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What I'm Reading Wednesday

I’m Reading Trouble by Samantha Towle and 10 Years Later by J. Sterling

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I knew it was going to happen, and this week I hit the wall: I ran out of reliable NA romances to keep me occupied between the time I stop writing at night and the time the Kindle hits me in the head as I fall asleep.

Sigh. #FirstWorldWriterProblems

So I tried out Trouble by Samantha Towle. It was decent. The story wasn’t easy to read; the main female character suffers abuse at the hands of her father and her first boyfriend, and as a result, she’s also bullemic. That’s not light-hearted fare; it’s a long way from ‘I’m tutoring the hot football/hockey star and even though I’m not popular, I think we’re in love.’ Still, the writing was good, and the male character was both lovable and flawed. Their slow dance toward each other was interesting and realistic, and I enjoyed it, as well as the twist I hadn’t expected. The supporting characters were also likable and well-drawn. I’d read more from this author.

Once I’d finished the first book, I decided to take a chance on one I’d seen in my suggested reading from the ‘zon for quite some time. The premise was promising: two people who clearly had some kind of high school history are about to reconnect at their ten-year reunion. The female lead has a cool career, working for a popular radio show in LA, and the male lead is an undercover cop. Lots of promise.

Unfortunately, the promise didn’t pay off. There was a lot of trite build-up, quite a few situations that could’ve led down intriguing paths but which the author never pursued. We eventually find out what went on between the two in the past, and the payoff was a little anti-climatic. Part of that could’ve been that the flashbacks were way too much telling and not enough showing. There wasn’t enough dialogue or action therein, and it didn’t make me care about the characters. Honestly, I was a little bored, which was really too bad, because again, the characters could have had so many dimensions. This book almost felt like a short building up to the real story.

So now I’m back in the same place, looking for the next read. Cora Carmack’s All Played Out releases in less than a month, but I’m not sure I can wait that long. I’m open to suggestions here.

Teaser Tuesday

The Only One Trailer

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This teaser #Tuesday is brought to you by the extraordinarily beautiful trailer for The Only One, made by Olivia Hardin. I am totally and completely in love with these piece. . .the music, the images, the words. . .it’s all perfect.

If you haven’t read The One Trilogy yet, you’re missing out on some smokin’ hot couples, some sweet love and some funny characters, all living in the small town of Burton, Georgia. And you don’t want to miss all that.

 

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Musical Muse

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Over the last few months, I’ve shared with you all the playlists for my books and why each one is the way it is. I hope you’ve gotten some insight into how music affects my process.

Promo1TawdraKandleBut how does a playlist come about? This is a question we discussed at Coastal Magic February at the panel on the same topic. I was fascinated that so many of us who write so differently come upon our musical muses in the same way.

For me, the type of music a character enjoys is part of his or her definition. In The King Series, Tasmyn enjoyed alt rock while Michael liked oldies. Rafe’s musical taste was closer to Tasmyn’s; it was one of many things the two had in common, which frustrated Rafe to no end. He felt that their similarities should’ve given him an edge over Michael. Sadly for him, he was wrong.

In The Posse, Jude adores her 80’s tunes. In The One Trilogy, Sam uses sweet country music to woo Meghan, who is decidedly not a fan before her time in Burton. In Just Desserts, Frank Sinatra is the theme of the day.

So that’s where the playlists begin. One character and one style of music. I usually start off a new book with a huge list of songs, and I listen to it almost constantly while writing–and even while not actively writing. I also try to tune in to stations on Spotify or iTunes radio that dovetail with the same genre, so that I can possibly find new songs that fit the storyline.

As the plot develops and refines, I’ll nix some songs and add others. And the ones that are particularly compelling or poignant end up on replay. A lot.

In this way, the music not only inspires me; it also gives me insight into characters and situation I might not be able to quite wrap my mind around until I hear a lyric or a stanza. And in the years that follow, hearing that lyric takes me right back to that story. . .and those characters.

Friday Free For All

Five From Lyssa Layne

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Welcome to Five From Friends Friday!

Each week, I’ll share with you five quick and quirky questions and answers

from some of my favorite author friends.

I think you’ll see some familiar faces in here, too.

Quickies from Lyssa Layne

Q: In the middle of a busy week, suddenly everything you had planned for one day falls away and you have twelve hours of unstructured time—no responsibilities, no plans, no requirements. What do you do with that gift of time? (And writing cannot be the answer!!)

A: Wow! How can I make this happen for real??? If I couldn’t write or do author tasks then I’d probably find myself at Cardinals’ game with my family and being a tourist in my own great city of St. Louis.

Q: Your fairy godmother grants you the gift of being one character in one of your own books for the day. Who will you be and why?

A: Well, Jules from Everybody’s After Love is actually loosely based around my husband and me so I know what her day to day is like. So if I had to pick, I’d probably choose Mia from Fear of Striking Out. Hello, hot hubby in baseball pants! Not to mention, she’s incredibly strong and such a sweetheart.

Q: Five chefs from The Food Network are coming to your house for dinner tonight. What will you prepare for them to eat?

A: My hubs was saying I make a pretty delicious meatloaf so I’d probably do that and just pray it wasn’t raw in the middle. :-/ And of course, we’d have to have Fat Man’s Delight for dessert!

Q: The zombie apocalypse is upon us. You have a full tank of gas. . .where will you go to hide and/or make your stand?

A: My husband (man, he’s a character himself!) already has our basement stocked and our pantry full so we’d probably stay where we are… and run to the grocery store to buy all the Twinkies I could get my hands on.

Q: You’re at the society event of the year, and the most eligible bachelor in the room wants to buy you a drink. What’ll it be?

A: Electric lemonade please!!!

***

re edit 19-1Lyssa Layne is first, and foremost, the proud momma to her precious daughter, AR. In addition to working full-time and being a mommy to AR, she is also an avid St. Louis Cardinals fan, a runner, blogger, and an infertility survivor.

Having watched one too many medical dramas and being inspired by author Rachelle Ayala, who introduced her to the world of indie writing, Lyssa decided to try her hand at writing a romance story. Her attempt turned into the Burning Lovesick series. You can find Lyssa’s own interests throughout her stories although all stories are fictional.

Follow Lyssa here: Blog/Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest/Amazon/Goodreads/Barnes and Noble

 My Favorite What If

One year after Jacob “Smitty” Smith is stood up at the altar, his good friend Jules encourages him to redeem his honeymoon favoritewhatif_1600x2400package before it expires. Reluctantly, he agrees, and finds himself sitting beside free spirit Sloan Talbott, who is attending her sister’s destination wedding at the same resort. Both have been hurt. Neither is looking for love. Will one week in paradise be a fling to remember or could it possibly lead to something more?

Amazon US/Amazon CAN/Amazon AUS/Amazon UK/Barnes & Noble/Kobo/Goodreads

Other Books by Lyssa Layne

Love is a Fire

Burst Into Flame

The Right Pitch

Fear of Striking Out

Everybody’s After Love.

Boxed Sets

Heroes to Swoon For

Spring Into Love

Book Boyfriends Cafe Summer Lovin’

Next Release

Lyssa’s next release Until You Fall In Love and will debut June 9 and is available for only 99 cents!

This Author's Life Thursday

Oh, Behave

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As I’ve said in earlier posts, the indie community is small and sometimes a little incestuous. There are rarely six degrees of separation; most authors’ friends lists intersect with all the others, and word spreads fast.

So whenever there’s an instance of an author Behaving Badly, it doesn’t take long for the story to get around. And I know it’s a shocker, but sometimes the facts get lost along the way.

I don’t claim to have it all together. I don’t think I’m better than anyone else out there. But I was raised right, by parents and grandparents who made sure I knew what was what. And although I’m nearing the end of my fifth decade and all of those wonderful people have moved on to a better world, I still know better. Most of the time.

its-time-to-stop-postingI know, for instance, that when I’m in public at an event, representing my profession and my books and my branding, I need to Behave. I smile no matter what, and when people say outrageous things, I do my best to nod and keep smiling. When I’m tired and ready to go hide in my room, I really try to pull out some extra energy and keep on keeping on. I’ll admit that there have been times when I’ve been less than outgoing; I’m not an extravert, and I have to force it.

When others make different choices, when we feel as though Bad Behavior is encroaching on our own rights, we might be tempted to vent. Some of us might want to vent on social media. This, dear ones, is not a good idea. Vent to your mother, your sister, your husband, your therapist. But spouting off on social media, no matter how justified you feel it might be, is Not Cool. And it won’t lead to resolution; it will lead to more Bad Behavior and to people taking sides and to nastiness all around. Don’t do it.

But if someone does decide to vent on social media, don’t respond. Be the Bigger Person. Hide the complainer, unfriend her, turn off your computer and your phone or do whatever you must do, but avoid engaging.

I’ve heard the excuses. I’ve heard authors claim that readers “deserve to know” about an author or an event or another reader. Dear ones, they really don’t. They don’t deserve to know, because it doesn’t affect them. A bitchy author who writes excellent books doesn’t need you to bring her down. Karma will do it. Or not, but it doesn’t matter to you. Move on and in the immortal words of Taylor Swift. . .Shake It Off.

Call me Pollyanna or say that I’m wearing rose-colored-glasses, but I promise, life is much nicer when you step away from the drama. When you close the computer, turn off the phone and just say no to posting something negative. Focus on the positive; talk about the wonderful sweet and helpful authors out there, the ones who cheer on their compatriots. Tell your readers about how fabulous the event you attended was.

Or in the words of Austin Powers. . .oh, behave.APimages