What if... I blog, therefore... I am? #BloggingChallenge #2019 #blogging #Resolutions #Authors #Fiction #Challenge

We've all heard the famous quote by Rene Descartes, right? 

I think; therefore I am.

But have you ever thought of what he meant? I know I hadn't really, at least not until I wrote this blog post. 

I mean, sure... I knew the jest. I had a general sense of what he meant and where he was going with his thought process. But, again, I never gave it a lot of deep thought and consideration. 

For those who aren't familiar with Rene Descartes, he was a French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist. Basically, he was wayyyyyyyy smarter than me. LOL 

It is said that his thought process was that by saying, "I think; therefore I am." was meant to mean, 

that he could not - or rather, should not - be doubted. In fact, it is said that he found that he could not doubt that he himself existed, as he was the one doing the doubting in the first place. 

Make sense? 

Good. Me neither. *whew*

Maybe that's what makes him a philosopher and me just some random gal living in 2019. 

In Latin (the language in which Descartes wrote his famous quote), the phrase is translated to “Cogito, ergo sum.” 

Now, being a fan of Latin, finding it to be a romantic language that sounds much more exciting than my native tongue, I love the way it sounds. But, again... what does he mean? Does he, in fact, mean that he cannot be doubted because it was he himself who first doubted himself? Or was it his way of asking others to not doubt him, because how can we really believe anything is real? 

What does all this mean, though? And why on earth am I writing about it? 

Well, it got me to thinking... as authors, we have so much to do. We plot. We write. We edit. We interact with the public. We promote. We try to keep current with the times by finding out what is the latest and greatest in terms of social media. We even... blog. 

Yes, that's right. Blogging is an integral part of writing. That is if you hope to reach an audience. But, should that be all it's about? It can be... if you allow it to. You see, that's where I went wrong. I lost sight of the job that comes along with the written word and forgot about all the good things that come along with those jobs. 

Blogging could be, should be, and can be again, a rewarding experience. Even cathartic. As writers, what is the one thing we love? Well... words! We love words! All sorts of them. Of varying lengths, meanings, and purposes. 

Words give us life. Our stories breath. Our characters soul. 

Words are... a part of us. 

So... it's a new year. And 2019 could be any other year, no different from another. 

But, what if it's not. 

What if we make it something more? 

What if we make it the year of words. 

Written words. Spoken words. Thoughtful words. 

What if we made blogging a part of our world of words? And what if... hear me out... what if we stuck to this 'resolution' and made it a part of a bigger movement? 

What if we made it a group effort? 

What if we wrote for nothing more than the joy of the written word? 

Would that then mean that we blog... therefore, we are? 

Wouldn't that be an amazing thing? 

Let's blog! 

Let's blog often, with meaning, and with passion.

So... Who's with me? 

2019 is the year... to blog! 

BECOME A PART OF THE 2019 BLOGGING CHALLENGE

Would you like to blog with Romance Books 4 Us? 

Contact me by leaving a comment below so we can set you up with a guest slot! 

Nicole Morgan is an author of erotic romance novels, which more often than not have a suspenseful back story. Erotic romance mixed with good old-fashioned whodunit. While she's written everything from contemporary to paranormal her leading men will more than likely be wearing a uniform of some kind. From military to police officers, she has a love for writing about those who protect and serve. From her very first novel about Navy SEALs to her more recent releases, you will be sure to find a few twists and turns you were not expecting.

She is a proud member of the Romance Books 4 Us Gold Authors and also the founder of Romance Collections.  

Find out more about Nicole and her books by visiting her website, blog, Google + Page, Twitter, Facebook and her Yahoo Group, Nicole’s Think Tank.

Website http://www.authornicmorgan.com

Blog http://nicolemorganauthor.blogspot.com

Twitter http://twitter.com/authornicmorgan

Facebook http://facebook.com/authornicolemorgan

Instagram http://instagram.com/authornicmorgan

Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/AuthorNicMorgan/

Goodreads http://goodreads.com/nicolemorgan

Amazon Author Page http://amazon.com/author/nicolemorgan
BookBub Author Page https://www.bookbub.com/authors/nicole-morgan

Newsletter sign up: http://authornicmorgan.us8.list-manage.com/subscribe

99cent Reads sign up: http://eepurl.com/csX2Qb

Don't forget.... Enter the Romance Books 4 Us Monthly Contest HERE 

Autumn: Earthly & Unearthly

First, I wish you a delightful autumn. Drink in the scents of fall, feast your eyes on the bejeweled colors, and savor the tastes of the season.

Autumn stories tend to fall into two main categories: earthly and unearthly. 

 

Earthly autumn stories are much the same as those written for any other time of year, with only seasonal, weather and holiday changes. These provide backdrops for wonderful themes and plot twists. 

Unearthly stories are cut from a very different cloth. Usually the world of the paranormal – whether light or dark – comes into play. For those who write in this genre, there are few ‘musts’ or restrictions, and just about anything goes as long as the integrity of the story is sound. We can indulge in exotic world building, travel on an alien space ship, use stone circles to pass through time portals, and allow witches to brew potent magic potions.

The standards for authenticity vary depending on which genre we choose to write in. Some authors have a passion for research and accuracy, and express it in their novels. Loops exist where an author who writes thrillers or murder mysteries, for instance, is expected to have impeccable knowledge of FBI guidelines, morgue procedures, CSI skills, ballistic expertise, as well as knowing just about everything a practicing attorney would know about wills and child custody. 

This is not the only genre where an author is held to an extremely high factual standard. Historical romance can be just as demanding. There have been many heated debates about how historical fact should be woven together with a fictitious story.

The paranormal writer, on the other hand, can get away with – murder. Of facts and procedures, that is. Mermaids can steal humans away beneath the sea, only to find the human can breathe by way of magical infusions, time travel can be a mode of transportation, curses can turn people into insects, and a mischievous djinn or ghost can interfere with life and love. Humans can even mate with extraterrestrials and vampires are immortals.

To many, the paranormal world may seem delusional or a haphazard product of author fantasy. While it can be, much of it is based on ancient legends and tribal teachings that morphed over time. It is not as haphazard as it may seem. The beautiful painting below is of the goddess Night, painted in the 1880s.

There is a genre suited to everyone’s style of writing, and stories to entertain every reader. 

Where does your writing fall on the scale of absolute fact or fantasy? Earthly or unearthly? 

As a reader, how do you feel about the different degrees of factual accountability depending on the genre?

For this author, as long as a story is compelling, well written and structurally intact, it can be enjoyed.

GEMMA JULIANA is a multi-published author who lives in an enchanted cottage in north Texas with her handsome hero, teen son and a comical dog. She loves making new friends and hearing from readers. Exotic coffee and chocolate fuel her creativity. You can buy Gemma’s books on Amazon and visit her website http://www.gemmajuliana.com. To follow on Twitter: @Gemma_Juliana https://twitter.com/gemma_juliana

Square Peg

I do a lot of things that seem a little out of the norm.  

None of it was planned really.  

I guess you could say I'm a real pantser, even in life.

I don't brew beer. There was a time I knew very little about it (like five years ago). Then, about five years ago, a couple of guys came to me with a six pack, a business plan and a proposal. Now, I have my own "persona" and well-known caricature ....

I never read romance novels. But someone put a book in my hand five years ago by a woman named Shayla Black (Wicked Ties. I will never forget it). And a whole new world of reading was opened to me. Don't get me wrong, I'm a Reader, big time. My parents used to half-joke that I would weed the garden with a book in my hand (I did). I write reviews of books actively on Goodreads. And I still prefer my "romance" tinged with realistic heat and more complex characters and plots.

The degree I earned in English Literature at the University of Louisville (Go Cards) implied that I read for days at a time for four years straight (Ok, four and a half, I had a very fun "lost semester" in there somewhere).  I can have conversations about Milton, Dante, Shakespeare, Moliere, Shaw, Blake, Austen, Bronte...the list is endless and somewhat boring. However, having come in to my own to a certain extent as an author I have a renewed respect for using many of the literary stalwarts as your guide through the minefields of "getting better."

I never dreamed of living overseas. When my spouse called me as I sat trying not to puke, coming to terms with a third, very accidental, pregnancy and said, "well I took the job in Japan," I had no clue I'd be embarking with my two and nearly three small children on a 7-year, 3-country stint as semi-professional ex-pat American. And I have channeled it accordingly.

Yet, here I sit, part owner of a successful microbrewery and beer bar, manager of staff, inventories and promotions, and asked to speak more and more about my "role as a woman in the beer industry."

I also have 20 books published now and can say that at least a few people have heard of me. And I have a shelf and head full of memories from Japan, England, Turkey and all the places we visited in between.

All of this came with a price, mind you. I no longer consider a tidy and perfectly clean house a priority like I once did. I am positive my kids can get very well fed via the delivery and carry out menus around Ann Arbor. I'm only half a believer in the power of small businesses--we only are as strong as we are willing to support one another and have been disappointed by a few in this town lately. My natural, very not-latent cynicism has been magnified a thousand fold by the eye-popping levels of professional jealousy and bizarre need for certain in the writing profession to thwart those of us merely attempting to make a living. As well as the level of ego that abides amongst even "fans" of certain famous writers and the lengths they will go to make sure "their writer" is always considered better than all others. 

Oh, and "small business owner-slash-semi-best-selling-author" implies a few things (sans the blood and gore I guess)

It's a bit of a jungle out here. But I will tell you whenever I get frustrated, unhappy, or hurt by what some folks say about me in public (or on the internet, if you consider that "public") I turn my full attention back to the brewery, which gives me a reality break, big time, moving among folks who are less concerned about tearing down the competition and more about making a great product and selling it. Oh, professional jealousy exists in the brewing industry to be sure, especially among the zillions of us scrabbling around at the bottom of the pan for scraps of drinker attention. 

And I will say without a doubt that the group affiliated with this particular blog: Romance Books 4 Us, is hands down the MOST supportive, LEAST judgmental or snarkily jealous of any I have yet encountered and for that I am ever grateful.

I like to think all these slightly less-than-normal choices I've made have allowed me to concoct stories and characters who defy the "norm" as well. There is room for it all, of course. And the plethora of authors who have gone before me are a mere testament to the fact. But as I approach 50 years old I  look back and say that I'm proud of the choices I've made, even the bad ones. And that calling my books "character driven fiction" as opposed to "romance" is probably a fairer representation of what I do. I love to experiment with styles and genres and have done the gamut of things available to me within "contemporary erotic romance." From menage, to man-love, to cougars, overt BDSM action and less obvious "themes," I do at times set these stories in less-obvious places....like breweries.

My life has been, in a couple of words, messy and complicated--less that some, more so than many. And that translates directly to how I craft my stories and the characters in them.

 I'm on the cusp of something new as I work my way through the final novel of my best selling Stewart Realty series. I'm dealing with clear and very challenging issues of addiction and how one young man's compulsions can destroy lives, no matter how many people keep trying to love him. It has opened up options in my own head as I write and I find myself doing different things with "love scenes" (hinting at them, talking about their aftermath as opposed to the nuts and bolts of the actual act for example) and with dialogue (using fewer "tags" and making it more direct and brutally real). It's been a real trip I tell you and it has me in its grip, especially as I miss one of my characters within it desperately but since I was the one who took that person away, I guess I must deal with the consequences.

Forgive the rambling but as I am very very deep in the writing cave I tend to wax philosophical, especially as I face down my own fears about how I plan to end this thing.

Take care and happy reading, writing, drinking, or whatever it is you do that brings you joy.

(And Happy Mom's Day to those celebrating. I am by writing for 5 hours, uninterrupted while my spouse carts our son up North to his May semester Zoology class in the field. Then by going to see my first and only book boyfriend: Jay Gatsby, on the big screen. I know it's gotten meh reviews but I don't care. I can't wait to see the spectacle the way I have always pictured it)

Feel free to leave an equally rambling comment about your inspirations as an author. Or, as a reader, which authors transport you the way Fitzgerald has always done for me. (and yeah, that book contains the Death of a Major Character too).

P.S. If you have not given my Stewart realty series a shot (and I know some of you have and I thank you) you can now get the first three books (a.k.a. The Jack & Sara Trilogy) in a cool "boxed set" book bundle.

How Close to Reality Should You Get in Fiction?

First, I must apologize in case I've used this blog before.  We have company coming, and I have been cleaning house all week.  Yes, it was that dirty, she says while shaking her head.

 

I write about real life, so I believe its okay to make your situations real, and have your characters act like genuine people.  We have heroes, heroine's, villains and people like you and me in our stories, so an author has to make them realistic.  A hero or heroine may not be heroic in there everyday life, but they can become courageous under certain situations.

 

For instance, a neighbor could pull you or a child from a burning house, or they see someone breaking into your house and run over with a gun or a ball bat to help fight off the robbers.  Is that a hero/heroine, or a stupid move on their part?  It all depends on what kind of capabilities you gave them.  Usually, there is something in their background that makes them capable of acting the way they do.

 

To make a story that your readers won't find fault with, you research the skills you give them.  Their skills should be accurate and as realistic as you can make them.  Some people can just have natural instincts to survive, but you must be in their head to show this. 

 

Have a great Memorial Day everyone.  Remember our loved ones and those wonderful men and women who fight for us. 

 

I hope this makes sense, as I have rewritten a bit of this. 

 

Best,

Sandra K. Marshall

http://www.amazon.com/author/sandramarshall