Suzanne Sweeney's Blog, page 2
August 17, 2014
RAWY Chapter Excerpts
I’m very excited to be able to tell you, my faithful readers, that each day, I am one step closer to releasing he third and final installment of the Running Series, “Running Away With You”. Many of you know that I had hoped to release the book much sooner, but it’s more important to me to do it well than to do it quickly. I hope you will agree.
Each day, I will be releasing a short excerpt from the third book on Facebook. I can’t wait to hear what you think. Thank you for all your letters of support and inquiry. I promise to announce the release the moment it goes live.
~SS
June 29, 2014
Book 3 ~ Running Away With You
July is just around the corner, and that means the clock is quickly ticking down towards the release of Book 3, Running Away With You. I have had some difficult decisions to make, and I’ve decided to delay the release for now so that I can make some needed improvements. This is, after all, the final installment in the Running Series and it’s very important to me to get everything just right. I had chosen the July release date based upon my experience writing books one and two. Each book took about four months to write and a month to publish. I used that criteria when determining the release date of the third installment. However, real life doesn’t work that way – it rarely does. So rather than push out a book that’s not ready for publication, I’ve decided to slow down, step back, and listen to the voices in my head. You see, my characters speak to me and if I slow down and truly listen, I can hear them. They are as real to me as you, my readers, whom I’ve never actually met. It’s important that I get it right for them, as well as for you. So with that goal in mind, I am reviewing, revising, and editing – three things I tell my students to do all the time. And when I’m done, I promise that I will have something I can be proud of, not just something that I pushed out to meet an arbitrary deadline. Thank you for your understanding and support.
June 16, 2014
Giveaway Winner Revealed
Congratulations to Julie L., who entered through Crazy Four Books. She will be receiving a $25 Visa Gift Card. And thank you to all the readers and followers who participated in my first book blog tour!
May 20, 2014
The Running Series Blog Tour
I’ve long wanted to do a Book Blog Tour and I’m thrilled to announce the start of a month-long tour. Visit one of the blogs each day and take a chance to win a $25 Visa Gift Card. It’s my way of thanking my readers and showing my appreciation. A special thank you to Goddess Fish Promotions for putting this amazing tour together.
Running Back to You:
May 19: The Crafty Cauldron
May 20: Musings and Ramblings
May 21: Booklover Sue
May 21: Kinky Vanilla Romance
May 22: Rachel Brimble Romance
May 22: Long and Short Reviews
May 23: Books and Other Spells
May 26: Read Your Writes Book Reviews
May 27: Crazy Four Books
May 28: Room With Books
May 29: Sexy Adventures Passionate Tales
May 30: Beyond My Writing Space
Running Home to You:
June 2: The Crafty Cauldron
June 3: It’s Raining Books
June 4: Straight from the Library
June 5: Room With Books
June 6: Susana’s Morning Room
June 9: Crazy Four Books
June 10: Warrior Princess Romance Writer
June 11: All in One Place
June 12: You Gotta Read Reviews
June 13: Aly’s Miscellany
May 1, 2014
April Showers Bring May Flowers
When I look out my window, it still looks like winter. In honor of the first day of May, here’s some information about the flowers that will be in full bloom soon.
April 16, 2014
What’s Your Reading Personality?
Do you feel compelled to finish a book you’ve started, no matter how you feel about it? Or maybe you read a chapter or two and put it aside in search of the perfect read. You might be more of a window shopper, grabbing titles that look or sound good, but never finding the time to read all your treasured finds. I understand. I have a confession to make. Sometimes I engage in three-ways, four-ways, or even orgies of reading, in which there are so many books that I’ve started, frankly, I might not even be keeping track. Please don’t judge me (you know what they say about people who live in glass houses). Remember, for as many books there are in existence, there is also any number of different reading personalities a book lover might demonstrate. What kind are you?
1. The Ridiculing Reader. When you read a review, you find yourself scratching your head trying to figure out if you read the same book as the other reviewers. Five stars? Seriously? You shout to anyone listening about how the author can’t put two sentences together properly, or that the book is dragging hopelessly in the middle, and what kind of plot twist is that? These characters are so poorly drawn it’s comical! You call that a conclusion? If you are a ridiculing reader you will finish each read down to its very last word, and you may even close the covers and toss the volume across the room, but you will do it with a great, secret frisson of satisfaction because it feels so good. You may be an aspiring, disgruntled novelist yourself. Suggested ridiculing reads: Twilight; Fifty Shades of Grey; Divergent; any much-celebrated novelist’s latest offering that’s bound to be arguably less than all the hype.
2. The Pathological Reader. The joy is in the journey. You prefer to savor every moment with a good book. Once you find an author you can connect with, you will read each and every title until you’ve exhausted their collection (preferable read in the same order they were written, of course). You might discard a book, but only if there is very good cause, and it will bring you a sense of deep unease, so you’ll give the author a mulligan and try the next title. . Suggested pathological reads: Crichton, Cornwell, Sparks, Christie, King.
3. The Wandering Eye. If someone asks you what you’re currently reading, would they get a list of titles rather than just one? If so, you might actually be a promiscuous reader. It’s not that you don’t love your books. In truth, you love them all equally. You might have one book on your Kindle that you read occasionally. There might be a hardcover book sitting on the table beside your bed. You may have a third or fourth paperback in your purse or backpack waiting to be finished. Do you confuse characters or plots? Perhaps. The point is, you’re not ready for a book commitment just yet, and you’re doing a brilliant job dating them all in the meantime. Suggested wandering eye reads: Short story and essay collections, novellas, blogs.
4. The Book-Buster. Do you have so many books that it’s been suggested that rent a storage unit to contain them all? Does the idea of parting with a beloved book cause you hyperventilate? Are there books in every nook and cranny of your home? You are a destroyer of books, but you love them so. You just want to hug the books, squeeze them tighter and tighter, you adore them so much that you really don’t know you’re hurting them. You take your books in the bath or out into the sun and their pages bleach away to nothing, but you keep them anyway, because they are books and you love books. Suggested book-buster reads: Whatever you like, but buy a Kindle.
5. The Bibliophile. Books aren’t just mean for reading, they’re meant for appreciating, especially the old ones. Have you ever removed a book jacket because you prefer to look at the binding? Your books are not only chosen for their literary enjoyment, but also for their aesthetic value. You like books rescued from the street as much as signed first editions. You just like books. To you, they are an object of beauty, and you would never, ever hurt them in any way. Suggested bibliophile reads: Anything you can get your hands on. God, that’s gorgeous, isn’t it?
6. The Cross-Under. There was a time when adults shopping in the Young Adult section of the book store would be greeting with looks of concern, but those days are long gone. There is a place for you in society, finally. For you, there is an intensity of first time experiences — there’s something about the heightened emotions and this-moment-defines-who-I-am consequences that just feels satisfying. Suggested cross-under reads: Collins, Rowling, Alexie, Chbosky, Lowry.
7. The Nocturnal Reader. Do you own a book light so you can read with the lights out? Is late at night the only time you have for reading? Have you ever fallen asleep with a book in your hand? If you are a true nocturnal reader, you have stayed up all night more than once because you couldn’t put down a good book. But it was worth it, it’s always worth it. There is no one to witness your agony when you cry, except for the characters with whom you are becoming quite close. Suggested nocturnal reads: Whatever you like, just sit in a chair—unless you like falling asleep with a book on your face.
8. The Book Snob. You are hard to impress. You only read books that are well reviewed by critics that you have determined to be of the highest caliber. You would never stoop to read something on a best-seller list, or something sold in a discount department store. Paperbacks offend you; you only touch hardcover—preferably, award-winning in some form or fashion. Suggested book snob reads: Pulitzer nominees, even if no Pulitzer was awarded.
9. The Evaluator. Do you find deep meaning and metaphors for life in the pages of your favorite reads? Do you find yourself discussing plot points in your everyday conversations? You most likely adore a spectacular conclusion. You also take great pride in finding a unique read and waste no time in selling its value to anyone who will listen. But especially, you love something that you can sink your teeth into and discuss, but only with those of a similar intellectual bent. You love book clubs and might even have been the one to start one in your neighborhood. Suggested evaluator reads: Janet Malcolm’s The Journalist and the Murderer; anything by Haruki Murakami.
10. The Bandwagon Reader. Do you ask scores of people to make a book suggestion before buying a book? You listen to everyone, from your best friend to the person standing in line at the supermarket. And you believe them all. You camp out at the shelves of “Recommended Reads” in your favorite book store. Suggested bandwagon reads: Cheryl Strayed’s Wild; Michael Chabon’s Telegraph Avenue; Caitlin Moran’s How to Be a Woman; Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Just because a lot of people recommend them doesn’t mean they’re not great!
I’m sure I missed more than a few archetypes. Have you identified yourself yet?
March 8, 2014
Time to finally meet Juliette’s Ex-Boyfriend
Book Three, Running Away With You, will give everyone the chance to finally meet David Jorgenson, Juliette’s ex-boyfriend. Here’s what we know about David so far:
“My ex-boyfriend David was a complete jerk and an imposter. He pretended to care, but it was all an act. David was a pretty package, but nothing more than an empty box. I was immediately attracted to his good looks and forgot to look deeper for the qualities that matter the most. It turns out I wasted a year and a half with someone who didn’t deserve my time. I need a break from men. That’s one of the reasons why I moved back to Jersey after graduation. I could have easily started a life for myself in Colorado, but I had to put as many miles between that SOB and myself as I could.” ~Running Back to You
“My last boyfriend David didn’t really get along with my friends. He preferred it when we hung out with his friends or with no one at all. Now, when I look back, I can see that he was isolating me and causing me to become dependent on him. My friends were getting frustrated with me and started calling less and less. That’s why when he was unfaithful to me, the pain was nearly unbearable.” ~Running Back to You
“My last year in college, I came dangerously close to living a life I swore I would never allow. David was someone I thought I could build a life with. I couldn’t have been more wrong. It happened slowly, so slowly that I didn’t even notice at the time, but I can see now how many similarities there are between David and my father. To the outside world, David was fun-loving and an all-around nice guy, just like my father. But behind closed doors, he became pensive, dark, and brooding. My moods started changing based on David’s moods. I stopped making decisions and instead let his frame of mind dictate our activities.” ~Running Back to You
“I’m reminded of my last boyfriend, David. He thought the universe revolved around him and would often forget about plans and promises. He’s so far back in my rear-view mirror, I’m always surprised when memories of him and our two-year crappy relationship creep back up into my mind.” ~Running Home to You
“She supported me throughout my two-year relationship with the jerk, David. When I finally opened my eyes and realized what a manipulative ass he was, she never once said, “I told you so.” She just helped me pick up the pieces and move on.” ~ Running Home to You
All we really know is that David was a first-class jerk. In Running Away With You, Juliette’s past comes back to haunt the couple in ways that even Juliette could not have imagined. What do you do when someone you once loved turns into your worst nightmare?
March 3, 2014
Letters to the Author
Today I received a lovely letter from a reader. I cannot express how much it means to me to hear from readers. Every message, good, bad, or otherwise, helps me become a better writer. And those like the one below give me the encouragement and reassurance I need to continue along my journey as a writer. Thank you!
FROM READER: “I have read your first book and am just in the middle of the second, I just wanted to say that I think the books are brilliant, they keep you guessing and keep you engaged at every page. These are one of the best I have read. I just wanted to know when you think the 3rd one will be released?”
RESPONSE: Right now, I’m preparing for a Book Blog Tour. Once that’s over, I will continue writing the third book, “Running Away With You”. I’m still waiting to find out what the future holds for everyone at Rush Dessert Bar. Their futures generally reveal themselves while I’m driving or just as I’m about to drift off to sleep. Time will tell! I’m hoping to be ready for release on July 4th. Fingers crossed!
February 21, 2014
Cover Change?
Attention All Readers!
Sales of Book One, “Running Back to You” have stalled. It’s been suggested to consider a cover change in order to attract more readers. What do you think of the above covers? Will they attract more readers? I’d love to hear what you think.
February 14, 2014
Running Home to You Release Day has arrived!
Today, Running Home to You was released for sale at all major online booksellers. Within hours of its release, it was in the top 100 of its genre on Amazon. Incase you missed it, here’s a summary of book two from the Running Series:
Running Home to You: continues the journey of Juliette and Evan that began in “Running Back to You”.
Juliette Fletcher thought she had it all – a strikingly handsome man who adores her, a new business venture with her best friends by her side, and a dream house right on the beach. But appearances can be deceiving and everything comes at a cost.
Evan McGuire has just survived a vicious attack that almost ended his professional football career. He’s on the mends now, trying to piece his life back together again, and build a life with Juliette.
But Evan’s erratic behavior has Juliette worried. She must figure out how to save her struggling restaurant, her fragile friendships, and her now unhealthy relationship with the man she loves. Juliette and Evan find that they’ve placed their trust in the wrong people and the price they pay for that mistake may ultimately cost them everything.
Running Home to You is the second book in the Running Series.
Please help spread the word. As an independent “indie” author, I do not have the advertising and publishing power that comes from having a publisher or literary agent. I depend on word of mouth and feedback from you, the reader. You can find Running Home to You available for sale at the following online book sellers. If you decide to download a copy, please post feedback for other readers. As you surely must know, reviews and ratings drive book sales. Readers want to know what to expect. Please take a moment out of your busy lives to share your thoughts about Running Home to You.
Thank you all for your support and encouragement.
~Suzanne
Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Running-Home-You-Suzanne-Sweeney-ebook/dp/B00IFR0XP2/ref=la_B00HK4SY16_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1392415252&sr=1-2
Barnes & Noble Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/running-home-to-you-suzanne-sweeney/1118627275?ean=2940148211563
