It's all subjective by Julie Jarnagin

I just had a fun exchange with some of my author friends. We were talking about our favorite books of last year. Several of the authors mentioned loving a romance novel that I had started twice but never finished. Another author and I both loved a different series that another writer said she hated!

These are fellow writers who write similar genres and who all know a lot about the craft of writing, but we had dramatically different reactions to the books. It just goes to show that reading is so subjective. Even when the writing is strong, everyone has different views about what makes a book great.

As we talked, we realized that a couple of things really made the difference in how we felt about the books. Sense of humor is different for everyone. We all like to laugh, but we each find different things funny. Certain things that make some people laugh out loud simply make me roll my eyes. Something about the humor in the books we liked worked for us.

We also noticed regional differences. The book I loved was set in my neck of the woods. I related to some of the off-the-wall characters, but my author friend didn't relate.

To me, these are the reasons that this is a great time to be an author and a reader. We have so many options at our fingertips! Want to read about Amish vampires in space or fairy tales re-imagined with cowboys, there's a book for you. It also makes it possible for a group of sweet romance authors to exist. We're able to connect directly with readers who love the types of books we enjoy writing.

So have fun! Read the books that make you happy and keep you turning the pages!

Julie Jarnagin is a USA Today bestselling author of sweet and inspirational romance. She grew up in a small Oklahoma town where her family farmed and ranched. These days she lives in Louisiana with her amazing husband and two young sons who tolerate all her nerdy quirks. Julie earned a B.A. in Journalism / Professional Writing from the University of Oklahoma. 
www.JulieJarnagin.com

Meg - Beach Brides Series: Meg Mullen's community theater is on the verge of closing if she can't raise the money to save it, but she's running out of time and needs a miracle. Television producer, Elliot Campbell, finds a message in a bottle from the perfect female contestant for his reality dating show. All he has to do is talk Meg into taking the job, convince her to choose one of the contenders, and figure out how to keep from falling in love with her himself. 

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#TenThingsNotToSayToAWriter by Karen Rock

#TenThingsNotToSayToAWriter by Karen Rock

Yesterday, while on Twitter, I came across the hashtag, #TenThingsNotToSayToAWriter and clicked on it. The stream of tweets using this hashtag had me laughing, groaning and nodding in agreement so often, I thought I’d share some of my favorites with you. I hope you agree and laugh, groan and nod along with me, too J

#TenThingsNotToSayToAWriter :

  

1.       “Three dollars is a lot to pay for just an ebook.” - @FebruaryGrace

2.       “Now you just need to get it turned into a movie.” -@LaurenDeStefano

3.       “I would never have guessed that you were a writer. You’re so normal.” @HRuthMiller

4.       “I have a great idea for a book you should write. You write it and we'll split the profits 50-50.” - @tiffanyreisz

5.       “Oh. It’s one of THOSE books.” @ColleenHouck

6.       “I don’t read fiction. I only read important things.” -@shirleymccann

7.       “Oh, you’re a writer? Me too! I mean, I haven’t typed it out, but it’s all, y’know, there in my head.”- @EvilMarguerite

8.       “You write romance? Have you ever thought of writing a real book?” - @McCarthySusanne

9.       “Will you send me a free copy?” - @AuthorAngelaS

10.   “So, I want to write a book, too. Will you help me?” - @emeraldbarnes

11.   “Have I read anything of yours?”- I’ve never met you before. How would I know?! @JLArmentrout

12.   “I should try and get published in England. It’s obviously easier there.”- @HolSmale

13.   “So when do you think you are going to finish your book?” x 10 - @BookCountry

14.   “Writing romance is easy, right? I think I should try it. I need some money.” @ashposton

15.   “Self-published, so you’re not really published yet then?”- @chadh1234

16.   “People can buy it? Seriously? In a real book store?” - @KathyReinhart

17.   “It must be lovely working from home. You can combine writing with housework and childcare.” -@Joannechocolat

18.   “I better be careful or you’ll put me in your book!” No. You’re not that interesting. - @OfficiallyAlly

19.   “I had to give it one star because it had way too many five stars.” - @emberian

20.   “I know you’ve sold a ton of books but I found a misspelling in chapter 3.” - @kennbivins

And here’s the one I tweeted:

“So? Are you still writing or working now?” hehe. Would you believe it was retweeted 216 times and favorited over 300 times at the time I’m writing this?

The hashtag “TenThingsNotToSayToAWriter has been a top trending topic today (hitting number 2 worldwide as I write this!) for good reason. Although writing is solitary work, it’s a universal experience and one we should share more often! It’s been a treat to read these tweets from other authors as it helps me feel less alone- (although technically I do have my puppy, Zoey, here for company, which counts, right?)

As writers, it’s important to take advantage and join in on experiences like this, whether it’s online or in person with conferences, chapter meetings or just phone chats with other writers. There can be a lot of negative in our profession, whether it’s sales numbers, snarky reviews, publisher rejections or eight page revision letters. (okay- maybe that’s just my experience J) However, interacting with one another is the positive food we need to keep going and embrace, rightfully so, our profession with joy.

As Steven King said in “On Writing” – “Writing isn’t about making money, getting famous, getting dates, or making friends. In the end, it’s about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well. It’s about getting up, getting well, and getting over. Getting happy, okay? Getting happy.”

Hugs to all my fellow authors and readers out there! You make the world’s heart beat. Let's make our own list of #TenThingsNotToSayToAWriter! Please share any interesting comments people have made to you about writing :) Thanks!

Library Cards by Merrillee Whren

Did you know that September is Library Card Sign-up Month? I have a daughter who is an academic librarian, so she works with college students, but students of all ages, as well as adults, benefit from having a library card. Libraries are important because they encourage reading and help people discover authors and books.

I belong to Romance Writers of America, and every year at the national conference we honor a librarian who has championed the romance genre in his or her library. As romance writers, we want to recognize people who help others discover our books. Although writers can do a lot of research on the Internet, libraries and librarians can be an invaluable resource when getting information for our books. 

Here's my library card.

Do you have a library card? How often do you use the library?


 
Merrillee Whren is the winner of the 2003 Golden Heart Award presented by Romance Writers of American. She is married to her own personal hero, her husband of thirty-five plus year, and has two grown daughters. Her latest book, A PLACE TO CALL HOME, is available at all major ebook retailers.You can find the buy links at her website. Connect with her on Facebook page.

Disaster zone....writer working! ....Roxanne Rustand

Roxanne Rustand here--hoping you are enjoying the beginning of fall!

Each year at this time I feel such nostalgia for the start of school.  It was always so exciting, stocking up on fresh new pens, pencils and notebooks. Going to town to buy new outfits.  Then laying everything out the night before the big day--and wondering what my new teacher would be like.  Would my friends be in my class?  Who would I get to sit with?

Do you remember those times?

In later years, I enjoyed re-living those days with our own three kids...waiting for the big yellow school bus to come down our country road on the first day, after weeks of tracking down school supplies and buying new school clothes.  Happy memories!

All of that is long over in our family.  But I find myself going through some of the type of rituals of preparation and planning when I start every new book, starting with new ring notebooks with tab dividers.  Brainstorming the new plot and characters, and neatly typing up the results.

And the hard part:  cleaning my office before I start the new book, because finishing  the last one has  invariably left every flat surface covered with an avalanche of paper. Research references.  Notebooks where I'd kept track of the plot and subplot and character details...and added copies of each chapter as it was finished.

Somewhere under the rubble there are probably multiple coffee cups from the final rush leading up to the deadline. A flurry of Post-it notes.  Random dog leashes, dog treats, maybe a sweater or two.  A shoe.  Mail and  phone messages to deal with.
It's a disaster.  And nothing at all like the stock photo I just  added to the left!   :-)

But clearing the decks and having a clean office and empty desktop is so invigorating---it's like having a blank slate, with all of the possibilities in the world before me.

I just finished writing a novella, A Scottish Christmas, which was great fun to write.  I so enjoyed the characters, and the chance to vicariously "spend a little more time in the Scottish Highlands" --one of my favorite places to visit!  But now....I need a week to recover, and to unearth my desk!

So how about you?  If you are writing, do you end up in a housekeeping disaster zone by the time a book is done--or do you keep everything organized all the way through?  And if you aren't a writer, do you have engrossing hobbies that land you in my regularly scheduled predicament?

I'm just wondering if I'm the only one...

Wishing you all the best from Iowa,
Roxanne Rustand
www.roxannerustand.om

Roxanne Rustand is the award-winning author of over thirty traditionally published novels, and now has three indie-published novels on Amazon and other e-book sources:  A Montana Legacy, Summer at Briar Lake, and Comeback Cowboy.  A Scottish Christmas will be available this fall.

Happy Mother's Day from the SRR Authors!