Last week, a neighbor came by to drop off a package he saw on our doorstep. It was large enough that he didn't want to leave it there. My office sits in the front of the house, and he stepped inside it to have a peek. "So this is where all the books come from," he … Continue reading From the Desk of…
When people ask where I get my story ideas from, my response is usually: “From my childhood.” This might be considered fairly disturbing since I mostly write dark fiction. After a moment or two, I explain that my mother was a diehard mystery novel fan, my brother loves horror movies, and my sister is a … Continue reading Where Do I Get My Ideas From? (Plus a few book recommendations)
As an author, I spend an incredible amount of time in front of my computer. My eyes are often dry, and I suffer from eye fatigue at the end of each day. After spending a little time researching eye strain and computers, this is what I found: 1. Choose a sans serif font. Helvetica, Ariel, and Verdana all seemed … Continue reading Top Tips For Eye Strain and Computers
A lot goes into writing: the time, effort, sleepless nights, editing, copyediting, proofreading, artwork. Some tasks I hire others for: copyedits, proofreading, cover art, and some marketing. All told, it's an expensive endeavor. All this and we haven't discussed the tools that are part of the process. So what ARE the tools of the trade? … Continue reading Tools of the Trade: Software for Geeky Writers
Learn Scrivener Fast. So you’ve downloaded the free trial of Scrivener or bought it outright because you keep hearing just how wonderful the app is. People sing its praises like no other. Except you just don’t get it. You’ve opened the app and stared at it, wondering how to make sense of it all. … Continue reading Learn Scrivener Fast
For the past week, I've been kicking around a new idea. I know, I'm always kicking around ideas. This one happened to be around a thriller. I sat in my office, moving index cards around, trying to see if the new shiny idea was worth pursuing. Ronan, my dog and sidekick, was intensely focused on … Continue reading How to Raise a Mockingbird
Every now and then when I tell people I’m an author, they ask for advice on writing their own novel. It usually starts out something like this: “Oh! You write books? I have this really great idea for one! I’ve always wanted to write. Do you have any advice?” I always answer the same. … Continue reading So You Want to Write A Novel
In the publishing world, everyone seems to be asking the next writer, "How do you do it? What's your secret?" Everyone wants to know how to get a top agent, get to #1 on Amazon, the NYT, or sell a gazillion copies. I've spent the past few years pondering this exact same question. I've even … Continue reading Better Off Read: How to Succeed in Publishing
Since hitting send 18 days ago on OF SHADOW AND STONE, I've been busy catching up on other responsibilities that I let slip. Taxes are done. I finally got my hair cut after four months. The house resembles a house again. I have clean socks. Doctors and vet appointments have been taken care of (mostly). … Continue reading Back To Work
Today, I hit SEND on the new manuscript. It's officially with my editor at Skyscape a full TWO and a half months early! It's a dark fantasy/thriller/horror and is probably my most ambitious novel yet. This one has been a long time coming, guys. I suppose you want a title? OF SHADOW AND STONE. I'm … Continue reading All Work & No Play
Last week I wrote the best two words I'd written all week: THE END. And now, the next phase of work begins: revisions. This is the point where I go through my book until my eyes bleed. Because I can't look at everything I want to fix/check out all at once, I pick a few … Continue reading THE END. Why it’s just the beginning
Welcome to the Writing Process Blog Tour. I was tagged by my awesomesauce crit partner, Steve McHugh, author of the Hellequin series. What's the tour all about? Authors talk about their writing process, as well as briefly touch on what they're currently working on. Then, they pass the torch to three other authors. 1. What I'm working on... … Continue reading The Writing Process Blog Tour
Ah! The writing process! As writers, we go through highs and lows when writing. We LOVE new ideas. We love the first days of working on something new. But after months of work, the revisions start. It's when writers find major plot holes and issues. It's when we start to have a love-hate relationship with … Continue reading Oh, the Editing Process!
