There are a few memos I didn't get as a writer back when I started. No. Seriously. I missed a few. Things like, "writer's block" and "tortured souls". Yeah. We're supposed to have those things. Who knew? Not me! Oh... and we're supposed to have these elaborate soundtracks for our books. No Continue Reading
Writing
When Authors Blow It (nearly, anyway)
Picture the scene. There I was, blithely editing Past Forward (I think volume 3), when I saw the date. February 14. It was supposed to a big deal--a huge day in the lives of characters from a related book coming out soon. Just one problem. A year before, on that day, almost all the characters Continue Reading
Hobbies? You Mean There’s Life Outside Writing?
What? When I was five, I made a purse. That sucker was hideous, but I made it. Sometime around that same age, my mom taught me to make "broomstick lace" by crocheting onto a broom handle. And yeah, we used a real broom handle. We were thrifty in those days. Sure wish that idea had rooted Continue Reading
Write What You Know: What it really means
You've heard it. I'm sure you have. The ubiquitous advice for all would-be authors: "Write what you know." Half of me wants to say, "That's totally true. Do it." The other half of me says, "That's garbage. If we only write what we know, we'll never explore the greatest parts of our Continue Reading
Why My Editor Is Losing Hair: & other stuff
My editor probably doesn't know it. But she is. I do it to her with every book. Let me set the scene. This is how I imagine things go when she opens that email with the subject line: "Here You Go!" (That really is usually the subject line. Just sayin'.) (note: links in this post may be Continue Reading
What’s Christmas Fiction? (And why do I write it?)
Christmas books? Why? Let's start with what Christmas Fiction is. Oddly enough, my Internet search didn't show a definite definition. So I started looking at the popular ones I've read and enjoyed, and I've come up with a definition for you. Stories centered on the basic themes of giving, family, Continue Reading
In the Heart of Medieval England, Adventure Awaits
Adventure among the trees! Picture it. One little Toyota zipping across Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina. And there I sat, between oohing and awing over the gorgeousness of trees turning vibrant colors and white-knuckling it through the freeways of Nashville, plotting out new books. I finally Continue Reading
When a Book Consumes You
That's the only word I know to describe the past six months--consume. When I got the idea for Shattering Secrets, I was excited about it. I knew it would be difficult, but it seemed important. How I prayed about whether to make it a Christmas book or just one that happened near Christmas! I chose Continue Reading
NaNo’s Raven Is Rapping:
It's become a habit of mine to write a parody of different poems or stories as a prelude to NaNoWriMo each year. Some I posted on Facebook or private message boards, but you can find two of past years' parodies HERE and HERE. This year, I played with Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven." It's not a good Continue Reading
Conquering NaNoWriMo: How I “Win” Every Year
Just days before November 1, 2006, a friend asked, "Have you seen this NaNoWriMo thing?" My response? Totally predictable. "NaNo-what, what?" But, of course, when I heard it was about writing--you know, that "wri" part?--I went to look it up. And signed up. Needed a book idea. I went Continue Reading
Speak Now Is Like a Fungus: It grew on me
And just how is Speak Now like a fungus, you ask? Well, c'mon. I already answered up there. It grew on me. Not quite literally, but you know. It happened. That growing thing. Note: links in this post may be affiliate links, providing me with a small commission at no additional cost to Continue Reading
Author Q & A: Characters & Writing Order
One of the things I like most are the questions I get from readers about my characters or my process. Megan G sent an email last year that addressed both! I thought I'd share it. Megan wrote: ... one more thing, do you always write your books in chronological order? For me, it's hard to write Continue Reading
