How do you define success for a novel? I expect the answer differs for readers and authors, but maybe not as much as you would think. Whichever hat I'm wearing, I want the novel to entertain and to provoke thought. I have additional goals for Horseshoes and Hand Grenades, as I say in this recent … Continue reading Defining Success for A Novel
Yes, we have a release date! My publisher, TouchPoint Press, has announced that Horseshoes and Hand Grenades will be released on Sept. 27, 2019. Here's the press release they issued recently: S.M. Stevens' Horseshoes and Hand Grenades Discusses Overcoming Abuse and the Power of Friendship in a #MeToo Context S.M. Stevens’ novel, Horseshoes and Hand … Continue reading TouchPoint Press to Publish Horseshoes and Hand Grenades on Sept. 27
I wrote Horseshoes and Hand Grenades (being published in September by TouchPoint Press) in the hopes it will help victims of incest and other forms of sexual harassment and abuse give credence to their experiences, and take steps to heal. So an endorsement like this one from early reader and poet Susan Roney-O'Brien means the … Continue reading Renowned Poet Endorses “Horseshoes and Hand Grenades”
I love the U.S. Women’s national soccer team. My infatuation is rooted in my youth. I grew up with soccer, in a small Maine town where the school population and budget were too small to support a football team. My three brothers played, and the teams regularly won regional and state titles. And I reveled … Continue reading The USWNT, Arrogance and Our National Double Standard
Driving home in the car two days ago, surfing the radio stations per usual, I caught an NPR story about the connection between emotional and physical pain in adults suffering from chronic "medically unexplained pain” like Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and fibromyalgia. The notion that emotional and physical distress and pain are all connected will … Continue reading Childhood Emotional Pain is the Source of Some Chronic Adult Physical Pain
With my first novel to be traditionally published in the pre-launch stage now, I have a lot of questions about the process. I'll figure those out in due time. But my "most burning" question -- the one that sets my brain on fire, and wakes me up at night with novel-induced hot flashes -- is … Continue reading Cover Blind
When my two daughters were in middle and high school, I struggled with the correct advice to give them regarding their clothes. Yes, they should have been allowed to wear what they liked without boys or men taking their attire as some sort of invitation. But I didn't want them to cross the line into … Continue reading Women in Leggings
Gotta love Samantha Bee! She provides a forum for workplace sexual harassment victims who also happen to be stellar animators to tell their story how? With animation of course! The strength in numbers / sisterhood part of the story is truly inspiring. Pause if needed while watching to fully appreciate the drawings. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=387&v=KmNnNKIMxQg
Today marks the very quiet, unpublicized launch of the S.M. Stevens author website and blog. It's being kept quiet because there is little to say, except for this one thing: MY NOVEL IS BEING PUBLISHED!!!!! Pardon the emphasis, but other aspiring writers know of what I exclaim. TouchPoint Press is going to publish my first … Continue reading Day One