Saying Goodbye
I have one change and then one more read through of my work in progress (wip), and if all goes well (meaning I don’t find any major problems and I do fix all minor ones I come across), my story will be ready to send off to the agent who requested it. I don’t know […] [ ... ]
Finding Time for those Crucial Final Edits
I’ve had an agent request a look at my work in progress (wip), and I’m eager to send it to her, but before I do, I want to (need to) make sure it’s as good as I can possibly make it. That means I’m going through it page by page, checking formatting, making sure I haven’t switched names, hair […] [ ... ]
10 Things I Learned at Sleuthfest
1) The best thing you can do to sell your book is write a REALLY GOOD BOOK. a) Word of mouth is your best sales tool. 2) Advertising (in whatever form you choose) is going to be 99% on your shoulders. 3) You need to organize your time so you don’t spend too much […] [ ... ]
The Gun Range
Short blog today. I’m in Orlando, Florida at Sleuthfest 2012, a mystery writers’ conference put on by the Florida MWA Chapter. Actually the conference doesn’t begin until tomorrow, but I came a day early to go to the gun range. I can say this, I’ve shot guns (a little 9mm and a 22), but this […] [ ... ]
How Do You Plot?
Next week I’ll be on a panel at Sleuthfest where we’ll all be talking about our methods of plotting a mystery. That’s had me thinking. How do I plot a story, be it a mystery or a romance? When I first started writing (eons ago) I really had no idea how to plot, which my […] [ ... ]
READ THE GUIDELINES!
I’m always getting after my husband, who buys something and then tries to make it work without reading the instructions. And I’m always telling new writers to go to the agent’s or publisher’s web site and read the guidelines before formatting or submitting any work. Well, now I’m the one at fault. Last week I […] [ ... ]
Rebirth of THE CROWS
Coming soon: The Crows by Maris Soule Of course The Crows had its initial birth December 2007 as a hardcover published by Five Star mysteries. Then, about a year and a half later, it had a rebirth as an audio book put out by BooksinMotion. And, of course, once I had the rights back, The […] [ ... ]
Linked In?
I joined Linkedin this week. For months I’ve received invitation to join, mostly from people I didn’t know. I think they simply invited everyone on their email address list. A couple of invitation came from people I did know, but when I asked them what the advantage was, they weren’t sure. Now that I’ve joined […] [ ... ]
Killing: Resolutions and husbands
I’ve certainly killed my resolution to blog once a week. What I thought would be a two—maybe three—week hiatus while my husband and I traveled down to Florida and then took a cruise has turned into a much longer time period. In part the reason is I’m not sure what I want to blog about. […] [ ... ]
Staying on Course
Ever notice if you look off to the side while driving that your car starts to go in that direction? At least that’s what happens to me. A quick glance is all right, but if I look to the side too long, I head that direction. My best driving is when I keep my eyes […] [ ... ]
Don’t Talk About Your Story
Don’t talk about your book? That sounds like I’m giving advice opposite to what all the PR gurus tell us. Right? Well, I don’t mean AFTER your book’s been published but BEFORE. The more you talk about the story you’re going to write, the greater the chance you’ll lose that initial enthusiasm. I remember a […] [ ... ]
Writing and Exercise
This morning on CBS I watched a segment highlighting how a school in California has incorporated yoga into its daily curriculum. The result, the school administrator said, was fewer dropouts and higher test scores. The students claimed doing yoga helped them concentrate, think things through, and feel more relaxed. I’ve been taking yoga classes since […] [ ... ]
Do Unto Others
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and I have much to be thankful for: family, health, and financial security. Sure, I wish I had gobs of money, no aches and pains, and a book on the New York Times best sellers’ list, but what truly brings happiness? As we once again approach the Holiday Season, I’m worried about […] [ ... ]
Reality or Fiction
I often use real events as jumping off points for my fiction. News articles and reports about two hunters who were killed not far from where I lived were what started me plotting THE CROWS, and then, just a few years later, the home owner who wouldn’t let the fire department on his land to […] [ ... ]
Author vs Writer
It’s much more fun to be an author than a writer. Authors give talks, autograph their books, advise new writers, and greet fans with a smile and a nod. Writers sit at their computers (or with their pads of paper), try to decide how a character would act and speak in a particular scene, try to […] [ ... ]
Coming Down from a Conference
For two and a half days I was an author. I mingled with other authors, committee chairs and staff, fans of mystery/suspense novels and short stories, and a few spouses. I smiled, made small talk, sat on a panel, and tried to sound like I knew what I was talking about. The book store present […] [ ... ]
Why Go To A Conference?
Thursday I’ll be heading for Muncie, Indiana, for the Magna cum Murder conference. Magna cum Murder XVII October 28-30, 2011 This conference is for fans as well as writers so there’s less emphasis on the writing process (How to) and more on the creating process (Why? Where do you get your ideas?) The panel I’m on […] [ ... ]
Mysteries and Romances
Saturday morning I’ll be in Grand Rapids giving a talk on writing the mystery. (If you’re at the Grand Rapids Region Writers Conference: I’ve Always Wanted to Write a Book do say hello.) Later that morning, award winning author Lisa Childs will be speaking on writing the romance. Two separate genres that, in my opinion, […] [ ... ]
Traveling to Promote My Book
Today I returned from an overnight trip to Manistee, Michigan. The trip came about from postcards I mailed to libraries last January announcing my second P.J. Benson mystery, AS THE CROW FLIES. Soon after Five Star (which is part of Gale/Cengage Learning) released AS THE CROW FLIES, I was contacted by one of the librarians […] [ ... ]