Simone M. Richards's Blog

Can you believe it? I can’t. I’m in shock!!

Midnight Playground: Where the Soul Plays is ONE!!!

I haven't had an anniversary to celebrate in well over a dozen years!
 
However I'm not one to miss a chance to drink a little champagne, to commemorate this exciting anniversary, I'm celebrating by giving away two signed hardcovers to two lucky readers.
 
One reader will be selected at random from all entries received via social media and my website.
 
It’s really easy to enter, too. You’ll receive one...

I love meeting with book clubs!


I love hearing their reactions to Midnight Playground, answering their questions, and sharing personal stories. It's even better when we meet in a location that is in the book. When they asked me for a recommendation, I knew it had to be Sasha's on Shaw. (For those who've read the book and/or planning on it, this is where Simone and Natalie go after searching for the attorney's office on that cold February day. ) 


Some things to look forward to as a result of th...

Saturday morning, I nervously stood amidst tables filled with fresh-baked pastries, delectable fruit trays, and coffee cups ready to wake the world up. Even though everything looked and smelled delicious, there was no way I could eat anything. My stomach was in knots. I was about to participate as an author in my library's annual Local Author Breakfast. I was to talk about Midnight Playground, writing, myself, and answer questions from strangers and neighbors for 120 minutes: eight 15-minute...

He clips it!

Enjoy a few pics from the 8/21/2017 solar eclipse. I was fortunate enough to be in the path of totality. Very cool. I'm thinking of joining a band of merry eclipse chasers or starting one. Any takers? Would love to hear how you spent your Total Eclipse Day. Comment below.

Four years ago today I heard three words that upended & transformed my life. No, it wasn't "I love you." If only!

It was "You have cancer."

I chronicled on Facebook and CaringBridge the scary new world of treatment options, surgery, chemo, and facing my own mortality. I must confess it wasn't all as pretty or as glamorous as I made it out to be.

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Goodreads, Snapchat, Youtube, LinkedIn, and more I don't even know about. I thought I was pretty good at multitasking considering I've been raising three children on my own for the last 14 years. But that was before I tried to manage my social media presence.  Now, I'm not so sure.

Lately, I've been working on learning how to maximize my Goodreads profile. I tried to link my twitter followers...

Admittedly, I was nervous as I pulled up to the home of the hostess, Nancy, who'd invited me to meet with her book club. They'd selected and read my book for their January meeting. I didn't know what to expect. 

It was cold and remnants of an earlier snowfall were still on the ground. I parked, noticed my sorority's letters on the window of one of the cars, and thought, "I'll be okay, a DG is in there."

The women were all welcoming and nice and funny. They liked reading a book set in St....

Hellooooo Friends!
It's been a while since I posted (I apologize for that) and a lot has happened since the book launch. 

In January I was fortunate to be able to do a 'sexy' reading of my book at a super cool local coffeeshop/cafe called Shameless Grounds. 
(You can't tell by this picture but I was pretty nervous.)
The crowd was attentive, the food tasty and the wine smooth. We're hoping to be able to schedule another event sometime this summer on their fabulous patio. Stay tuned!
In February...

St. Louis Book Launch Party a Success!

It was great to see so many friends and supporters at the launch party for Midnight Playground: Where the Soul Plays. There were a lot of hugs, pats on the back, atta-girl’s, and an impromptu, unscheduled reading! It was a fabulous night.

And I'm happy to report, in spite of the tasty mulled wine, my signature remained legible and upstanding as "Simone Richards" and not "S'more Dicks." ;-)

Many thanks to everyone who came out! See you again, soon.
xx-SR

For my book Midnight Playground: Where the Soul Plays, I offer this explanation to the ebook readers. I noticed the formatting difference when I looked at a copy on a friend's Nook. I don't know how to have it changed or if it can. So in light of that I thought I'd offer a little explanation to help in case you are confused.

The main character Simone is a writer (surprise!) and she has a blog called midnightplayground.com. Her blog posts are separated out by solid lines and have dates. These p...