Deleted Scene - Kissing Games
Stefanie London
by Stefanie London
2y ago
Please note, as this scene was cut during revisions it has not been edited, so there will be a few typos etc. Sloane was still annoyed about her “encounter” with Ryan Bower the next day. Against community values, indeed! He had no idea how hard she’d worked to entrench herself in this town. How much time she gave to helping others and how much passion she had for her work—both of the paid and volunteer varieties. In an effort to combat her bad mood, Sloane rifled through her wardrobe for the brightest, most cheerful dress she could find. Her wardrobe resembled a box of crayons, with items of e ..read more
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Stefanie London on the Steam Scenes podcast!
Stefanie London
by Stefanie London
3y ago
I had so much fun chatting to Elle Greco about writing the steamy bits of my stories. Check out this interview to learn: whether or not I get embarrassed writing those steamy bits my trick for using weather to set the mood and how I make my steamy scenes work hard (ha!) for stories     Huge thank you to Elle for hosting me! Check out the podcast here ..read more
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Writing half a million words in one year
Stefanie London
by Stefanie London
3y ago
At the beginning of 2020 I set myself some lofty goals. I know, I know…great year for it. However, as I write this blog post from the desk in my new apartment and I look over my word count spreadsheet, I have to admit that the wheels haven’t fallen off my year as much as it feels some days. The biggest productivity goal I set this year was to see if I could write 500,000 words in a year. Yep, half a million words. It felt impossible. In fact, I had also set this goal for 2019 where I didn’t even come close. But I wanted to try again. I’ve come to realise that my motto is: let’s see what happen ..read more
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What's in an outfit?
Stefanie London
by Stefanie London
3y ago
I was going through line edits on a book recently and I had a really lovely comment from my editor which sparked the idea for this blog post. She said: “I love how your heroines all have a distinct sense of style that reflects who they are.” It got me thinking. Style is a huge part of my character development. Perhaps this is because style is important to me, personally. It’s always been a way that I have expressed myself. Writing a distinct character wardrobe is a great way to enhance your character on the page. The way they dress is reflection of how they see themselves or perhaps how they ..read more
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Backstory: the seasoning on your manuscript
Stefanie London
by Stefanie London
3y ago
Backstory is something that can trip up a lot of new writers. Any advice you read on the topic will often have some incarnation of the following: DO NOT INFODUMP Avoid backstory in the first chapter Don’t tell us the character’s life history As a result many writers go too far in the other direction, where the reader knows nothing about the main character’s past or what led them to this point. This causes a few problems. For starters, it can make your character’s actions feel unmotivated or confusing. It can also make characters seem unsympathetic, especially if they have a big arc ove ..read more
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How to end your chapters with a hook
Stefanie London
by Stefanie London
3y ago
Have you ever read one of those books where you felt as though you were being propelled through the story, unable to stop reading even if your eyes were drooping and the clock was telling you you’d be sorry in the morning? There are a lot of ways that a writer can achieve this sense of urgency for the reader. Today I’m going to talk about ending your chapters with hooks. I once got a very useful piece of information from Valerie Parv (aka Australian romance royalty). She said: If you end a chapter with a character going to sleep, chances are the reader will too. The end of the chapter should ..read more
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How I beat a reading slump...
Stefanie London
by Stefanie London
3y ago
Confession time: I’ve been in a reading slump for more than six months. Possibly a year. In that time, I’ve read way less than my normal amount of books. Reading has felt like…a chore. I found myself playing on my phone on the subway, instead of reading. I was letting books gather dust on my nightstand and on my shelves. But I’ve managed to complete turn that around in the last few weeks and I thought other readers might find this interesting, so I’m sharing my tips. First I had to figure out WHY reading wasn’t happening the way it used to. I’ve been a reader my whole life. I was that kid who ..read more
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FAQ: did you study to become a writer?
Stefanie London
by Stefanie London
3y ago
This question has pops up at regular intervals, especially when I’m talking with non-writers about what I do. The TLDR answer is: nope. I don’t have any formal qualifications in writing, literature, publishing or anything like that. But the more accurate answer is…I’ve done a lot of things that have really prepared me for a career in writing. And, I actually did enroll in a certificate of creative writing at once point. But I dropped out after one two classes. It’s the only time I’ve ever dropped out of any educational activity in my whole life.    Why did I quit my creative writing ..read more
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A Tale of Two Covers
Stefanie London
by Stefanie London
3y ago
Everybody loves a little refresh in the new year, right? Well, Bad Bachelor is getting a brand new look! It’s hard to believe this book came out two years ago. In that time cover trends have changed a bit.   The original Bad Bachelor cover with the very sexy Reed in his signature suit.   Bad Bachelor came out right on the cusp of this latest resurgence of romantic comedy. Did I plan to write romantic comedy? Not specifically, no. But my books have always included humour because that’s the kind of person I am (if you spent five minutes around my husband I, you’d see we don’t take any ..read more
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2020 Word of the Year
Stefanie London
by Stefanie London
3y ago
I’ve always been one of those people who liked having a word of the year, a neatly written list of goals and check boxes to tick off as I make my way through the year. It’s how my brain is wired. More than ever, as I venture into being a writer and running my own business (which really is how I view this) I like having an idea of a theme for the year. Why? Well, for one it helps me make decisions. When you’re a business owner you have to make A LOT of decisions. You have to sacrifices some things in order to include other things. You have to know when to say yes and when to say no. Guiding pri ..read more
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