Ever since I learned about the Law of Attraction, I've been practicing with it, working my imagination like a muscle. As a result, I don't just apply creativity in my writing assignments. I apply creativity in my daily life. I've manifested mini miracles -- from health improvements, to raffle wins, to the recovery of lost property -- […]
Book marketing strategy abounds. The bigger question is: what's the pay-off if I decide to invest the time and money in book promotion? Only after you're armed with the knowledge to make an educated decision about book promotion will you be able to plan how to market a book. Since November is Adopt an Indie Author Month, I’m running a […]
Texas Spirit Seekers is training the ghost hunters of the future right here in Austin! (Honestly. I don’t make this stuff up . . .) As Halloween night creeps ever closer, I started thinking about all the spooky freakishness that happens right outside my front door. (No, I'm not talking about my cat barfing up hairballs!) Haunted pizza restaurants, […]
Welcome Ghost Hunters and Paranormal Investigators -- especially you armchair ones. Happy Halloween Weekend! What a great time to run the second article in my Haunted Pizza Series, Hunting for Hauntings: Equipment for Paranormal Investigators. I know, I know. Ghost adventures?! Where do I get these blog ideas? Well, the Fantasy writer in me absolutely HAD […]
Are you looking for relief from carpal tunnel pain while you're writing novels? Maybe you're like me: you push to meet a deadline -- any deadline -- as a matter of pride. Forget the burning wrists, you’ve got an editor chomping at the bit! (Aren’t we adorable in our blind dedication to deadlines?) Writing novels isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon. I […]
Planning a book signing? Then you're in luck! In this thrilling post (filled with dubious advice,) we explore the topic of hand-selling so you can make the cash registers ring. Forget writing chase scenes, folks. The real excitement of being a published author comes from meeting your public. You know, the REAL PEOPLE who buy your books. (Breathe. It’s […]
Positive thinking and the Law of Attraction are inextricably linked to my writing life. Positive thinking was not an ingrained behavior that resulted from my upbringing, however. I was 35 years old before I finally recognized and accepted that there is real power in positive thinking. I had to learn about the New Thought Movement the […]
Deadline stress can lead to writer's block, paralyzing fiction writers -- and I'm not just speaking figuratively. Who would've thought that writing novels could be so hazardous to your health? I'm just one of many fiction writers who has suffered physical pain (Carpal Tunnel Syndrome) to keep pace with the Muse during deadline stress. When […]
Enjoy these humorous writing quotes from famous authors as they confide how they feel about literary critics in the video, below. Assembling these quips about literary critics really put the whole book review process into perspective for me. When you consider the enormous talent of the writers who are represented in this video, some of […]
"That's it," my novel writing student said. (We'll call her Katie.) "I quit. No more red herrings. No more convoluted plot twists. Cozies are too hard to write. I'm going to write a Romantic Suspense." Uh-oh, I thought. Katie was struggling to overcome one of the biggest hurdles that an aspiring author can face: a […]