Fresh Fiction Blog | Susan Lyons | I’m a Cosmo Girl!

First, my exciting announcement: my book SEX DRIVE (the first book in my sexy "planes, trains, automobiles, and a cruise ship" Wild Ride to Love series) has been chosen by Cosmopolitan as their red-hot read for May! (By the way, that’s the issue labeled on the front, "The Sexy Issue - So much hot stuff!") How cool - sorry, make that seriously hot - is that?

Second, the subject of this blog: audience - in other words, who are we writing for?

Why did being in Cosmo make me think about audience? Because their edited excerpt is very different than the passage I originally wrote. I have to admit, my first reaction was, "What the heck was wrong with my original?" LOL.

Okay, I know the answer myself. Absolutely nothing. But it was a scene (actually, the excerpt has snippets from three scenes) designed for a particular audience: readers who want to settle in with a full-length romance novel and really get to empathize with the heroine (Theresa Fallon) fall in love with the hero (Damien Black), and follow the highs and lows and challenges of their developing relationship. So, my scene was 7+ pages and had lots of chat as well as some slower, sensual love-making. (If you’d like to read my original scene, you can find it here

Cosmo, on the other hand, has a different audience: the reader who’s flipping through a magazine, reading snippets here and there when she’s on the bus or train, taking a coffee break, snatching two minutes to read in the middle of her busy life. They have roughly a page and a half to give their readers one stand-alone sexy scene. So, they edit a lot! They chop and change, and in the end, I kind of maybe sort of recognize my characters and scene. LOL again.

That’s not to say that the Cosmo reader isn’t also a book reader (I sure hope she is, and hope she buys my book!), but a reader chooses a magazine at a different time and for a different purpose than she chooses a full-length novel.

It’s important for all of us in the entertainment biz (writers, artists, actors, etc.) to always bear in mind our audience. Recently, I heard a couple of women comment about a skit they’d seen, saying that it contained a lot of "insider jokes" that many members of the audience couldn’t relate to. Seems to me, if you’re presenting something to an audience, you should design it so they can easily relate to and enjoy it, and definitely not make them feel shut out.

That’s one of the criticisms we hear about some literary fiction - that it seems as if the author wrote it for themselves rather than for an audience. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, and if a few readers do relate to it, feel moved by it, maybe learn from it, then that’s terrific. But those of us who write commercial fiction - or publish a hugely popular magazine like Cosmo - must always, always keep our readers first and foremost in our mind.

Readers are the people who count! We authors desperately want our readers to take our characters to heart, to feel emotions (for me, I want my readers to laugh and cry, I want to touch their hearts), to be drawn into our fictional world so deeply that it becomes real to them. We want to distract them from their problems and stresses, brighten their days, and maybe even give them a few fresh insights.

By the way, people have asked how I managed to get in Cosmo. It was sheer luck. As I understand it, publishers send their sexy books to Cosmo and the magazine picks the ones they want to excerpt. My guess is, they liked mile-high sex! Well, who wouldn’t? My heroine and hero, Theresa and Damien, sure had fun joining that club.

SEX DRIVE is the first book in the Wild Ride to Love series about three sisters who travel home to their baby sister’s wedding. Along the way, they find romances of their own-and learn that the journey to love truly is one wild ride! The second book, LOVE, UNEXPECTEDLY, was an April 2010 release (written under my pen name Susan Fox). There’s info on both books (and all my other titles), including book videos, behind-the-scenes notes, discussion guides, recipes, my monthly contest, and other good stuff on my website. I hope you drop over for a visit.

(Incidentally, to celebrate being a Cosmo girl, I’m giving away a 1-year subscription to Cosmo plus autographed copies of the first two Wild Ride to Love books this month. You can enter that contest at my website: http://www.susanlyons.ca/contest.htm.)

Now, I’d like to know your opinions on "audience." What speaks to you in a book (or movie, TV show, play, painting)? What draws you in? Have you ever had the experience of feeling shut out, as if the creator was talking a private language you couldn’t relate to? When do you choose to read a magazine, a novella, or a novel, and how do your needs and desires as a reader differ for each?

I’ll give away a copy of SEX DRIVE to one person who comments today.

Comments

I like gossip magazines to read when I want to let my mind wander - no stress reading them and flicking through until I find something of interest. Novels are my favourite and then I like to sit and relax while I read into another world or time!
(Barbara Hanson 8:49am May 10, 2010)

I read for pleasure only. Magazines are a quick read, usually read while watching TV.
(Pat Wilson 9:06am May 10, 2010)

I like magazines but I love books.
Magazines are for me to be read when I have to listen to hubby or kids while reading BUT a book is when I close all out and loose myself into what I'm reading and I love it when the author is that good so good that I live and breath that book and just can NOT put it down. Your books do that for me, keep the GREAT books coming!!
(Vickie Hightower 9:33am May 10, 2010)

I read to experience things
that I wouldn't otherwise be
able to experience in my own
life. I would never have the
opportunity to join the mile
high club; airplanes scare
the living heck out of me. In
magazines I read the book
snippets to find new authors.
(Tanja Haack 9:46am May 10, 2010)

Congrats Susan on Sex Drive being chosen as Cosmo's red hot read for May!
I love just about all kinds of books. The main things that turn me off are when the hero is too controlling. I like a heroine who can handle herself and a hero who is man enough to not get all angry when she does.
Mindy :)
(Mina Gerhart 10:42am May 10, 2010)

Barbara, I'm the same that I choose different things to read at different times.

Pat, I admire that you can multi-task and pay attention to two things at the same time.
(Susan Lyons 11:26am May 10, 2010)

Vickie, thanks so much for the kind words about my books. I definitely plan to keep them coming - so long as the publishers keep buying from me (fingers crossed!). LOL re reading mags while listening to hubby or kids. And yes, I can totally relate to finding that private space and time when you can really sink into a book.
(Susan Lyons 11:27am May 10, 2010)

Tanja, that's a great reason for reading. And yes, it lets you go to places you'd never go yourself (e.g., airplanes) and experience things you wouldn't otherwise be able to. I read the book snippets too. If I went into a book store and just browsed, I'd spend thousands of dollars, so I have to be more focused about my purchases. I read reviews, read author comments on review sites and blogs, and listen to friends' recommendations. Being a writer hooks you up with so many other writers, there's a never-ending supply of books that sound like "must be reads"!
(Susan Lyons 11:29am May 10, 2010)

Thanks, Sherry. I hope you check it out.

Hi Mina, and thanks for the congrats. I'm with you on hating controlling men, and loving men who have enough self-esteem that they don't feel threatened by a strong woman. If a guy needs to feed his ego by dominating a woman, he's no hero to me!
(Susan Lyons 11:30am May 10, 2010)

Congrats on Cosmo! I do not usually pick up a magazine and read... I spent my time with my nose in books... I have read a handful of books that "lost me", mostly because of over describing things... sitting there reading page after page of description bores me...
(Colleen Conklin 12:45pm May 10, 2010)

I think it is wonderful that you got a snippet in Cosmo! Such a popular magazine, so much publicity for you!
(Joanne Reynolds 12:49pm May 10, 2010)

Colleen, I'm the same as you re too much description. I think each of us reads for something a bit different. For me, it's all about characters and relationships - so I'll skip over description and even skip over action scenes. But other people love detailed descriptions or love tons of action. It's kind of like when you watch a movie on TV with someone. You each get up to get a drink or go to the bathroom at a different spot. For me, I'll get up during chase scenes because I'm bored. LOL.
(Susan Lyons 1:39pm May 10, 2010)

When i'm looking for a book with no particular author in mind i'm looking at the cover first. then reading the back. If either of those work for me i'm probably buying the book. A time or two i've done that been disapointed by what's on the inside but not often. I really like a mix of things genre wise too. Usually i skip aropund the different genre's between book to keep it fun for me. I carry a book wherever i go just in case i get time to read it and i read some books while watching TV. good for reruns lol

Lisa
(Lisa Boggs 2:27pm May 10, 2010)

I would love to win this book. This would be a great escape while at the beach!
(Felecia Digsby 2:34pm May 10, 2010)

Lisa, here's to always having a book with you "just in case"!

Felecia, yes, it's steamy beach reading.
(Susan Lyons 3:09pm May 10, 2010)

Hi Susan,
Congrats on being chosen as a red hot read in Cosmo. I have seen movies where I just couldn't get into the story partly because the characters aren't engaging and I don't feel invested in their well being.
(Jane Cheung 3:56pm May 10, 2010)

A book that completely holds my attention is one that I cherish.
Blessings,
Marjorie
(Marjorie Carmony 3:58pm May 10, 2010)

I read both novels and magazines, and you're right, it's about what you have time to read that makes your decision for which you pick up. If I'm also trying to watch tv, it's probably a magazine that I'll read (unless I'm deep into the book and just can't put it down!) But if I have plenty of time, it's a book you'll find in my hands (and sometimes when there's NOT plenty of time! hehe)!!
(Kelli Jo Calvert 4:06pm May 10, 2010)

A book means I have time to settle in and read. A magazine - less time, just a quick flick through.
(Mary Preston 4:11pm May 10, 2010)

Wit and clever humor draw me into a book.
ChrisB
(Christina Black 4:34pm May 10, 2010)

Hi Jane. Thanks! Yes, I really need to feel invested in what happens to the characters.

Christina, I like wit as well. Even in a novel that has serious issues or lots of danger, it's nice to have a touch of wit to lighten things up. I also don't like characters who take themselves totally seriously and can never laugh at themselves.

Marjorie, Kelli Jo, and Mary, thanks for your comments. It's really lovely when you do find a book that holds your attention and you also have the time to settle in and read and really enjoy it.
(Susan Lyons 4:41pm May 10, 2010)

I don't read magazines very ofen but I love a good anthology when I don't have a lot of time to read! I go for the full novals when I have time to set down and spend time with the book! I love a book that you just can't put down then. One that will keep you up until three a.m.
(Gail Hurt 4:41pm May 10, 2010)

I read magazines as much as I do books. A title means nothing to me when choosing a book. If it does not look interesting after the first 2 or 3 lines, I usually will not buy the book. If a book is given to me, I will read it. I don't let it go to waste. lol
(Tonya Atchley 4:45pm May 10, 2010)

I like it when authors delve into what makes their characters tick. Yes, I have read books where it seemed as though the author was speaking in a secret language that I could not relate to. I'm not big on magazines.
(Leni Kaye 4:52pm May 10, 2010)

Susan, congratulations for making it into Cosmo. Your books sound yummy. I like a book that captures my attention. I love hot romances and funny ones. Thanks for the giveaway.
(Cathy Phillips 5:05pm May 10, 2010)

I get drawn into a character that I feel pulls me along on their emotional roller coaster in the story. And some rare times, all of those events are happening to me and I completely am the character.
(Danyel McDaniel 5:07pm May 10, 2010)

I enjoy reading a good book, the characters seem to come to life and you can't help but want to read the entire book in one sitting!
(Mary Smith 5:40pm May 10, 2010)

Congrats on being in Cosmo no matter how they cut your writing. What pulls me in generally is the characters. If they are "real", then I want to find out about what happens to them in the story, and I'm more inclined to read the rest of the book, even if the writing is taxing (yes, I've read books like that before - thank goodness for speed-reading). Of course, the plot has to be somewhat believable, at least in the context of the world of the book. Also, humor and wit can go a long way in contributing to my enjoyment of a book.
(S Tieh 5:47pm May 10, 2010)

Congrats on Cosmo....many more wonderful things are coming your way. Keep writing.
Patricia R.
Smith Mt Lake VA...the Land orf Lovers
(Patricia (Pat) Pascale 5:57pm May 10, 2010)

Gail, there’s nothing like reading until 3:00 a.m., is there? Even if it wrecks you for the next day.
Tonya, it’s interesting that titles don’t matter to you. That’s reassuring for authors who don’t get to choose our own titles. Or, rather, we’ll choose them but then the publisher will overrule us!
“Secret language” is a good term for it, Leni. I find that with some – though definitely not all – literary fiction.
Debbi and Cathy, thanks for dropping by.
(Susan Lyons 6:15pm May 10, 2010)

Mary and S Tieh, it’s great when the characters come to life, isn’t it. And Danyel, I love “being” the character. It’s fun when you’re writing a book too – especially if you’re the heroine who’s with the very hot hero!

Thanks so much for the good wishes, Patricia.
(Susan Lyons 6:17pm May 10, 2010)

You're having such a great year Susan,
and here's hoping to an even better
second half!

With reguards to being shut out, as
long as the characters are drawn with
beauty inside and not just outside and
are given some human foibles and
problems I can identify with, I can
avoid feeling shut out. No matter what
the differences may be, there is a
basic human need to find connection
that over rules what might try to
divide us.
(Sue Ahn 7:33pm May 10, 2010)

I have loved all your books and can't wait for more. Keep it up.
(Kathy Holaday 7:55pm May 10, 2010)

Thanks, Sue. Yes, it's definitely a great year. That's an insightful comment, about the human need to find connection. It's something I really hope readers find in my books.

Kathy, thanks so much! I love to hear that.
(Susan Lyons 8:23pm May 10, 2010)

I usually don't care too much for the snippets of novels in magazines. I like to look at magazines but prefer to read books.
(Vikki Parman 8:26pm May 10, 2010)

I enjoy short stories that are complete in themselves (in fact, I have 12 sweet romances in the anthology Calendar of Love), but snippets of novels can be frustrating, can't they, Vikki?
(Susan Lyons 8:48pm May 10, 2010)

Congrat Susan on being a Hot Read in Cosmo. I have been reading the Hot Read in Cosmo for quite awhile. They're hot, sexy, and short. Best way to get the audience to want more.
(Kai Wong 8:55pm May 10, 2010)

Congrats Susan on your Cosmo article and your new series!!! I want to join your mile high club….please count me in!!! I’m drawn into a book when I feel a connection with the H/h. I have to (feel the love) so to speak….is that to cliché? If I don’t feel their attraction/lust/passion/love, etc. then the story won’t go on my keeper shelf.

I rarely read mags…mostly only while waiting for an appt such as the dentist office. And I don’t read too many novella’s either. I usually pick them up when I’m looking forward to a short story (already part of an ongoing series) or the anthology comes highly recommended. Although they have been great in helping me find new erotic authors….if I like their short story…then I’m on the web looking to see what else they’ve written. (Thank goodness for the web!!!) But truly, most shorter stories just seem to lack the depth that I need to get involved in the romance.

Soooo, I’m mostly a novel reader and I love a wide variety of genres. Yours are some of my favorite contemps!!!! Wishing you continued success and Mile High Club…Here I Come!!!!
(Mitzi Hinkey 9:13pm May 10, 2010)

As far as books, movies, tv shows, or plays, I like them to bring out the emotions that they're meant to portray. I want to laugh or cry if that's what the writer wants from me. I want to escape into their world. As for paintings, I look at the use of color, and it has to speak to me, so to say. It's a total reversal of roles, yet a painting can play on my emotions just as much.
(Peggy Roberson 9:27pm May 10, 2010)

Thanks, Kai. That's what I'm hoping will happen.

Mitzi, here's hoping you join the mile high club soon, and with a real hottie! Yes, I like depth too, but it's interesting writing a novella - you need to make characters come to life and be 3-dimensional in such a short length. Anthologies are a great way of finding new authors.
(Susan Lyons 9:57pm May 10, 2010)

I read both magazines and books and chiefly for diffrent reasons. My magazines are more about housekeeping and gardening. I read all sorts of things, but mostly romances. I especially love romances with a touch of humor, but I read every romance book I get my hands on.
(Gladys Paradowski 9:58pm May 10, 2010)

Peggy, for me it's all about emotion too. If someone can touch my heart - whether it's with writing, painting, a play or movie or TV show - then I'm hooked. (Says me, after just sniffling over a Brothers & Sisters episode...)

Brandy, you're very welcome. Thanks for being here.
(Susan Lyons 9:59pm May 10, 2010)

I prefer magazines that are anthologies or collections of short stories (Ellery Queen, Analog, Isaac Asimov, etc); but the 'slicks' have way too much aimed at the young and empty-headed for my taste. I must be too comfortably middle-aged; but I'm honestly bored by Cosmo and its ilk. Still, congrats are in order. You books certainly sound fun and interesting.
(Susan Driskill 10:22pm May 10, 2010)

Hello Susan, Please enter me in your fantastic contest. This sounds like a fantastic Book!
I love entering and winning contests from FreshFiction alot!
God Bless YOU with Success,
Cecilia
(Cecilia Dunbar Hernandez 10:53pm May 10, 2010)

I agree that something that touches you( either heart or mind) is worth reading, whether it is a novel or just the page and 1/2 story. Nothing worse then spending time reading something and syaing, well, I'll never get those minutes back!! I am a basket case when Extreme Home Makeover just comes on!!!
(Barbara Studer 10:55pm May 10, 2010)

Thanks, Susan. I confess, I'm not a magazine reader myself. I'd much rather sink into a good book.

Thanks, Cecilia.

Barbara, time is precious, isn't it? Definitely don't want to waste those minutes.
(Susan Lyons 11:21pm May 10, 2010)

keep up the good work, i want to read this one!
(Debbi Shaw 3:57pm May 11, 2010)

I love television and books! I only glance at magazines when there are articles about stars I enjoy reading about. Books are usually picked up on the combination of the cover and the story line.
(Brenda Rupp 11:51pm May 11, 2010)

Thanks, Debbi. I hope you enjoy it. Brenda, covers matter to me too - it's such a pity authors have so little input re a book's cover...
(Susan Lyons 11:57am May 12, 2010)

The winner is Kathy. Congratulations! She'll receive an autographed copy of Sex Drive.
(Susan Lyons 11:58am May 12, 2010)

April's Affections and Intrigues: Love and Mystery Bloom

Authors To Watch

Fresh Fiction Blog
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Susan Lyons | I’m a Cosmo Girl!

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Services

SPECIALS

FOR AUTHORS

We Love

April's Affections and Intrigues: Love and Mystery Bloom

Authors To Watch

Fresh Fiction BlogGet to Know Your Favorite Authors

Susan Lyons | I’m a Cosmo Girl!

Comments

Services

SPECIALS

FOR AUTHORS

We Love

Fresh Fiction Blog
Get to Know Your Favorite Authors