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 [...]

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 [...]

There are times when I get a sense from writers of huge progress being made on manuscripts. NaNoWriMo (in November) is one of those times. Then there are times when I hear writers [...]

Right now I’m using two tools to keep my calendar organized. I really had to do something new because I suddenly had a ton of stuff going on—book club meetings, a library talk, [...]

Publishing is a changing world and it stands to reason that writers and publishers who are adaptable have a much better shot at survival than those who aren’t. But how should writers and [...]

Today I’m interviewing writer James Curcio. I know James through Twitter, which also led me to his always thought-provoking blog, Modern Mythology. When James recently proposed that he and I exchange guest posts, [...]

I’m drawn, as a reader and a writer, to protagonists who aren’t all sweetness and light. They might just have a mischievous streak, or it could be something darker. Occasionally, though, I’ve had [...]

Today I’m welcoming Man Martin to the blog. Man is a writer, teacher, and founding member of the Perambulators living in Atlanta, Georgia. His debut novel, Days of the Endless Corvette, won him [...]

Here are writing links that I’ve posted to Twitter in the last week. I’m delighted that now we have an efficient method of locating resources on writing topics when you need them—via the [...]

My children were off all week for spring break. We had a lunch date with my sister yesterday. My plan was to drive to uptown Charlotte, pick her up outside her building, and [...]

I have such a hectic schedule that I usually end up writing on the go, scribbling out a couple of paragraphs when I’ve got a few quiet minutes. I used to think that [...]

I’ve noticed a school of thought among writers that agents are excited about having jack-of-all-trade authors in their stables—who can write a variety of material in different genres. It would mean the writer [...]

My teenager has a love/hate relationship with music right now. I can understand where he’s coming from. He really enjoys music and loves making it. He’s not so wild about the hours of [...]

One of the downsides of being a writer, I think, is the fact that we can become hyper-critical as readers and filmgoers. It’s so much harder for me to get totally absorbed in [...]

I follow a bunch of writing blogs–nearly 2000 now. And each time I find another writing blog out there (I’ll click a new follower’s link on Twitter, I’ll click a link in someone’s [...]

Here are writing links that I’ve posted to Twitter in the last week. I’m delighted that now we have an efficient method of locating resources on writing topics when you need them—via the [...]

Twice in the last month, I’ve had someone say to me, “I’ve always wanted to write a book. But I just don’t know where to start.” I think writing a book can seem [...]

I’m sure that my 14 year old son would like to correct anyone who thinks it’s cool to have a writer for a mom. :) I was reading through his research paper before [...]