We'd roast on the hot sand every day, then walk the boardwalk at night. I'd especially like taking rides in the rolling carts - which were sort of like oversized wicker strollers for adults, pushed up and down the boardwalk by attendants.
Notebooks. Even today, there's something magical for me in a clean, unused notebook. I really liked the five subject, spiral bound ones, although in grade school we were only allowed to have those black-and-white marbled ones. Then again, I had to use cartridge pens in grade school because the nuns thought ball point pens were the work of the devil. At least, that's the only reason I can think why they forced us to use those messy cartridge ink pens.
My favorite summer songs are the surfer songs from the sixties. Nothing screams summer to me like listening to the Beach Boys or Jan and Dean.
In August I'm flying to San Francisco to see my son. We'll do Alcatraz again, Fisherman's Wharf, Muir Woods, Chinatown, and the Westchester House.
B.a. Tortuga
1. I hated not being at school, to be honest.
2. Crayons
3. Grease
4. B.a. 4. Jodi Payne and family are coming for a week.
July 28, 2018
New Release By S.C. Wynne
Morning all!
I wrote a short story for Ellora's Cave years ago before they closed. It was called Guard My Body and it was for a special call they had for characters that were in their fifties. It was only around 17,000 words and I ended up adding lots more and rewriting the story hugely. I also changed the name to Redemption. It came in at 35,000 for the re-release. It was fun revisiting these two characters who had meant so much to me.
I loved the idea of writing a sexy story about older men. There is such an odd perception in our society that once you're over thirty you're supposed to just stop being a sexual being or something. It's a rather odd idea in my opinion. You don't have to be in your twenties to feel sexually attracted. This story deals with a man who loses his love of thirty years. He struggle to realize he can love again, without dishonoring the love he had before.
Blurb
After losing his lover of more than thirty years, Andrew struggles with guilt and grief on a daily basis. He wrestles with the idea of moving forward, and leaving the memories of his past lover, Rory, behind. Even if he had the courage to look for love again, he’s in his fifties, and has been out of the dating game for decades. What could he possibly have to offer someone else?
Michael has spent most of his life hopping from one lover to the next. He longs for the stability of a relationship, but is afraid he’ll have to sacrifice heat and chemistry—until he lays eyes on Andrew. From their first conversation there is no denying they have an emotional and physical connection.Will these two men figure out that age is just a number, and the future is bright for those who reach for it?
Excerpt
The servers circled the table filling our wine glasses and setting little spinach salads in front of us all. I was trying to converse with my hearing impaired friend when something brushed against me on my other side. Someone sank into the chair next to me, and my breath caught in my throat when I saw who it was. Sexy dark-haired guy was sitting in the chair, smelling of orange flower and lavender. My pulse sped up as his shoulder brushed mine, and he turned to stare into my eyes. I let out a surprised grunt and met his friendly gaze.
“Oh good. I didn’t miss the meal.” He smiled, and I went weak in the knees. Thank goodness I was sitting. He had a tiny dusting of gray around the temples, but his skin was tanned and almost flawless. His eyes were a dark chocolate brown, and his lips full and supple. He was even more striking up close, and my pulse responded by jangling insanely like earlier. “I had to take a call.”
I didn’t respond. I just stared and then turned back to my spinach salad. I forced myself to continue eating, but I couldn’t taste anything. It was hard to assimilate things when I felt like I was having a heart attack. The lady on my other side wasn’t having any trouble eating. She’d given up trying to talk and was digging into her salad as if someone was going to steal it away.
“Close friend or acquaintance?” Dark-haired guy asked me. His intense gaze came to rest on my mouth briefly.
I stared at him blankly, as if I didn’t understand his question. It’d been a while since I’d bothered to read the signs of attraction from another man, but I could sense that he felt what I felt. Sexual attraction was pretty straight forward. My gut ached as the same guilt from earlier attacked me as my body responded to his sensual glance. Rory had been the only other guy who I’d ever lusted after the moment I’d met him. We’d had an immediate connection, and until now, no one had ever struck that same salacious cord in me.
“With Fredrick. Are you a close friend or an acquaintance?” He smiled at my confusion, and that almost made it worse. His smile was white and warm, with perfect little dimples.
“Friend. Close friend.” I grimaced. “But I also work for him.”
“I see. So you’ve known him a long time?”
“Yeah. I met him straight out of college, so a really long time.” I winced. “How time flies. Jesus, college was an eternity ago.”
“You’ve held up very well.” His smile was easy going, and his gaze approving.
“Good genes, I guess.”
“Whatever the reason, it’s a nice package.”
My face warmed at his heartfelt compliment. I knew I was good looking for my age. I had blond hair that for some reason wasn’t graying yet, and because of my job, I was forced to work out. I had a lot more muscle than most guys my age. But in my profession you had to be tough and in great shape. However, I didn’t kid myself that I was in this guy’s league. I wasn’t quite sure why he was looking at me like I was.
“It’s all smoke and mirrors.” I avoided his gaze. “Of course, Fredrick is much older than me.”
“Well, yeah, that I could tell.” He ran his eyes over my body again, and I squashed the desire to do the same to him. I was already more aware of the heat of his thigh near mine than I needed to be. “Of course no one really knows Fredrick’s real age, do they? He’s very secretive. Maybe one day I’ll hire someone to break into his safe so I can take a peek at his birth certificate.”
“Rumor has it he used to lunch with the The Pharaohs.”
He grinned. “Knowing him, he made them pick up the check too.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “No doubt.” Something about him seemed familiar, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.
He picked at his salad and turned back toward me. “So you’re his friend, but you work with him?”
“Uh… for him.” I was uneasy about telling him what my job was. It was a perfectly respectable profession, and I didn’t need to feel like a poor relation. My shame probably stemmed from having gone from being equals or partners with Fredrick, to working under him. After the downward spiral I’d been in from Rory’s death, I now relied on him for a job. No one else would have hired me. And I didn’t blame them either. I wouldn’t have hired me back then. “I’m his bodyguard.”
His perfect dark brows rose. “He needs a bodyguard?”
I nodded. “He has a great success rate at work. But when he loses, his clients aren’t the forgiving type.”
“I never thought about what happens when he loses a case.”
“He doesn’t lose often.”
“Very true.” A small wrinkle appeared on his forehead. “Bodyguard, huh? Sounds dangerous.”
“Danger is my middle name… or my first, I forget.” I smirked. He looked distracted now. Maybe my lowly job had turned him off. Or maybe I had a piece of lettuce hanging from my chin and he didn’t know how to tell me. Either way, I figured it was fine with me if he lost interest. I hadn’t wanted his attention to begin with. Right?
He set his fork down and shifted to face me. “Speaking of names, what’s yours?” He suddenly looked very serious.
“My name?” His sudden change in demeanor had me uneasy.
“Yes.” He frowned. “Your voice is familiar.”
“It is?” I gave an uneasy laugh. “My name is Andrew James.”
“Seriously?” He shook his head and shot an irritated look toward the end of the table where Fredrick sat. “He is unbelievable.”
I frowned. “I’m sorry?”
“That sneaky son of a bitch.” He continued to glare in Fredrick’s direction.
“What’s wrong?” I’m sure I looked confused at his sudden irritation with my boss.
His jaw was tight with tension. “Please know I had no idea this was going to happen.”
I was muddled by how he was acting, and felt like I was the only one who didn’t quite get the joke. “What’s about to happen?”
“Please don’t blame me, Andrew. We’re both just pawns in this unfair little game.”
A feeling of apprehension began to grow in my gut. There was definitely something about his voice that was familiar. “Do I know you?”
“Not really. Sort of.” He shook his head, looking embarrassed. “I’m Michael Lawrence. Well, to be more accurate, Dr. Michael Lawrence.”
Hope you enjoyed that little taste! I'd you're interested in buy the book I'll leave some links below.
S.C.www.scwynne.com
Amazon Kobo Barnes & Noble Apple
I wrote a short story for Ellora's Cave years ago before they closed. It was called Guard My Body and it was for a special call they had for characters that were in their fifties. It was only around 17,000 words and I ended up adding lots more and rewriting the story hugely. I also changed the name to Redemption. It came in at 35,000 for the re-release. It was fun revisiting these two characters who had meant so much to me.
I loved the idea of writing a sexy story about older men. There is such an odd perception in our society that once you're over thirty you're supposed to just stop being a sexual being or something. It's a rather odd idea in my opinion. You don't have to be in your twenties to feel sexually attracted. This story deals with a man who loses his love of thirty years. He struggle to realize he can love again, without dishonoring the love he had before.
Blurb
After losing his lover of more than thirty years, Andrew struggles with guilt and grief on a daily basis. He wrestles with the idea of moving forward, and leaving the memories of his past lover, Rory, behind. Even if he had the courage to look for love again, he’s in his fifties, and has been out of the dating game for decades. What could he possibly have to offer someone else?
Michael has spent most of his life hopping from one lover to the next. He longs for the stability of a relationship, but is afraid he’ll have to sacrifice heat and chemistry—until he lays eyes on Andrew. From their first conversation there is no denying they have an emotional and physical connection.Will these two men figure out that age is just a number, and the future is bright for those who reach for it?
Excerpt
The servers circled the table filling our wine glasses and setting little spinach salads in front of us all. I was trying to converse with my hearing impaired friend when something brushed against me on my other side. Someone sank into the chair next to me, and my breath caught in my throat when I saw who it was. Sexy dark-haired guy was sitting in the chair, smelling of orange flower and lavender. My pulse sped up as his shoulder brushed mine, and he turned to stare into my eyes. I let out a surprised grunt and met his friendly gaze.
“Oh good. I didn’t miss the meal.” He smiled, and I went weak in the knees. Thank goodness I was sitting. He had a tiny dusting of gray around the temples, but his skin was tanned and almost flawless. His eyes were a dark chocolate brown, and his lips full and supple. He was even more striking up close, and my pulse responded by jangling insanely like earlier. “I had to take a call.”
I didn’t respond. I just stared and then turned back to my spinach salad. I forced myself to continue eating, but I couldn’t taste anything. It was hard to assimilate things when I felt like I was having a heart attack. The lady on my other side wasn’t having any trouble eating. She’d given up trying to talk and was digging into her salad as if someone was going to steal it away.
“Close friend or acquaintance?” Dark-haired guy asked me. His intense gaze came to rest on my mouth briefly.
I stared at him blankly, as if I didn’t understand his question. It’d been a while since I’d bothered to read the signs of attraction from another man, but I could sense that he felt what I felt. Sexual attraction was pretty straight forward. My gut ached as the same guilt from earlier attacked me as my body responded to his sensual glance. Rory had been the only other guy who I’d ever lusted after the moment I’d met him. We’d had an immediate connection, and until now, no one had ever struck that same salacious cord in me.
“With Fredrick. Are you a close friend or an acquaintance?” He smiled at my confusion, and that almost made it worse. His smile was white and warm, with perfect little dimples.
“Friend. Close friend.” I grimaced. “But I also work for him.”
“I see. So you’ve known him a long time?”
“Yeah. I met him straight out of college, so a really long time.” I winced. “How time flies. Jesus, college was an eternity ago.”
“You’ve held up very well.” His smile was easy going, and his gaze approving.
“Good genes, I guess.”
“Whatever the reason, it’s a nice package.”
My face warmed at his heartfelt compliment. I knew I was good looking for my age. I had blond hair that for some reason wasn’t graying yet, and because of my job, I was forced to work out. I had a lot more muscle than most guys my age. But in my profession you had to be tough and in great shape. However, I didn’t kid myself that I was in this guy’s league. I wasn’t quite sure why he was looking at me like I was.
“It’s all smoke and mirrors.” I avoided his gaze. “Of course, Fredrick is much older than me.”
“Well, yeah, that I could tell.” He ran his eyes over my body again, and I squashed the desire to do the same to him. I was already more aware of the heat of his thigh near mine than I needed to be. “Of course no one really knows Fredrick’s real age, do they? He’s very secretive. Maybe one day I’ll hire someone to break into his safe so I can take a peek at his birth certificate.”
“Rumor has it he used to lunch with the The Pharaohs.”
He grinned. “Knowing him, he made them pick up the check too.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “No doubt.” Something about him seemed familiar, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.
He picked at his salad and turned back toward me. “So you’re his friend, but you work with him?”
“Uh… for him.” I was uneasy about telling him what my job was. It was a perfectly respectable profession, and I didn’t need to feel like a poor relation. My shame probably stemmed from having gone from being equals or partners with Fredrick, to working under him. After the downward spiral I’d been in from Rory’s death, I now relied on him for a job. No one else would have hired me. And I didn’t blame them either. I wouldn’t have hired me back then. “I’m his bodyguard.”
His perfect dark brows rose. “He needs a bodyguard?”
I nodded. “He has a great success rate at work. But when he loses, his clients aren’t the forgiving type.”
“I never thought about what happens when he loses a case.”
“He doesn’t lose often.”
“Very true.” A small wrinkle appeared on his forehead. “Bodyguard, huh? Sounds dangerous.”
“Danger is my middle name… or my first, I forget.” I smirked. He looked distracted now. Maybe my lowly job had turned him off. Or maybe I had a piece of lettuce hanging from my chin and he didn’t know how to tell me. Either way, I figured it was fine with me if he lost interest. I hadn’t wanted his attention to begin with. Right?
He set his fork down and shifted to face me. “Speaking of names, what’s yours?” He suddenly looked very serious.
“My name?” His sudden change in demeanor had me uneasy.
“Yes.” He frowned. “Your voice is familiar.”
“It is?” I gave an uneasy laugh. “My name is Andrew James.”
“Seriously?” He shook his head and shot an irritated look toward the end of the table where Fredrick sat. “He is unbelievable.”
I frowned. “I’m sorry?”
“That sneaky son of a bitch.” He continued to glare in Fredrick’s direction.
“What’s wrong?” I’m sure I looked confused at his sudden irritation with my boss.
His jaw was tight with tension. “Please know I had no idea this was going to happen.”
I was muddled by how he was acting, and felt like I was the only one who didn’t quite get the joke. “What’s about to happen?”
“Please don’t blame me, Andrew. We’re both just pawns in this unfair little game.”
A feeling of apprehension began to grow in my gut. There was definitely something about his voice that was familiar. “Do I know you?”
“Not really. Sort of.” He shook his head, looking embarrassed. “I’m Michael Lawrence. Well, to be more accurate, Dr. Michael Lawrence.”
Hope you enjoyed that little taste! I'd you're interested in buy the book I'll leave some links below.
S.C.www.scwynne.com
Amazon Kobo Barnes & Noble Apple
July 21, 2018
Telling Readers What to Read and Authors What to Write By S.C. Wynne
Good morning!
Most people know that this week, yet again, our genre exploded with drama. This rant from a certain element comes around every few months; the horror of women writing gay romance. It's usually the same players too. Every time it simply shows again that these angry authors just don't get what it is that makes books sell. They don't want to write to the readers market, they want to tell the readers what they're allowed to read. That's not how the market works. Whether you're talking about selling gay romance or pies, the consumer is who decides what the market is.
I get the feeling this type of angry male author doesn't understand why something sells. They seem very bitter that other authors, largely female, sell more books. They seem to want to drive female authors out of mm romance. But the thing is, this angry author in question is writing gay fiction. He's catering to a different audience. He isn't writing mm romance, so why is he so angry at those who do write mm romance who are successful? He accuses female authors who write to market as not being allies. Apparently we're evil for writing stories that readers actually want to read? Our stories aren't realistic enough .Well... we're not writing biographies. We're writing romantic FICTION. Our mm romance characters are no more realistic than the millions of stories written in MF FICTION. We aren't obligated to reflect true life. We're writing romance. Silly, entertaining fun stories that end happily. Why is that a problem?
This particular angry male author seems to be under the impression that we as authors have trained the readers to read what we want them to read. Um... nope. WRONG. The readers BUY what they enjoy. Authors don't drive the market, the readers do. THE READERS DRIVE THE MARKET. We can't force them to read what they don't enjoy. It's their money. It's their time. We have NO BUSINESS telling readers what they are allowed to read. Shaming readers will never work. It will not produce a profitable career. All authors can do, men, women and gender fluid authors, all we can do is write to what the readers want, if we are going to have a successful career. We can scream and throw a tantrum if we want, but it will change NOTHING. This holds true in MF books as well. Readers drive the market in all genres.
As a woman author of mm romance, I personally find it exhausting having to justify WHY I write the books I write. I don't owe anybody an explanation. Ever since this man's ranting post, I see women authors all over Facebook trying to explain and justify why they write what they write. I call bullshit. We don't owe anyone an explanation of why we write what we write.
I also don't feel ashamed that I need to make money writing my stories. This is my job. This is how I support my family. There's nothing wrong with that. But I'll tell you this, writing is damn hard work, and as much as I love it, I doubt I'd put in ten hours a day doing it if I didn't make money writing. Whether I love to write or not, my family needs to eat.
I don't tend to weigh in on this stuff. As I said before, it comes around every few months. But this time, some of the things said were so horribly offensive, I felt moved to let off some steam. I'm very happy that the majority of readers have no ideas this drama is even happening. Thank God.
S.C.
www.scwynne.com
Most people know that this week, yet again, our genre exploded with drama. This rant from a certain element comes around every few months; the horror of women writing gay romance. It's usually the same players too. Every time it simply shows again that these angry authors just don't get what it is that makes books sell. They don't want to write to the readers market, they want to tell the readers what they're allowed to read. That's not how the market works. Whether you're talking about selling gay romance or pies, the consumer is who decides what the market is.
I get the feeling this type of angry male author doesn't understand why something sells. They seem very bitter that other authors, largely female, sell more books. They seem to want to drive female authors out of mm romance. But the thing is, this angry author in question is writing gay fiction. He's catering to a different audience. He isn't writing mm romance, so why is he so angry at those who do write mm romance who are successful? He accuses female authors who write to market as not being allies. Apparently we're evil for writing stories that readers actually want to read? Our stories aren't realistic enough .Well... we're not writing biographies. We're writing romantic FICTION. Our mm romance characters are no more realistic than the millions of stories written in MF FICTION. We aren't obligated to reflect true life. We're writing romance. Silly, entertaining fun stories that end happily. Why is that a problem?
This particular angry male author seems to be under the impression that we as authors have trained the readers to read what we want them to read. Um... nope. WRONG. The readers BUY what they enjoy. Authors don't drive the market, the readers do. THE READERS DRIVE THE MARKET. We can't force them to read what they don't enjoy. It's their money. It's their time. We have NO BUSINESS telling readers what they are allowed to read. Shaming readers will never work. It will not produce a profitable career. All authors can do, men, women and gender fluid authors, all we can do is write to what the readers want, if we are going to have a successful career. We can scream and throw a tantrum if we want, but it will change NOTHING. This holds true in MF books as well. Readers drive the market in all genres.
As a woman author of mm romance, I personally find it exhausting having to justify WHY I write the books I write. I don't owe anybody an explanation. Ever since this man's ranting post, I see women authors all over Facebook trying to explain and justify why they write what they write. I call bullshit. We don't owe anyone an explanation of why we write what we write.
I also don't feel ashamed that I need to make money writing my stories. This is my job. This is how I support my family. There's nothing wrong with that. But I'll tell you this, writing is damn hard work, and as much as I love it, I doubt I'd put in ten hours a day doing it if I didn't make money writing. Whether I love to write or not, my family needs to eat.
I don't tend to weigh in on this stuff. As I said before, it comes around every few months. But this time, some of the things said were so horribly offensive, I felt moved to let off some steam. I'm very happy that the majority of readers have no ideas this drama is even happening. Thank God.
S.C.
www.scwynne.com
July 19, 2018
Why it's okay to unfriend, or it's another day ending in "Y" by Felice Stevens
Social media is an odd animal. Some one connects with you through a computer and not really knowing you, still feels the need to tell you what to say, how to say it and why. They believe being a friend on FB gives them the right to say whatever they want to you.
We are told that to have a lot of "friends" on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram is a sign you've "hit the big time." That you've "made it."
Well, I'm here to say in my opinion that's a big crock of nothing.
Lets see why.
I get friend requests all the time. Of course being the savvy FB user, that means I check their profile. Do they have hate speech on there? Is there something that sends up a red flag to me? If so, delete. But sometimes there are people who are friends with other of my FB friends and I'm sad to say I don't recognize who those "friends" are. Why are we friends? I never hear from these people, ever. Why did they want to be friends with me, or me them?
We tend to friend authors and readers, to become acquainted with the community. We believe we all share something in common—a love for the books we are reading. Unfortunately, that's not the case. ALL genres, not just MM romance have infighting. (Really. Can you believe it?) It's merely a sign of the growing pains of a community that is feeling and finding it's way.
BUT, if you are friends with people, and then you see them behaving badly...really badly on FB, what do you do? Ignore them? Say something? Speak to them? Or simply unfriend?
It used to be that I would usually ignore or maybe unfollow the person. Out of sight, out of mind. But for the past few months, I've read some posts and comments from authors and other people in the genre that have gone beyond merely annoying me. Flies annoy me, but I can swat them away and they're forgotten. These posts have been cruel, hurtful and horribly offensive. I can't unsee. I don't forget.
Few things will cause me to unfriend automatically. If you are an anti-semite or a racist, you're gone. If you advocate violence against children, you're out. Think it's okay to hurt/kill animals? Goodbye. And as a victim of an attempted sexual assault, I will boot you if you speak positively about rape.
Also, if you say nasty, mean and horrible things about my friends, bye bye. I keep my friends close. They mean the world to me, so if you hurt them, you hurt me.
I don't care if it's three or thirty or three hundred people, if you prove yourself to be a person I wouldn't have wanted to introduce to my parents or be around my kids I don't need you as a FB friend.
So I've started unfriending people. And trust me, I've been unfriended by people and have no idea why. (And a few I do and it's fine. Really.) But it's their choice. Like my timeline is my choice. It's freeing. I don't want to have to get angry every time I go online.
Having a lot of friends on social media looks good on paper, but in reality it can be more stress than it's worth. It's time to take back our social media presence and concentrate on the people worth our time. Quality, not quantity should count.
What do you think?
Have a great weekend!
We are told that to have a lot of "friends" on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram is a sign you've "hit the big time." That you've "made it."
Well, I'm here to say in my opinion that's a big crock of nothing.
Lets see why.
I get friend requests all the time. Of course being the savvy FB user, that means I check their profile. Do they have hate speech on there? Is there something that sends up a red flag to me? If so, delete. But sometimes there are people who are friends with other of my FB friends and I'm sad to say I don't recognize who those "friends" are. Why are we friends? I never hear from these people, ever. Why did they want to be friends with me, or me them?
We tend to friend authors and readers, to become acquainted with the community. We believe we all share something in common—a love for the books we are reading. Unfortunately, that's not the case. ALL genres, not just MM romance have infighting. (Really. Can you believe it?) It's merely a sign of the growing pains of a community that is feeling and finding it's way.
BUT, if you are friends with people, and then you see them behaving badly...really badly on FB, what do you do? Ignore them? Say something? Speak to them? Or simply unfriend?
It used to be that I would usually ignore or maybe unfollow the person. Out of sight, out of mind. But for the past few months, I've read some posts and comments from authors and other people in the genre that have gone beyond merely annoying me. Flies annoy me, but I can swat them away and they're forgotten. These posts have been cruel, hurtful and horribly offensive. I can't unsee. I don't forget.
Few things will cause me to unfriend automatically. If you are an anti-semite or a racist, you're gone. If you advocate violence against children, you're out. Think it's okay to hurt/kill animals? Goodbye. And as a victim of an attempted sexual assault, I will boot you if you speak positively about rape.
Also, if you say nasty, mean and horrible things about my friends, bye bye. I keep my friends close. They mean the world to me, so if you hurt them, you hurt me.
I don't care if it's three or thirty or three hundred people, if you prove yourself to be a person I wouldn't have wanted to introduce to my parents or be around my kids I don't need you as a FB friend.
So I've started unfriending people. And trust me, I've been unfriended by people and have no idea why. (And a few I do and it's fine. Really.) But it's their choice. Like my timeline is my choice. It's freeing. I don't want to have to get angry every time I go online.
Having a lot of friends on social media looks good on paper, but in reality it can be more stress than it's worth. It's time to take back our social media presence and concentrate on the people worth our time. Quality, not quantity should count.
What do you think?
Have a great weekend!
July 17, 2018
Three things to beat the heat with BA, Julia, Kiernan and Sean
Today we each bring you three ways to help with the summer heat.
A refreshing dish
A tip for staying cool on a hot day
Favourite hot day drink?
BA
Dish? Tacos. I’m a taco girl all summer.
I stay cool by hiding in the house with the fans on and the lights off.
And iced coffee or iced tea. Iced caffeine is good for me.
Julia
My fave hot weather dish is tomato and cuke salad
Stay cool tip? Go to the movies!
Hot day drink is Sprite on ice
Kiernan
I like a nice grilled steak salad on hot days.
To stay cool, I hit the pool! As in going swimming - hitting the poor pool would just be mean.
I drink lots of ice water, but I also really like an iced coffee!
Sean
My go to meal on hot days is cut up veggies (with or without lettuce) with my homemade white balsamic dressing on it - 1 part olive oil, 1 part white balsamic vinegar, a couple dashes of lemon juice, some italian seasoning, salt and pepper to taste, shake well.
To stay cool, I shut the house up tight and turn the air conditioner on, then I add a fan blowing on me.
My favorite hot day drink is cold water. I`m not adverse to a frozen margarita either, though.
Visit our websites:Sean's is http://www.seanmichaelwrites.comJulia’s is http://www.juliatalbot.comBA’s is http://www.batortuga.comKiernan's is www.KiernanKelly.com
Facebook:Sean -- https://www.facebook.com/SeanMichaelWritesJulia -- https://www.facebook.com/juliatalbotauthorBA -- https://www.facebook.com/batortugaKiernan -- https://www.facebook.com/kiernan.kelly
Seansmut fixes everything
A refreshing dish
A tip for staying cool on a hot day
Favourite hot day drink?
BA
Dish? Tacos. I’m a taco girl all summer.
I stay cool by hiding in the house with the fans on and the lights off.
And iced coffee or iced tea. Iced caffeine is good for me.
Julia
My fave hot weather dish is tomato and cuke salad
Stay cool tip? Go to the movies!
Hot day drink is Sprite on ice
Kiernan
I like a nice grilled steak salad on hot days.
To stay cool, I hit the pool! As in going swimming - hitting the poor pool would just be mean.
I drink lots of ice water, but I also really like an iced coffee!
Sean
My go to meal on hot days is cut up veggies (with or without lettuce) with my homemade white balsamic dressing on it - 1 part olive oil, 1 part white balsamic vinegar, a couple dashes of lemon juice, some italian seasoning, salt and pepper to taste, shake well.
To stay cool, I shut the house up tight and turn the air conditioner on, then I add a fan blowing on me.
My favorite hot day drink is cold water. I`m not adverse to a frozen margarita either, though.
Visit our websites:Sean's is http://www.seanmichaelwrites.comJulia’s is http://www.juliatalbot.comBA’s is http://www.batortuga.comKiernan's is www.KiernanKelly.com
Facebook:Sean -- https://www.facebook.com/SeanMichaelWritesJulia -- https://www.facebook.com/juliatalbotauthorBA -- https://www.facebook.com/batortugaKiernan -- https://www.facebook.com/kiernan.kelly
Seansmut fixes everything
July 14, 2018
Rejection By S.C. Wynne
Morning all!
Rejection is a weird thing. Even when you're ready for it or assume rejection is on it's way, it's still hard to swallow. Authors deal with a lot of rejection. Even if you self publish, you get rejected by readers. Who knows why one person loves your book and another hates it? Any time I get a mean review, I go and check a few authors I respect and love, and there are ALWAYS one star reviews on their books too. That puts it in perspective for me.
But I still hate rejection. lol
Sometimes rejection is a good thing. I've had books turned down by publishers before and the truth was that was the best thing for me. That rejection often allowed me to self publish the story, and make ten times the money quickly. But still, that rejection stings. It's strange. You'd think I'd be happy because I made a lot of money.
I guess rejection hurts because no matter where you are in your writing journey, or just life, rejection is personal. Even when people say it isn't, it feels personal. I remember one of the things that shocked me the most when I published my first book many years ago was that a fictional story could actually have people hate it. They didn't just not like it. THEY HATED IT. Their reviews were so mean it felt like they hated me too. Certain reviewers would pile on the gifs and mean criticisms, I guess thinking they were clever and witty? Personally, I found them childish and ill mannered. Whether on my books or fellow authors books, there's no need to be rude and arrogant about your opinion. You're entitled to your opinion, of course, but the best reviews are ones that are constructive, not childish. IMHO.
I will say when it comes to my writing career, I'm so much thicker skinned than I used to be. Maybe because I'm more confident in my abilities these days. I also learned never, ever to go to Goodreads. I haven't been there in years for anything other than accepting friend requests.
What about you? Do you crumble under rejection or does it roll off your back?
S.C.
www.scwynne.com
Rejection is a weird thing. Even when you're ready for it or assume rejection is on it's way, it's still hard to swallow. Authors deal with a lot of rejection. Even if you self publish, you get rejected by readers. Who knows why one person loves your book and another hates it? Any time I get a mean review, I go and check a few authors I respect and love, and there are ALWAYS one star reviews on their books too. That puts it in perspective for me.
But I still hate rejection. lol
Sometimes rejection is a good thing. I've had books turned down by publishers before and the truth was that was the best thing for me. That rejection often allowed me to self publish the story, and make ten times the money quickly. But still, that rejection stings. It's strange. You'd think I'd be happy because I made a lot of money.
I guess rejection hurts because no matter where you are in your writing journey, or just life, rejection is personal. Even when people say it isn't, it feels personal. I remember one of the things that shocked me the most when I published my first book many years ago was that a fictional story could actually have people hate it. They didn't just not like it. THEY HATED IT. Their reviews were so mean it felt like they hated me too. Certain reviewers would pile on the gifs and mean criticisms, I guess thinking they were clever and witty? Personally, I found them childish and ill mannered. Whether on my books or fellow authors books, there's no need to be rude and arrogant about your opinion. You're entitled to your opinion, of course, but the best reviews are ones that are constructive, not childish. IMHO.
I will say when it comes to my writing career, I'm so much thicker skinned than I used to be. Maybe because I'm more confident in my abilities these days. I also learned never, ever to go to Goodreads. I haven't been there in years for anything other than accepting friend requests.
What about you? Do you crumble under rejection or does it roll off your back?
S.C.
www.scwynne.com
