When this week’s topic, “My Ideal Romance Hero,” popped up in my planner, I laughed. Okay, so first I gagged, but then I laughed. Look, some blog on marketing for romance writers came up with this blog challenge, so now and then, I have to expect that there’ll be something from the sap and drip Continue Reading
Writing
The Best and Worst Social Media Sites for Authors Like Me
To jump right to the nitty gritty of the best and worst social media sites, click HERE “So, last night, I killed the Doctor.” How do you respond to that? I didn’t know. My cursor blinked as I tried to think of what she could mean. After all, sweet Mary who is terrified of birds didn’t just go Continue Reading
Torturing My Characters: One Inspiration at a Time
The sun has gone down.” My friend's disappointment shrouded the restaurant table. Now I can’t give you the koliva.” How do you respond to that? I don’t know. I just asked the obvious question. “Why?” The veil of dismay lifted. Her eyes lit up. And she began to explain. Note: Links in Continue Reading
A Helpful New Podcast: What happens When 3 Writers Get a Wild Hair
“I want to do a new podcast.” We blinked. I swear, Clark and I just blinked. Sometimes, I think we should have run. But we would have missed so much fun. Creating boxes to put microphones in to reduce feedback and echoes? Check! Not using them after all? Check, check! Having a cat Continue Reading
A Super Easy Way to Discover Your Greatest Weakness
"You have no personality. Please return and take the test again at another time." That was the result of a very intensive "career advice" personality quiz I once took. The thing wasn't some bogus Facebook quiz with ten questions that determined how you tick by asking if you like the picture of Continue Reading
How to Use Mind Games for Inspiration & Overcoming Weaknesses
Dishes piled in the sink, laundry piled on the couch, stuff piled everywhere else. I'd love to say it never happens. Oh, how I would. But, it does. Usually, in the last couple of weeks of a book, I get tunnel vision and everything kind of falls apart. And that's when it happens. Note: Continue Reading
How I Found My Greatest Strength
So what would you say is your greatest strength?” Pen tapping, eyes piercing through and reading my panicked, racing heart, I saw it. You know what I’m talking about. That moment when someone realizes you are a total fraud. It’s always worse when they know before you do. Um… I take orders really Continue Reading
How Murder Ruined My Mystery
Leon Czolgosz is my new nemesis. He’s dead, but he ruined my book. No, really. The guy totally destroyed the opening pages of Such a Tease. Now, these days, not a whole lot of people remember the name of Leon Czolgosz. I didn’t. But I’ll never forget him now (although I may never remember how to Continue Reading
1 Super Easy Way to Plot Your Novel on the Run
The cursor blinks--endless, relentless. That blank page stares at you, taunting, haunting. Head in hands, we sit there, begging our brains to work. But nothing... nothing. N.O.T.H.I.N.G. (or so I'm told). There are a million solutions out there for the malady. Authors write long books about Continue Reading
Sequels I Want to Write: or my literary ADD
We all have our faults--those little things that make us unique. Some of us are just more unique as others. Add that to a unique name, a unique lifestyle--my whole life--and a unique almost everything else, when you add in those faults, it gets a mite... much. Me, I'm riddled with faults. Since Continue Reading
3 Icky Words: Sorta, Anyway
"Seeds." Such an innocuous word. However, if I want to make a friend of mine squirm, all I have to do is say, "Seeds." Seriously, the gal almost turns green. And it's all my fault. Look, some people have trouble with words like moist or cervix. I happen to have friends that squirm at both of Continue Reading
A Book by Any Other Title: or Something Like That
The incessant blink of the cursor taunts me as I stare at a blank page gripped by a rare malady known as "titler's block." Look. Everyone's heard of its cousin, "writer's block." He doesn't even bother knocking at my door. Why? Because I have enough book ideas to last me a century. And that Continue Reading
