Many writers are looking for someone to make a read-through of their manuscript and offer feedback or constructive criticism. The problem is, usually, finding someone to do it. Family and friends are frequently [...]

I read an interesting post the other day and shared it on Twitter. The article was by Candy Gourlay on the Notes from the Slushpile blog. The post was titled “Does writing affect [...]

Just a quick mention that September 24—October 1 is the American Library Association’s Banned Books Week. I’ve read most of the books on the frequently challenged list. Actually, I read most of them [...]

My 10 year old daughter met a tough challenge successfully yesterday and I told her she could choose a reward to celebrate. She chose a Happy Meal from McDonalds. :) I got off [...]

I noticed I’d gotten a really nice review of one of my books the other day. Several books ago, good reviews really had a strong impact on me. Actually, the word ‘elation’ wouldn’t [...]

Below are the writing-related links I tweeted last week. The Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine, designed by software engineer and writer Mike Fleming, makes all these links searchable. Sign up for the free [...]

Please join me in welcoming Glen Allison to Mystery Writing is Murder. A review of The Informationist by Taylor Stevens  Expectations are a funny thing. And by funny, I mean they are like [...]

I came across a fun post from Clarissa Draper yesterday. She mentioned that designing a cover for a WIP can put her in the mood to write it. I think designing a cover [...]

One interesting blog post that I’ve recently come across was on Cheryl’s Musings, writer Cheryl Reif’s blog. In the post, Cheryl explains how she decided to start writing. Actually, her story is a [...]

Just a quick post today on a discovery I made with my manuscript. One of the revisions I made to my Quilt or Innocence manuscript ended up making a big difference to the [...]

I do think this is a great time to be a writer. We’ve got options and possibilities and an exciting future. But the publishing industry (including the retail end of things, bookstores) are [...]

My daughter has just started taking horseback riding lessons. The lady who’s instructing her wants to loop me in on what’s going on. I appreciate this, but I have no idea what she’s [...]

Below are the writing-related links I tweeted last week. The Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine, designed by software engineer and writer Mike Fleming, makes all these links searchable. Sign up for the free [...]

Sometimes I go on bike rides with my children. We start out in the neighborhood, then head to a nearby greenway. The only bad thing about biking with my ten year old daughter [...]

My son recently brought home an English worksheet that had denotation and connotation on it. As the sheet pointed out, “a word’s connotation can give it a negative or a positive spin.” {Scope, [...]

Every once in a while I want to point out a couple of important resources for querying writers. These sites frequently don’t get the mentions that other sites do. These two resources help [...]

I’ve had a couple of questions lately from writers who are just starting to dip their toes into social media promoting. They asked me which social medium I recommended. I think they were [...]

September is National Library Card Sign-up Month here in the States. I remember my first library card…I felt like such a grown-up. And I knew it was opening up a whole world of [...]

Please join me in welcoming my friend Deb Sharp to Mystery Writing is Murder today. I’m a fan of Deb’s Mace Bauer mysteries and can’t wait to see what Mama is up to [...]

Below are the writing-related links I tweeted last week. The Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine, designed by software engineer and writer Mike Fleming, makes all these links searchable—try it for searches on plotting, [...]

I hope y’all will bear with me as I explore yet another productivity-related post this week (yes, I really am obsessed.) It’s on my mind a lot right now. :) A couple of [...]

One reason why I think traditionally-published writers are slow to make the leap to being dual-published (traditionally and self-published) is because the learning curve for self-publishing is so very high. Here are my [...]

I’m continuing on with the productivity theme this week. :) That’s because I’m revamping some of my mindset to get more writing done. I’ve always been pretty good about resisting perfectionism during first [...]

I read a post from Inkygirl, Debbie Ohi, which really resonated with me the other day. Debbie is an author and illustrator. She’s also very active online and is well-respected in the writing [...]

I have many hats—one a cloche with a fan of feathers for when I write mystery (don’t you think it makes me look mysterious?), a sunbonnet for western fiction, a fedora for nonfiction, [...]

I’m speaking this Sunday at a Sisters in Crime meeting in High Point, North Carolina from 2-4. I’m looking forward to the talk because I’m most comfortable with writers. Although I probably should [...]

Below are the writing-related links I tweeted last week. The Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine, designed by software engineer and writer Mike Fleming, makes all these links searchable—try it for searches on plotting, [...]

There’s a festival of music, rides, art, and food that Matthews, North Carolina, is regionally known for. It’s always on Labor Day weekend and it’s called Matthews Alive.  Every year there are over [...]

I always take emails that I get from readers very, very seriously. Actually, I listen to them just as much as I do to my editors. And I watch market trends, too, especially [...]

I just finished reading a book for my book club: Monster by Walter Dean Myers. The 16 year old protagonist, Steve, is on trial for murder. He’s portrayed as a terrified and nearly [...]