November 5, 2025
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 […]
October 15, 2025
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 […]
October 1, 2025
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 […]
September 17, 2025
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 […]
August 20, 2025
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 […]
August 6, 2025
I’ve become a mini-publisher. It started when I received the rights back for all but two of my romances and all five of my mysteries (with the exception of one ebook). I created new paperbacks and ebooks for several of my romances and fourof my mysteries. Having published those books, when a long-time friend, Linda […]
July 16, 2025
SMASHWORDS https://www.smashwords.com Smashwords FAQ for Authors and Publishers Mark Coker came up with the idea for Smashwords in 2015 after co-writing the novel, Boob Tube, with his wife Lesleyann. Major publishing houses weren’t interested. They felt there too many other books like it, and those books had sold poorly. In 2018, Smashwords launched with the […]
June 25, 2025
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 […]
June 11, 2025
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. […]
May 22, 2025
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 […]
May 8, 2025
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’ […]
October 13, 2021
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 […]
August 4, 2021
“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 […]
July 28, 2021
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 […]
July 14, 2021
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 […]
July 9, 2021
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. […]
June 30, 2021
Thank you everyone who entered THE CROW AND ME contest on my Facebook Author’s Page. Each person who posted an image or wrote something about crows was entered in https://www.random.org/ which then randomly selected the winner. And, the winner is: Pamela Thibodeaux Congratulations, Pamela. You will receive a $25.00 Amazon gift card. I hope everyone enjoyed […]
June 23, 2021
Where do I get my ideas? Well, with THE CROWS, it was the murder of two hunters (that took place close to where I lived) that triggered the idea for that book. When I started thinking about writing a sequel to THE CROWS, three reports on TV triggered the idea for AS THE CROW FLIES. […]
June 16, 2021
For three (3) days—June 18, June 19, and June 20—the ebook edition of SOMETHING TO CROW ABOUT will be free. (https://rb.gy/7ae33z ) Check it out! What’s the story about? Being nine months pregnant doesn’t stop P.J. Benson from trying to discover why her friend was killed. But someone thinks she has crucial evidence, and they’ll […]
June 9, 2021
The Crows cawed a warning When I lived south of Climax, Michigan, every time I stepped out of my house the crows would start cawing. What they were saying, I’m not sure. Maybe: “She’s out, keep an eye on her.” or “That’s the weird one who tries cawing back at us.” Our house was surrounded […]