By Tamara D. Fickas I’m not a big sports fan. I don’t really follow any of the big sports teams, although I do sometimes root for a team based on being the underdog, or the favored team, or because I like a player. Despite not being into sports, I do love baseball. I managed the baseball team in high school …
Your Character’s Voice
by Sarah Sundin (@sarahsundin) I’m a California girl. I’m ashamed to admit I use the word like as filler on a regular basis. My young-adult children use vocabulary not even known in the rest of the country. If I were to write all my novels in my natural voice, I’d be very limited in geography and era. When we speak …
When Your Readers Bother and Bless You
by Elizabeth Musser I just returned from a book signing event where I was invited to speak to a church book club. Because I posted the event on Facebook, other readers who weren’t a part of the book club also attended. I spoke about my most recent novel, The Long Highway Home. The novel is based on true stories of …
What Do Some Experienced Writers Have in Common with Mother Guppies?
By Mary Lou Cheatham Our first aquarium held only five gallons, but we loved it. At the pet shop we bought some guppies. The clerk said, “Better buy one of these.” “What is it?” “It’s a trap to keep the mother from eating her babies.” It was a rectangular plastic device that floated near the top of the water. We …
Speaking to Book Clubs, Is It Worth Your Time?
By Nora St. Laurent Having run two book clubs, inside of a book store, and one that met on-line, I have witnessed the excitement felt by readers, firsthand when they can either meet with an author, or speak with them on an IP (Computer) call. The energy in the room is palpable and this becomes the reader’s version of meeting …
What Inspires a Writer
By Elizabeth Musser I often get asked the question by readers, “What inspired you to write this novel?” And my answer is usually the same each time. “Life.” So, so many things in life have inspired my novels. My first novels, a trilogy, were inspired by the Huguenot cross, the first Protestant cross made in France in the late 1600s. …
What Inspires a Writer
By Elizabeth Musser I often get asked the question by readers, “What inspired you to write this novel?” And my answer is usually the same each time. “Life.” So, so many things in life have inspired my novels. My first novels, a trilogy, were inspired by the Huguenot cross, the first Protestant cross made in France in the late 1600s. …
Honor the Craft
By Henry McLaughlin James Scott Bell posted a blog called Don’t Ever Mail It In where he wrote about the attitude that we’ve reached a certain point in our writing where we don’t have to improve. What struck me most is his definition of a real writer. It’s someone who honors the craft and never settles. In this blog, I’m …
Book to Movie?
by Michael Hicks Thompson What author doesn’t want their book made into a movie? It’s what launched John Grisham’s career. Remember The Firm? How’d Grisham accomplish that feat? Serendipity, for one. He took his manuscript to Willie Morris, the famous author from Yazoo City, Mississippi. At the time, Willie was Writer in Residence at Ole Miss. Grisham asked Willie to …
Lessons Learned from NaNoWriMo
by Christa Kinde I first heard about NaNoWriMo from writing friends. They talked about the annual event with a blend of reverence and enthusiasm that made me curious. For those not in the know, November is National Novel Writing Month, and participants attempt to write 50,000 words in 30 days. Exactly the sort of crazy scheme I enjoy. For the …