When I first signed my book with a small press, I knew I was being slingshotted into fame. When it did not happen, I blamed myself, my marketing efforts, even my talent for not becoming an overnight sensation. The duty to get my name out there sapped all joy I once found in crafting a…
Category: Blog
I Quit Writing: A Day in the Life of a Book Release
In less than a month (June 8th to be precise), I will have another book in the world. I am, or maybe I was, very proud of A SHOT OF MURDER: A LUCKY WHISKEY MYSTERY—until a week ago, when I received a one-star review. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’ve gotten plenty of one-star reviews…
Exit Stage Left
One of the tricky bits of being an artist is getting feedback and advice. In the beginning, fledgling artists need help finding their wings. It’s a common problem with novices in any field—not knowing what they don’t know and not knowing what to ask. Asking “How do you do it?” without adequate antecedent for that…
Deep POV Lesson 9 – Establishing POV
At the beginning of a scene (or when you switch POV in as scene, which we’ll talk about tomorrow), you have to clearly establish whose POV the scene is in. If you don’t, your reader will slow down or stop reading to clarify who’s talking. It’s like when there’s a long dialogue exchange and the…
Are your beta readers too nice?
For the first time in forever I’m not writing crime fiction. It’s a “regular” non-genre novel (whatever that is). Mainstream, I suppose. I’ve had many beta readers reading big chunks as it comes together—and I cannot thank them enough. I’ve had some excellent feedback, and I’ve been making adjustments as things progress. And then came last…