If you’ve been on social media at any point in the last decade, you’ve probably noticed at least one of your “friends” with the relationship status It’s Complicated. The phrase has filtered its way into our culture in all sorts of ways—movie titles, song lyrics, book themes, mindsets. It’s complicated isn’t always a response we’d […]
Plotting & Pantsing Explained + giveaway
Spend any time on social media with your favorite authors these days, and you’ll come across a number of terms the average reader doesn’t understand. Like any field, there’s a bit of lingo involved that can confuse a person on the outside looking in. Always a reader first, I enjoy sharing some of that insider […]
Sharing local holiday traditions in fiction + giveaway
Culture is fascinating, isn’t it? I think a big part of what I love about reading is how we can travel anywhere in the world just by picking up a book. And at each stop in our travels, we learn something new and interesting about the culture, the people, or traditions of a place. I […]
10 Reasons Why Authors are Thankful for Their Readers
Even with the busyness and stress of the holiday season, there’s one thing I can always rejoice in: the countless blessings God has given me. This year I am especially aware of this blessing—the power and influence of my readers. Yup, you read that right! I said power and influence. You, dear reader, play an […]
Putting Real Life On Hold # Giveaway
I’m in the throes of a deadline again. When I turned in the last book, I took a month off. I wrote for a month. Then my editor sent my revisions on the book I just turned in. Once I finished revisions, I had to supply cover details and artwork. I finished that just in […]
Inside a Writer’s Brain (reader beware)
Have you ever read a book and wondered, what on earth must go on inside this author’s mind to come up with this stuff? Spoiler alert: it’s chaos in there. Most of us aren’t even sure which way is up half the time. Between story ideas, editing, marketing, and obligations to our non-author lives, it […]
Inspiration Everywhere # Giveaway
I used to write in a corner of the living room. Until two years ago, when our roof started leaking, the air conditioner quit, and the furnace died. Since we had to get a loan for repairs, we decided to go big or go home with a complete remodel and an office addition for me. […]
The Books that Inspire and #Giveaway by Melanie D. Snitker
My eight-year-old daughter loves to read, and I couldn’t be more thrilled. The fact that she’ll read a wide variety of books–from science fiction to classics–is even better. She also enjoys it when my husband and I read to her. Currently, she and I are reading the second Harry Potter book together, while she and […]
When the Book Won’t Write #giveaway
Confession: I’ve been pedaling as fast as I can on a stationary bike for a long time now. Barely keeping my head above water with a multitude of life tasks, a family health scare, and raising a teenage boy. Last spring, our son went to Junior prom with his lovely girlfriend, which means this year, […]
Friday Favorites (Tell Me Yours!)
I had a lot of fun writing a “Friday Five” blog post last September, so I thought I’d do something similar since today’s post also happens to fall on a Friday. So, welcome to my “Friday Favorites” post! I’ll be sharing my favorite things for the following five categories. 1) My favorite book this year: […]