What Were You Thinking? Showing Thoughts in a Compelling Way
This is a topic I don’t see addressed often, but it’s done wrong so often that it’s become a pet peeve of mine. It’s like a cheese grater on the nerves. Once you see the difference between smooth, essential thoughts and ‘throw away’ thoughts, you won’t be able to unsee them. And that’s a good…
Read MoreAuthorsplaining
We’ve all read it. We’ve all written it. The overexplanation. Even published books are rife with it (though I’ll bet, not many bestsellers are.) Is it small? Subtle? Often. But enough of it sprinkled in your writing will invite skimming. And as Margie Lawson says, skimming is death to a novel. She’s not wrong. But…
Read MoreSummer Newsletter
Please excuse the formatting – if you’d like to have my quarterly newsletter sent to your inbox, just sign up HERE. For Roger wins an award! She breathes life into characters who make you stop breathing. I bet Jodi Picoult wishes she had this idea, wishes she wrote this book Seriously. Grab this book now! …
Read MoreKudos to FOR ROGER
Thrilled to announce that For Roger finaled in the Women’s Fiction Category of the National India Excellence Awards!
Read MoreTHE Key Ingredient for Longevity as an Author
It’s not natural ability. Many bestselling authors didn’t start with that. Not skill. You can work and study until you learn it. Not even stubbornness (though that helps). Writing is wonderful. But breaking into authorship, whether you choose indie, small press or NY, is an endeavor that will tear you up, break you down, and…
Read MoreA New Book!
This is a book of my heart. I’ve started, stopped and changed it four or five times. When I completed my last contract, I picked it up again and finished it. Turned it in to my agent, who thought it would be a very hard sell in the current state of world affairs…that readers wouldn’t…
Read MoreWriter Blinders
You’ve seen the blinders that racehorses wear to keep them focused on their own race, and not what’s going on around them, right? Well, writers need them too. Significant others, children, day jobs, Netflix, the internet, chores! We all lead gloriously busy lives, and it’s not easy to get ten minutes of uninterrupted time. But…
Read MoreAmos
Was at an informal writer’s get-together a while back, and we did a writing exercise. Had to finish the sentence, ‘I wish I’d never met’. This is fun! Take any topic and write for five minutes. You might surprise yourself! AMOS I wish I never met… Amos. My life was fine. I mean, it sucked,…
Read MoreOne Perfect Line
I’ve said it before – I love words. I love how they swirl together into sentences to form beautiful, horrible or sensual images. I also love my Kindle. I use it almost exclusively, and one of the main reasons is the ability to highlight. When I read an amazing sentence (or two), I highlight them…
Read MoreHow to Survive Today’s Market
A writer friend alerted me to an article recently, 10 Awful Truths About Book Publishing. Go ahead and read it – we’ll wait. Okay, if you know anything about my books, you know I won’t leave you in a sad place, so read on. A bit discouraging? I’d say yes, and no. Would we all…
Read More