Susanna Carr's Blog

E-newsletter contest winners

Susanna — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:56:18 +0000

I held a book giveaway extravaganza on my e-newsletter this month. Thirty-five winners received a signed copy of Swap. This book was written as Jenesi Ash, my erotica pen name, and it had been nominated by Romantic Times for Best Erotic Fiction.

The winners were:

Angela P. of Michigan, Carolyn A. of Massachusetts, Cate S. of Indiana, Celeste D. of Oklahoma, Cindy M. of California, Edna W. of Washington, Estella K. of Oregon, Gigi H. of Georgia, Glendel W. of Kansas, Jean H. of Florida, Jean M. of Colorado, Jennifer M. of Massachusetts, Jody R. of Minnesota, Judy P. of Maryland, Kelli R. of Minnesota, Kimberley C. of Texas, Laurie G. of Florida, Lexee T. of California, Linda B. of Illinois, Linda D. of Tennessee, Linda H. of Missouri, Lisa W. of Oklahoma, Liz C. of Missouri, Lois H. of California, Mary Ann M. of Connecticut, Melissa K. of Texas, Mina G. of Pennsylvania, Patricia C. of Texas, Patricia M. of Florida, Shani S. of New York, Sharron B. of Georgia, Sherry H. of Arkansas, Suzy R. of Illinois, Trisha D. of North Carolina, and Winnie K. of Michigan

The winners also received a signed copy of Naughty Bits 2 as a bonus gift. That’s a total of 70 books that were given away this week. Whew!

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The sign-up form is on the right.

Artist’s Date #5: Improving your memory

Susanna — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 09:00:50 +0000

I had to take memory classes when I was a child. I attended a religious school and was required to memorize prayers, important passages, and the church’s catechism. While I can no longer rattle off the books of the Bible anymore (I always get stuck at Hosea), I’d like to believe that the class gave me the skills to exercise my memory.

This card game requires you to find a matching pair, but only two cards can be exposed at the same time.

But did the memory exercises help my creativity? I’m not sure. All I know is that the memory classes coincided with the time I became interested in writing.

What does memory and creativity have in common? In Twyla Tharp’s The Creative Habit, she recommends harnessing your memory. “Creativity,” she says, “is more about taking the facts, fictions, and feelings we store away and finding new ways to connect them.”

So for my Artist’s Date this week, I decided to work on my memory. Instead of trying to memorize a passage or follow one of Tharp’s exercises, I chose to play a card game. My family had called it Concentration but I think it’s more widely known as Memory.

My memory was pathetic during the first round of the game, but it became increasingly better with each round!

Monday contest

Susanna — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 09:00:16 +0000

I rarely listen to the radio or my MP3 player, but I write to music because it helps me get into the zone. For example, I had listened to big band Christmas music when I wrote “Hot for the Holidays.” It was weird listening to the music before December! It really threw me off.

It turns out I have a couple of quirks when it comes to writing with music. (No surprise there!) I don’t make playlists for each book but I will listen to an album the entire time I write the story. I also discovered that I do better listening to music that doesn’t have lyrics. The lyrics can really influence a story!

When I wrote The Tarnished Jewel of Jazaar, I listened to The Gladiator soundtrack. Gorgeous music! These days I’m listening to the Gone With the Wind soundtrack with my current manuscript. I haven’t decided if it’s the best music for this story, but I find myself humming Tara’s theme at the oddest moments. And usually when I’m at a public place. Sigh.

What are you currently listening to?

CONTEST

Answer the question in the comment section for a chance to win!

Question: What music or song are you currently listening to?

Prize: a $10 Amazon.com e-mail gift card

Contest rules, guidelines and fine print can be found here. Contest ends Thursday, February 23, 2012, midnight Pacific Time. I will choose a winner using random.org and contact the winner on Friday.

Good luck!

Weekend Read: Tag Team by Nicola Marsh

Susanna — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 06:50:03 +0000

Three years ago, bio-weapons expert Coralee “Lee” Keaton wound up in bed with special ops team leader Garcia “Fox” Diaz. Lee is tough and brave, but she doesn’t like how Fox still makes her feel. He is more of a threat to her than anything she has faced in her profession. But when they are under attack, Lee and Fox are trapped in the safe room alone.

Nicola Marsh packs a punch in Tag Team. This novella has a relentless pace, high stakes, sizzling tension and memorable characters.

Movie of the Month: The Vow

Susanna — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 05:44:15 +0000

Today I went to see The Vow starring Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum. The story is about a woman who suffers from memory loss and can’t remember her husband. The husband hopes that she will regain her memory, and if that doesn’t happen, fall in love with him again. But if you don’t have your memories to back up your decisions, would
you make the same choices?

The Vow is a sweet and romantic movie, but I would recommend waiting until it’s on DVD or TV. The story is a little predictable and the emotional moments were surprisingly not that deep. I will admit, however, that Channing Tatum came across as vulnerable and adorably awkward.

Monday contest

Susanna — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 09:00:14 +0000

“The Lady in Red” by Chris De Burgh is considered one of the most romantic songs and it reached a milestone yesterday. Twenty-five years ago it had been the #1 song. (Wow, I remember when that song was always on the radio. Has it really it been that long?!)

I always sing along when I hear “The Lady in Red,” but I think my favorite love song is either “Careless Whisper” by Wham or “I’ll Stand by You” by The Pretenders. Very different groups and the lyrics have very different messages, but my favorite love song usually depends on the kind of mood I’m in.

CONTEST

Answer the question in the comment section for a chance to win!

Question: What is your favorite love song?

Prize: a $10 Amazon.com e-mail gift card

Contest rules, guidelines and fine print can be found here. Contest ends Thursday, February 16, 2012, midnight Pacific Time. I will choose a winner using random.org and contact the winner on Friday.

Good luck!

**Update: Congratulations to Shelly! Her name was chosen to receive the Amazon.com gift card. Thanks to everyone for sharing their favorite love song.**

Weekend Read: Once Upon a Valentine by Stephanie Bond, Leslie Kelly and Michelle Rowen

Susanna — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:10:07 +0000

This Blaze anthology offers three modern day fairy tales. The novellas are not retellings. Instead, the stories are inspired by events that occur in fairy tales.

In Stephanie Bond’s “All Tangled Up,” Andrew returns to Tiny, Tennessee to arrange his father’s funeral. He plans to keep his visit brief, but things get complicated once he sees Summer. He doesn’t want to get tangled up in Summer’s plans and in her world, but somehow he keeps getting involved.

The story is inspired by the Rapunzel fairy tale. The romance between Andrew and Summer was sweet and spicy, and I really enjoyed the small town, which was an important part of the story. I would love it if the author set a series in Tiny, Tennessee!

Readers would think that with the title “Sleeping with a Beauty,” Leslie Kelly’s story is based on the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale. But this story is about Ashlynn, a historian from another plane of reality who searches for treasures that were mentioned in fairy tales. She’s looking for the lost Sleeping Beauty castle when she meets Raine, an adventurer who was hired to protect her.

I don’t read a lot of paranormal stories, but I thought “Sleeping with a Beauty” was fun and inventive. I also couldn’t get enough of Ashlynn and Raine’s banter!

Michelle Rowen’s novella, “Catch Me”, is inspired by The Gingerbread Man. Ginger had a blind date on Valentine’s Day and was stood up. She eats a magic gingerbread man cookie and every man instantly desires her. But so does Stephen, her boss and good friend who she secretly wants. Stephen has been interested in Ginger for a long time. He always held back, although he did sabotage her blind date. But he can’t resist her now.

This novella also had the strongest Valentine’s Day theme in the anthology. The sexual tension in “Catch Me” was great and I adored Ginger and Stephen.

I highly recommend reading Once Upon a Valentine!

Monday contest

Susanna — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:00:05 +0000

I can’t believe that Valentine’s Day is next week! I’m sure most gift-givers are pondering the age-old question: flowers or chocolate?

CONTEST:

Answer the question in the comment section for a chance to win!

Question: Which Valentine’s gift would you rather get: chocolates or flowers?

Prize: a $10 Amazon.com e-mail gift card

Contest rules, guidelines and fine print can be found here. Contest ends Thursday, February 9, 2012, midnight Pacific Time. I will choose a winner using random.org and contact the winner on Friday.

Good luck!

**Update: Congrats to Dianne. Her name was chosen to receive the gift card. Thanks to everyone for sharing their preference. I admit, I’d want chocolate!**

Weekend Read: Once a Ferrara Wife… by Sarah Morgan

Susanna — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:00:42 +0000

Laurel Ferrara walked out of her marriage two years ago because Cristiano failed her when she needed him the most. She reluctantly returns to Sicily for a family wedding and must face Cristiano. Their divorce is still being finalized but Cristiano decides he wants to stay married.

Cristiano has no problems showing his emotions, but Laurel does. Abandoned as a newborn and struggling to survive in the system, Laurel has learned to trust no one. She has never relied on anyone but herself. The one time she reached out to someone was to Cristiano, but he had disregarded her plea for help.

This love story is about an estranged couple who are still madly in love with each other but have serious trust and communication problems. Once a Ferrara Wife…. is an intensely emotional romance!

Artist’s Date #4: Assembling a jigsaw puzzle

Susanna — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 09:00:49 +0000

I have never been adept at jigsaw puzzles, but I decided to give it another try after reading “Why Jigsaw Puzzles are Good for the Brain”. According to this article, some of the immediate benefits in assembling a jigsaw puzzle include alertness, an increase in concentration and an expansion of creativity.

The article also suggests that working on jigsaw puzzles for longer periods will “induce a certain calmness and peace of mind.” It even promised that the activity would lower breath rate, reduce heart rate and reduce blood pressure.

Lies, I tell you! Lies!

I had tried to assemble a 500 piece puzzle using a systematic approach. A slow, painful approach that had me grumbling unprintable words and glaring at the picture on the box. I also found that you can make any two puzzle pieces fit if you force it.

Did I finish the puzzle? No. I didn’t even finish the corners. I gave it all of 30 minutes before I chucked the puzzle back in the box.

I know an Artist’s Date is supposed to get you out of your comfort zone, but this one was too challenging for me!