5 books I’m excited to read in 2024
- Bride by Ali Hazelwood
- Funny Story by Emily Henry
- Daughter of Mine by Megan Miranda
- Only and Forever by Chloe Liese
- The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren
Tag Archives: #fridayfive
#fridayfive 3.1.2024
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#fridayfive 2.23.2024
5 more tips for new authors. These are some more things I wish I’d known before I got my first publishing contact.
- plan for the long game. There’s a saying that everyone has one book in them. That would make you a one-and-done author. Don’t be a one-and-done author. Make this a serious career and plan for it like you would if it were a job out in the workforce.
- don’t write to market. Ever. Today’s hot vampire is tomorrow’s cliche. Today’s dark fantasy fae is tomorrow’s no-sales story. Write what you want to write, not what the market at the moment is telling you is hot.
- don’t overload yourself with social media. You don’t have to be everywhere, posting constantly. I learned this lesson early on when all I was doing was creating content and not creating stories. Pick a lane and make yourself an expert at it.
- never stop learning the craft. Take courses. Go to conferences. Read craft books. Never stop learning. Your writing will only mature and get better if you do.
- networking works. Join a writing group. Start locally and move to the national level. Many times it really isn’t what you know but who you’ve met that can give you a leg up in the business. Learn that lesson early in your career and it will truly help you.
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#fridayfive 2.16.2024
To go along with the myths from last week’s post, today I’m talking about 5 tips for new authors. Things I wish I had known before I ever published.
- Back everything up. To the cloud, to a different drive, a different computer, a thumb drive. No matter what it is you want to use, just back up your work. Every time you write. Every time.
- Don’t accept the first offer for publication that comes your way. I know you want to be a trad published author. But not every publishing house is the same and some won’t have your best interests at heart at all. research research research them before you submit, and if you receive an offer of publication. Hand in hand with that…
- get a lawyer to go over any contracts you have to sign.
- NEVER pay a publisher to have your book put in print. THEY incur the costs, not you. If they want $2000 upfront, run. Fast. As far away as you can.
- Start writing that second book while you’re shopping your first around. You want to build momentum and the only way to do that is to produce.
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#fridayfive 2.2.2024
Today’s five are my favorite one-liners in movies. I’m a sucker for a one-liner, throwaway line! In my writing, I try to be creative and give my characters really good, memorable one-liners. Sometimes I get it right; sometimes…not so much, LOL.
But these are the lines that have stuck with me forever.
- “Get off my plane” AIR FORCE ONE
- “There’s no place like home” THE WIZARD OF OZ
- “Leave the gun, take the cannolis” THE GODFATHER
- “I would die for you” ROBIN HOOD, PRINCE OF THIEVES
- “I’m just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.” NOTTING HILL.
And I have to add one more because I quote it sososo much.
“I ain’t got time to bleed.” PREDATOR
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#fridayfive 5 Must-haves in a Romance book… 1.5.2024
For my first Friday five of 2024, I give you…the 5 MUST-HAVES in a romance book. And I struggle sometimes to get them all in my books, lol!
- the meet-cute. Whether they bump into one another, literally (!), suffer from mistaken identity, get introduced as new co-workers after having a one-night anonymous stand, the meet-cute is vital in setting up the conflict for the romance to thrive and reach its conclusion with everyone happy ( reader and characters)
2. Strong characters. No one is going to root for boring, flat, or negative characters who defy growth and change. That, after all, is the premise of the romance novel. Take two people who would never have gotten together if left to their own devices, throw them together, and then allow them to grow and change into a couple we all, as readers, adore. I’ve read too many books ( and DNF’d most of them) where the main characters were just…wrong.
3. Believable tropes. Just like we need to root for the hero and heroine, romance readers need to know the basic premise, or the tropes used, to get them to their HEA. Forced proximity, best friend’s brother, secret baby, mistaken identity and scores more, all help define the road these two people will take in order to have them find love in the end. And all romance readers have their favorite tropes to read, and writers to write. My personal fav to read and write is friends-to-lovers because I am always on the edge of my seat to see who lets the other person know their feelings first.
4. Believable conflict. Again, you want to lose yourself in the story and not be reading and then think, this is just too dumb and no one would ever do/say this. I heard a great definition of a true conflict in a romance story at a conference once. Here’s the set-up: a fire marshall is called to investigate a scene of obvious arson with a death associated with it. The supposed arsonist? His girlfriend, a girl whose family died in a fire and the person responsible was the one found in the above fire.
Conflict to a T!
5. HEA. Or happily ever after for those not in the anacronym-know. In recent years, the HFN (Happily for now ) ending has also been used to define the end of the story. Whichever you choose to read or write, the end goal is for the hero and heroine to be together, have a defined love relationship, and be committed to one another.
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#fridayfive 12.8.2023
Today’s Friday five is a holiday version…
Here are the five things I think you should do – or consider doing -during the holiday season:
- attend a holiday concert. It can be your kid’s high school band concert or a midnight mass carol concert. But the music of the season is special and should be enjoyed.
- Have a gift-wrapping party with your friends. You provide the wrapping, they provide the…wine. LOL
- Play holiday music in your house and the car whenever you are driving. And then, don’t be afraid to sing along, even if people stare at you from other cars. Who cares? You’re in the holiday spirit!
- bake cookies. I routinely make 30 dozen every year to give out to friends and people my husband works with. Your house will smell great and you’ll finally get to use all your baking skills.
- Volunteer. There’s nothing that denoted the holiday spirit than giving back. Ring bells for the Salvation Army. Spend a few hours at your local food bank or soup kitchen. Donate to Toys for Tots or better yet, be a deliverer!
The holiday season is a time of remembrance, giving, and sharing. It’s not just for overeating, getting smashed at parties, and getting presents. Remember that.
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#fridayfive 12.1.2023
So this might be a little early, but since it’s December 1st, I figured, why not?
Today’s Friday Five are my 5 favorite holiday movies.
#5 Charlie Brown Christmas. I’m old enough to remember seeing this the very first time it was ever televised! Lovelovelove!
# 4 The Holiday. The only Jack Black movie I ever saw where I actually liked him!!!
#3 Love, Actually. One of my top 10 movies of all time no matter that it’s Christmas. From the beginning of the opening credits to the final ones, this movie is perfection.
#2 The Family Stone. I love Diane Keaton and she is at her absolute best in this movie about death, dying, and the power of family bonds.
#1 It’s a Wonderful Life. There’s a little George Banks in all of us!!! Again, this Frank Capra movie is perfection from the first reel to the end credits!
Stick around in December – I’m going to do 12 blogs about my favorite 12 movies of the holiday season.
~ Peg
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#fridayfive 11.17.2023
Book reviews are manna to authors. Today’s Friday five are the 5 reasons they matter so much to authors.
- they are free for you to do!
- help the author get their name and book in front of new readers
- increase Amazon’s search algorithm
- tell other readers what an awesome book you just read that they should, too
- promotes reading
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#fridayfive 10.27.2023
Today’s Friday five are the five reasons you should read my spooky Short Story Collection: DEATH BETWEEN THE PAGES.
- Halloween is next week and a book about death, murder, retribution, and revenge is a perfect read for the day
- the stories are all creepy – some, really creepy!
- the ebook is only #99cents and if you are a KU subscriber, it’s free
- most of the stories are about female empowerment and issues related to women being taken advantage of in society
- you should “TREAT” yourself to a little reading gift ( see what I did there? LOL LOL!)
Watch the trailer:
Add it to your GOODREADS Want to read list: GR
Happy reading ~ Peg
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#Fridayfive 10.6.2023
Today’s #Fridayfive is all about my upcoming Dickens Holiday Romance release DON’T MESS WITH THE MISTLETOE, coming 11.1.2023
- it’s a small town romance
- it’s a holiday romance
- it’s about a pilot
- and a widowed mom
- adoption features very strongly in the book.
Enjoy!
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Peggy Jaeger, Author 