Cover of As the Crow Flies Cover of Eat Crow and Die Cover of Something to Crow About Cover of As the Crow Flies

Award Winning Author Maris Soule

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Maris Soule

Times are Changing

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PENNIES The last pennies were minted on November 12. 2025/ That ended 230 years of production.  No more penny candy. (Is there any candy that cheap nowadays?) No more, “If you want my two cents.” Businesses are going to price items so the amounts either end in 5 or 0, that or round up or […] [ ... ]

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope everyone reading this either has a wonderful Thanksgiving tomorrow or had one (if you’re reading this after Thanksgiving Day). This is one holiday I really enjoy. Family and sometimes friends get together to share a meal and conversation. We split cooking responsibilities with family groups (married or dating) bringing appetizers, salad, vegetables, potatoes, […] [ ... ]

They’re Coming Out Of The Woodwork

In my last blog I warned readers not to be scammed. Over the last two months I’ve received emails from “publishers” and marketing specialist offering to help me sell more books. To be honest, I love reading their emails. They love my books.   For example, this is the opening paragraph from the As the […] [ ... ]

‘Tis the Season to be Scammed

Several blogs have been written and warnings sent out regarding scams. I’ve received one. Here’s the opening paragraph: Congratulations on publishing As the Crow Flies! P.J. Benson’s adventures, from unexpected dangers to the humor of her Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy, make for a captivating and entertaining read. I love how you balance suspense, mystery, and character-driven […] [ ... ]

Why Copyright Your Book?

Why should you copyright your book? The Copyright Act of 1976 stated that in the United States any creative work (writings, music, drama, etc) is copyrighted the moment it is created.  So why should writers pay money to copyright their work? Some would say having an “official” copyright makes suing a plagiarizer easier, that you […] [ ... ]

A Quick Review of Killer Nashville

Today I’m turning my blog over to Z (aka Elizabeth Haines), a fellow Michigan Sisters in Crime member. Z lives in Richland, MI, with her husband, Steve, and their cat princess, Winnie. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, piecing quilts, or attempting, usually unsuccessfully (according to her), to grow tomatoes. Despite reading over a hundred […] [ ... ]

Going, Going, Gone

Recently I’ve been reading emails from long-time writers who are stepping back from writing. Their reasons vary. Some, like me, simply haven’t come up with a new idea that makes them want to spend hours/days/sometimes years writing a story. Some have health problems that are preventing them from sitting at a computer for hours. Some […] [ ... ]

Smashwords is having a Sale

Years ago I started publishing my eBooks on Smashwords and Draft2Digital. D2D distributes to dozens of on-line sites and libraries. I don’t make a lot of money from these books, but every so often I have a nice surprise when royalty payments appear in my bank account. As of now I have ten (10) of […] [ ... ]

WRITING A SHORT STORY

I want to write a short story for a contest. I’ve written a couple short stories in the past that were published, but usually when I think I’m writing a short story it turns out to be a novel. I’ve heard people say, if you want to be a writer, start out writing short stories. […] [ ... ]

I LEARNED SOMETHING NEW

Last Saturday I attended the Michigan Romance Writers monthly meeting (via Zoom). I’m not always home or able to get on-line the third Saturday of the month, but I made it this time, and I’m so glad I did. It was great seeing some of the writers I’ve known for years, the business meeting was […] [ ... ]

STARTING OVER

Today I sent a query to an agent and a submission to a publisher. I really don’t think either will respond positively, but I won’t know if I don’t try. This takes me back to the early 1980s.  That’s when I decided I wanted to write a book. I was reading The Writer and Writers’ […] [ ... ]

HAUNTED on sale!

It’s less than three weeks until Halloween. A perfect time to read a romance that’s also a suspense. I’ve just lowered the price on the e-book for HAUNTED to .99 cents. This is one of my older romances. I wrote it after O.J. Simpson was acquitted of murdering his wife. Of course the hero in […] [ ... ]

How Does It End?

“How does it end?” A writer friend asked me that question recently after I told him a bit about the story I have started writing. His question stopped me. I’ve been having fun with this story, basically letting it write itself. I’ve been a “Pantser.” (Writing by the seat of my pants.) But I want […] [ ... ]

A Dialogue Experiment

I am now three days into my third week post-surgery. Monday I had 46 staples removed from my back and leaning back against anything hard is definitely more comfortable. However, I am still limited in what I can do. For one thing, I’m not supposed to sit at a computer for a long time. That […] [ ... ]

Getting A Book Noticed Is Difficult

Wonder why you’re having a difficult time getting your book noticed? I’ve been going through some of my old files (time to update and throw away) and came across a sheet showing 2006 Publishing Statistics as reported by Nielsen Bookscan. I’m not going to post all of the statistics in that report, but here are […] [ ... ]

On Break

I missed posting last Wednesday (7/7/2021). I’ve been preoccupied with preparing both physically and mentally for back surgery, which will occur this coming Monday. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to sit at the computer for a week or two after the surgery, so I’m trying to post a couple blogs ahead of time. […] [ ... ]