Okay, so maybe I’m missing something here. But, I’ve read several finalists and winners of the Man Booker Award and have been profoundly disappointed. Apparently the award goes to the best fiction writers internationally, but I have to wonder what the judges are thinking. I recently finished Snowdrops by AD Miller. Let me tell you […]
New Thoughts on Self-Publishing
What are your thoughts on self-publishing? I ask this question carefully. I don’t want a long tirade on the arrogance of the traditional publishing market. In fact, I’ve had great experience with my publisher, ABC-CLIO, Praeger Press. They are not only responsive but they also do a good job. Nonetheless, I understand that the publishing […]
Creativity versus or not versus Editing
When does the creative edge fall by the wayside to that little editor’s voice in your head? One of my biggest writing problems is that I love to just let it flow. Often the characters develop minds of their own and go off on tangents to suit themselves (not my plan or plot). At times […]
Mystery, Thriller or Suspense?
When I asked the question so what is a mystery anyway, I got some interesting responses. Most people agree that the traditional who-done-it’s are mysteries. Whenever there’s a dead body early in the book, you have a mystery to find out who the dead person is and how that person ended up dead. I did […]
So What’s a Mystery Anyway?
What’s a true mystery? Does it have to be a “who-done-it?” Or, can be a story full of mystery and suspense? I’m curious as I work on deciding on the genre for The Clock Strikes Midnight. I’ve read plenty of who done it mysteries, both police procedural and malice domestic versions. I’ve also read plenty […]
Joan’s Must-Read: Room
When a book haunts me the way Room did, I put it on my must-read list and recommend it to all of you. Let me tell you why this book haunted me. First, it is told from the point of view of a 5-year-old child. What that child sees, perceives, witnesses and feels is contrary […]
How ’bout some help with the query
Query letters are the pitches that make or break writers. They are the little paragraphs that enable us to get our foot in an agent’s door. If the query does not “sparkle” (as one agent described it), you lose. In today’s competitive fiction environment, the query is almost as important as the manuscript itself. Knowing […]
Let’s Talk Villains
How bad do we make our villains? As a writer, I sometimes find the villains in the stories I read more compelling than the good-guys. What about you, do you agree? One of the best villains I’ve run across was in Ordinary Thunderstorms by William Boyd. This villain was pretty awful. He was a hired […]
Joan’s Must-Reads
What books qualify for Joan’s must-reads? I prefer books with a compelling story and excellent writing. Sometimes I’ll read books that lack one of these two qualities, but to make it to my must-read list, I require both. David Mitchell’s The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet is a definite must-read. What a title! Upon […]
Blond or Blonde?
As writers we are often faced with grammatical dilemmas. We have to deal with many questions, such as do we say further or father. Or which is correct blond or blonde? Understanding these inconsistencies in our language presents a major learning curve. The blond vs. blonde, however, has caused me many a sleepless night. At […]
