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Monday, October 18, 2021

The Ripple Effect by Liz Flaherty

Hi, everybody. This is my introductory post to Smart Girls. I'm so happy to be here and so glad no one checked my qualifications before inviting me. I seem to have a lot of days lately where smart just doesn't happen. 


But I still read and write romance. I've segued into women's fiction quite a bit and have published two books of essays, but I've found I have trouble separating genres. To me, every story I write is a love story--including the essays. As a reader, if I can't find the love in a book, I generally won't finish it. If the ending isn't at least satisfying, I won't recommend the book. The happier the ending, the more loose ends tied up, the better. 


The other day, on Facebook, a romance author on my friends list referred to Hallmark movies as "insipid."

Really?

Does she have any writer friends whose books have appeared on Hallmark or other family channels in movie form? Did she tell them, "Hey, your stories are insipid?" Have her books been optioned? I know mine haven't, but I'd really, really love it if they were. 

One of my favorite parts of the romance community is how we've always supported each other on our chosen paths. Don't like erotic romance? Great--don't read it, but don't do social media monologues on what's wrong with it. Don't like inspirational? Same goes. 

But don't use words like insipid, because, you know, it's just not smart. What you say has a ripple effect, doesn't it? Derogatory words don't apply just to the channel or the story or the actress in the movie--they also end up including the people who write the stories and the ones who read them.

I'd rather say, "Wow, what a great cover!" If something's going to ripple, let it be positive. 



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The Christmas Town writers are at it again, and Christmas Town Homecoming will be released tomorrow. Right now, it's 99 cents and in the middle of a book tour and giveaway. Join us on our release journey.

Thanks again for allowing me to join you. See you next month!



12 comments:

  1. Love this! And yes to everything, especially about being kind because that always translates to being smart!

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  2. Hi, Liz, nice to meet you. I try to remember what my Mother taught me, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." Derogatory words come back to haunt people, especially on the internet!

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  3. What I like most about the romance industry is that MOST support one another. I don't have to like a subgenre to appreciate the good writing and hard work of the authors involved. What you put out comes back, doesn't it?

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    1. It does come back, I think, and I agree about the MOST part. That's not to say I've never said anything particularly stupid, but Social Media makes a dumb remark into an ISSUE, sadly enough.

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  4. Agreed! There's too much negativity in this world. We're here to build each other up, not tear each other down. And I agree on loving romance in all things. When someone tells me the plot of a movie or book you'll often hear me say, does it have any romance in it? That's what really speaks to me. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

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    1. Thank you. I never realized until the umpteenth time I saw my kids roll their eyes just how much of a HEA sucker I truly am. :-)

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  5. Welcome aboard! As a new author, I have listened to hundreds of books and I can say not all of them were my cup of tea- but I will say, regardless, of story, some of the covers are great or they were well written and researched. If you look hard enough, you can find something good in almost anything.

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    1. Agreed, and I think, as writers supporting writers, we should do exactly that. :-) Thanks for the welcome!

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  6. Awesome post, Liz. Such wise words and good advice that I hope many will heed.

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