How to Write a Mystery
Over the next few days, I’ll be teaching a class on “How to Write a Mystery” at the Cape Cod[…]
Read more
Latest Posts
Never Judge a Book By It’s Cover…Or Should We?
“Never judge a book by its cover” is advice most of us heard as children. It’s a metaphor, meaning we shouldn’t make assumptions based on appearances alone. It’s excellent advice where people are concerned. Judging someone by their physical appearance is both unfair and unwise. But what about books?
Read more
The Woman Behind the Writer: Sofya Tolstoy
Since contributing an essay to the book The Who, The What and the When: 65 Artists Illustrate the Secret Sidekicks[…]
Read more
AI Detection, Publishing Contracts, and You
Or, What Happens When Your Publisher Thinks AI Wrote Your Book First, I’m not a lawyer. Nor am I an[…]
Read more
The Secret to Creating a Cast of Characters
How important is the cast of characters within a book? I have been gnawing on this question for some time,[…]
Read more
New Dealmakers
Publishers Marketplace, an on-line resource about the publishing industry, features many wonderful bits of information. One of them is a[…]
Read more
In Defense of Daydreaming, Wasting Time, and Libraries
“Doesn’t pay attention in class.”
That was a common remark on my school report cards, along with “tends to daydream,” and “head in the clouds.” I know because my mom was a saver, and I still have a box of those early evaluations. To her credit, I don’t remember a single time she berated me for not coming home with all A’s.
Laura Essay: Side Effects Are Minimal
Please welcome guest author Laura Essay, who will discuss her novel centered on the opioid crisis, and what inspired her[…]
Read more
I have no idea what I just said
Nothing makes your characters pop off the page like well chosen phrases in their dialog. Have her use specific, well[…]
Read more
Red Herrings
And how to pickle them I’ve always had a rather foggy idea of what a red herring was, but I[…]
Read more