As a group we are doing a kindle/ebooks giveaway. There will be at least one (I’m doing three) book from each WOTY/iWOTY finalist on the kindle. String attached: You sign up for our newsletters. Here’s the contest entry site: https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/4776d9a027/?widget_template=592ee685127b48230e9b5f9e
Category: General Interest
How the Heck do you come up with your ideas?
Have you ever been asked that? Bet you have. Bet we all have. The answers to the question are as varied as the ways we DO come up with our ideas. My book An Unsinkable Love came from an open call from a small publisher. A friend in a critique group was editing for them…
Say No! Say it “Now!” How the power of now frees you to be your best
I’m listening to a fascinating audiobook about the power of the present. There are so many ways of expressing it. “Stay in the now.” “It’s called the “present” because it’s a gift.” “Mindfulness.” Deepak Chopra refers to it as slipping in the gap during meditation. In this audiobook, Eckhart Tolle says that living in…
I Did It My Way (But Why Would Anyone Want To?)
After more than thirty years of writing genre fiction, I will finally be able to answer “yes” to that irksome, miserable question that all would-be novelists get at cocktail parties, “Are you published?” On November 2, 2016, I signed a contract with Five Star (Cengage/Gale) for publication of my historical romance, Love’s Last Stand. Yes,…
Yada Yada Yada: Give Your Characters Distinct Voices
Just like real people, your characters have unique personalities, backgrounds, and worldviews—they should also have unique voices. Newbie authors often miss this lesson, and as a result, all 15 characters in their novel end up sounding exactly like the author. Here’s how I took my writing to the next level by giving my characters their…