I’ve now published three novels in my Four Corners Mystery Series. Book One is The Road to Lavender and Book Two is A Lavender Wedding. Both novels take place in the mythical village of Lavender on the wild Western Slope of Colorado. And both works chronicle the adventures of my handsome detective/lavender farmer, Trinidad Sands,…
Tag: writing tips
Seven Components of a Successful Novel Opening
Writing a compelling opening for your novel isn’t optional, it’s essential. That initial half-page of Chapter One is the first impression agents, publishers, and most important, readers get of your writing style and skill and often determines whether they’ll purchase your book or not. The good news is most people will give you a few…
You’re not doing it write.
A writer friend once told me if you’re writing a sad scene and it doesn’t make you cry, you’re not doing it right. If you’re writing a humorous passage and it doesn’t make you laugh, you’re not doing it right. Wise words. I would add, if you’re writing suspense and you’re not anxious, you’re not…
Story Hoarder
I grew up in a household of mild to moderate hoarding. My mom has multiple scents of liquid hand soap for every season (and I’m not just talking the four main ones; I mean like tulip season and Advent). My dad’s hoarding reached its peak—I hope—during the pandemic, when supply chain issues prompted him to…
Helping your Readers Believe
According to Wikipedia, “Speculative fiction is a broad category of fiction with elements that do not exist in reality, recorded history, nature, or the present universe.” This brings me the heart of my article: How can authors get their readers to believe in a chimerical world that does not (and likely cannot) exist in reality?…