by Karen Smith | Nov 23, 2021 | Blog
Not only do I write romance, I read it. Avidly. One thing I’ve noticed over the decades is a decided departure from traditional values. Being rather old-fashioned myself, I find that disturbing.The particular trope that annoys me is promiscuity. All too often I...
by Karen Smith | Nov 16, 2021 | Blog
Jump onto any of the many freelancing platforms (e.g., Freelancer.com, Fiverr.com, Upwork.com) and you’ll find a plethora of projects seeking freelance writers and editors, among other services. More than once, I’ve run across a “buyer request”...
by Karen Smith | Nov 10, 2021 | Blog
Underwriting the costs to pay for the publication of one’s own story is an age-old practice. For the last few centuries, writers seeking to raise money or get their messages out have paid to reproduce their words for distribution. At its essence, publishing for...
by Karen Smith | Nov 3, 2021 | Blog
One of the taglines I use as an author/publisher is “Escape with Us.” Escape is what good fiction accomplishes. We readers immerse ourselves in the problems of fictional characters, accompany them through adventures and angst, and share their triumph when...
by Karen Smith | Oct 20, 2021 | Blog
A country song by mother-and-daughter duet Naomi and Wynona Judd, “Why Not Me?”, features a woman wanting to know why the man she loves prefers another woman. In other words, what’s wrong with her that makes her unworthy of his attention and...
by Karen Smith | Oct 6, 2021 | Blog
Like genres (and sub-genres), certain tropes in fiction literature go through cycles of rising and ebbing popularity. Because “my” genre is romance, I’ll focus on those plot devices which I find tired and in dire need of abandonment in that...
