Blog Archives - Susan Ward Books

Not every epilogue means there's another book...#amreading #amwriting #kindle #author #Indieauthors #bookboost #amazon #blogging

4/30/2015

So, there is an epilogue at the end of The Signature. I thought one of my sub-characters needed a tidy ending, to have his story wrapped up. And since the release of the book, I've gotten an endless series of emails and messages when is the next book releasing. Morgan Katz has his own book right? I had one reader so angry that there isn't a next book available on Amazon for Morgan Katz that she made a point of mentioning it in the review. "Don't read the epilogue unless you want to be sucked into another story that I can't find a book for!"

Darlings! Sometimes an epilogue is just an epilogue. I never intended to release a book for Morgan Katz. However....That doesn't mean I didn't write one. I've always had the book. I have difficulty saying goodbye to my characters. I have an entire collection of books I've written just so I don't have to say goodbye. What's that Neil Sedaka song...?...breaking up is hard to do.... saying goodbye to a character you love is like a breakup, so I always have a book lying around for the characters I truly love. My little ritual of closer. I think it is why I always part as friends with my characters. OK, Susan, you're losing it again.

Well, it is with the editors waiting in line to be edited with my other work. It's naughty that you all want me to tell you what happens after The Signature. Sometimes darlings, the end is the end. Isn't that how happily ever after is supposed to be?

As ever, I wish you Peace.

Good morning from the mountain. Counting down to my 1 year anniversary as an Indie #amreading #amwriting #bookboost #romance #author #blogging #kindle #amazon

4/29/2015

Well, I'm only 14 days away from having survived one year as an Indie Author. I've had a pretty good week. I've released my 10th book, The Girl of Diamonds & Rust, and people didn't throw shoes at me. It's getting unexpected and humbling review. And I've had the thrill of one of my characters quoted back to me. It was a thrill because I went, Aha someone knows what this series is about for me! You can't ask for more as a writer than for a reader to know what the work is about for you.

This is the week I do nothing. The week between releasing and finishing my next release, One Long Kiss. I'm hoping to have that live before my 1 year date on May 13th. It's going to be a squeaker because I am not allowed to write for one week. My husband's request. One week a month, Susie, no stress, no quiet, no Chrissie. Yep, he deserves that because he's a great guy~heck, he's willing to spend the rest of his life with me~ andthe books I write are a smidge emotionally intense and I can get, ~big surprise-NOT~, a touch intense writing them.

There is going to be some fun the week of May 13th, so make sure you check back. I want that week to be special because of all of you who took a chance reading a book by me have definitely made this a most special year.

Thank you, and as ever, I wish you Peace.
The Affair without End Series is still on sale for 99 Pennies!

I've just released my 10th book. What have I learned?.. #amwriting #author #indieauthors #blogging #romance #amazon #kindle #kindleunlimited

4/26/2015

That I still live in the land of if it can go wrong, it will go wrong. I sort of thought knowing the process, being highly organized in everything I need to do to get a release out, would minimize the why the heck did that happen moments. Nope, it didn't . I still have little balls that drop to the ground during the mad rush to get a release up. I still have those, crap Amazon, really moments. And I still haven't a clue what reader reaction will be to the work.

I've done some risky things in the 3rd half shell book, and I'm already getting reader notes. I have to fall back on my Ricky Nelson song, you can't please everyone so ya gotta please yourself. The song is pretty much on repeat in my head and will probably stay that way for the next two weeks through my blitz and blog tour for The Girl of Diamonds & Rust.

The important thing about to remember about a series by me is that if it were predictable where would be the fun? That's true in each book. I know exactly where a reader is in a story when I get the WTF message. And I know exactly where they are in a series when I get the everything turned upside down message. Fortunately, more readers enjoy the lack of predictability than despise it. I have always found life to lack predictability.

Life is messy girls...Well, my life has been messy. You may be more fortunate than me and live in the land of Hallmark. I live in the land called mess. But I've always believed that just a smidge of mess makes the story~~and life~~more fun.

As ever, I wish you Peace.

The 80s were a time of conflicting messages for girls coming of age...#amreading #amwriting #blogging #romance #kindle #kindleunlimited

4/22/2015

I write my female characters as reflections of their era. No one is more so than Chrissie, which is probably why she frustrates the hell out of people. It's important to remember a couple of things about coming of age in the 80s. It was a weird freaking time to be a woman. We were sandwiched between our mother's generations(the June Cleavers of this earth) and our daughters (I won't put an example here. Insert your own) in a convoluted place pretty much summed up by the four signature phrases I used to hear endlessly and still hear from women my age:

1. I don't know.[translation, I do know, but I'm not confident to speak my mind even though those magazines say I should]
2. Who knew?[ translation, how the heck am I supposed to know the answer to that one and even if I did why should I care.]
3. I don't get it. [translation, I do get it, but I don't want to and it's lame.]

AND MY FAVORITE

3. Whatever[translation, it is what it is, it sucks, but I don't care. Just doesn't matter to me] I used to wear a black baseball cap with this phrase, especially when I took my daughter to her 40 horse shows a year. Judging so subjective in the horse world.

All roads in every direction for young women were open in the 80s-motherhood-professional success- marriage-sexual freedom. Unfortunately, we were the generation expected to take all roads simultaneously for the first time. Like the STAR SHIP ENTERPRISE going where no girl has gone before. Hence the term "super mom""Super woman" "Ball breaker"...oops wrong, we'll talk about that one later.... If you worked and didn't have marriage and kids, half the population of women hated you. If you had kids and didn't work, half the population of women thought you were a failure. And if you did both, well...there was no way you were doing your part to keep the marriage happy. All roles had a sizable no win zone. Committing to any identity with certainty and pride took freaking courage. The girl who said, I know who I am, love me or leave me well, I knew a girl like that, I really admired her, but everyone left her. Getting the picture here.

Readers may not always sympathize with my female characters, but my heroines always ring true for their era. I love it when a reader looks beyond the expected formula character, and see's who these women were. It's why I write them. And heck, I think it makes the stories more interesting when you open a book and get something you don't expect.

Kaley Stanton is my contemporary heroine from this decade, my prototype modern girl, and a sharp contrast to her mother Chrissie Parker in The Girl on the Half Shell. What would be the fun if women were exactly same in every generation. We'd make it too easy for men.

As ever I wish you Peace.

OH, and I have another Reader Thank you Promo: Rewind is Free on Amazon Today.

"Susan, will you shut up and stop wishing people Peace." Nope... #amreading #amwriting #blogging #author #romance #kindle #kindleunlimited #amazon

4/17/2015

I don't know why my phrase I wish you Peace stirs such strange reaction sometimes. I have emails that say: it's weird; it's annoying; I don't why you say it; will you shut and stop saying that! Nope. Not doing it. Every religion on this earth has a phrase involving the wish of peace. It's universal and a loving concept.

It is in fact, the moment that is my favorite part of the catholic mass. If you're not catholic, the masses are long. But after the very structured ritual of faith in a mass, there is a moment where we all unbend and say Peace be with you and shake hands with the people near us. I don't know why but that moment always filled me with more a sense of spiritual peace than any other part of the mass. It is the moment where I get it and really connect to my faith.

I started writing I wish you Peace, always somewhere on a note or card or newsletter, after 9/11, when I started seeing young men and women who had grown up with my girls going into the military and into war zones. I can imagine nothing harder than being a mother and sending your child off to a war zone. I also find it very sad that we have been a country with our amazing young men and women somewhere on this earth in a war zone for nearly 15 years. We have been a country at war almost my youngest daughter's entire life. And worse, it has become the new normal in our country and people hardly think about it.

I think about it every day and will continue to until every young man or woman I've watched grow up(and all those amazing young men and women I do not know), laughing and playing in a school yard, playing sports, coming to my house for birthday parties or slumber parties or maybe only graduating school with one of my daughters; I will wish it until they comes home. Until their mothers are from worry, and there is peace on this earth.

So yes, I wish you Peace. Peace be with you.

Does this sound like a rapist to you? #amwriting #amreading #chicklit #romance #kindle #kindleunlimited #bookboost #blogging

4/16/2015

Counting down to 1 year as an Indie. Here's what I've learned. So we write a book, release it, it is out there and it goes through that magical thing called a reader. After 1 year of reviews, I can honestly say I'm still shocked from time to time how a reader interprets my work. I write about love, sorrow, and the healing power of love. But everyone once in a while a reader sees something totally different. They bring to our relationship their experiences, their biases, and I don't know what they are and I can't always see what they see in the written word that compels them at times to write such confusing and off-target reviews.

I accept that my work won't appeal to every reader. I was definitely cautioned to remove the themes of Faith from the book by some of my author friends. But I couldn't reason a way to accurate, authentically construct a hero in 1813 without elements of faith. So I didn't do it. And released, knowing some readers might just react to that.
I always take risks in my writing--if you've read a book by me, you know that-- and some readers love it, some readers hate it, but even with the bad review, it's my party and I'm going to tell a story how I want to.

I've had all the range of unpleasant reviews we all get- horrible writing, terrible story, hated it, too many words, etc.--those are fair because it's like when I serve someone dinner. I may not cook to their taste. It's a preference thing. And fortunately I have a lot more good reviews than bad reviews, and it prevents me from crawling under my bed and just hiding forever.

But then there is the how did the reader come away with that review. Sometimes I wish I could ask them. When my work strikes someone hard and wrong, I'm very curious why. It's why I like when the critical reviews pop up on Goodreads. I can ask the reader, learn from them, sometimes see something new through their eyes. I enjoy the interactive writing experience in our current Indie World of Publishing. It's an amazing tool for an author to utilize. Especially if the ultimate goal is to write good books people will enjoy.

But sometimes there is just no way for me to get from the work to what a reader sees. No matter how I turn it, I can't make reason. So I thought, I'll introduce you to my favorite hero, Varian Deverell, who was mislabeled rather boldly in a review "A Rapist." He is a man of faith and patience and love. Definitely patience, since I tortured the poor man in When the Perfect Comes and always held the heroine just out of his reach. I made up for it in the second book, Face to Face. I hope he is not still angry me for what I did to him in book one. I love a man of patience and faith and heart. I rarely post excerpts, and I do apologize for it's length, but one needs to put Varian in a complete context. So here is my rapist. What do you think?

As ever, I wish you Peace. OH and One Last Kiss is still on Amazon Free Download.

***Copyright © 2014 Susan Ward   All rights reserved***
    Merry felt her emotions commence to frantically churn again. This she understood without effort, though finding the chapel was no more a comfort than what she had expected to find here.
    It was another woman Varian went to each day. But it was not a mistress; it was his wife. And Ann held his heart in a way no flesh and blood woman could ever claim him. Indy had warned her about this. Indy had warned and been right about many things.
    She could not stop herself from going to the entrance to see if Varian was inside. He was a lone figure on his knees, head bowed before God as he quietly prayed. Merry’s eyes rounded in surprise. The infamous pirate Morgan at pray. Seeing him thus rattled her in a way unexpected, and she cautiously eased back out of view.
    Gathering her skirts up in her hands, she ran from the chapel. For some elusive reason, she stopped at the bench on the grass and settled herself there. The world was quiet all around her, so quiet she could hear the distant bird songs, the gentle swish of air from the valley below, and the sound of her own blood gushing through her veins.
    She was anything but quiet internally, and could not begin to understand why this discovery distressed her. A man in pray. Her stomach was taut and tears burned behind her lids. What a foolish thing to become distraught over.
    The sky was a rich oiled blue and the breezes licked with the rich scent of newly turned soil. Merry could understand the allure of this place, why Varian had built the chapel here and planted the small rose garden, which surely was intended for Ann. It was a peaceful place, of richly colored beauty and solitude. She was well aware Varian had loved his wife, and yet this confused her more than any other thing she had learned of him. What manner of man was Varian truly?
    Some time passed before Varian exited the chapel. He settled on the bench beside her, his blood-warmed fingers a feather-light lay atop her hand. He didn’t speak and she couldn’t speak, but the quiet they shared had a strange kind of blending closeness to it.
    Through the fabric of her gown, Merry could feel the long elegant muscles of his body, his awareness of her and what she now knew was a potent intimacy that was them. It came to her that what she was feeling was no surprise to him, he had felt them first and understood it, this blending closeness in the quiet that was them.
    The wind tousled his hair, and in his sculptured face his black eyes had an intent, peaceful glow. Twice her eyes strayed to his face and then lowered in a shaken way. He was not angry she had followed him here. He had expected her to, and she knew he had wanted her to and had led her here.
    His voice, though quiet, was powerful. “Why did you not come in?”
    “I don’t know.” As she inspected his hand atop hers it occurred to her his stillness and quiet were deliberate. His question was not as simple as her answer and she added, “It seemed a private thing you do. I did not wish to disturb you.”
    His smile was warm, understanding and very human. “All men, Merry, pray at the moment of their death. A wise man prays long before that moment.”
    She sank her teeth into her lower lip. “It was not so much the praying, but why you pray that made me not wish to disturb you.”
    Varian’s heavy lidded eyes widened in response. “I pray for wisdom, counsel, and forgiveness for many things in my life. You would not have disturbed me, Little One.”
    It was a cleverly worded answer, true and yet evasive. Merry didn’t miss one nuisance. “You pray for her. To be close to Ann in the only manner left to you.” Her eyes shifted to the roses. “Just as you had this bench placed here and the garden planted. For her.”
    In a low tone that was oddly devoid of emotion, he said, “Yes.”
    A truthful answer, direct. It was the last thing Merry expected or was prepared to deal with. Her love for him, long denied, was urging her closer to him, even as it urged her to run from him.
    Varian’s fingers tightened slightly around hers. “And now I sit here with you.”
    That was far from a casual remark, and Merry felt her insides sharply adjust yet again. The tender parts of this man, potent with his sensitivity, were more dangerous than all the other parts of him. Merry looked away, as though to study the valley, so he could not see and read her thoughts in her eyes. Shay had been right. Being on land with the Captain was a curse, not a blessing. It was not Morgan who drew women to him. It was Varian.
    Over her shoulder, she heard Varian say, “You need to be more careful, Little One.”
    Merry didn’t look at him. Yes. More careful. But I am not a careful girl, Varian. You must have care with me.
    Killing her thoughts, she turned her face and saw he was staring at her feet. She looked in the direction of his gaze. She’d climbed the path without her shoes, and there were cuts here and there on her pale flesh. She had not felt a single cut as it was made. It seemed to her a distressing omen underscoring her danger with him. She had cut her feet to ribbons following him and hadn’t even known she’d done it.
    Not giving her time to react, Varian lifted Merry from the bench and said, “I will carry you back to the house, Little One.”
    The mold of their bodies was so close, it was hard for Merry to tell which breath that passed between them belonged to her and which were his. The gentle care of his hold gave the sensation of floating downward on the path.
    “I can walk,” she said.
    Varian’s answering smile was soft and amused. “Don’t be foolish.”
    Merry hid her face against his chest. Too late, Varian. I am a foolish girl. I am in love with you.

I'm a mother and a grandmother. Please do not be unkind and tell untruths about me when you write about me...#amreading #chicklit #blogging #author #romance #kindle

4/15/2015

A year ago I was very sick. I thought I was on my way to that giant writers convention in the sky. I stumbled across my father's Amazon Page and it amazed me it was still there 16 years after his death. And I thought, I'll put my books up and I will exist in Amazon cyber immortality for my girls. My books all have themes and messages for my daughters, buried within the stories, little notes from mom to them. And I thought maybe some day they might see them, read them, and go Yep that's Mom and darn she's still nagging us with life lesson even though she's in that giant writers convention.

It matters to me what is said about me because I have daughters. Recently a reviewer accused me of putting RAPE into a book that has no sex scene. The Heroine starts the book as a virgin and she is intact 400 pages later. It is a book about loss and sorrow and the healing powers of love. It is the farthest thing from a book that would contain a rape scene... and I would never write a rape scene, because I have daughters.

Good reviews. Bad reviews. I read and appreciate both. I have never knocked anyone for their opinion of my books and I am not doing so now. Merely making a polite request. I appreciate that my work will not appeal to everyone. But it's my party, and I'm going to keep writing they way I want to.

What hurts me is the untruthful review because they often contain things I find offensive and cruel. I am a mother of daughters and a grandmother. I would never write a rape scene. My books are filled with the love I hold in my heart for my girls, little notes from me to them. So please, do not treat me unkindly. At a minimum, make sure your reviews, good or bad, reflects the work you are speaking of.

As ever I wish you Peace.
OH...and I have some counting down to 1 year anniversary Thank You Promotions for you!
Today only~Rewind~ 99cents and until 4/19 One Last Kiss Free Kindle Download.

Counting down. 1 month to 1 year. My biggest giveaway... #amreading #amwriting #indieauthor #romance #chicklit #giftcard #free #bookboost

4/13/2015

I can't believe I'm less than 30 days away from my 1 year anniversary as an Indie Author. I've been having free kindle countdown promos, and I've got more coming your way over the next 30 days, but I love games and I'm having a party. So for the next 30 days, I'm running a give away for 1 Amazon $50.00 gift card. I decided a year ago that the value of the prize would be determined by the number of downloads I had the first year,(I've passed that incredible milestone this month thanks to all of you!) so thank you, thank you, thank you all you readers who took a chance and downloaded a book from little ole STILL unknown me!

So it's my party, it is simple to enter, and here is my game(Giveaway runs until May 13, 2015-1 winner) $50.00 Amazon Gift Card:
1. Like my author page: https://www.facebook.com/susanwardbooks?ref=hl

2. Then send me an email, susan95758@gmail.com, answering the following questions:
    a. What book by me have you read? What did you like or what didn't you like?(yep contest is open to the people who              don't enjoy my work because they gave me a chance by reading my work and I'm grateful for it.)

    b. There are 4 themes in all my books~~love, loss, romance, and hope~~ So answer this question:
    If you have read any or all of my books you will note that HOPE is always a physical place for me, something tangible.         So tell me, why is hope in my books a physical place?

    c. Make sure put in the subject line 2015 giveaway.

3. I'll read the answers on May 12th. First correct answer about the "hope question" if the entry has all required elements to win the $50.00 gift card.

Fun? Well it is to me, and I am so very grateful to everyone who joined me on this year's journey. And for the hundreds of you who faithfully read my blog, you just found out my FREE Reader appreciation gift for this week if you look below to my pictures. Isn't it great to know in advance what I'm doing?

As ever I wish you Peace.

Counting down to my one year anniversary as an Indie Author... #amwriting #amreading #chicklit #romance #kindle #blogging #books #kindleunlimited

4/10/2015

So what have I learned? I enjoy writing in multiple genres. I'm Amazon Bestselling in Contemporary, Coming-of-Age, New Adult, Erotica, Historical and Erotica Romance. I just want to write what I want to write, when I want to write it, how I want to write it. This does present a challenge.

While I have wonderfully loyal readers--so many read everything I release-- sometimes one of my historical readers will pick of a contemporary, and go holy moly is this still Susan? My writing style changes. My voice changes. How I write sex changes. And how I think of love and romance changes. But what never changes, is how I think of women. Each heroine is unique and has something to say about the challenges of being a woman in their era.

Still, the multiple genre things is tough. Every Indie builds a structure to promote their work. Blogs-page postings-tweet families( gosh thank you so much everyone in twitter world who helps me along the way). But not every blog or page works for every kind of work. I've learned that the hard way.

After releasing Love's Patient Fury in December, I switched back to my contemporary series to finish writing them and my historical romances started to slowly decline in sales. Maintaining a relationship with those readers has been a challenge. They do not cross paths with me when I'm out promoting my contemporary work.

So, I am thrilled that over 5000 readers have downloaded my pirates during the first 2 days of my free amazon promotion. Varian, my hero, was getting lonely. Varian loves women. He's so happy to be with you all in your Kindles.

I wish I could share a magic recipe for how to successfully market your work in multiple genres all at once. I haven't figured it out yet. Even as I count down to 1 year as an Indie, I'm still learning along the way.

Oh...and today I hit a big milestone I set for my first year as an Indie when I started 5/13/2014. So check back in. I've got something special coming your way Sunday to say thank you to my wonderful readers.

As ever I wish you Peace.

Counting down to my one year anniversary as an Indie Author... #amreading #free #kindledeal #kindleunlimited #amwriting #blogging #books

4/8/2015

I can't believe it's been nearly a year my darlings. I've had a wonderful time thanks to the amazing people who read my books. Every note, every post on my author page and every email I've read and so treasure. So, as we mark the calendar to May 13th I'm having a month long celebration. Whatever I have, whatever I can do in my Kindle Promo Bag....well, it's coming out. I've got some big dates before May 13th, some really fun releases, so I'll have something there too. The final Half Shell book, The Girl of Tokens and Tears, on April 26th. And the final Affair without End Series book, One Long Kiss, May 2015. And there just might be one more release tucked into the countdown if I can find a 3rd editor to help me get it out before May 13th. And I'm ending my first year with my first book signing May 30th at Sexy in the City in New York.

So make sure you check back on my blog and author page. There's going to be great "thank you specials" sent from me to you. Thank you all for joining me on this crazy and wild journey of sharing my work. Magic does still happen over 50!

And as always I wish you Peace.