Showing posts with label reader. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reader. Show all posts

Sunday, January 10, 2021

This Week's Word - Do You Know Your Geography Terms?

 

Hi all, welcome again to Smart Girls Read Romance or . . . if you’re a first-time visitor, we’re thrilled you stopped by. I usually post a word that you might be unfamiliar with. I call it “This Week’s Word". As a writer and a reader, I’m very fond of words (makes sense, huh?). I especially love words that relate to terrain, landscape, and geography. I come across words, especially in those old western romance stories, and don’t always know what kind of terrain the author is referring to.

Not long ago, I came across the word below. I hope you learn something new by its meaning! Knowledge is power as they say.

This Weeks Word

Malpaís

A term used in the Southwestern United States, Spain, Mexico, and other Spanish-speaking regions for a rough and barren landscape that consists of relict and largely uneroded lava fields exhibiting recognizable lava flows, volcanic cones, and other volcanic landforms. This type of volcanic landscape is extremely rough and difficult to traverse. It is characteristic of an arid environment because in more humid climates, lava fields are quickly destroyed by weathering and erosion.

The word 'malpaís' in Spanish translates to "badland," and this describes the area as being extremely rough and difficult to traverse and unusable for crops. Although a malpaís is often another word for the badlands that form by erosion of sedimentary rocks in the same environment, a malpaís is often associated with such types of lava plain terrain as found in a volcanic field.

How to use Malpais in a sentence:

The approach was loose dirt and malpais, which ran off down the gulch in small avalanches under our feet.

Notify Buck Weaver, so he can head them off if they try to cross the Malpais.

This Week’s Book is TRUTH OR DAIRE, a contemporary billionaire romance I wrote not too long ago. Details are below:

Steamy! Sexy! Swoonworthy!

DOWNLOAD HERE 

About the book:

When the unthinkable happens and Cagney Kissler discovers her boyfriend, Daire Bembry, is a lying, two-timing cheater, she tosses him out on his a** and heads to Florida to mend her fractured heart.

The Villa Bay Resort is everything her best friend, Lily, told her it would be, and more. But the trendy, popular bar at the resort, known as Sleazy Swallows, is a little more than Cagney can stomach.

On her way out the door, she meets someone who shares her reservations about public sexual-indulgence. Evan might be just what she’s looking for, and even if he isn’t, she’ll show her ex the true meaning of Truth or Daire.

Stand-alone erotic romance. Happy Ending

 

Thanks so much for stopping by! Hope you enjoyed This Week's Word. See you next month!



Sunday, April 9, 2017

Book Trailers! Yay or Nay?

For the first time, I delved into the realm of book trailers.

A friend of mine is big into the video graphics and design, and worked with me in creating a new book trailer for 2 novels in my Royals of Solana series.

The process was as equally fun as it was time consuming. Going through hours and hours of footage on stock video sites, and determining the best snippets for the overall tone was much harder than I expected.

And that hasn’t even considered the various ‘rules’ of book trailers. I didn’t even know there were rules. But the number one rule was: 30 seconds or less. Which is a lot harder to achieve. It’s like the synopsis battle: shoving an entire novel into 350 words or less.

But I love how they turned out. Let me know your thoughts. They are only 30 seconds each.

Authors: have you considered book trailers for novels?
Readers: do you pay attention to trailers? Have they impacted your decision to purchase a novel or not?

Prince of Solana



Jewel of Solana



Purchase a copy of these novels on Amazon, iBooks, or Kobo:


Prince of Solana

Jewel of Solana

Crown of Solana 
(releases May 19, 2017)
Amazon - coming soon


Susan Sheehey writes romantic suspense and contemporary romance. She is a strong advocate for autism awareness and acceptance, and includes the healing element of water in all of her novels. She lives and laughs in Texas with her husband and sons. Follow Susan on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and her monthly newsletter.

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Romance Reader Conventions: What You Love Most

Readers, how appealing are major reader conferences to you? Conferences such as RT Convention (RomanticTimes), RWA Conference (Romance Writers of America), and RomCon (RomanceConference)?
For those of you who have never been to one, or don’t know what they are, they are massive conventions where readers can not only have their books signed by the authors, but you get to mingle, party, and become friends with these authors. Most of the time they are a Saturday or Sunday event, sometimes a full weekend, or even a week-long event in large hotels with events going on all day and into the evenings. There are huge giveaways, free swag, great food, and even plenty of chances to meet a bunch of cover models, depending on which one you attend.
Susan Sheehey at RT Convention 2015, Dallas, TX
Last year was my first RT Convention in Dallas. The year before, was my first ever RWA Conference in San Antonio. I loved both conferences tremendously. It was a huge bonus that I was a published author by then, and could participate in the book signings.
As a brand new published author, though, I was an unknown. Therefore I didn’t sell many novels at either, so the cost of the conference registration alone put me in the red. But bottom line, I’d never had so much fun at an author event ever.
For those who know what they and have been to one, do you think the registration fees or ticket prices are worth it? Do you like to bring in your own books to have them signed, or do you like purchasing brand new books on the spot? Do you attend these events for specific authors, or are you that avid a fan of the genre, and love the opportunity to meet new authors and find new characters to read?
Swag from RWA Conference 2014
As a fairly new published author, I don’t have the budget to attend all of the events I’d like to in a given year. I normally have to pick 1 major conference a year, and then attend small signings more local to home. I LOVE interacting with readers, making new friends, and of course I always love an excuse to party! Not to mention all of the fabulous books! This year I’ll be attending RT Convention again, this time in Las Vegas in April.
Here are some of the major reader conventions coming up throughout the year. Can you add more that I’ve forgotten? Let me know which ones you’ll be going to!




The Novel Experience Event, Atlanta, GA – April 7-11th, 2016
RT Convention, Las Vegas, NV – April 12-17th, 2016
Book Con, Chicago, IL – May 14th, 2016
Romance Novel Convention (RNC), Las Vegas, NV – June 1-5th, 2016
Fresh Fiction’s Boas & Tiaras, Allen, TX – June 11th, 2016
RWA Conference, San Diego, CA – July 13-16th, 2016
Authors After Dark, Savannah, GA – August 3-7th, 2016
Historical Romance Retreat, Spokane, WA – Sept 22-25th, 2016
RomCon, Denver, CO – Sept 30th-Oct 1st, 2016
InD’Scribe Author & Reader Con, Burbank, CA – October 6-9th, 2016

Fresh Fiction’s Readers & ‘Ritas, Allen, TX – Nov 11-13th, 2016


Susan Sheehey writes romantic suspense, contemporary romance, and women's fiction.She lives and laughs in Texas with her husband and two boys.  Water plays a crucial element in all of her novels, and she is a huge advocate for Autism Awareness. Follow Susan at SusanSheehey.com, on Facebook, Twitter, GoodReads, and Amazon.

Saturday, October 10, 2015

The 'Rules' of Fiction Writing (Borrowed by Susan Sheehey)


I've been a part of a local critique group for several years and there's been a lot of new writers showing up lately. I love it. I love all the new people, the fresh ideas, and most importantly the reminder.

The reminder of exactly where I started all those years ago (I refuse to admit precisely how long). I'm sure my face looked just as confused, self-conscious, and nervous. It takes a lot of bravery to accept those critiques and keep writing forward.

Then it reminded me of all the various 'rules of fiction writing I've learned along the way.

There are dozens of subjective ‘rules’ out there, including every genre maintaining their own set of laws, but here’s what I’ve found to be universal. These are rules I’ve learned either the hard way or being in the right place with the right people, such as my critique group or a kind editor who took the time to reject my query with constructive advice.

*Say as much as you can in as few words as possible. Then cut the word count by half.

*Adverbs are spawns of Satan. Don't use them. Instead, find the right verb.

*Adjectives aren't evil, but they are sinful. Use sparingly. (Dangit, I used an adverb!)

*Head-hopping is just as confusing as it sounds. Keep to one point of view at a time. If you have to change heads, best option is to only do it by chapter or scene break (limit scene breaks to 1 per chapter.

*Likewise, stay in one tense: past or present. Otherwise it becomes too "Back to the Future for people.

*Cliches are such a cliche. Originality is the only way. Ya feel me?

*Showing is better than telling. Showing makes things more active, better paced, and easier for the reader to connect to the character. Telling has its uses at times, but again only sparingly.

*Info dumps (also called backstory dump) belong in the dump themselves. Otherwise it reads like a history book. Filter in the backstory in small bits throughout several chapters.

*The most important rule is to forget everything I just wrote and do what works for you and your voice. Fiction is subjective.

Can you think of any other rules I've missed? That we can throw out together?

Follow Susan Sheehey on Facebook, Twitter, and join her newsletter for the latest news and contests!
Get her latest release, Prince of Solana, the 1st in her romantic suspense trilogy Royals of Solana.

Friday, July 10, 2015

Books and Playlists

While you read, do you listen to music? 
I listen to music while I write. I create playlists and radio stations for each novel. I jot down the major songs that really stick with me.
For those readers who enjoy it, I try to share those playlists soon after the book is released. Just another fun way for readers to connect to the characters. By no means is this a way of endorsing a particular music artist or album, but just trying to add to the experience of the story and characters.
As a reader, do you appreciate when authors share their playlists?
A quick search on YouTube for popular book series reveals there are literally hundreds of custom playlists created by readers and fans. Crossfire Series for Sylvia Day, the Twilight series for Stephanie Meyer, and The Iron Fey series from Julie Kagawa all have fan-inspired playlists.
I’ve always enjoyed it when the authors I love create one for their novels. I feel like I connect to their tone/theme better.

It's a lot of work, but so worth it to me.

For Prince of Solana, there were several songs that really struck a chord with me while I wrote.
I incorporated those into my own personal playlist. Feel free to listen and enjoy!

Chapter 1 –  On The Long Way Down by Robert Delong
Chapter 2 – Vide Cor Meum by Patrick Cassidy
Chapter 3 – RedHands by REVO (Walk Off the Earth)
Chapter 4 – Who You Love by Katy Perry & John Mayer
Chapter 6 – Howl by Florence & The Machine
Chapter 7 – My Fault by Imagine Dragons
Chapter 8 – Sweet Disposition by Temper Trap
Chapter 13 – I’m Sending You Away (Oblivion Soundtrack)
Chapter 16 – One Last Night by Vaults
Chapter 19 –Undimmed by Time, Unbound by Death (Oblivion Soundtrack)
Chapter 20 –Demons by Imagine Dragons
Chapter 21 –Insatiable by Darren Hayes
Chapter 22 –When A Heart Breaks by Ben Rector
Chapter 24 – Fearful Odds (Oblivion Soundtrack)
Chapter 25 –New Mexico by Edward Shearmur
Chapter 26 –Iridescent by Linkin Park
Chapter 27 –Raven Rock (Oblivion Soundtrack)
Chapter 28 – Cut by Plumb
Chapter 30 – Sail by AwolNation
Chapter 31 –Secret by Ocean Lab
Chapter 32 –Waking Up (Oblivion Soundtrack)
Chapter 33 – You Can’t Save Her (Oblivion Soundtrack)
Chapter 34 –Heart of Courage by Two Steps From Hell
Chapter 35 – Warriors by Imagine Dragons
Chapter 37 –Gravity by Sara Bareilles

Chapter 38 – Kissing by Bliss