I’ve published 8 books without an agent. Why start now? #publsihing #agent Click To Tweet That’s a question I’m asking myself. Recently I sent a query to one agent. I had no hope that the query would be answered. Often, you never hear anything. But, this agent not only responded with a request for some […]
Archives for February 2018
Hunger by Roxane Gay #MyBookReview
The title of this book is perfect. Anyone, who knows who Roxane Gay is, will assume the book has to do with eating. Hunger connotes a desire for food, right? But, this book is much more than a book about food. It’s a book about yearning, about hungering for many things. Food is, of course, […]
Tips for Writing the Perfect Beginning #AuthorToolboxBlogHop
Raise your hand if you already know that the beginning of your novel must hook the reader? My guess is everyone’s hands shot in the air. Writing the perfect beginning, one that establishes mood, voice, genre, place. One that introduces characters and one that hooks. I’m exhausted just thinking about everything the first few pages […]
Trick or Tweet? What Has Twitter Gotten #Writers Into?
Have you been hoodwinked by Twitter? Do you spend hours every day, every week, tweeting or scheduling tweets? What’s the payoff? As a writer, I can lose myself for endless periods of time, tweeting or posting to Facebook. All those hours searching for good content, revising my tweets, scheduling the best time to post, reading […]
Mystery Writer on the Jury?
This weekend I got that dreaded letter in my mailbox. A jury summons. Yep, it says I must report or else. The only excuses that fly are old-age, care for someone who can’t take care of themselves, military service and maybe death. All my excuses, “I’m on the last draft of my work-in-progress,” “I need […]
Movies and Books? Do Films Accurately Depict the Books?
There’s always been an argument about whether or not a film accurately portrays the original story form, that is, the novel or memoir. For me, I often think films cannot capture the essence of a full-length book. After all, the film has only two hours in which to tell the story. Novels are a slow […]
Who Are Your Writing Companions?
Recently one of my writer colleagues told me he’d lost his trusty dog. That dog sat at his feet as he scribbled book after book. When things were good, the dog was there. When things were not so good, the dog was there. Now, with the dog gone, my friend is having a hard time […]
How Much Writing Is Too Much Writing
Artists know when they’ve added a bit too much paint to the canvas. They recognize when they’ve overdone it. An artist once told me he never completely finished a painting because he didn’t want to ruin it. By “ruin it” he meant, kill the tone, the feel, the essence of the work by over painting. […]
