News & A Simple Suggestion

Sometimes when life gets overwhelming, even the fun stuff may not be so fun anymore – becoming just more items to cross off the list. Today, I’m saying the hell with it, and cutting myself some slack. So today’s post is going to be epic short.

Kiss of Death: For the Murderously Inclined Romantic

December 1 is Kiss of Death day! Yeah, that’s how awesome romantic suspense is as a genre – it gets its own day. To celebrate, I’d like to talk about the genre a little and deliver a call to action to all you would-be novelists.

I write romantic suspense because I love mystery, and I’m a sucker for romance. Both are timeless. Both make the world go round.

Both make you think.

Malware – Are You Protected?

Yesterday sucked. I lost six hours of prime editing time due to an infected computer. Somehow, I found myself with spyware, adware and something called a TROJAN on my damn machine.

WTF?

Do I have an up-to-date anti-virus system? YES. I pay $90/year. Do I visit porn sites? NO. (Don’t need to, thank you very much.) Do I go on online gaming sites? NO. Do I click on anything and everything that pops up on my screen? No, no, no!

As I learned the hard way, anyone – and I mean anyone – is at risk if you do any kind of internet browsing. And you know what else? Anti-virus is NOT the same thing as malware protection.

Bloody hell.

Fan-Gating: Smart Marketing or Mega Turn-Off?

Long gone are the days when writers could hole away, head down, lost in their fictional worlds. Whether we like it or not, we have to put ourselves out there to make our books visible in the crush. Social media is perhaps the most powerful tool we have to connect with our readers and grow our business. No surprise there. Most of us are involved with it to some degree, but just when you think you’re pretty proficient at some of this junk…WHAM!

More freaking options.

If you don’t figure most of it out, you’re gonna be left behind. So when I learned about one of the newer marketing gimmicks, this Fan-gating business got my panties in a bunch.

Distractable? Who, me?

There are two things I learned while on hiatus from blogging and most social media: 1.) a narrow focus allows you to get a crap-load of work done; and 2.) it’s not very realistic long-term.

How Bad Do You Want It?

Today I’m addressing dreams. YOUR dreams. Not the night version of course, but the “what-I’d-love-to-achieve-because-it-would-kick-ass” kind of dreaming. Have you identified one? More than one? Have you gone the next step and morphed those dreams into goals? If not, why not? If you have, but those goals are languishing under the weight of your daily to-do list, what are you going to do about it?

Ok, no more questions. Let’s take a good look at your life and figure out what’s standing in your way.

To Rant, or Not To Rant

Yesterday I prepared today’s post, all fired up about a generic situation that I perceived as ridiculous. It was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. I poured myself into the post, backed up my claims and then…told myself to sleep on it.

The Digital Pricing Debate

Let’s talk eBook pricing for a couple of minutes. In the romance genre, trade paperbacks are reaching up toward  the $9 mark while a lot of digital indie authors are either selling their novels for 99 cents, or—gasp!—giving them away. When I initially learned about the free or mostly-free camp I thought, what the hell’s the point? But as I heard their arguments, I began to wonder if they were on to something.

Now, I’m not so sure again.

Idealism vs. Realism? I’ll take both.

I’m not much of a gambling woman, but I’d wager a guess that most people read to be carried away. To ditch bills, housework, and all the other stresses of our everyday world to live vicariously through a fictional character’s much more dramatic, exciting and yes, romantic life. Who wouldn’t want to be Eve Dallas, Cinderella or Scarlet O’Hara for a day (or more)?

Mobile Optimized Website Tips

Surfing the internet on my phone is wonderful. And maddening. I love the freedom to access information anywhere, anytime. But, oooo, do I hate the horizontal scrolling that’s even more of an issue when you enlarge the screen enough so you don’t need a flipping magnifying glass to read it. And sites that take too long to download (due to large graphics or bells and whistles) don’t have a chance with me. I don’t think I’m alone, either.

So how does your site work on a mobile device? If the answer is “not so good,” or you’re just starting to think about this next step in the digital, on-the-go world, read on for a few tips.