Hello again,   As you may know, yesterday and the day before, there were some blocks on the Internet having to do with folks e-filing taxes and the Boston mara-thon tragedy, God Bless Their Souls.  So, I couldn't get my new office manager's picture sent.      Here it is.

Yes, He sits like a person. Tobias Blu Yarina Happy Day! Susan

Hello everyone!

I'm constantly amazed at how quickly the ebook evolution is marching on.  For some time now, ebook sales have outstripped print book sales.  And why not?  No books to lug about, you can read them on any number of aparatus or is that apparati?  :-)  Anyway, what I've pushed for so long has come true.  More choices!  For readers, for writers and for publishers.  In fact, there are so many, the mind boggles-your Iphone, Ipad, Kindle, Nook...I could go on and on.  Me?  I have the very first ebook reader, the RocketReader sold.  Literally.  I went to the first E-con by EPIC and the sales manager said, "this will be our first sale and so you have the very first Rocket Reader sold to the public."  Guess what?  It still works beautifully and on two double AA batteries holds a charge for 40 hours or more.  I've changed the batteries once in, what, 15 years.  Wow!  Not all of them can do that.  Now, I still read print books, love them and can't live without them.  But, I am hearing more and more readers say, not only do they read ebooks they read four times as many books as they have in the past.  Now, that jazzes me!  You?

Today's Tip:  Check out the new and used bookstores in your area.  That way you can buy plenty of second-hand books and find the authors that appeal to you most. 

A Day in the Writer's Life:  Dear hubby is home full time now.  This is both wonderful and difficult.  I'm currently finishing my last time travel (or is it?") in the TimeRider series, so there I sit, typing at a speed faster than light, the movie rolling in my head, and he says:  "Are you going to sit there all day?  It's beautiful out.  Let's ride the horses."  "But," you say, "this is my job now and my boss (me) says it's time to get the next 20 manuscript pages written."  Husband shakes his head and walks away, muttering, "I never know what she wants."  Say it with me now, "What?"  And?  Guess what?  The movie stopped...Grrrr.

How I started and you can too:  To prevent divorce, close the office door, set up your internal DVD, and let the film role and write.  Do not worry it is not completely correct, just let the thoughts flow.  The rewrite, where in my opinion, the real writing happens, will come tomorrow.  The rewrite is where you correct those mistakes, make poetic the scenes that should be, the evocative nature of the writing is ramped up and grammar and punctuation are corrected. 

Humor:  I have a new office manager.  He's a little young at the job.  He thinks his most important job is to walk across the keyboard #G^jjj**L{}} and to push all items off of the desks, files, any surface really.  Fun, fun, fun. 

Happy Trails and Happy Reading,
Sincerely, Susan

Glad to be back

Hello everyone,

It seems life continues to give the Yarina family lemons to make lemonade with. Joe and I usually like to do everything together, so I broke my right leg, too. :-( I'm just now back up on my feet and writing and riding again. It's rained on us quite a bit since October and join us in hoping this is the last of it.

I've missed the writing and riding life so much, but it serves to illustrate just how much my passions (and yes, I include my husband) mean to me to be without them for so long. I'm very grateful for all life allows me and so grateful to be up and about again.

Tomorrow, I will be signing at the Glendale, Arizona Chocolate Affaire and if you've never been, or even if you have, y'all come. I promise you, great food, great chocolate, fine artisians and the very best romance authors all signing novels for you. Here is the link:http://www.glendaleaz.com/events/ChocolateAffaire.cfm It is my favorite signing of the year and if you come, you'll see why...

Happy Trails,
~~Susan

Blogging with Susan n' Sedona-The Write Place

Hello everyone,

I just finished my 100K work in progress and now it's off to those who've requested it. It's such a great feeling and I'm terribly excited about this new work. As soon as I'm able, I'll share more about it. I told you I get a lot of writing done in the summer. :-) Hope your summer went well and that everyone everywhere took lots of books on vacation either in a bookbag or in one the fabulous e-book readers. There are more choices all the time. My husband loves it when he asks where the book box is just as we're leaving for vacation and I hold up my novel sized ebook reader.

Today's Tip: Hire an office manager. Here's mine.

He must: be fluffy, irresistable, have big expressive eyes, be proficient in MEOW, nag author to-exercize, get the dryer, get food, drink water, pet cat, feed everyone else too, answer door or phone if dh doesn't seem to be doing it, tell me to turn off computer no later than 2:30 am and oh yes, live in.

Inside Information: Be sure to carry your own books with you on vacation. Most B&B owners love to hear you are an author and will buy several copies to place about for readers. One such special B&B owner even gave TimeRider to a producer that was visiting--haven't heard anything yet.

A Day in the Writer's Life: Pay close attention to those chores you've left yourself so you can stay healthy. For example, don't accidentally throw my type of office manager into the dryer-they turn into indignant hairballs the size of Texas in just one or two tumbles...:-)

How I started and you can too: offer to do something to serve that new writer's organization you've just joined--give something back from the minute you get going

Humor: "No, Aunt Sara, you are NOT the woman I killed off in my last novel."

TTFN and don't forget to leave a comment. I love to hear from my readers.

Warmly, what else? It's a hundred out.

~~Susan

Dog Days of Summer

Today's Tip: Sit your butt down in the chair and write. Every day. Something. I mean, I'm not working on my manuscript on Monday, because it's Marketing Monday and I do all my promo, scheduling, blogging, business upkeep and so on... But otherwise, write! Catherine Coulter says (in a very big voice for such a tiny woman) "I can fix a printed page, but I can't fix a blank one." So even if it's drivel, you can rewrite the next day and remember, some authors say the rewriting is the REAL writing and I tend to agree.

Insider Information: Want to get that fired up feeling you have after a writer's conference? Make sure you get to the booksellers reference books. Be selective and pick out what references for what you want to write. Some of the best are the Writer's Digest books. Make sure you include a book that inspires you to write. A great one is Walking On Alligators

A Day in the Writer's Life: Pant, pant, pant, er, I mean Hello Everyone,
This is the time of year I get the most writing done. Why? Because, friends, it's 100 degrees plus out there and the monsoon is threatening with huge clouds forming over the Superstition Mountains and every evening we get; a light show ranging from pretty colored flashes of every color that just flash from cloud bank to cloud bank to ominous crashes and forks of lightning that shake the pictures on the wall (remember I live on the mountainside), strike tall targets (sajuaros, trees, power lines, golfers with clubs pointed upward, horsemen and so on...gets ugly) and cause the dogs to bark and the horses to spook. Out this way we use strings of surge protectors by jingo. :-) So, the west stays wild out here even without the raiding Apache or gunfights.
How I started and you can too: Get a critique buddy. Just one to start with. Try to pick someone a little more advanced than you are and writes in the same genre. If that person doesn't resonate with you, trust your instincts and find another. Be sure not to burn any fences by being less than considerate of the critique buddy you're letting go. Or, if you have the time, keep both.
Humor: Sleeping writer rolls over in bed and murmurs "Brad."
Unfortunately, dear hubby's name is "Jake."
Understandably seething husband shakes tired author awake, "Who's this Brad you're calling to in your sleep?
Foggy author can always answer, "Hero of my newest work."
And then, baby, make it so. :-) For insider's tip on how to do this tune in next week!

Until next week, with a glass of iced tea in one hand and an editing pen in the other,

~~Susan

The Write Place-learning the business-a little update about me-a little laugh

Hello everyone,

Today's tip: Remember I said suggested that aspiring writers, readers and published authors ought to go to the Desert Dreams conferences? Well, here are just two of the reasons you should go. Every year the people who put on this conference donate these lovely raffle baskets, some up to $500.00 in value, and you can buy tickets. Proceeds go to literacy. These baskets are raffled off at events throughout the conference. You may get autographed books, candles, lotions, writing services (critiques, help with synopsis etc). This year I got a lovely heirloom coverlet perfectly created by Mary Fiori. Thanks, Mary. Second reason: You get to visit with old friends, like Linda Lael Miller and I in the second photo and even though they may be especially dear, if you are a dedicated writer, you don't have much time for visiting, so make the most of it. And for all authors these are times when we also network, catch up on market news and our latest projects with each other and of course the things like family news as well.

Inside Information: Pay close attention to what publishers are requesting NOW. Go to every spotlight on the publisher you hope to work with and find out what they want NOW. Keep your ears open. This is one of the best ways to get the current needs of the market. One of my friends was once commenting that no one wanted to see her civil war novel. A savvy editor of a house she hadn't even considered glanced over and said, "I want to see it." and gave her card to my friend. Viola!

A Day in the Writer's Life Tuesday through Friday are my most productive days usually. But, in every writer's life, adjustments must be made. My daughter is recovering from surgery and asked for books. Books, I have. :-) So, I sent her her favorites: fantasy, mostly light. So, what to do? After supper, instead of sitting down and watching Castle (which I'd TiVo'd) I perfected a cover letter I'm sending in.

How I started and you can too: Remember, continue to look up all the different writer's chapters. Figure out which books attract you most. Buy and read what you like. Find out which publishing houses they are from. Look up that house and see what they want. Try to do this for several weeks. Is that idea that's been percolating on your mind beginning to take shape?

Humor: A group of us just got back from an all day horse-back ride in the mountains. One of the fellas says: "Ah, a day in the saddle--better than sex." In the few quiet seconds following, I offered, "I don't know what to tell you, bud, but you're doing something wrong." The whole group nearly fell off their horses laughing.

The Write Place-learning the business-a little update about me-a little laugh

Hello friends, readers, aspiring writers and fellow romance writers,

I hope this finds you well. If you need a little inspiration and somewhere to learn writing as a career you've come to the right place. If you want to see how an author lives, you've come to the right place. If you want a little laugh, you've come to the right place.

Todays tip: Attend writer's conferences. These are great ways to meet those authors you adore face to face. These amazing creatures will share how to make writing your career or what they're up to in their careers.

There will also be editors there with whom you may make an appointment. Editors like your idea, they take it to the publishing house and sell it and you become a household name after your first big contract.

There will be agents there with whom you may make an appointment. Agents will make it their personal business to help you plan a lucrative and rewarding career.

Insider information: Have a manuscript done before you make above appointments. So you say, how do I do that? That will come soon. But first just go to the conference and attend the classes that sound most like what you like to read. It will give you an overall idea if this is something you might like to do.

A Day in the Writer's Life: Marketing Monday: this is the day I catch up my weekend emails (from editors, agents, authors, librarians, universities and all the various and sundry places that want authors in their events), do my blogs, catch up on FaceBook (not sure if this simply takes too much time, but it sure is fun). Follow up on booksignings, ordering or making promotional materials, and when you finally have made enough money, finding a publicist to do all that for you. :-)

How I started it and you can too: I attended one of the best regional romance conferences in the nation. Desert Dreams Conference is held on the even years every April in Arizona, so though you just missed ours, put on by Desert Rose Romance Writers, there will be another in 2012. Here's a link to our conferences: Phoenix Desert Rose RWA We are in Arizona. If you go to the National Romance Writers of American site, you can find a list of chapters in your own state which may have your own conferences. Naturally, I think ours is best and well worth the trip from anywhere. Here's the national link:Romance Writers of America

Humor: You may be a writer if you are serving the same thing you wrote your hero and heroine are having for dinner.