Sarah's Blog
Paper Planes Take Flight
I have a really hard time with titles. One manuscript I've been pitching to editors and agents has changed titles three times. When I'm working on writing and editing a manuscript I keep the title the same. And that title seems to take on a personality of its own. When I'm submitting the manuscript everything changes again, and I try to find something that really encompasses all that I want the story to be. Often I get my inspiration from song titles, book titles, television shows and once it was something I saw written on the wall of a coffee shop.
When I was writing "Kisses On A Paper Airplane" it started out as the first kiss manuscript. It didn't have a title for the entire time I was writing it. I brainstormed titles one day when I was on writing safari at Panera. I started with "Fly Me To The Moon" and "Come Fly With Me," and moved on to "Big Ole Jet Airliner." None of these did the trick. I thought I had found the right when when I came up with "First Class Kisses" and then moved on to "Kissed At 33,000 Feet" and "Kissed By A Pop Star." None of them had the whimsical quality that I really thought the story should have.
Finally I came up with "Kissed On A Paper Airplane." But if you read the book, I didn't think that was accurate and I settled on "Kisses On A Paper Airplane." I offered to change the title to something more marketable when it was accepted by a publisher, but she wouldn't hear of it. I'm so glad. She was right.
You can't imagine how surprised I was to see this story recently about how paper airplanes were a part of the relationship between Taylor Swift and Harry Styles. She even was inspired to write a song about it. You can see a photo of them wearing their paper airplane charms here.
Maybe there really is something dreamy about paper airplanes and sweet kisses that makes us all swoon.
Life Imitates Art
When I first started to brain storm the plot for "Kisses On A Paper Airplane," I knew I wanted to write a story about a girl who wanted to have the perfect first kiss. Then I had to think about who that person might be. When I was a teenager the guy who was on the cover of the latest issue of Tiger Beat magazine would've been the one I would've chosen. So I looked around at today's pop stars. There were quite a few to choose from -- Justin Bieber, Mike Posner, Ed Sheeran, Harry Styles and the rest of the gang from One Direction.
So you can imagine my surprise when I came across this real life news story about Niall Horan (of One Direction) being upset with a fan for posting a photo of him sleeping on a plane. It's thisclose to the plot of "Kisses On A Paper Airplane." Sometimes life is even crazier than fiction.
The Pixie Queen
About
In the small town of Caseville strange things have occurred…
From the time Jane Hensley was little, she knew she was different. Instead of hanging out with friends, she was often in the woods, alone, chanting magical words that filled her with power and effected the environment around her. A sudden summer storm on a perfectly sunny day. Monster waves crashing into the shores of Lake Huron. Strange things happening in nature with no rhyme or reason. Residents are mystified by these occurrences, but would never dream they could come from Plain Jane Hensley, the girl that was so quiet, it was like she wasn’t there at all.
But David Reynolds, the town’s football star, has noticed Jane. In fact he has been secretly in love with the strange girl for years. And on the morning of her sixteenth birthday, he is determined to finally reveal his heart to her. Instead David discovers Jane’s powerful secret. A secret that has brought a magical stranger to their town. One who claims to be a Pixie King, and entices Jane on a quest.
Now David must choose whether to allow the girl of his dreams to disappear forever. Or follow her on a journey that defies logic.
About the Author:
Romance Author, Susan V. Vaughn understood the meaning of sarcasm before she could walk. Her childhood in the suburbs of Detroit was spent mainly trying to outwit her six creative siblings. When she wasn’t working on the next soul crushing jab, she sharpened her imagination on romantic literature and day dreamed about her knight in shining armor.
It didn’t take long for Susan to take her passion for reading romances into writing her own unique love stories. Susan lives her life finding laughter in all situations, and delights in marrying sarcasm with romance to create realistic falling-in-love stories in the unlikeliest of scenarios.
Susan lives on the shores of Lake Huron with her real life knight in shining armor and enjoys watching their three children learn the art of sarcasm and wit.
Do You Remember Your First Kiss?
I don't remember my first kiss. If I'm being completely honest, I do remember bits and pieces, but of it it I wish I could forget. I think that's why I wrote a romance novel about a girl holding out for the perfect first kiss.
Drama student Hannah Evans isn't kissing any frogs on her path to find Prince Charming. She's determined to share the perfect first kiss -- with the perfect boy -- in the perfect place -- or she's not kissing at all. When Hannah meets a cute ginger-haired boy in first class lounge in the London airport, she knows he's 'The One.'
Pop star Theo Callahan is on the road to get as far away as possible from his back-stabbing best friend, and his supermodel girlfriend who broke his heart. Until one shy smile from Hannah has him rethinking all of his travel plans.
Theo is smitten, but he's worried she's just a groupie in search of the ultimate selfie. Can Theo learn to trust Hannah in time to share one perfect first kiss, or will Hannah be forced to kiss a frog?
She doesn't kiss frogs. Could a cute pop star be her Prince Charming?