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Colorful characters. Sinfully sweet romance.

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Harlequin Kimani Romance

Say It With a T-Shirt

September 12, 2016 by ReeseRyan

Suck It Up Buttercup T-Shirt

I’m in an awesome writers group that posts writing challenges each month. Members share how much they intend to write during the week, 2-week or 1-month period to follow and how they plan to reward themselves.

I’d like to make my reward something yummy (like an entire pineapple upside down cake), but that won’t help my other cause, which is getting healthier by working out daily courtesy of DailyBurn.com.  So this time I opted to go with something I’ve always wanted but hadn’t gotten around to getting: graphic T-shirts.

Why haven’t I purchased them before? One: for a long time it was rare to find one that wasn’t designed for anyone whose shape was more eraser than pencil. Second: When you did find one, the price was more than this penny pincher frugal person was willing to pay.

Enter the age of do-it-yourself T-shirt websites. 

Now you can find T-shirts for everyone that support any cause or share just about any sentiment. It’s also super easy to make your own. I created a to-buy list of graphic tees I wanted and I’m rewarding myself with one or two whenever I hit a new goal or deadline. When I turned in Book #2 of my upcoming Pleasure Cove series with Harlequin Kimani Romance, I bought myself the following two graphic tees:

SUCK IT UP BUTTERCUP

Fell in love with this shirt the instant I saw it. It’s perfect for those moments when:

  • I don’t feel like working out.
  • I’m working out but I feel like I can’t do one more squat/pushup/crunch/plank move, etc.
  • I should be writing or revising, but I’m not (like now)
  • I am procrastinating about doing what I need to do, preferring to do just about anything else (seriously…like now)

I chose purple because…Prince…and the purple and green are a throw back to Lou Ferrigno’s Incredible Hulk with those crazy purple pants and his you-done-made-me-mad-now green skin. Makes me feel slightly invincible and like I could do a split in heels while playing a guitar. I’m just sayin’.

A LITTLE HOOD, A LITTLE HIPPIE

A Little Hood, A Little Hippie

Anyone who knows me well knows that though I grew up in the hood, I have always been very much a hippie. So, as noted in the conversation with my husband (see below), it would be more accurate to say a little hood, a lot hippie. And as if I didn’t love this shirt enough for the graphic, the fabric is so soft. I could live in this thing. I’m thinking of belting it and wearing it as a dress. Just kidding! (Or am I?)

Anyhoo…my husband, whose obsession with Aldo shoes is one of the many reasons I lovingly refer to him as GQ Jones, and I had the following conversation this morning:

GQ Jones: Can we change that to A Little Hood, A Lot Hippie? *smirks*

Me: You do know this refers to a flower child, philosophical hippie, not someone with a lot of hips?

GQ Jones: You do know I’m not the only one who is going to be confused about that.

Me: *shrugs* Either way, A Little Hood, A Lot Hippie still applies. If someone makes that shirt, I’ll definitely buy it.

Okay, time for me to get back to work so I can earn my next graphic tee.

How do you reward yourself for a job well done? Or are you more of the just-shut-up-and-do-it type who doesn’t worry about rewarding yourself? (If so, I wanna be you, but I’m totally okay with the fact that I never will be.)

Happy Reading!

Reese Ryan. Colorful characters. Sinfully sweet romance.

Filed Under: Share the Journey, The Writing Life, Wearing, What I'm... Tagged With: graphic t-shirts, Harlequin Kimani Romance, multicultural romance, Pleasure Cove, plus size fashions, Reese Ryan

Tangling with Timelines

September 9, 2016 by ReeseRyan

During my recent Labor Day Weekend #readergiveaway I asked readers to share how they spent their summer and invited them to pose questions about my new Pleasure Cove series. I enjoyed connecting with my VIP Readers and hearing about their road trips, reading challenges and time spent with children or grandchildren.

Timeline: Minutes courtesy of Bertalan Szuros. Some rights reserved.

Readers posed lots of fun questions, which I’ll be answering during brief vlogs here on Mindful Banter. VIP Reader Mary Goodman asked: What is the best part about writing a series? I’m working on the proposal for Book #3 of my Pleasure Cove series, so today seemed like an appropriate time to answer that question. Under two deadlines and looking more than a little scrappy today, I’ll skip the video (for your sake and mine) and answer the question in today’s blog post.

The best part about writing a series is that the world I’ve built is familiar to me and so are many of the characters. Most of the action in the Pleasure Cove series takes place…you guessed it…in my fictional beach town Pleasure Cove, North Carolina. I know the landscape of the town: the best seafood restaurant, the dive jazz club, the coffee shop and the newly refurbished concert hall. The series revolves around a few key families. Those characters are as familiar as old friends and gotta-love-em relatives. I know a lot about these characters before I begin drafting their stories. Sometimes, even before I realize that they’ll ever have a story of their own.

What drives me crazy when writing a series can be summed up in one word: timeline.

Timeline photo courtesy of Luigi Mengato. Some rights reserved.

Keeping the timeline straight over the course of several books in a series (and related series) can be challenging–particularly if you don’t establish the timeline right from the start. I’m one of those dreaded procrastinators who drags my feet when it comes to doing things I don’t particularly enjoy. I often find myself revisiting the timeline when I’m forced to–like today. So, as I fiddle with another timeline app, I’ve come to the conclusion that I should probably purchase one.

So my questions to you are: As a reader, what timeline issues drive you crazy in a story? To writers, what method do you use to keep track of the timeline of your story or series?

Happy reading!

Reese Ryan. Colorful characters. Sinfully sweet romance.

Timeline: Minutes courtesy of Bertalan Szuros. Some rights reserved.
Timeline photo courtesy of Luigi Mengato. Some rights reserved.

Filed Under: All Posts, Reader Q&A, The Writing Life, What I'm..., Working On Tagged With: Harlequin Kimani Romance, Pleasure Cove, Q&A, Reader questions

Final Day of Labor Day Weekend Giveaway Contest

September 5, 2016 by ReeseRyan

Reese Ryan Labor Day Weekend Giveaway

Today is the last day to enter my Labor Day Weekend giveaway exclusively for my VIP Readers. I’m giving away a lovely journal, a set of colorful pens and a $25 gift card from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes or Starbucks–winner’s choice. If you’re not a VIP Reader already, entry is easy peasy.

  • Step one: Join my VIP Reader mailing list. (See the box on the top of the right sidebar.)
  • Step two, email me and tell me how you spent your summer.
  • For a bonus entry, ask me a question about my new Pleasure Cove series or March 2017 release PLAYING WITH DESIRE.

Please note: This contest is open internationally. However, only the digital gift card will be sent to winners outside of the United States. The physical items will only be shipped within the United States or Canada.

It’s been great connecting with all of you and hearing about how you spent your summer. Readers have posed some excellent questions which I can’t wait to answer in future vlogs, right here on this blog, so stay tuned.

Good luck on your entry and Happy Labor Day!

Reese Ryan. Colorful characters. Sinfully sweet romance.

Filed Under: Giveaways, Playing with Desire -- Book 1 Tagged With: #Giveaways, Harlequin Kimani Romance, Playing with Desire, Pleasure Cove, Reader Contests, Reader giveaway, Reese Ryan

Playing with Desire Release Date

August 26, 2016 by ReeseRyan Leave a Comment

Playing with Desire, the first book in the Pleasure Cove series, published by Harlequin Kimani Romance, goes on sale everywhere.

Playing with Desire by Reese Ryan -- Pleasure Cove Book #1

Tagged With: #WeHaveDiverseRomance, #WeNeedDiverseRomance, African American romance, black romance, book release dates, BWWM, Harlequin Kimani Romance, Playing with Desire, Pleasure Cove, Reese Ryan

Playing with Desire in Stores

August 26, 2016 by ReeseRyan Leave a Comment

Playing with Desire, the first book in the Pleasure Cove series, published by Harlequin Kimani Romance, hits stores on February 21, 2017.

Playing with Desire by Reese Ryan -- Pleasure Cove Book #1

Tagged With: #WeNeedDiverseRomance, African American romance, black romance, Book Release, BWWM romance, Harlequin Kimani Romance, Playing with Desire, Reese Ryan

Playing with Temptation Release

August 26, 2016 by ReeseRyan Leave a Comment

Playing with Temptation, Book #2 in the Pleasure Cove series published by Harlequin Kimani Romance, goes on sale everywhere.

PLAYING WITH TEMPTATION by Reese Ryan

 

Tagged With: #WeHave, #WeNeedDiverseRomance, African American romance, black romance, Book Release, Harlequin Kimani Romance, Playing with Temptation, Pleasure Cove, Reese Ryan

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