tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45108155151279951642024-03-11T20:45:19.835+02:00Susanna WritesLiterary life and other musings of the author Susanna Shore.Susanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.comBlogger197125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510815515127995164.post-32393844319438292182024-03-11T20:44:00.000+02:002024-03-11T20:44:45.655+02:00PantsingI’m a pantser
as an author. I don’t create detailed outlines about the plot before I start
writing, or spend much time figuring out what kind of world I’m setting my books
in. I do research when it’s needed and solve problems when they occur. My brain
simply refuses to come up with anything interesting unless there’s something tangible
for it to work on, so I just start writing and figure things Susanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510815515127995164.post-22065472571012119182024-03-05T12:42:00.002+02:002024-03-05T12:46:17.627+02:00Character studiesI have a
favourite web manhwa called Jinx, officially published on a platform called
Lezhin. It’s a very NSFW Korean boylove (loosely applied) drama about a sweetest
of sweet sub, Kim Dan, and the reddest of red flag dom, Joo Jaekyung. It’s
approaching episode 50 and there’s still no romance to speak of, and unless Mr.
Joo has a personality transplant, it’ll take another 50 before the happily Susanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510815515127995164.post-36157831440640679922024-02-26T19:56:00.000+02:002024-02-26T19:56:00.364+02:00Facing the final bossYou can
tell by the title that I’ve been reading too much manga lately. I’ve also been
writing a book where the protagonists are facing the same adversary they’ve
faced once before, and it’s meant to be the battle that ends the series. They
almost lost the previous time, and now the stakes are higher.
In Saved by the Spell, House of Magic 2, Phoebe, Kane and their mage, vampire and werewolf
Susanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510815515127995164.post-51625739170516611622024-02-19T18:45:00.001+02:002024-02-19T18:45:52.606+02:00Getting the tone rightI write romances
and mysteries, both contemporary and paranormal, cozy and a bit edgier. When I first
started publishing, I had two pen names to keep the genres from getting mixed up.
But at some point, it felt easier to combine everything under one pen name, and
so my genre selection became a bit eclectic.
When it
comes to romances, whether contemporary or paranormal, my books always have Susanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510815515127995164.post-47944282750542354922024-02-12T20:11:00.000+02:002024-02-12T20:11:13.831+02:00Change of paceAs those
who have read this blog this year may have noticed, I’ve struggled with writing
House of Magic 5. Last week wasn’t any more productive than before, and after 26 writing days, the manuscript stands at whopping 9000 words, averaging 350
words a day.
It has,
however, presented me with two surprises already. One is a romantic pair I had
no plans of forming between two side-characters. OneSusanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510815515127995164.post-91213374279263178672024-02-05T17:28:00.000+02:002024-02-05T17:28:23.213+02:00Naming namesOne of the
most difficult things for me in writing fiction is coming up with names for the
characters. There isn’t a character so trivial that I wouldn’t pay attention to
their name, and I agonise endlessly about the names of the main characters. A
name that felt good at the start of the writing process might feel completely
wrong by the end of it, and has to be changed.
For trivial
Susanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510815515127995164.post-56977089635591463542024-01-29T17:11:00.001+02:002024-01-29T17:16:45.918+02:00Reading my own booksI’ve been
publishing my own books since 2012 and have 35 books out, most of them in
four series. That’s quite a lot of books to keep tabs on when writing series with
continuing plots and recurring characters.
I try to
keep good notes on what characters look like and where they live, but it took
me a while to pick up the habit, so earlier books don’t have those. Some
details I don’t think areSusanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510815515127995164.post-64299403429768034932024-01-22T15:30:00.000+02:002024-01-22T15:30:12.064+02:00Another less productive weekI’m writing
a blog post for a second week in a row, which definitely hasn’t happened in
years. For lack of interesting things to write about, here’s another recap of
my life.
Last week,
I made a resolution to work on my WIP, House of Magic 5. That didn’t happen.
Mostly, because I didn’t feel like it. The cold that had bothered me the week before
was mostly gone, so I can’t blame that anymoreSusanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510815515127995164.post-92094681611851513802024-01-15T16:55:00.000+02:002024-01-15T16:55:11.959+02:00Back to routinesIt’s not
easy to restart a blog after a long absence. Especially since the absence is
mostly due to having nothing interesting to write about in the first place. I
still have nothing, but I can always update about my life.
Author's workspace—clean.
I’ve spent
the past ten days suffering from a cold (no covid or flu, thankfully.) It came
with a relatively high fever (for me), a clogged nose, Susanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510815515127995164.post-6562869322026039072024-01-08T16:00:00.000+02:002024-01-08T16:00:25.221+02:00My 2023 in reviewIn my
review post of 2022, I promised to write more blog posts in 2023. And then I
didn’t write any—on this blog anyway. I wrote 52 posts on my book review blog,
so that’s something, though far short of the total I read last year, 230 books
by the Goodreads count, most of them manga and other comics.
So already
this year is off to a better start.
The reason
I didn’t write anything here is Susanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510815515127995164.post-955859490488217572022-12-30T16:20:00.001+02:002022-12-30T16:20:14.217+02:00My year in reviewThe year is
about to end and it’s time for a summary of what I’ve managed to do. I didn’t
make any lists at the beginning of the year that I could handily compare my
achievements to—or the lack thereof—but I managed to keep myself mostly moving forward anyway.
I
celebrated my ten-year writing anniversary this year. It’s been an interesting
journey, and I’m happy to say things are looking Susanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510815515127995164.post-33613670882506890972022-10-02T14:37:00.001+03:002022-10-02T14:37:58.627+03:00My publishing schedule for 2023
I’ve had a
good year in publishing this year, or at least the first half of it. I’ve published
four books, the last of which, The Perfect Scam, came out in July. It was the last
day of July, so it’s been out for two months now.I had
planned to publish one more book this year, two if I wrote really fast, but
things didn’t go as I planned. First, I spent most of the summer writing fun
projectsSusanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510815515127995164.post-87244685113145906802022-06-10T14:36:00.000+03:002022-06-10T14:36:07.237+03:00It’s my ten-year author anniversary!
This week,
June 7th to be precise, marks ten years since I published my first book, The Wolf’s Call. It’s been an interesting decade to say the least. I wasn’t an
overnight success—duh—but my first book did well enough during its first eight months that I
could keep publishing through several leaner years.How the cover has changed over the years
If you’re
wondering why it sold well for onlySusanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510815515127995164.post-79771228772017937622022-02-04T13:56:00.000+02:002022-02-04T13:56:12.661+02:00Books with magic are for adults too!
I spotted a
review of my book today that gave me a pause. I’m not upset with the review.
Only a fool would be upset with five stars and a reader actually taking time to
write down a few words. What made me do a double-take was the reader’s notion
that the book was written for teens.
I’ve never written anything for a younger audience. I didn’t like being
a teenager and don’t care to relive Susanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510815515127995164.post-67635833262807380112021-12-30T14:57:00.002+02:002021-12-30T14:59:48.712+02:00Summing up my year
It’s time for the end of year post—the
rather dismal seventh post of the year. When the year began, I pledged to write
more blog posts, yet here I am, with no more posts than the previous three
years, a far cry of 2013 when I wrote forty-four posts.My year has been good, despite the ongoing
plague situation. I’ve stayed healthy, as has my husband, and we’ve managed to
work from home for two Susanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510815515127995164.post-37157625434607587462021-11-05T15:32:00.000+02:002021-11-05T15:32:11.043+02:00Changes to my newsletter and other news
I’ve changed my newsletter provider. Old
one was good enough, but it didn’t allow the same flexibility as the current
one. The new provider also links more easily with BookFunnel so that I can
distribute books and other gifts to my readers when I need to.
I’ve also changed the thank you gift every
subscriber receives. For a long time, it’s been a short story set in my Two-Natured
London Susanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510815515127995164.post-72481636128694333222021-08-18T10:57:00.002+03:002021-08-18T11:06:42.929+03:00Saved by the Spell has arrived!
“A splendid, perfect and addictive book!”House of Magic, my new paranormal cosy
mystery series has advanced to its second book. Saved by the Spell came out on
Sunday, and it has already some nice reviews.Phoebe Thorpe, the assistant to an antiques
dealer in London, has had a steep learning curve about the world of magic and
paranormal creatures around her. And it’s about to become steeper. ASusanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510815515127995164.post-81158601984043866762021-04-27T14:19:00.001+03:002021-04-27T14:19:38.108+03:00Announcing a new series!
I’ve started writing a new series. I’m already writing two, so
adding one more seems like a foolish endeavour. But what can I say? It needed to be written.
The series is called House of Magic. It’s a combination of
mystery and magical, with supernatural entities added to the mix. The
protagonist is Phoebe Thorpe, a perfectly ordinary assistant to an antiques
dealer. Only, it turns out the Susanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510815515127995164.post-41135006048316315912021-03-17T16:45:00.000+02:002021-03-17T16:45:06.569+02:00Prepare for the P.I. on the Scent!
I have a really ambitious publishing schedule for this year.
I’ve barely recovered from the launch of Wolf Moon (thank you everyone who have
read it so far) when it’s already time to prepare for the next one. Tracy Hayes, P.I. on the Scent comes out on April 4th.Tracy Hayes, P.I. on the Scent by Susanna Shore
P.I. on the Scent is the eighth book in my P.I. Tracy Hayes series
of light Susanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510815515127995164.post-81567031302915204002021-02-28T13:26:00.003+02:002021-02-28T13:42:14.817+02:00Wolf Moon is here!
It’s the publication day for Wolf Moon, Two-Natured London
7. My paranormal romance series featuring wolf-shifters and vampire warriors of London
has progressed slowly but steadily since the first book, The Wolf’s Call, came
out in 2012. There are currently seven longer books, two in-between romances,
and one collection of Christmas themed short stories.Wolf Moon by Susanna Shore
Wolf Moon Susanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510815515127995164.post-29844029072052004482021-01-10T14:52:00.002+02:002021-01-10T14:55:22.158+02:00Interpretations and adaptations
We’ve been binge watching The Magicians over the weekend
with my husband. I’d like to say I’m late to the party, but the truth is, I
never intended to watch it. That’s because I found the book by Lev Grossman the
series is based on frustrating and irritating. Imagine my surprise, then, that
I kind of like the show. Not enough to give it my full attention—I’m writing this
blog post while it Susanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510815515127995164.post-52429937662297122362020-12-21T15:21:00.003+02:002020-12-21T15:28:25.323+02:00Reflections on a plague year
Worry not, there’s no illness on my house or any of my
family. In fact, the difficult year has been easy on me. Partly it’s because I
live in Finland where the Covid situation has been relatively painless (there
has been no lockdowns, for example, and we had a proper holiday, if isolated),
and partly it’s because I’m reclusive by nature and haven’t found the
restrictions on my life overly Susanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510815515127995164.post-75470460257748380362020-12-14T20:01:00.000+02:002020-12-14T20:01:51.355+02:00More new covers
As I promised last week, here are the new covers for Two-Natured
London series. The changes aren’t drastic, but I found them necessary. Even
though I’ve redesigned the covers regularly over the years, the title fonts
were different sizes and not always aligned from book to book after the latest tweaking. That’s mostly
because I’d wanted to have the titles of each main book with only one
fontSusanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510815515127995164.post-20989557066761640112020-12-08T10:52:00.002+02:002020-12-08T10:52:31.609+02:00Christmas sale (and a new cover)
It’s December, and so Moonlight, Magic and Mistletoes,
Two-Natured London 5.6 is on sale. It’s only $0.99 (or the equivalent in your
currency) until Christmas. Don’t miss the opportunity.The book is a collection of Christmas themed short stories
set in my Two-Natured London paranormal romance world. There are six stories in
total, with both new characters and those you’ve met in the first Susanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4510815515127995164.post-86905430725631541542020-11-02T16:34:00.001+02:002020-11-02T18:13:05.933+02:00The wolves are back!
It’s time to announce the next Two-Natured London book! The
wolves of the Greenwood clan will finally return after two books about vampires:
Crimson Warrior, which features Gabriel Hamilton, and Magic on the Highland Moor, with Nicholas Fortier, both vampire warriors of the Crimson Circle. And the two books before these, Magic under the Witching Moon, about humans and witches, and Moonlight,Susanna Shorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18091483886006843479noreply@blogger.com0