Beyond Blonde and Brunette: The Redheaded Hero

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Hey, all!

As you all know I was in Florida last week where I was able to relax and do a lot of reading. It's kind of funny the things that you start to notice when you're zipping through books--and one of them is the hair color of MEN.

Believe me, there are plenty of tall, dark, and handsome heroes going on. A few blonds I've seen. And then, of course, the sandy-brown colored hair, which naturally dips down (just so) where the heroine has that desire to brush it off his forehead. :-)

All very nice hair colors for men.

But where I ask you is the REDHEADED HERO?! (--interrobang)

Is there some kind of red prejudice going on? Are there certain images that get conjured up in our minds when we think of redheaded men?

Hmm....Well, maybe.

I'd like to think that there will be a resurgence in ginger-headed heroes, but maybe there is a certain stereotype that's automatically in our brain when we think of men with red hair. I know. It's terrible. But we women can't help it!! After all, look what we've been subjected to all these years:

Cute. (Sort of.) But not a romance readers typical "fantasy"type of guy. Nothing personal to those redheaded gentlemen, but romance readers are kind of... PICKY--opting for larger than life heroes over the guy-next-door type of hero.

Most authors tend to keep this in mind when naming their heroes. Romance readers LOVE masculine names for their heroes as well as masculine looks. It's just the way it is, because a hair coloring or a name conjure up images when we're reading.

But now that this phenomenon has come to my attention, I feel the need to write a hero with red hair. Yep. Those men deserve their props. And who knows?

There might be some hero hope for them yet. :-)

How about you? Have you read (and liked) any romances that had a redheaded hero? If you're a writer, have you written a book with a redheaded hero?

I'm Baaaaaack!

Hey, all!

I'm back from my little bloggie break and feeling recharged, relaxed, and re--ok, tan.
I was in lovely sunny Florida since Sunday!! Here to be exact: Bonita Springs.

We were visiting the in-laws at their vacation club condo and had a FANTASTIC time!
So fantastic that it was hard to leave 86 degree weather and come back to cloudy and cold New Jersey at a whopping 39 degrees.

What a slap of reality that was!

This post is brief since I'm still so tired and have done nothing with pictures in my camera yet. Why does traveling wipe me out all the time? It was a two hour plane ride (where I slept for half of it), I was mainly pool or beach side the entire vacation, yet I'm beat.
How does that happen?

Well, anyhew, I need to food shop today, go through the 500 (at least) emails I had while I was away, and visit all of you and see what I missed this week.

Anything exciting happen while I was away?

PS: For those of you concerned and/or curious, my P90x routine was hardly disrupted on my vacation. I was at the gym every day and ate extremely healthy.

PS2: A hardy congrats to all the entrants of the GH and RITA! The RWA will be announcing the finalists this morning! I hope my favorites and/or friends made the list. :)

Blog Holiday

No, it's not a new holiday.
But I wouldn't put it past Hallmark to capitalize on this soon enough.

It's just me, taking a break. I'll be back to comment on all your bloggie fun and good news really soon.
Or if you need a definite date... I'll be back this Friday.

In the meantime, check out this very short video I "lifted" from Ally Carter's blog. She was saying on her blog how people often ask her "How do you write a novel?" She says the best advice comes from this clip. All you have to do is substitute "write a book" for "run a marathon" and you've got it.



Have a good run--er, write this week!

Be Happy-- Read a Romance

Hey, all!

I've been busy in my little writing hole these past few days so I'm happy to fnally come out and announce that I've crossed the halfway mark of my WIP with about a month and a half still to go to meet my Book In Three Month Challenge. Woo-hoo!

And you know what else? I was so distracted on Monday that I forgot to announce my book winner. Duh. SORRY. So without further ado...


The winner of The Role of a Lifetime is lucky number 15--er, I mean Courtney! Just let me know whether you'd like the book in print or ebook format and I'll send it out!

Thank you SO much to everyone who came over and entered. It was fun and I really appreciate it. :)

And now for MORE fun!!

One of my favorite authors, Kristan Higgins did a really cute trailer for her new romance coming out, My One and Only, so I have to share it here too. I just think it's brilliant and fun marketing. :)
It's called "English Teacher Busted"




So there. Be happy and read a romance.
(As long as you don't get fired or go to jail or anything)

Have a great weekend!

Monday Musings

MOOD STATUS: "Distracted". Got behind on a few things I need to get done because I was sick last week.

WEEK OF P90X: Ten.

I really wanted to title this post "random thoughts"--but it didn't rhyme with Monday. So I had to get creative, hence the "Monday Musings". It sort of works. :)

Anyhew, as noted above, I'm a little distracted because I have so much to catch up on this week. So allow me to ramble (another word that doesn't rhyme with Monday) and clear my mind.

1) My neighbor offered to take my kidlet to the school carnival with his son on Saturday. I said, "Great!" My kidlet then came home with pink stripes in her hair and FIVE goldfish (really six goldfish but one died in transit)

2) I'm almost finished painting the kidlet's room. She picked two colors: blue and yellow. So I'm painting two walls Regal blue and two walls Daffodil yellow. It's going to looks super cute when I'm done.

3) I still can't taste anything. (because of my cold). The good news is that I think I lost a little extra weight as a result.

4) I skipped one day of P90x (because of my cold) But it was only Yoga, so I don't feel too guilty.

5) I love that new Secret Millionaire show.

6) I'm really excited because on Thursday I got TWO books that have been on my TBR list for ages.

7) We need to buy a new digital camera. I have one of those old ones with the postage size stamp screen now. I have it narrowed down to two. But there's a $200 price difference, and I'm torn. But we're going on vacation soon so I need to make a decision soon. UGH!

8) I missed a few days of writing last week (because of my cold) so I need to make those words up this week so I can still make my Book In Three Month Challenge.

Whew! That feels really good to get that all out.

How about you? Any musings or random thoughts you'd care to share?

Does Traditional Publishing Really Mean Anything Anymore?

Hey, all! Thanks so much to everyone who stopped by Ju Dimello's blog to catch my interview and giveaway. Just so you know it's still going on until Sunday. :)

**Now back to our regularly scheduled program**


Years ago if someone announced they had self-published a book, writers would cock an eyebrow and look down their noses. Maybe the self-published author would even get laughed at.


Not anymore.

Self-publishing is on the rise (if not already at a peak) and the only people laughing are the self-published authors. And they’re laughing all the way to the bank.

Case in point is author Amanda Hocking who has been in the news a lot. Amanda Hocking is only 26 years old, yet she has 9 self-published books to her name, and sells 100,000+ copies of those ebooks per month. She has never been traditionally published.

Based on an article in the Noveler, you don’t have to be traditionally published to sell a lot of ebooks. You don’t have to be A-List famous, either. Take this monthly sales list of top Kindle indie authors, for instance: http://www.novelr.com/2011/02/27/rich-indie-writer

Now those, of course, are the success stories.

We like to point them out because they’re what dreams are made of. Based on those authors, it gives hope as well as an option to writers.


I mean, do readers really care how a book is published if it’s a good book?
Do readers really buy books because of the publisher?

No. Not unless you're drawn to Harlequin category books. Most readers probably buy more according to the author, or the book’s reviews, and/or word of mouth. At least, I do.
More and more traditionally published authors are seeing that too--as well as the advantage of going independent.


Why are more authors choosing to self-publish?

*To have more control over their career
. It’s their book. They can call the shots. Thus, they're responsible if a book is edited and marketed succesfully. Some even hire professional editors. But they're also responsible if it's edited and marketed unsuccessfully. But if they have an established platform, they already do a bulk of their own marketing anyway.


*To increase their sales of their already traditionally published novels—and thus, make more $$$. They can offer their self-published ebooks at a cheaper price than the traditional publishers and those sales can help their traditionally published books.
HOW? If you own an ereader, aren’t you more likely to TRY a new author for 99 cents VS $9.99? Then if you like an author, you’re more likely to buy their other books, even if they’re a higher price.


*To provide a home for books that didn’t quite “fit” into that publisher/editor’s mold or tastes.
I hear more and more stories like this: a traditionally published author writes another book. Assistant editor LOVES it, and talks it over with senior editor. Author goes out and buys champagne in anticipation of sale. Then gets the bad news. Old editor has stepped down. New editor does NOT love book like other editor. No sale.
So…does that mean that book is automatically bad now? Does that deem the book not publishable? I don’t think so.
And now the author has an option.

The huge growth of digital readers and books (as well as social marketing) has made this avenue available for a lot of writers.
Don’t be fooled, though, self-publishing is a lot of work!
(Which is one of the reasons I haven’t considered it.)

However, for some authors willing to put in time and work hard at their craft, it can be a very good career move. And thanks to the amount of success smart writers are having, the line between traditional and self-publishing has blurred. The gateways to publishing aren’t as restrictive.

And whether you embrace or shun it, it’s here to stay.

But if an author is willing to work hard, write a good book and market it smartly, does it really matter in the end HOW it gets published? It shouldn't. A good read is a good read no matter how the book gets into your hands. :)


What about you? Have you thought about self-publishing for yourself?
Do you see a difference anymore between traditional and self-publishing?
Do you think it matters anymore what route a writer decides to take?

Blog Talk and a Giveaway

Hey, all!

I'm over at Ju Dimello's blog today (sick and all) talking about...well, myself-- as well as misconceptions I had when I first started writing.

Commenters will be entered to win either an ebook copy or print copy of my romantic comedy,The Role of a Lifetime.
Contest runs now through the weekend. So plenty of time to stop by if you have the chance. :)

I'm off to take Advil and have some more peppermint tea. :(

Four Reasons Authors can Feel GOOD about Goodreads

Well, you can thank my good bloggy buddies Heather Sunseri and Tana Adams for forcing--er, suggesting I talk about Goodreads. Actually, I'm so glad they did, because it's one of my favorite online places to visit daily. :)

So what is Goodreads exactly? According to wikipedia, it's a website that permits individuals to sign up and register books to create their library catalogs and reading lists. It also allows users to create their own groups of book suggestions and discussions.

Sound cool? It is!

So who is joining Goodreads anyway? Book reviewers, librarians, authors, readers, and/or some kind of combination of that list.

I first joined just to have a bio linked to my books, but then it became much more. I still feel as if I have yet to tap into all the nuances of the website, but here are my...


TOP FOUR REASONS I FEEL GOOD ABOUT GOODREADS:

1**I can easily follow new blog posts.

One of the nice things about Goodreads is the ability to link your blog feed to your homepage. Once you do that, all your friends (as well as any new person checking out your page) can see your latest blog update. I've also discovered new blogs that I wasn't already following through Google Connect.

2**I can easily see what new books my friends are reading and what they have to say about them.

Sometimes people actually "suggest" reads to friends through the click of a button. But if you check in daily like I do, you can just scroll down and just see updates to what your friends are reading and decide on your own if you're interested. I got introduced to new books I never would have heard of otherwise.
In fact, one of my friends recently read and wrote a review for the Jenny B Jones book, Save the Date. Well, I happened to see her gushing review. So I checked it out and the book sounded so...me that I ordered it.

See how that works?

3**I can easily do more Social Networking.
FRIENDS: When I first started on Goodreads, I naturally gravitated to all my blogger friends first. I knew them, liked them, and was interested in what they were reading. Then I started to expand that...
In Kristen Lamb's book, We Are Not Alone: the writer's guide to social media, she suggested ways to find friends on Facebook and Twitter. I took those ideas to Goodreads, and started looking at readers who have read books I've read and enjoyed. Chances are, our tastes in books are the same, so I may send them a friend request. There is a chance they might read your book or add it to be read at a future time. It doesn't matter if they don't, because you'll still be seeing ratings and reviews for books you'd like to read. WIN-WIN. :)

GROUPS:
For authors, there are plenty of groups on marketing, blogging, and social networking in general where you can get and exchange ideas as well as meet other authors. Also, if you have an interest in a particular author or genre, there's a group out there on Goodreads for you. Some of these groups are great places to meet people who have similar interests (and even potential readers).

I recently joined a group there called "Clean Reads", a group of readers as well as authors who are looking for just that: a nice, wholesome clean read. I decided to join since that's exactly where my books belong, so I introduced myself and added by books to their catalog. Because of doing that simple thing, I've already gotten the nicest review for one of my books and have my other book added to their TO BE READ list.

4**I can easily participate in or host a giveaway.

Did you know you can get free new books there? Explore their giveaway section and see all books listed by genre. All you have to do is click on the book of your choice and you'll be notified if you win.

I joined Goodreads after my book was out and after I had already done blog giveaways, so I didn't get a chance to list there.

But you better believe I will list my next book on Goodreads and here's why:

Say you have 500 to 1,000 blog followers (and that's a good number) and you do a giveaway. Will you actually get all 500 to 1000 commenters trying to win your book? No, probably not. Maybe at best you'll get, 100 people really excited and anxious to get your book to enter your giveaway. That's good.

In fact, I'll be doing a little blog giveaway this Wednesday... (hint hint)


However, if you list a giveaway on Goodreads, you have the ability to run the contest for a longer period of time as well as get an expanded reader/viewership. I've seen anywhere from 1000 to 2000 people requesting to win on one book!!

Best yet, you've just been introduced to new people who've never seen your blog or heard of you before! And although the book winners aren't "required" to do a review, they are encouraged and most likely you WILL get one. Isn't that what really sells books in the long run?

More WIN-WIN!
And THAT'S really something to feel good about. :)


What about you? Have you joined Goodreads?
What do you like or not like about it?
Do you see the value as an author in joining?

You can find me on Goodreads HERE. :)

A BAD Case of the Sillies

MOOD STATUS:
"Happy". Making some serious progress on my WIP. Who wouldn't be happy about that?

Well, at the risk of TMI (too much information), I just have to share with you anyway what’s been going on in my household these past few weeks.

My hubby and I have had a case of the sillies.


No, it’s not life-threatening and I’m sure eventually—like MONO—will pass. But there you have it. We have the sillies. What can I say? We like to laugh.
How did this suddenly happen you might ask? Well, it all started with a couple of boxes of Gleem toothpaste my hubby bought for the family.

Okay, I know I could stop right there, because me using Gleem toothpaste is funny in itself. I mean, who buys Gleem?


Well, apparently we do. It’s very inexpensive. But I digress...

So anyway, the hubby took the toothpaste out of the box and apparently just dropped it into the bathroom trashcan. He did not bend it so it would fit. He did not crush it. NO. There it was sticking up and halfway out of the trashcan like a huge straw. Now I, being the neurotic woman I am, finally couldn’t take looking at it any longer and picked it out, crushed it, and threw it away properly.


I know, hilarious. But stick with me.

Well, the hubby goes into the bathroom and notices that I couldn’t take how he threw out it out and makes a comment about how I mutilated his precious Gleem box. Which had me laughing.
But it goes on.


Unbeknownst to me, he picked the Gleem box out of the trashcan, flattened it, and left it for me to find—under my laptop to be cute.


Well, when I found it, I laughed and decided two can play at his game. So I hid it where he’d find it: his sock drawer.

Then he hid it for me in my makeup bag

Well, I hid it in his shower caddy yesterday. (you can see for yourself the silliness of this nature) The hubby congratulated me on that one, by the way. It really took him by surprise. :)



The beauty of this comedy is that we each find it every couple of days—and just when we’ve completely forgotten about that stupid toothpaste box, it shows up again.


Now, you may be thinking, Jennifer, you need to get more. There's no doubt about that. But I still have to say, it’s the cheap little laughs in life that I enjoy the most. :)


What about you?

Do you think you’re more of a serious person? Or do you get a case of sillies (like me) every once in a while?