Romy Sommer

Here's a mash-up of interesting and inspirational articles I discovered this month: Reasons why romance readers should watch The Vampire Diaries Yup. I agree. An insightful article from the Huffington Post on why romance novels are good for us . (Thanks to author April Vine for this link) Don't give up: How it took one crime writer 133 Rejections to get published And this useful advice on finding time to write from South African crime author Jassy Mackenzie. Finally, I'm going to leave you with this inspirational TED talk from Ellen McGirt:

I first heard of mash-ups from Kristen Lamb, and I think it's a great idea. (Not least of all because it's an easy blog post to put together since I surf the net way too much.) So today I'd like to share a few websites I've stumbled across that have inspired me: This one gave me chills. A fantastic reminder on what our priorities in life really are. The top 5 regrets people express on their deathbeds Britt Michaelian shares inspirational tweets on Twitter as @MamaBritt . I really love this blog post from her: How Inspiration Influences Your Success The post has some useful practical tips on how to practice inspiration. I bookmarked this sweet, humorous post at the beginning of the year, and would now like to dedicate it to the many, many wonderful wise women who inspire me (and yes, that includes YOU). Barbara Scully's Wise Women And finally, one from Kristen Lamb herself, with great tips for Publishers on how they can avoid a serious collision with th...

Aside from the comeback of mood rings, and the fact that there are even scarier things around than vampires, most of what I've learned from the addictive CW television series, The Vampire Diaries , is writing-related. It's been a year since I blogged about what we writers could learn from The Vampire Diaries over on The Minxes blog , and there is still so much more I'd like to share with you. So pull up a comfy sofa and a glass of your favourite drink, and get ready. First, here's a re-cap of the posts I've already done: The first posts were about the earliest lightbulb moments I had while watching Series 1. You can read An Awakening - Part One here , and Part Two here . My next blog post was on Motivation - the importance of ensuring that the actions and decisions of each and every character are well motivated. Then came Character Arcs - using examples from The Vampire Diaries to show how characters can change and grow. Next was a post on Acting out...

I've heard a lot of excuses from wannabe writers about why they don't write. There's not enough time. Life is too hectic. The day job is too demanding. I need to do house-work. I don't have space. I'm too young. I'm too old. The excuses are usually followed by 'when'. I'll write when I have more time. I'll write when the kids start school. I'll write when the kids leave school. I'll write when the house alterations are done, or when I have my own desk. If you're really looking for all 101 excuses, you'll have to find another blog. I'm bored already. The thing is, excuses are not the real problem. They're just symptoms. It's like when you're stressed at work but won't admit it, so instead you get headaches, stomach aches, the common cold. And no matter how many antibiotic prescriptions you get, you still stay sick. Why? Because you're not dealing with the core issue, which is whatever is causing you...

Those Victorians have a lot to answer for. Their determination that every member of society should walk the 'straight and narrow path' (while a noble attempt to raise us all to the moral high ground) has left most of us in the western world with a damaged psyche. Strong words, I know. After all, why shouldn't we have higher morals and strive for a better world? Well, of course we should. But not at the expense of our own selves. More than a hundred years after Queen Victoria died, we still feel guilty if we put ourselves ahead of others. I'm here to tell you right here and now that this guilt is CRAP. Yes, I just swore. That's how strongly I feel about this. We can't look after others if we don't first look after ourselves. We can't give strength to others, if we aren't first strong in ourselves. You can't give financial aid to others, unless we first pay our own bills. And we can't teach our children how to be whole, confident, ...

I discovered this book through Goodreads, and checked it out because I liked the title. When I read the blurb and realised it was set in Oxford, where my brother and SIL both received their doctorates, it became an autobuy. And I'm so glad I bought it! Deborah Harkness' book gripped me from beginning to end (and cost me two whole nights' sleep!). It might be a paranormal, but A Discovery of Witches is no teeny bopper romance. This is an intelligent story with an adult heroine and hero (who just happen to be a witch and vampire respectively). The mix of realism and magic was skillfully woven, and I loved the varied settings - from the dreaming spires of Oxford, to the richness of the Auvergne countryside, to the homeliness of New England. A Discovery of Witches reminded me a great deal of AS Byatt's Possession , and it's even easier to read. The author's knowledge never feels forced or like a lecture. She threads history, biology, science and philosophy s...

It's Monday morning and not only is it Back to Work day, but it's also the first day I start The Great Commute to take my daughters to their new school across town. Far from letting any of this get me down, I'm cheering. Because for 2012 Mondays are Inspiration days here on my blog. Last week I posted this picture , and opened a brainstorming session, asking blog readers to share their inspiration of what lay behind the door. If you haven't yet had your say, please leave a comment. This week I'd like to pay tribute to women. To all of us, because we are incredible. We are stronger than we think. We hold down demanding jobs, raise children, run households (and sorting insurances, car service, grocery shopping, and general maintenance is a full time job. Ask my PA. Ha-ha.) We support each other, not just our friends and families, but sometimes strangers too. We are often faced with really tough situations that aren't of our own making. And it amazes me ag...