I read a fair number of blogs about writing. It’s how I learn new things about my craft and about my world. Like most industries – that word’s likely to raise a few hackles – topics come and go. Lately we’ve all been arguing about DRM and price fixing and …
I just saw The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel with my mother. A matinee so the experience was flavored with that feeling of playing hookie, and it’s a sunny and warm day, so a taste of ‘we should be playing outside’ added to it. It’s a movie about a group of …
I’m getting ready to write the third book in the Quinn Larson series and unlike some writers I only have a bit of an idea what will happen in each story. I do know the bigger story, but not the details. So I pretty much start from scratch each time. …
“She’s not my friend.” Madeline left her old life behind when she chose to stay in the magical world of Cartref. Here, she has a husband, a home, and her arcane studies. Somehow, working as a lawyer just doesn’t appeal anymore. That life hasn’t quite let her go, however. It …
The soon to release Dark Shadows by Tim Burton got me thinking about Vampires. Why have we taken something that was terrifying and turned it into something non-threatening, or even silly? The background I occasionally watched Dark Shadows when I was young, but what I remember the most, was the …
Off Track gets a new cover for Amazon and Smashwords. A LAWYER IN A STRANGE LAND Madeline’s always had a purpose. Lately, it’s been to make partner at her high-powered law firm, something that she’s chased relentlessly for years, even to the exclusion of a social life and any solid …
If you are tired of the ongoing discussion about the agency pricing issue, maybe you need to decide for yourself, agency agreement or not, what you’ll pay for an ebook. The problem If you haven’t heard about the issue, here’s a quick sketch of it. Traditional Publishers (the big 6) …
If you follow the discussion on blogs and forums, you can be forgiven for thinking that the Traditional Publishing houses are the Death Star and the Indie publishers are the intrepid rebels. I think that’s not the right model. Another view I read an interview with John Locke on Indie …
The Blurb When she was sixteen, Dee Fortune kidnapped her two younger sisters and ran from danger. Now, twenty-nine, she’s still trying to control her shape-shifting power — no easy task when Danny James shows up one Friday morning with his deadly smile and dangerous questions about the past. Lizzie …
I’m starting towrite a romance series. One of the key parts of the story is a small town where the action takes place. In my other novels I have needed general sketches of the environment and some floor plans. For this town – as yet unnamed – I need details. …
This will probably get me into trouble, but I’ve been thinking and observing and I believe independent authors write differently from the author who is or is seeking traditional publishing. A quick definition of the difference between the two routes. Traditional publishing means the author writes the best book they …
A couple of weeks ago, Amazon Studios came to my attention. I’m guessing a lot of authors long to see their work on the big screen, but maybe it’s just me. Amazon Studios caught my fancy because it gives me a chance to dip my toe into the screenwriting world. …