Last month I was a guest at a book club where my second novel, Blindspot, was the selection of the month. It’s the story of an ambitious district attorney who hunts down the stalker harassing her and her teenage daughter, then finds herself arrested for murder when he turns up dead. Turns out, she’s got…
This month I’m beginning my third novel, and I face a familiar, nerve-racking challenge: deciding how to start. The opening of a novel sets the tone for everything that follows, and I’m torn. Should I go back in time and give the reader a sense of how the conflicts playing out in the present spring…
As a writer, finding the right tools can make all the difference between staying a newbie forever or graduating to published author. Over the years, I’ve tried countless gadgets, apps, and software—some were a waste, but others were game-changers. The tools and activities that stuck with me didn’t just improve my writing process; they became…
Social media platforms are increasingly important for any author launching a novel into the world. Not only are they free (music to a writer’s ears), but they offer a way to connect with potential readers across the globe, people you would never be able to reach via bookstore appearances or local one-on-one selling. By leveraging…
This week the Republican National Convention is being held in my hometown. While I will be staying physically far away in the suburbs, it’s impossible to really avoid – from packed restaurants to clogged freeways to featurettes about the city of Milwaukee on every news channel. So rather than ignoring the hullabaloo, I’ve decided to…