November 2015 New Releases More in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the The Master’s Calling by Merry Kisses by Catch of a Lifetime by Yuletide Cowboys by Arlene James and Island Christmas by Rancher for the Holidays by Isle of Hope by Christmas with the Colburns by Fragile Blessings by Tabitha by In This Together by Sofia’s …
Writing What You Know…Emotionally
By Martha Rogers From early on in my writing days, I was taught to write what I knew most about. During my college days, that didn’t amount to a whole lot in my opinion. In looking back at those days and some of the manuscripts, I find stories about high school romances, college days, and perfect families. I was writing …
Character Serendipity
By Henry McLaughlin I find myself in a bit of a transition in my writing right now. A while back, my weekly writing group challenged me to write a fantasy novel. (I love you, Solitary Scribes.) My agent at the time said I’d have to come up with a pen name because it’s such a genre switch. I’m thinking CS …
Capturing Your Romance Reader’s Heart
By Norma Gail You don’t have to compete with the greatest romance ever written to capture the heart of your reader. You have to make them fall in love with your character. Think of the most romantic line you have ever heard. So many great lines have been written and spoken over the years that it seems impossible to come …
Does a Newsletter Scare You? Five Ways to Rock It!
By Cynthia Herron As social media networks continue to limit our visibility (unless we buy their ads so they, in turn, will promote our posts/statuses), what’s a writer to do? How do we reach those we care about? Well, there are two things we can do (and yes, you’ve heard this before): blog and build our email lists-engage through our …
Fall…a reader’s and writer’s paradise!
By Dana Mentink How did it get to be October already? Honestly! Is it me or does the time fly by more quickly as we near the fall? If you can ignore the ominous jingling of bells in the stores and the endless rows of Christmas merchandise, this is the perfect season. Why? Because the weather is crisp, pumpkins are …
Character Profiles
By Loretta Eidson After moving into a new neighborhood, I moseyed to the swing on the front porch. My neighbors stirred about filling hummingbird feeders, weeding flowerbeds, and walking their dogs. Curiosity mounted as I sipped coffee and enjoyed the cool of the morning. Who were these people and how long had they lived here? Did they have a family? …
Crafting the Villain
By Kariss Lynch We’re all born sinful, but I don’t believe any of us are born inherently evil. Hitler didn’t start out thinking he would become a mass murderer. Life experiences, his choices, and what he fed his mind and heart led to the blackness of his character. While Hitler is an extreme example, I believe the same could be …
Write a Book Review That Helps, Not Hinders-Part 2
By Dianna Booher Reading widely and writing book reviews either on your blog or at online bookstores serves your career and your colleagues well. But have you ever read a book review that was totally unhelpful? Certainly you’ve seen some of those posted on Amazon that have never been clicked as “helpful.” Why unhelpful? Think about these review comments: “I …
The Dreaded S-Word
By Bonnie Calhoun There is nothing in this writing world that can elicit more dread and loathing than saying the simple word ‘synopsis.’ The definitions of the word range from ‘a brief summary or general survey of something’ to ‘an outline of the plot of a book…’ So we are going to discuss writing a brief outline of a book. …