5 Signs You Need to Read a Different Genre

Reading is my favorite activity! I read everything--newspapers (mostly online), magazines (mostly print, but a few digital), non-fiction books (always print), and fiction (a mix of print and digital). Once I fall in love with a novel, I devour books by other authors of the genre. But...there is a downside. I've pinpointed five signs I need to switch my reading preferences.

1. In your mind, you've become an expert on all things related to the genre. 

Let's take Regency romance as an example. I've done zero research on this setting, but after reading dozens of books, I confidently mumble to myself "that wouldn't happen," or "he would never consider someone so outside his class," or "did that road even exist?" Yes. I'm a recovering genre-know-it-all, and I've stepped away from Regency romance for a few years.

2. The same character names appear in multiple books by different authors, and you can no longer keep this Kate straight from that Kate. 

It's true. You read one genre, and for whatever reason, the same heroine or hero name comes up again and again. I've read books where both the hero and heroine had the same names as another book I'd just read. Time to read another genre!

3. You not only know what's going to happen, you're "advising" the characters throughout the book. 

"Don't be a dummy, Gretchen. Leo is lying to you about the ex-girlfriend because he's scared that you're the one and he can't handle it. He'll call her in a few chapters. Just wait and see, or, better yet Gretch, don't wait and see. Go on a vacay. You're going to need one."

It's really bad when you've already advised Gretchen by page six. Step away. Open a classic.

4. Every title you've read in the last three months has been a riff on another. 

Broken Memories. Memory Broken. To Break a Memory. Pieces of Memory. Memory in Pieces. Broken Memory Pieces.

5. You've exhausted reading all popular authors in the genre and their back lists.

Guilty! I had a Jodi Thomas infatuation about seven years ago, and trust me, I hunted down her entire back list. Stephanie Laurens? The same. When I find an author I like, I read all their books. When I've read them all, I'm usually burned out. For a year. Then I go back. :)

Do you ever find yourself overly invested in one genre? How do YOU know you need to read something else?

Have a great day!

Tweet

Share

Handbag Hoopla! Guest Post by Jenny Sulpizio

Today I have the pleasure of welcoming Jenny Sulpizio, author of Confessions of a Wonder Woman Wannabe: On a Mission to Save Sanity, One Mom at a Time. I loved Jenny's book! Funny, faith-filled, with tons of tips--it's perfect for Christian moms. (My review is listed later in the post.) Jenny agreed to share an excerpt. So grab a cup of coffee and enjoy Jenny's advice about handbags!

Handbag Hoopla

(An excerpt from “Confessions of a Wonder Woman Wannabe: On a Mission to Save Sanity, One Mom at a Time.”)

Gosh. If there’s one thing we moms have a lot of these days, it’s got to be an overabundance of stuff.  It fills up our cars, homes…and especially those handbags we’re forced to carry. Indeed, our purses have become magnets for lost trinkets, unexplained junk, and loads of other useless items that can’t help but make us wonder how they even got there in the first place.

Chances are, if you’re a purse-toting mom like me, you’ve found yourself bombarded by the overwhelming contents of your oversized handbag on more than one occasion. And with all this junk taking up valuable space within our purse(s), it’s no wonder we can’t locate important items when we need to.

So what are moms like us supposed to do?

In an effort to get our satchels under control, and avoid being swallowed (whole) by the contents within them, check out these tips to get that purse of yours clean, organized, and functional:

1. Go smaller: As we’ve already learned, bigger isn’t always better…especially when it comes to our purses. Think small after all.

2. Clean your clutch: Often and all the time. Rid yourself of old receipts, used tissues (ew!), and the likes. Make it sparkle!

3. Stock it: Stock your purse with only the essentials you’ll need. We’re talking a wallet, cell phone, a feminine hygiene item or two, some antibacterial goo, and that’s it. No more, no less.

4. Pick pocket: Designate specific areas in your purse for holding important items. For example, always place your wallet, cell phone, and keys in their assigned areas. Major sanity-saver here, girls!

5. Go new: If your purse has been to war and has the battle scars to prove it, it may be time to invest in a new one. Or, if your current handbag just isn’t doing the job, looks like it’s time to go shopping. Remember friends--finding a purse that will work for you and your needs is of utmost importance. Don’t be afraid to spend a little bit of money in this area. You’ll be happy you did.

***

Jenny Lee Sulpizio is a wife and mother of three who enjoys writing about anything and everything under the sun, but especially loves to instruct, motivate, and guide other moms with practical advice, tips, and a whole lot of comic relief in the process. Jenny is a contributing writer for The MOB Society and Moms Together, and is the author of the recently released guide for all mamas titled, “Confessions of a Wonder Woman Wannabe: On a Mission to Save Sanity, One Mom at a Time.” To find out more about Jenny or to follow her blog, visit www.jennyleesulpizio.com. Connect with Jenny on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest!

***

My review of Confessions of a Wonder Woman Wannabe: FIVE STARS!!

The breezy style and solid advice in this self-help book for Christian moms had me laughing, nodding, and taking notes. Ms. Sulpizio shares her struggles, her hard-earned wisdom, and all of her tricks in this lovely book. Moms of small children will appreciate the chapters on finding time for themselves, and moms of all ages can pick up tips about taking care of ourselves, organizing, and saving money.

I appreciated the resources included--websites to help us figure out our body shape, lists of must-haves in the car, etc...

Prayer is a major theme--just as it is in my life. We can't be perfect, but we can take our struggles to God.

Confessions of a Wonder Woman Wannabe is a must-read for Christian moms!

(I received an advanced reader copy with no obligation to review this book. All opinions are my own.)

***

Alright, so let’s have some fun. Tell me the first three items you find after reaching into your handbag right now (include your email address) and get entered to win a copy of “Confessions of a Wonder Woman Wannabe.” Ready? Go!

**Must be a U.S. citizen and 18 years or older to enter. Winner will be randomly selected from qualifying entries.**

***

Thank you, Jenny, for being such a fun guest!

Have a terrific day!!

Tweet

Share

When Bad Writing Is Good

I hopped over to Books & Such Literary Agency's blog, Between the Lines, on Wednesday, and I was delighted with agent Rachel Kent's post. She encouraged writers to leave a "bad query" in the comments for an opportunity to win a copy of Liz Johnson's, A Promise to Protect, and the winner will have his or her real query evaluated by Rachel!

It looked like so much fun, I couldn't help but join the party.

And a party it was! As of Thursday,  the post had prompted 276 comments. Can you believe it?? Many of them were responses to the bad queries. I read through almost all of them, and I laughed out loud numerous times.

I'm just going to list some of the highlights taken from the comments--the authors are listed at the end of this post!

Botched greetings:

Dear Rachelle Kent, Rach, Hark Woeful Wastrel, Dear Kent Rachel, 'Sup, Dear Lucky One...

Misspellings:

Repreesent, fickshunal novel, hawt guys,  luv, genrha...

Titles:

FROM RUMPELSTILTSKIN TO REVELATION
Hawt Amish Space Aliens Warz
FIFTY-ONE SHADES OF GREY
The Nursemaid's Caretaker
SHADES, WIZARDS, & FORKS
Harry Breaks Wind

Descriptions:

"I found in my mamas journal..."

"Lots of fighting, blood and gore, and naughty women."

"It starts out slow, but once you get past all the back story it really picks up."

"I submitted to every agent I can find and your agency is my last hope."

"Feel the colors of the rainbow, riding a unicorn across clouds spun with saccharine moonbeams."

"You have until noon to confirm you are representing my new speculative fiction-slash-medieval cookbook."

"Maybe it will be a love quadrilateral? (You help with that stuff right?)"

"Please visit this website to find out about book, bio, etc. http://www.bad-querier.com"

"It is full of plot twists like obsticals and problems."

"It’s got it all, man, I’m talkin’ a werewolf, some vampires, a nest of drug-dealin’ witches."

Comparables:

"This book would appeal to fans of Twilight, Harry Potter, Shades of Gray, Downton Abbey, and The Giving Tree."

"It’s going to be the next Harry Potter – you know, the one by JK Tolkein?"

"The movie is Jack Reacher meets Downton Abbey meets Twilight meets those elves from the Hobbit meets a bunch of chick lit writers in long dresses, with a Beethoven or Mozart (some old guys in wigs or something) soundtrack, along with a bunch of stuff about drugs and I think traffic violations, with aliens (from space and the South of the Border kind."

"It’s a cross between Leave it to Beaver and Big Bang Theory."

"This could be a classic like that one written by Harper Collins, “To Kill…er, some kind of bird. I don’t remember."

Writing Credits:

"My writing credits include a misdemeanor charge for bad checks that should be expunged before press time."

"I know that my vast experience on my high school newspaper will entice you to read my manuscript."

"Once I won the 3rd grade spelling be and a composition contest in 7th grade, that why I’m qualified tobe a writer and giveing you the honor to be my first queery letter."

"All six people I showed it to have loved the premise and say it will be a huge hit."

"I have just completed my first novel for NaNo."

Extras:

"I know we will have more than just an agent writer relationship. We will be best friends. I look forward to talking to you on the fone everyday."

"I can hear my mom coming down the stairs again, and I’d like to tell her that I have an agent so I can actually sleep past 2:00p.m. tomorrow."

"If I see you representing any novels with Revolutionary, Civil War or WWII settings, I will seek litigation against you for violating my copyright. (Notice the small symbol at the bottom of this proposal.)"

"I know you guys are very busy, so I will call you next week. If I can’t get you, I will just keep calling."

"Remember me! We meet in the bathroom a few years ago at a conference. I was the one who slid my manuscript under the stall door."

"My uncle’s dead but I know he’d love it too and so will you if you actually read it. I’m attaching a picture of my uncle so you’ll can see what a great guy he was when he wasn’t dead."

"Please call me at my boyfriend’s number 555-1234 and let me know how much money you are sending."

"P.S. Do you represent any real authors?"

"I can mail it to you if you agree to pay the postage. The package weighs about fifty pounds."

"The manuscript’s up on ebay. LET THE BIDDING WAR BEGIN!!!"

"Please excuse the notebook paper and purple crayon."

Special thanks to the following bad query contest commenters: Richard Mabry, Meghan Carver, Cynthia Green, Jennifer Major, Jana Hutcheson, Lori, Heather Day Gilbert, Larry, Amanda Dykes, Lee, Ryan LaForge, Brandi Lynch, Morgan Tarpley, Heidi Timmons, Ashley Mays, Leigh Goff, Jennifer Hallmark, Josh, Mindy, Regina Jennings, Patrice, Stacy Voss, Tanya Eavenson, Elaine Faber, Sarah Sundin, Shawn Kuhn, Lynn Johnston, Michelle Gardner, David Todd, Scott. (If I used anything from someone not listed, I'm sincerely sorry!)

Please, go over and read the comments from "Bad Query Contest" if you're at all laughing at these tidbits!! I am so impressed with all of the entries! Love them!!

Tweet

Share

The Truth About Black Friday

by Jill Kemerer, @jillkemerer

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Since you're reading this, I'm assuming you either skipped shopping on Black Friday or survived it. I did not go shopping this year because...well...the truth?  It's scary!


On Black Friday, shoppers all over America set their alarms for 3 AM, throw on a pair of sweat pants, and, if they live in northern states, they wrap up in fifteen layers of scarves and coats before trekking to the mall, Target, Walmart, Kohls, and every other store brave enough to open its doors in the wee hours of the morning following Thanksgiving.

I've participated in this crazy tradition a time or two. It wasn't pretty.

First, you have to get in line with hordes of zealous shoppers, all pumped to grab every item on their lists. You're typically waiting for hours outside, and the line-keeping is based on the honor system. This means at least 50 people will "cut" in line by mysteriously seeing someone they know.

Let's face it, your odds of getting that TV on sale go down with each extra person joining the line ahead of you.

As if that weren't enough, it's technically still night out, it's cold, and the store will not open a minute before the appointed time. Someone behind you will be snapping an extra large wad of gum in your ear. The people ahead of you will start fake-wrestling. At least one flailing arm will catch you in the back of your head, and the wrestlers will bump the rest of your body numerous times.

Steam will start to pour from your ears as you mentally count how many people have technically cut in front of you by joining groups already in line.

If you're not the best shopper on a good day, well, it's about to get worse. Once the store does open the doors, you're jostled and shoved into the store like a blocked ketchup bottle that suddenly gets popped. There will be no rhyme or reason where the main items in the ad are placed in the store. Electronics will not be in the Electronics department. You'll practically need a map just to find a single item on your list!

The hot toy on sale? They'll have 3 of the one you want and 174 in the wrong color. It won't matter--they'll all be gone by the time you find the display.

At one point, you'll stop and just stare, circling in wonder at the sights you're seeing. Grown men laden with arms full of children's pajamas. (I don't know any men who buy children's pajamas on a normal day--why are they so pumped about cornering the market on Black Friday?) Women slinging four or five game systems on their shoulders. Carts crashing into each other on the way to the camera aisle.

And then the worst...you've grabbed everything you could find on your list, which sadly might only be one item, and you head to the check-out lanes.

Prepare yourself. It will be a doozy. These lines will weave in and out of aisles ALL the way to the BACK of the store. Hope you had a large coffee earlier, because you are going to need every drop of the caffeine just to stay awake long enough to pay for your stuff. Oh, and the gum snapper you thought you'd shaken? A new one will be standing in line right ahead of you. A screaming two-year-old will be behind you.

If you can't tell, I don't like Black Friday. In fact, I might need therapy after my experiences! All I know is this year I slept in, lounged in my pj's, and sipped coffee.

For all you Black Friday shoppers--I salute you! Hope you got what you wanted and the lines were short!

Did you go shopping on Black Friday this year?

Have a happy Monday!

Tweet

Share

Halloween Costumes and Crime Scenes

Based on the following list of items, what do you think?

- rope
- duct tape
- sheet
- scissors
- wire hanger

Homemade Halloween costume or crime scene?

No, I don't have much of a point in today's post, but I find it giggle-worthy that common items moms use to create costumes are the same items police find at crime scenes.

Putting costumes together can put a certain type of mother, *cough* me, in a murderous mood. It's not that I lack in creativity. And no one would suggest I don't love my kids. Hey, I like Halloween--I'm all about free candy. But why does it always involve elaborate schemes in regards to the costume?

When I was young, we scrounged up old clothes from around the house and, depending on the year, went as:

- lumberjack
- hobo
- native american
- scarecrow
- lumberjack
- hobo
- oops, I guess we already covered those!

No, we didn't have much variety, but our parents could figure out a costume in 9 minutes without having to sew anything.

So it's obvious I'm jealous--either of my kids' fancy costumes or my parents' lack of stress over this--I'm not sure.

My kids routinely want to dress up as things that involve elaborate makeup, an expensive trip to the fabric store, another expensive trip to the Halloween store for wigs, fake teeth, and other props, tricky and time-consuming hairstyles, and let's not forget face and/or body paint. Getting ready for trick-or-treating can take hours, days, weeks!

I know what you're going to say. It will be along the lines of one of the following:

- Enjoy it now. You'll miss it when they're gone.
- Buy, borrow, or rent a costume
- Make them find their costumes like you used to, from around the house.

Yeah, that's all good advice, but I know myself. After I pout and whine and kindly suggest an easy costume, I'll be making an expensive trip to the fabric store, another expensive trip to the Halloween store, and I'll be spending days, hours, and weeks fixing their hair, applying elaborate makeup, and sponging on face and/or body paint.

That's how I roll. I complain. But I do it. :)

If you're making a Halloween costume, would you mind listing the materials? Let's play a game of, describe the crime scene based on your items!

Here's mine: Wii Remote

- cardboard
- duct tape
- white spray paint
- box cutter
- elastic
- rope

The crime scene?
Obviously, this is a victim of blackmail and torture, maybe even a murder posing as a suicide? Hmm...

Have a wonderful day!

Tweet

Share