The question should be: Do you have your business card with you? Twice last year I met writers at social events (events not connected with writing) who had newly published books. One was independently published while the other woman had been published by one of the Big Four’s imprints. Each lady was excited about her […] [ ... ]
Have you told your favorite author how much you like her (or his) book(s)? No, I’m not looking for compliments, but in the last few weeks I’ve had various people (people I barely know) tell me how much they enjoyed a particular book I wrote, and it has been a marvelous feeling. (What’s been really […] [ ... ]
I’ve been having trouble coming up with a topic to blog about. No, that’s not true. I’ve had plenty of ideas. I thought about blogging about agents—but then I realized I’ve done that several times (Agents1, Agents2 ,). Then I decided I’d write about titles. Oops, done that. (Titles Blog 1, Titles Blog2 ) Goal setting? Not […] [ ... ]
Verbose: adjective. Using or expressed in more words than are needed. “Much academic language is obscure and verbose.: synonym: wordy, loquacious, garrulous, talkative, voluble. I’ve been told I write tight, but my critique partners and editors can usually find ways to tighten my writing. Often I’ve read books (some being bestsellers) where I wished an […] [ ... ]
Last year at this time I wrote a blog about not putting off what you really want to do. My 2015 blog: Just Do It That advice is as good this year as it was December 30, 2015. Lately all I’ve been hearing is news about another actor/singer/writer/sports person/politician/friend who has died. Suddenly died, in many […] [ ... ]
My husband and I have communication problems. He’ll ask, “What do you think of it?” I believe he’s talking about the book I’m reading, but he’s talking about the wine I’m drinking. After a couple comments back and forth that make no sense to either of us, I discover what “it” is. IT, is a […] [ ... ]
First, I want to report that my interview with Jim Christina and Bobbi Bell on LATalkRadio “The Writer’s Block” went well and was fun. I always like talking about my books and writing in general. Also it was great that they both liked A Killer Past. (Wouldn’t it be terrible if the hosts said something […] [ ... ]
I’ve seen several discussions regarding writers losing the initial excitement they had when they started writing. Some of that loss, I believe, is due to reality replacing the anticipated results of being published; i.e., our book hitting best seller charts, awards, TV and radio interviews, instant recognition. On December 8, 2016,I will be interviewed on LA […] [ ... ]
Recently I attended a Mid-Michigan RWA Chapter meeting where the program was on editing. The speaker, Dr. Diana Stout, MFA PhD, is one of MMRWA’s members and besides being a writer has taught college English for several years. During the meeting, she covered punctuation from comma rules to words to avoid. Lately, I’ve noticed an […] [ ... ]
Wishing Everyone a very HAPPY THANKSGIVING Thursday I will be enjoying Thanksgiving dinner with my son and daughter and their families. This is the holiday I enjoy the most…no pressure to buy gifts, or cards, or candy Just a time to be thankful, and I am thankful for… A loving husband two children and their spouses […] [ ... ]
I recently received the advanced reading copy of my March 2017 thriller, Echoes of Terror. It has been a while since I read through the manuscript, and since I’m sending some copies out for review, I wanted to make sure there were no glaring errors. Actually, I didn’t want any errors, glaring or not, but, […] [ ... ]
Last week I wrote about “Publishing Then and Now.” This week I want to focus on “Now.” Writers nowadays, both published and pre-published, have three basic options. Writers can go with traditional publisher, print-on-demand publishers, or Independent self-publishing. Each choice has advantages and disadvantages. First Option Let’s assume you’ve written a fantastic book. If you […] [ ... ]
A few weeks ago Barbara Vortman posted a comment on my blog. She said, “I remember when your first book was published. Can you tell us how marketing has changed since then and how you adapted? I have never been a self-promoter and I detest the job. My novel will languish forever on Amazon because […] [ ... ]
In the last six months three writer friends have given me their new books to read. Since writers are always looking for reviews, I read the books with the idea of giving each a review. I wondered, however, what I should do if I didn’t like a book. Did I really want to give a friend […] [ ... ]
Last weekend I opened an e-book that I purchased about five years ago. Save the Cat is a non-fiction book about screenwriting written by Blake Snyder (who is a screenwriter). It’s also a book that is often mentioned by writers when talking about writing. The first chapter of Save the Cat is about loglines, and the […] [ ... ]
Back in 1997 Silhouette published Heiress Seeking Perfect Husband under their Yours Truly line. I loved the story. It’s a “You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find Prince Charming” type of story and is probably the most humorous one I’ve ever written. When the publisher dropped that line, my agent was […] [ ... ]
On Saturday, October 8, 2016, I will be at the Bloomingdale Branch of the Van Buren District Library from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. At 1:00 p.m. I will be talking about my books, writing, and the various ways of getting published. If you don’t live on the west side of Michigan, you may never […] [ ... ]
It would be so nice if all a writer needed to do was write. But, of course, life isn’t that easy. On September 20th I had surgery on the middle finger of my right hand (and yes, I’m right handed), which resulted in a week of one-finger typing and some pain pills that wiped out […] [ ... ]
When a character is introduced to the reader for the first time in a story, there is always a desire to tell all: what the character looks like, the character’s age, marital status, and everything that brought him or her to this moment. Of course, as soon as a writer does this, the forward motion of […] [ ... ]
Recently, on a yahoo groups I belong to, the topic has been Discouragement. I don’t want to start a similar discussion here, but it is a subject that touches many (if not all) of us at some time or another. It’s my belief that we, who are in a creative field (art, acting, writing) or […] [ ... ]