Maggie-Ann Smith Author

What do men want?

16/5/2017

I recently read a post on what men want in a woman, and I found the list daunting.

What do you think?

Do women need to have it all keep a man?

A sexy body catches a man’s eye but what keeps him...

The post suggests men want a woman with an open and friendly face, a woman who is confident in and out of bed and willing to take the intuitive.

She must be compassionate, optimistic, at ease in her skin, have a warm smile, a sense of humour, and be kind to the aged and be easy to talk to, but doesn’t talk too much.

She needs a passion for life and people, decisive and successful in her chosen career.

A woman who takes control of her life.

It was a relief there was no mention of being an able hand around the house and in the kitchen!

Bye for now,
Maggie-Ann

0 Comments

Sharing "What sound did your heart make when it broke the first time?" by Jon Westenberg is an amazing article and what inspiration for digging back into our memories, pushing us to deepen character writing.

15/3/2017

0 Comments

What sound did your heart make when it broke for the first time?
BY JON WESTENBERG

Heartbreak is a wonderful, terrible, terrifying thing. It’s something that we live through, love through and struggle to “deal with” for the better part of our lives.
But you remember the first time. You remember that first pain.
I know my heart broke for the very first time when I was 11 years old, piling into the family station wagon to drive away from my home town of Perth, Australia, to start a new life — that I didn’t want to live — in Adelaide.
I was sobbing quietly to myself, while I watched home disappear in the rear window.
And then when it had been broken once, it never stopped breaking. When I moved from Adelaide to Sydney, and said goodbye to my older brothers. When I fell in love and fell out of love.
When my first business failed, in a crashing, burning mess. When the same thing happened again.
And again.
And again.
I always believed that I’d find a way to get used to it. Now, I’m not so sure. I’m not so sure that we ever get used to it — we just learn not to hate it quite so much.
We start to recognise that the experience of having our hearts broken isn’t a symptom that the end times are here. It’s a part of living, because it’s a part of caring, because caring is a part of existing on a human level.
When your heart breaks, it’s only because you’ve been somehow lucky enough to find and try for something so wonderful that you couldn’t help giving your heart to it. That’s a remarkable thing on its own.
I don’t try to fight the heart break. Not anymore, and never again. Because the heart break just reminds me that I’m still here, I’m still kicking. And it reminds me of how fortunate I have been, to have the chance to care again.
And again.
And again.

0 Comments

I'm starting 2017 with renewed enthusiasm and a fresh slant on old challenges and a brand new short story The Marriage Bargain

25/2/2017

0 Comments

Belated Happy New Year.

I'd planned to get my blog post out the beginning of January, but life got in the way as it often does. I apologize for the delayed start and have a litany of excuses, which I’m sure you don’t want to hear.

Busy writing my current story 'The Princess of Scandal, honing my craft, signing up completing writing workshops and attending conferences, wanting to ensure my story telling is the best it can combined with my day job has left me time poor. I’ll be in Canberra in March working with the amazing Margie Lawson in my second Immersion class.

After catching Anthony Pica’s post “Want A Happy Mind? You Should Make Your Left Brain A Good Storyteller First” on Lifehack, an inspiring website; I’m retraining my left Brain to be more positive this should improve my confidence. I’ll check back and let you know how I’m doing. I’d love to hear from anyone who uses the ideas and what they get out of them.

Bye for now and happy reading/writing,

Maggie-Ann

Doing a little dance...

My short story is included in Taste of Romance an anthology released by Melbourne Romance Writers Guild this month. This story is my second short story, and I’m very excited.

Available on Amazon a mix of 16 wonderful stories for .99¢

RSS Feed

0 Comments

What do women find attractive in men? An interesting article from Wingman.

26/6/2016

3 Comments

I found this interesting article and wanted to share.
What Do Women Find Attractive in Men? – 8 Scientifically Proven Traits

You know, if someone told you in 8th grade that science was going to help you get laid some day, I bet you you would have paid a heck of a lot more attention in class. Well, the bad news is that it’s still highly unlikely that we’re going to start teaching our kids social and attraction skills at a school level any time soon. But the good news is that science actually does have some answers as far as male-female attraction dynamics go.

Following are 8 traits, both physical and behavioral, that actual scientific research has found that women find attractive in men. These are not mere assumptions or opinions, but actual conclusions that behavioral scientists have come to following extensive research. And what’s even better, they’re actually traits that you can actively work on cultivating and improving.

Fact 1: Height matters A 2014 research conducted by professors at Rice University and the University of Northern Texas found out that out of around 1000 Yahoo! Personal Dating ads, nearly 50% of women claimed that they’d prefer to date a man who’s taller than they were. But how did the stereotype of TALL, dark and handsome come about? Well, social psychologists claim that most women are psychologically geared towards finding taller men attractive because most of our world’s cultures regard tall men as embodiments of all that is masculine.
But some scientists believe that the reasons for this go even deeper. A group of researchers from the University of Utah published a study which puts forth the idea that a woman’s preference for taller men actually dates back to our caveman days. In a time and age where physical protection of her and her potential offspring were integral to a woman, she would have been evolutionary geared to gravitate towards taller men who had a clear physical advantage in a confrontation. And although this advantage might seem a little less important in a modern day context, the researchers still believe that this evolutionary programming to find taller men more attractive is still deeply embedded in the female psyche.
But what if you aren’t the most vertically blessed man out there? Do not despair. A group of Dutch researchers have found that at the end of the day what really matters is that you are taller than your intended object of affection.
In addition, remember that it also helps a great deal to develop good posture regardless of your height. Not only will standing straight with your shoulders back make you seem much taller, but it will also help you appear more confidant and dominant.

Fact 2: A bit of stubble helps. There’s a reason why actors like George Clooney, Brat Pitt and Hugh Jackman rock the two-days-without-a-shave look. They understand that women dig a bit of stubble. It’s one of the bad-boy trademarks that women have a soft (and wet) spot for.
In fact, a group of Australian researchers from The University of New South Wales conducted a survey with over 350 women on their preferences for male facial hair, and the overwhelming majority agreed that a bit of stubble was the way to go. Experts in human evolutionarily psychology even claim that from an evolutionary standpoint, men with a bit of stubble would have been considered more dominant, masculine, aggressive and socially mature.

Fact 3: A deep voice is more attractive. Ask any woman who she would rather hookup with, David Beckham or John Hamm (based on their voices alone) and the chances are that she’ll pick the Don. But why is it that women in general seem to find men with deeper, huskier voices more attractive? Well, according to a bunch of researchers from University College London, it’s because women perceive a deeper voice as a sign of a larger and stronger physicality; something that women are evolutionarily geared to find attractive.
But what if your voice isn’t honey-in-your-ears huskey like, say, Javier Bardem? Well as a singer I can tell you that the voice is an incredibly versatile instrument that can be tailored quite a bit. So if you’re not happy with the squeak that you’re producing when you talk to women, sign up for a few voice training or speaking lessons, and you’ll be surprised with how much versatility you’ll find in your voice.
Read our articles on how to get a deeper voice and the mistakes which keeps you away from making your voice deeper.

Fact 4: An athletic body. Now before you hit the gym and load up on protein supplements, read ahead. Researchers have found that out of all the body shapes, women in general seem to prefer a “V-shaped” athletic body on a man; that is to say a strong and well-defined musculature on the upper body and a narrow and slim waist. So if you’re lacking in this department, it might be time to get yourself an advantage with a good exercise and diet plan.
Wearing clothes that fit perfectly is another good idea. A well-tailored blazer will often give the impression of broad shoulders while V-neck t-shirts can help make your torso look slimmer.
Check out our articles on how to prepare your body for the beach season, get the perfect abs, and get motivated to work out.

Fact 5: Slower movements. Look at any archetypical alpha male character from a movie and the first thing that you’ll notice is that they seem to do everything extra slow. Take any Clint Eastwood character for instance. He hardly says more than a few dozen words in a movie but he still looks like the coolest fucking guy ever. In fact, researchers have found that men who have slower movements and speech are often perceived as more at ease and confident, and thus, more attractive. So start paying attention to the speed at which you operate in day-to-day life. Slowing yourself down might feel unnatural at first, but with practice it will become second nature.

Fact 6: A sense of humor is a huge asset. You know the cliché is true; you really can laugh your way into a girl’s pants. But don’t just take our word for it. Go on any dating site and take a look at ten profiles, and I’ll guarantee you that at least 8 of them will list a good sense of humor as an important trait in a potential partner. But why do funny guys get the girl? Well researchers from Northumbria University claim that humans perceive a good sense of humor as a sign of both intellect and social intelligence. And according to Kristofor McCarty, the head of the research project, women are evolutionarily geared to respond to signs of intelligence and social intelligence as an attraction factor. The logic behind this being that an intelligent man would be better able to provide for and protect a woman and her potential offspring.
But what if you’re not that funny? Well here’s the good news, developing a sense of humor in a lot of ways is like learning a new instrument. You can definitely learn and you’ll only get better with practice. So to start off pick a few movie or television characters that you think are funny and start paying attention to what it is exactly that makes them funny. And if you’re willing to go the full yard, maybe even sign up for an amateur comedy class. You’ll be surprised at the results some wit and humor will get you with women.

Fact 7: Social value is extremely powerful. Let’s face it; women don’t really want to be with the guy who sits around his apartment playing Xbox all day. Women want to be with men who are the life of the party wherever they go. They want to be with men who always seem to have a flock of both men and women crowding around them, trying to be a part of his exciting life. This is social value.
Here’s an example. In a research carried out in 2010, a group of researchers from Duke University asked a group of heterosexual volunteers to rate the attractiveness of men and women who were photographed by themselves. The researchers then showed a second group of volunteers pictures of the same men and women, but this time paired with a person of the opposite sex whom the volunteers told were their exes. Their findings? The men and women who were photographed next to a “hot” ex were almost always rated as more attractive by the volunteers from the second group, even if they weren’t rated as highly by volunteers from the first group. You can read more about this effect here.
So how do you go about creating this “social value” and pre-selection? Well you can start off small. Instead of focusing on going out alone and trying to pickup attractive women, instead start off by going out with the aim of meeting new and interesting people. Cultivate friendships with people who add value to your life and add value to your social presence. Make and effort and soon enough you’ll be the guy that everyone at the party knows and gets to skip the line at any club. You’ll be the guy with “social value.”

Fact 8: Leadership skills are attractive also in your social life. Imagine yourself living in the days of our cavemen ancestors, when we used to hunt woolly mammoths for dinner and fight off saber tooth tigers every other Sunday. In such an environment a cave-woman’s best chance at survival and raising a healthy bunch of cave-babies would have been to get with the caveman that led the group.
And according to behavioral psychologists this evolutionarily programming is still very much in effect in women today. In a study carried out in 2014, researchers found that people who are a part of a specific group were much more likely to find the group’s leader attractive than people who weren’t in the group. For example, employees at a particular firm were found to be more likely to find the firm’s CEO attractive than people outside the firm would.
So how do you go about cultivating this trait? You can start small. Leadership is in many ways an art that takes time to develop. Put yourself in situations where you’re forced to take the reins. It could be something as simple as taking control of your group of friends or it could be something as ambitious as founding your own startup company. Once women see that you are able to effortlessly and elegantly take control of and inspire a group of people into action, they’ll find you a hundred times more attractive.

So there you have it. 8 scientifically proven traits that women find attractive in men. And remember, as always knowledge is only useful as long as it’s applied. So I hope that you work on developing and honing these 8 traits in your own personality and that you enjoy a significant increase in your successes with women.

Here's the article http://get-a-wingman.com/what-do-women-find-attractive-in-men-8-scientifically-proven-traits/

Are most women seeking the traditional tall, muscular alpha male? Check out the article below and I'd love to hear your comments.

Allegiance of Honour: The Psy-Changeling Series by Nalini Singh has arrived and the moment I've completed my writing goals, I'll be hiding away to devour it.
This is an amazing series and I've been hooked since my first book.

What are you reading this week?

Cheers,
Maggie

3 Comments

SWEET AND SPICY – A Celebration of Romance

27/3/2016

0 Comments

SWEET AND SPICY – A Celebration of Romance by @TheMRWG
For the first time ever, to celebrate their 25th anniversary Melbourne Romance Writers Guild members have come together to produce a collection of short stories that run the whole gamut of romance from super sweet to wickedly hot and sexy!

SWEET AND SPICY really is a celebration of all things romance. Some authors in the collection are already established and well-loved, but for others this will be their first foray into publishing.
I am delighted to have been involved in helping this wonderful project come to fruition, and I encourage you to check out this eclectic anthology collection. The gorgeous cover was designed by Jay Aheer. Amazon US Amazon AU
Amazon UK Amazon CA Barnes & Noble Smashwords

0 Comments

Wonderful evening with writing friends at RWAus Melbourne Conference

10/10/2015

0 Comments

Live , Write Thrive from C S LAKIN is a fantastic website filled with amazing posts on all things writing and worth signing up to receive the updates. The information below comes directly from LIVE, WRITE THRIVE, and you can check it out here.

The generosity of writers, especially romance writers, always warms my heart. In this cutthroat publishing climate, I can only be continually delighted to be a part in some small way. I'm pre-published and still learning, probably will always be learning and honing my craft.

Check out the great post below direct from Live Write Thrive and sign up.
Writing “Personal” Description through Your POV Character

October 7, 2015, in The Fatal Flaws of Fiction Writing

"This month our editors are tackling Fatal Flaw #10 – Description Deficiencies. Too many manuscripts are lacking essential description–of characters, setting, time or day and year, how much time has passed from scene to scene. These make for weak scenes and weak novels. Today, editor Rachel Starr Thomson begins our examination of this very fatal flaw of fiction writing:"

0 Comments

What love does to you? in the Cosmopolitan By Rebecca Twomey

23/9/2015

0 Comments

Interesting post for writers on the physical effects of love and our bodies reactions. What love does to you: the physical effects of falling in love, a great insight.

This was an interesting article and great insights into how being in love changes us. Love is a bit of a hit and miss thing.

What is love? Is it a bunch of chemical reactions?

I would love to hear your thoughts.

Cheers,
Maggie-Ann

0 Comments

Not to be missed, Romance Writers of Australia's annual Conference...

7/9/2015

1 Comment

Romance Writers of Australia really know how to put on an amazing conference.

A huge thank you to the organizers who work tirelessly behind the scenes and the volunteers who help keep the event popping along. Great workshops, people, venue and food.

My personal highlights would be when Margie Lawson writing NYT beside an example of alliteration in my current WIP! (The whoosh of the bus’s brakes burst her lust bubble and stopped cold the images of him in shorts, his tan body even back then, had well-defined muscles.)

And a request for three chapters from the lovely Pippa Roscoe Associate Editor at Harlequin UK.

Above the impressive Park Hyatt Melbourne

Enjoying the cocktail party with my roomies Raewyn Bright Paranormal Author
and Serena Sandrin Editor.

1 Comment

Do you believe men are drawn to a woman's pout more than any other facial feature?

18/8/2015

0 Comments

I've been deep into editing my current story and came upon the description for my heroine's lips, they are sensible, full lips clear of lipstick... Then I asked myself what does it say about a woman if she chooses to wear or not to wear lipstick and I was amazed by what I discovered about lips and attraction.

Here two interesting links 'A woman's lips and what it tells you about her personality." and 'The lips have it: Research shows men are drawn to a woman's pout more than any other facial feature.'

I'd love to hear what you think about lips, are they really a focal point? I would have thought the eyes but I'm always open to suggestions.

Back to editing now, promised I'd have this WIP completed by the end of the month.

Bye for now,
Maggie-Ann

0 Comments

Maggie-Ann's Dash...

What do men want?

Sharing "What sound did your heart make when it broke the first time?" by Jon Westenberg is an amazing article and what inspiration for digging back into our memories, pushing us to deepen character writing.

What sound did your heart make when it broke for the first time?
BY JON WESTENBERG

I'm starting 2017 with renewed enthusiasm and a fresh slant on old challenges and a brand new short story The Marriage Bargain

What do women find attractive in men? An interesting article from Wingman.

SWEET AND SPICY – A Celebration of Romance

Wonderful evening with writing friends at RWAus Melbourne Conference

What love does to you? in the Cosmopolitan By Rebecca Twomey

Not to be missed, Romance Writers of Australia's annual Conference...

Do you believe men are drawn to a woman's pout more than any other facial feature?

Author of Contemporary Romance

Archives

Categories