I just finished reading a book that purports to share the secrets of writing a bestselling novel, and I found it fascinating. The BestSeller Code: Anatomy of the Blockbuster Novel is by Jodie Archer and Matthew L. Jockers, and what it uses is text mining to uncover the shared elements of bestsellers. As I understand […]
This is the second time I’ve been given the opportunity to review this book, which is updated annually, by the publisher (New World Library). I always jump at the chance, not because I need the listings (I have a wonderful, amazing, fantastic agent) but because I love reading the articles that are included. More on that […]
Step Out of Your Story: Writing Exercises to Reframe and Transform Your Life by Kim Schneiderman Once again, the wonderful folks at New World Library have offered me a book to review. And once again, I'm making slow progress through it because I keep stopping to ponder and do the exercises. I found the receipt […]
Wild Women, Wild Voices: Writing From Your Authentic Wildness by Judy Reeves I was provided this book by the publisher, New World Library (whom I adore, because they always give me wonderful books to read) to review. And then I promptly forgot about it. Actually, the book got buried under a pile of papers on […]
So, there's this thing called the internet. And we use it for nearly all our research into anything these days. This is especially true for research on topics that have to be current, such as, well, agent and editor listings. When you have a story or novel to submit, you hit the interwebs to find […]
Winner Announced! Using this random name picker, I fed in all the names, pressed go and waited for the winner's name to come up. Ready? Drum roll! The winner is J.D. Frost! J.D., I'm emailing your email to Patrick so the two of you can coordinate. Thanks to all who entered! Contest Extended! I want everyone to […]
I've got a new book for all you fledgling novel writers out there. It is called The Novel Writer's Blueprint: Start Writing Your Novel Today, by Kevin T. Johns. I discovered the book when Kevin emailed me a wonderful query asking if I'd be interested in reviewing it. Since I'd just published a rant […]
I was asked to review this book by the publisher. I received no money, though I did get a copy of the book. The opinions offered are mine alone. Fast Fiction by Denise Jaden When I was offered the chance to review this book, I leapt at it. I have […]
Travels In Elysium by William Azuski I was asked to review this book and I readily accepted because, well, there's nothing I like better than receiving random books in the mail and diving into them. Here's the blurb the publisher and blog tour folks asked me to include: Literary fiction blends with Plato’s tale of […]
It's Friday afternoon and it is hot here in Portland. I'm feeling pleased with myself because I got a long-overdue pedicure and eyebrow waxing and I'm sitting here wondering why self care is so hard for me. Which leads me to ponder why it is also sometimes difficult for me to receive…as in receiving love, […]
