Last week I posted an article entitled Virtual Book Tours: Wise Investment or Waste of Money? Of course the next logical question is: Which tour companies did I like best? Generally speaking, the best tour companies were the ones who could COMMUNICATE effectively. Companies who responded quickly and professionally to my e-mails did a better job […]
Category Archives: Tips for Writers
Whodunit: Obvious or Unguessable?
Lately I’ve been reading a few mystery/suspense books in which the “whodunit” aspect was utterly unguessable. No, I didn’t see it coming, but on the other hand, how could I have done? There were no clues. No red herring. I had no guesses at all, and when I found out it was the baker, it […]
Virtual Book Tours: Wise Investment or Waste of Money?
Across the Internet and around social media the word is out: Authors, virtual book tours are the key to success! I bought into this in a big way last year when Cassie Scot: ParaNormal Detective came out. I was desperate to make a splash, especially since there’s an entire series behind that title. Since May […]
Tips for Writers: Thank You
There is a good reason that we call “please” and “thank you” magic words. The hold within them the simple power of politeness and the fathomless power of professionalism. Whether you’re an amateur or published pro, you need to get used to saying the words “thank you” and then stop talking. The part where you […]
The Life Cycle of a Novel: Discarding the First Draft
At this point, I am delving somewhat into the realm of opinion rather than fact. The truth is, every author tackles that first draft in his or her own way. Do you outline first or just go for it? Having gone for it, do you keep writing until the end? I do outline, at least […]
The Life Cycle of a Novel: The First Doubt
Ah, and it doesn’t take long, does it? No sooner do words begin to intrude upon the perfection of the blank slate than the first doubt creeps in. Possibility turns to reality, and the reality never truly lives up to the dream. The first doubts are niggling, tearing at my confidence and trying to convince […]
The Life Cycle of a Novel: The First Word
Today, I embarked upon a new novel and I decided to blog about its life cycle — the ups, the downs, the woe-is-mes and the triumphs. Every novel goes through a similar journey, but we usually try to recapture those feelings after the fact. It is so much more real to capture them in the […]
The Implicit Promise of Genre
Have you ever read a book or a story in which, halfway through, there’s suddenly a ghost? There you are, reading what you think is a perfectly ordinary, mainstream suspense, mystery, or romance, when suddenly Boo! Out pops a random spirit. You may think this is far-fetched, but I’ve seen it in books written by […]
Top 10 Favorite Fantasy Tropes
A couple of weeks ago I put up a list of the things I’m sick of reading about. Today, perhaps in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I decided to flip that around. I don’t care if they’re tired. I don’t care if they’re cliche. There are a few things I just plain like, and I’ll keep […]
What is Young Adult Fiction? (And Why Cassie Scot Isn’t)
For someone who doesn’t consider herself to be a young adult fiction writer, I have spent a lot of time in recent months thinking about what young adult means and how to define it as a genre. The reason is simple: Quite a few of my readers are calling Cassie Scot YA. Even my publisher […]