I feel a little sorry for non-writers sharing a home with writers. It’s got to be challenging, sometimes. And most likely no one warned you it was going to be. Writers should come [...]

My family and I saw a great performance of Cats on Saturday. I’d seen the musical a couple of times before, but it’s been forever since I last saw it. One of the [...]

Below are writing links that I’ve posted to Twitter in the last week. The Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine, designed by software engineer and writer Mike Fleming, makes all these links searchable—try it [...]

My writing friend, Jan Morrison, had a great post on Thursday about the book The Kaizen Way by Robert Maurer. Jan explains that Maurer’s approach to life involves asking ourselves small questions to [...]

I just finished reading a very disturbing book all the way from cover to cover—so you know it must be book club time for me. :) Ordinarily, I wouldn’t pick a story to [...]

Lately, looking at my to-do list, I’ve felt pretty snowed. I’ve got Finger Lickin’ Dead releasing June 7th, a book due July 1, and a complete outline for another book due August 1. [...]

In the book I’ve just finished writing, my protagonist is a successful, self-assured, retired museum curator. She’s moved to a small Southern town to be near her daughter and get a break from [...]

In my blog reading last week, I came across an interesting post on the Seeing Creative blog. Sometimes I think stereotypes are nice for writers.  I know that sounds odd to say, but [...]

I came across an interesting post the other day by Michael Margolis called The Resume Is Dead, The Bio Is King. In the story’s lead-in, the writer states: If you’re a designer, entrepreneur, [...]

Below are writing links that I’ve posted to Twitter in the last week. The Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine, designed by software engineer and writer Mike Fleming, makes all these links searchable—try it [...]

Overall, I’m feeling pretty smug that I’m adapting to the changing publishing environment. I have a Kindle. I’m not at all opposed to putting backlist items out as ebooks (I’ve even got a [...]

I was speaking to a group of writers a couple of weeks ago when a question came up about what my opinion of a good review on Amazon was. I winced, because I [...]

When I first took my now-14 year old son to kindergarten, I didn’t completely understand the elementary school carpool line. Actually, I didn’t understand it at all. And there seemed to be a [...]

As a fantasy author, creating the worlds my characters inhabit is half the fun. But it can also be a lot of work, because there’s so much you need to know to create [...]

In the post, WTF is Up With Cursing in YA, agent Jennifer Laughran answers writers’ questions on offensive language and its location in a manuscript. She also points out that you’ll want to [...]

Being a writer is not about how many people have read your work. It is not about getting an agent who will take you on as a client (or, for that matter, who [...]

Below are writing links that I’ve posted to Twitter in the last week. The Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine, designed by software engineer and writer Mike Fleming, makes all these links searchable—try it [...]

What happens when you want to start taking piano lessons and art classes? Well, if you’re Elizabeth Craig’s daughter, unfortunately it means that you’ll have to give up other after-school activities to take [...]

What happens when you want to start taking piano lessons and art classes? Well, if you’re Elizabeth Craig’s daughter, unfortunately it means that you’ll have to give up other after-school activities to take [...]

I got an early copy of Finger Lickin’ Dead via UPS on Tuesday (the book releases June 7). Since I’m now at less than a month until the launch, I’m getting in gear [...]

I’m one of those writers who’s a real people-pleaser. Would you like me to change something in my manuscript? A character name, the setting, a plot point? Bring a character back from the [...]

I put the ‘versus’ in the title because I always feel like promoting and writing are competing with each other for time out of my day. We’ve gotten to the point where promo [...]

Cristi Craig wrote a great post for the Write it Sideways blog called “The Dilemma of the Mother Writer.” In it, she gave an illustration of the tug of war she feels between [...]

Below are writing links that I’ve posted to Twitter in the last week. The Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine, designed by software engineer and writer Mike Fleming, makes all these links searchable—try it [...]

I was in Anderson, SC, on Friday morning, visiting my parents after talking to the Sisters in Crime’s Greenville chapter on Thursday night. My mother likes to listen to a local talk radio [...]

A little over a month ago, I wrote a post about being a restless writer. In it, I admitted that I’m a writer that has a hard time sitting still for very long. [...]

It can be difficult (and some writers feel, impossible) to out yourself as a writer to friends, family, and neighbors. It shouldn’t be that hard. I don’t see plumbers, doctors, vets, or carpenters [...]

Sunday I was feeling less than prepared. I’d been super-prepared all week—meeting every challenge that came my way…anticipating challenges in advance. But boy, I was sure dropping the ball all day Sunday. Sunday [...]

My path to publication was fairly typical, which is to say that it was littered with near-misses and heart-wrenching rejections. So how does a writer fight through it all? Unfortunately, there is no [...]

I’ve mentioned before that I have a tough time keeping my teenage son in books. He reads quickly, he’s always reading, and he’s a picky reader. It’s tough. One of his favorite series [...]