I copied and shared this from a post I saw on Facebook. Since then it’s been copied by several other writers and shared on their FB sites. It really is true. Nothing makes a writer happier than receiving a review that indicates the reader enjoyed the writer’s book. (Of course, nothing makes us sadder than […] [ ... ]
In last week’s blog, Pamela S. Thibodeaux told how she had to rewrite a book in order to get it right. I’m in the early stages of my work-in-progress, but during a critique session I discovered I needed to rewrite a scene to get it right. Sounds easy enough; however, rewriting one scene may have […] [ ... ]
A few weeks ago, I asked Pamela S. Thibodeaux to be a guest on this blog and she said she would be glad to, especially since she discovered something while writing her new release. How to Know When a Story is Not Working by Pamela S. Thibodeaux In all my years as a writer, I’ve […] [ ... ]
Temperature and humidity rising. Time to head north. Time to decide what stays in Florida and what will travel with us. In some ways I like this process. I review my clothes, art supplies, and books. Three piles: the stay, the take, and give to Goodwill. I always have great plans of what I will […] [ ... ]
A friend recently sent me an article on daydreaming, the need to do it. Basically, the article points out how cluttered our lives and minds have become as we deal with everyday problems, many of which have been acerbated by the pandemic and the fearful news with which we’re constantly bombarded. The article suggests everyone […] [ ... ]
In a previous blog I talked about vanity presses and why I think a writer should avoid them. This week the Writers Beware® blog highlighted a bogus company that offers self-published and wanna-be-published writers ways to get their books or unpublished stories looked at by TV and movie companies and/or republished by traditional publishers. I […] [ ... ]
Recently I was asked by another writer if I thought she should use a vanity book publisher. With self-publishing so popular nowadays, I didn’t even realize vanity publishers were still out there, but sure enough she had one in mind. I gave her my thoughts, but you may feel different, and if so, I welcome […] [ ... ]
Something is Missing My critique group met this week via Zoom. One member is working on a memoir. The section we’ve been critiquing is fascinating. She was in Christchurch, New Zealand when the 2011 earthquake hit. In fact, she and her husband were in the Cathedral at the exact moment the earthquake hit and everything […] [ ... ]
There are aspects I really like about self-publishing a book: control over content, cover, and blurb. I also like receiving a higher royalty and the ability to tract sales, or at least receive more up-to-date accounting of sales. There are also aspects of being my own publisher that I don’t like or find extremely difficult. […] [ ... ]
Today is the day (February 10, 2021) SOMETHING TO CROW ABOUT is now available as an e-book and a paperback And best of all The e-book is on sale Here’s what some readers are already saying about it: “If you’re a hands-on action with plenty of puzzles to solve fan–or if you are also a […] [ ... ]
Nowadays, most writers can’t simply write a story, send it off to an agent or publisher and sit back and wait for the praise and money. Of course, it’s always been true for most writers that once the story has been written, they must take off their writer’s hat and put on their editor’s hat. […] [ ... ]
No, I’m not talking about political change, though that’s definitely occurring. For me, one change is this year I’m self-publishing a book (from start to finish). My other big change is my website is going to look different. Sometime this week (or month), if you visit my website (https://marissoule.com ) it will have a new […] [ ... ]
I truly have something to crow about. The 4th book in the P.J. Benson Mystery series now has an actual release date: February 10, 2021. It has a beautiful cover, designed by Chris of http://highpinescreative.com. They did the covers for the first three “Crow” books (The Crows, As the Crow Flies, and Eat Crow and […] [ ... ]
One of the things I enjoy most about writing is I am constantly learning: new information, new ways to do things, new programs to master, and new words to add to my vocabulary. I guess I’m a perpetual student. Today I started learning how to register a book with the Library of Congress. I have […] [ ... ]
Weather permitting, my husband and I, along with Captain Nemo, will be heading south to warmer weather. Here’s hoping the snow will be off the roads and it won’t be raining. [ ... ]
Wherever you are tomorrow, and with whomever, I hope you have a delightful day. 2020 has been a year filled with so much confusion, division, and trepidation, sometimes it’s difficult to be thankful, but do take a few minutes to focus on the positive, whatever that might be. I have much to be thankful for: […] [ ... ]
I’ve never really had to deal with back material other than supplying an acknowledgment page, if it was appropriate, and a bio. Anything else that was added after the end of the story was supplied by my publisher. With Harlequin and Silhouette, that material often included snippets of other books available that month, how to […] [ ... ]
How good is your eyesight? Can you catch all of the errors in your manuscript? I’m in the process of doing a final read-through before I send my manuscript for Something to Crow About to my editor. The ms has been read, criticized, and edited by four Beta Readers. And, of course, before I sent […] [ ... ]
How much backstory does a reader need in order to understand a character, and how soon does the writer need to include that information? The answer to the first part of that question is the usual—it depends. When to include the information is a little easier to pinpoint, but not always. Okay, you’re probably thinking, […] [ ... ]
Tomorrow, October 22nd, A KILLER PAST will be available as an e-book. No, this isn’t a new book, but for over two years Mary Harrington’s story in e-book fashion has been missing, and its disappearance is a good example of how little control most authors have over their books. Originally, A KILLER PASTwas published in […] [ ... ]