The Magical Negro is a trope as old as American literature. Originally, the Magical Negro was there to show white readers that African-Americans could be wise, intelligent, and loyal, just like all Americans. It served its purpose for many years and now it needs to be retired. In this article, I will try to explain…
Category: Blog
The Beat Sheet
As I thought about this series, I realized in retrospect that I wanted a plan. And I wanted something for you readers to be able to follow along. And I wanted it to be totally available. AHA – a Beat Sheet. If you don’t know what beat sheets are, here’s the short description: The “beat…
12 Elements of Crime Fiction
Fresh, unique ideas sell books, right? Not necessarily. Even the freshest idea must follow specific ‘rules’ or elements of the genre. Don’t believe me? Then why in almost every romance novel the main character has one or more dead parents and the poor orphan was often raised by a kindly/odd/distant aunt or uncle? Or better…
What to Expect at 2017 Colorado Gold
The fun never ends at Conference HQ! Colorado Gold is only a month away! We’re at the Denver Renaissance Hotel in Stapleton again this year, which will be familiar to some attendees and new to many. We have over 150 first-timers attending this year, and there are always little changes taking place, so I’ve put…
The Dreaded Blurb
My publisher has a policy where they won’t start the editing process until you’ve finished the art memo and a promotional worksheet for your book. The worksheet includes writing a blurb. In the old days (sigh) my editor or someone in the marketing department wrote my blurbs. I still had to come up with the…