I’ve decided to republish CHASE THE DREAM, my contemporary romantic suspense that Loveswept published in 1998. CHASE THE DREAM was a finalist for the RITA in 1999 and one of the last Loveswepts published before the line closed., CHASE THE DREAM clearly shows how I was transforming from a romance writer to a mystery/suspense […] [ ... ]
Before I go into Metadata and Key Words, I want to remind everyone that March 30, 2026 is the last day to file a claim in the the Anthropic Class Action Case. If you haven’t already filed a claim, go to Check list of books and see if any of your published books are […] [ ... ]
Last month I concentrated on submitting TWO JADE BRACELETS to small U.S. publishers who didn’t require an agent. I found 12 publisher that met my criteria. I thought what I would do was send a query to each but quickly discovered each wanted a different amount of information and contact method. Only two used Query […] [ ... ]
The past couple weeks have really been fun for me. On Wednesday, February 11, I was a guest at Annette Briggs house where I met with six members of her book club. They had chosen THRILL OF THE CHASE, my 1995 Loveswept to read. As I mentioned in my last blog, I had a difficult […] [ ... ]
A few weeks ago, a writer friend called and said her book club was going to read THRILL OF THE CHASE, one of my Loveswept Romances. She wanted to know if I had some extra copies; they were having trouble finding any. So I looked. When we first moved into this condo, I put copies […] [ ... ]
During the Michigan Sisters in Crime meeting this month the subject of conferences came up: was anyone going to a conference this year? Had anyone been to (different conferences name)? Was it worth it? Over the years, I’ve been to most of the major romance and mystery conferences. Some were better than others, but none […] [ ... ]
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 […] [ ... ]
It’s been an interesting year. AI is really having an impact on the publishing world. I’m now part of (a very small part) a class action suit where writers’ published works have been used to train AI. It will be interesting to see if I get any money from that. And, I hate to admit […] [ ... ]
It’s Smashwords’ 2025 End of Year Sale! My P.J. Benson mysteries (the Crow books) are included in the sale along with Echoes of Terror, and two romances: Lyons Pride and Heiress Seeking Perfect Husband. I wish I had more books with Smashwords, but I fell behind the two years my husband and I decided to […] [ ... ]
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, […] [ ... ]
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 […] [ ... ]
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 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 […] [ ... ]
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 […] [ ... ]
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 […] [ ... ]
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 […] [ ... ]
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 […] [ ... ]
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 […] [ ... ]
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. […] [ ... ]
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 […] [ ... ]