Randy Susan Meyers

Writing

Match Great First Lines to Phemon Books

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Win an indie bookstore gift certificate! First Lines of Books I’m addicted to great first lines—I even have a document of first lines for which I want to someday write a book. If you’re a first-line admirer, or a book addict *like me* here’s your chance to show some chops. Below are ten of my … Read more

Photoshop Botox for Author Pictures

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First, there was Vaseline on the camera lens.

Next up was rose-colored lighting, shooting through pantyhose, and soft focus.

And then came Photoshop.

No one tells the truth, of course, so for the “me-too-ism” of writers everywhere, I will set aside my vanity and offer the unadulterated, unvarnished, unphotoshopped truth. These are the things I did to prepare for my first author photo:

1) Googled ‘how to look good in photos and found advice. Very helpful advice.

2) Went for a professional make-up ‘consult’ (would that be tax-deductible?)

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When Lying is Second Nature

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My sister and I are great liars. World-class liars. Maybe we were born with the trait (after all, our paternal grandmother’s top hobby was shoplifting.) Brooklyn-born Great-Aunt Sally (Jewish, like the rest of the family) pretended to be Catholic and French — and swore she attended the Sorbonne. She even spoke English with a Gallic … Read more

Launching a Book Without Losing Friends & Family (Hopefully)

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Unmitigated panic. Unrelenting fear. Ulcer-inducing worry. A year ago my book was launching and I should have been on cloud nine. I was realizing a life-long dream at a time when many my age popped Lipitor. I was edging close to a sedative habit. Looking back to my novel debut last January, terror defined my … Read more

Writing & Reading Those Special’ Romantic Scenes: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

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  I tried to think of a, um, sexier title for this post, but they all sounded, um, icky, and the last thing I want when I’m writing about sex is an ick factor. Writing about icky sex? Terrific. Writing icky about sex? Terrible. When my first novel released in 2010, Pia Lindstrom, an interviewer … Read more