One of the great joys of speaking at a writer’s conference is meeting new authors. Many are starting their writing career, and they’re often seeking advice. While I’m certainly no expert, I seem to have a firsthand grasp of the pitfalls. From my experience, this is my advice. On How To Start: If you haven’t […]
On a Facebook writers group I’m a member of, someone started a discussion by asking who among us were Indies, who were traditionally published, and who were “authors in waiting.” I suspected the term “author in waiting” to be someone with a completed manuscript who was waiting to either secure a literary agent, or a […]
When I self-published my book, admittedly, it was the last resort. It was the backup plan if I had failed to sell it to a trade publisher. I promised myself that if I couldn’t sell it, or find an agent to represent me, I would not tuck it in a drawer and […]
photo by Tina Franklin Do you ever wonder this? Have you ever asked yourself in the middle of the night, as you turn to look at your husband or wife in bed next to you, “Do I know everything I should about this person?”? This is exactly what makes the “marriage thriller” (GONE GIRL, THE […]
photo by Corey Harmon A debut novelist wrote to me the other day about his manuscript. I had first “met” this author a year ago through email. A friend of a friend. The email he sent me back then, I’ve received many times over, albeit from different writers. I’ve even sent that same email myself, […]
photo by Lionel Martinez This post was originally published on Women Writers, Women’s Books. The other day my daughter walked into our family room and asked me for a ride somewhere. I didn’t turn my head; The other day my daughter walked into our family room and asked me for a ride somewhere. I didn’t […]
photo by drburtoni During a recent interview for a book blog, I was asked what was the best piece of advice I had ever been given. The interviewer most likely meant writing advice, but all I could think of was the time a dentist told me it didn’t matter when someone flossed their teeth, just […]
photo by MTA The day my book made it to the number one spot on the best seller list of psychological thrillers, I knew that meant it finally bumped The Girl On The Train off the perch it had practically owned for the last year. That was a big deal for me. Mostly because my […]
photo by Dennis Skley As an author, I love talking to readers. Whether that’s at book club discussions, or through my website or Goodreads, I get a lot of wonderful feedback and tons of great questions. Many questions are inevitable, like: “How did you come up with this idea?” That’s not surprising. As a reader […]
photo by Plonq Some people will waste a lifetime waiting for the Gatekeepers. I was almost one of them. By nature, I’m a rule follower. Even un-written rules. If there’s a way something is “supposed to be done,” that’s how I’ll do it. When I finished writing my first novel, I queried agents. This was […]