Usually, the names of my characters simply come to me, along with their physical characteristics. I always know how they look, because long before I have any idea of the plot, I visualize at least one scene with the main characters. It may be the first scene, or it may one that happens later in…
Category: Blog
GET YOUR HEAD RIGHT
I struggle most with writing when my head isn’t in the right place. What is the right place? For each person it’s different. For me, it’s when I feel good physically and when I feel good about myself, emotionally. Physically, it’s just hard to write when you’re not feeling well, when you’re coughing or blowing…
The Power of Communal Marketing … by Mari Christie
A year ago, I released my first Regency romance as an indie author, Royal Regard, under the pen name Mariana Gabrielle. Two days ago, one of my books was mentioned in USA Today, a box set that has been on the Amazon Hot New Release and Bestsellers lists for three months, and today, my newest…
This Podcast is Your Podcast
This is a simple note of thanks – it’s the season – for the podcast support to date. Guests, thanks for participating. Listeners, thanks for your patience. (I know the audio has not been NPR-perfect.) To one guest in particular (I’m looking at you, Ken Kirchner) thanks for re-recording the entire episode when the recorder…
The Heartbreaking Timeline of a Normal Writing Session
10:00 PM (the night before) – I set the alarm for 5:30 a.m. I will write tomorrow. No matter what. 1:01 a.m. – I wake in a panic. Did I oversleep? Did I set my alarm correctly? What about my first chapter, will it grab people? 3:15 a.m. – I remind myself it’s not time…