Most authors have newsletters these days. Let’s talk about why you should sign up. There’s usually a free book or giveaway involved for signing up. Newsletters usually include exclusive info only available to subscribers. Authors get more personal in newsletters. All that personal and exclusive contact is addicting. They’re usually encouraging and uplifting. If you’re […]
Favorite Covers # Giveaway
I’ve been browsing bookshelves again. But instead of my usual bookstore hangout, I’ve been browsing online. My agent is getting my newest proposal ready to send out and asked for comparables. This is where I have to find titles published by the publishers I hope will publish my book. Wow, that’s a lot of publishing […]
Where Do You Retreat to Read?
The past few months have been—how do I put this?—far from restful. Trauma from losing a loved one, an intense workload, and a nagging illness have all combined to force me to do something I’m not that good at: Rest. So I’ve had to learn this art of resting. And part of that has been […]
Honest Author Talk
The other day I went to a book festival event near my hometown. This secular event had a number of high profile Australian authors speak, include Tom Kenneally (author of Schindler’s Ark which became the film Schindler’s List) and Candice Fox, who co-writes with James Patterson and has had TV shows made of her books. […]
New Year Goals #Giveaway
Happy New Year’s Eve. It’s an especially special day at our house since it’s our son’s birthday. He’s twenty. How did that happen? Wasn’t it just yesterday that after 2 1/2 months of bed rest, the doctor sent me to the hospital to be induced. Three hours of pain later, a nurse said, “Maybe you’ll […]
Inspy Christmas Reads #Giveaway
In case you didn’t find enough books on black Friday, here’s a round-up of Christmas reads by Inspy Romance authors. Make your list and check it twice. It’s a doozy that should get you through New Years :) Seaside Christmas: A Sydney Sweethearts Novella Narelle Atkins Chelsea Somers is the girl he never called back. […]
Friday Facts (+ #Giveaway!)
Since we had some good responses to my previous Friday posts (Friday Five and Friday Favorites), I thought we’d have some fun today with a “Friday Facts” post. Here are 5 facts that you may or may not know about one of our favorite topics—books. There are around 130 million books published. The world’s best […]
Hero or Zero?
The title is a bit of a misnomer. I hope you’ll forgive me for that. What is a hero, anyway? Since I write romance novels, you would think this question is easy to answer. I suppose it could be broken down and analyzed by different genres, but, again, I write romance. There are even specific […]
What About Setting? #Giveaway
I write in layers. That means, my first draft is mainly dialogue, character thought, and emotion. Once I complete the book, I go back in and add setting, description, movement, body language, and timeline. I used to weave my setting and timeline in as I wrote the first draft. Until my editor asked if I […]
20 Ways to Achieve a Healthy Book/Life Balance
Perhaps you’ve been there. The children are hungry for dinner. The laundry heaps on the bedroom floor are waiting for a fold. Your friends’ texts remain unopened. But you only have six chapters left in that book you’ve been anticipating for months. If that describes you, then you have an unhealthy book/life balance. If you […]