Mastodon
Close

paranormal author

Shining a Light on Diversity Issues

Cartoon of people looking up at light with text: Shining a Light on Diversity Issues

In gearing up for the release of Pure Sacrifice, one frustrating experience was beyond my control. I’ve mentioned before that we should avoid assumptions about our characters, so I waited until I heard a voice that resonated and knew my paranormal character for this book wouldn’t be white skinned. Great! Except…

Pin It

July 28, 2015

Read More

Why Is Our Journey So Hard?

Person hiking on a mountainside in the snow with text: Why Is Our Journey So Hard?

One of the things I mentioned last time to soften the frustration we might feel for not reaching our goal yet is that life is a journey. There is no finish line. So if we’re constantly comparing where we are now with where we want to be for our goals or dreams and being frustrated about that gap, our life will feel lacking. Always.

Pin It

July 23, 2015

Read More

Are You Dreaming or Doing?

Woman daydreaming with text: Are We Dreaming or Doing?

Every time we start a new journey, we’re likely full of dreams based on the potential of that new phase. There’s nothing wrong with those dreams, but they are just the first step. A harsh truth is that most people won’t reach their dreams because there’s such a gap between wanting something and making it happen.

Pin It

July 21, 2015

Read More

What 5 Years of Blogging Has Taught Me about Writing

Chalkboard with text: Lessons from 5 Years of Blogging

People tend to like nice round numbers like 5s and 10s, so reaching the five-year point on my blog feels like a major milestone. That means now might be a good time to look back at what I’ve learned over those five years, and share what those lessons might tell us about the rest of our writing career.

Pin It

July 16, 2015

Read More

Blogiversary Winners & Writing Flexibility

Sketches of sea shells with text: Writing Flexibility

Some writers can find themselves paralyzed by the thought of needing to get their first draft “right.” That’s crazy-making, however. A draft—a first draft especially—is a tool to help us discover the story we want to tell, the characters we want to meet, and the themes we want to explore. That’s it.

Pin It

July 14, 2015

Read More

Audiobooks: Getting Started with ACX — Guest: Amy Patrick

Microphone on a counter with text: Audiobooks: Finding the Right Narrator

One way slow writers can succeed is to create more income streams for each book, such as releasing an audio version. But we might not have experience with audio publishing. Luckily, today’s post is by a narrator for Amazon’s ACX service who will tell us how to get started with ACX, especially how to audition and work with a narrator.

Pin It

July 9, 2015

Read More

7 Tips for Adding Humor — Guest: Rhoda Baxter

Writing in beach sand of "Gas 237000 Miles" with text: How to Add Humor to Our Stories

Most genres benefit from including touches of humor here or there—even the dark and angsty stories. But I’m not naturally a funny person, so I jumped at the chance to host an expert on comedy writing. Rhoda Baxter is here to share her tips that will help us add humor to any genre.

Pin It

July 7, 2015

Read More

Revising without Tears — Guest: Rachel Funk Heller

Baby crying with text: Help for No Tears Revising

If you’re anything like me, you might have a love/hate relationship with revisions. I love seeing my story strengthen and improve, but I hate the struggle. Today my guest poster is sharing a worksheet to help us find the important aspects of each scene so we can revise without tears.

Pin It

June 30, 2015

Read More