Writing exercises are a favorite playground for many, many professional writers. Why? Because writing exercises do for your writing skills what physical exercises do for your body. A muscular build isn’t a “talent” you’re born with. It’s the result of dedication to a routine of exercises that focus on building up every part of your…
This will be my last post where I have any pretense of “insider” information on the publishing business, as I have retired from my library fiction acquisition job and will no longer have access to the latest articles in publishing journals. But for now, here are some thoughts on books and publishing based on recent…
I jotted down nine quotes from panelists at Left Coast Crime (April 7 – 10) in Albuquerque: “Don’t be afraid to break the rules that need to be broken to tell the story you need to tell.” – Mysti Berry, writer, editor, and publisher of Low Down Dirty Vote “All writing comes down to saying ‘this…
Today, I am—like many who are reading this post—juggling writing my next novel, while marketing my last (Whispers for Terra). I don’t know about each of you, but I live quietly in a state of overwhelmedness (if that’s not a word, it needs to be). A 4-wheeling Jeep term is ‘go as fast as you…
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…