Book reviews are of vital importance to the publishing industry. Readers need someone to be their advocate–aid them in making informed consumer decisions. And authors deserve to be given a fair shake through the sieve of opinion. But to be frank, not all book reviews are helpful. I’m sure you’ve noticed by now that reviews […]
The Dollar Store is great for people watching. I consider it third best, surpassed only by indoor malls and airports. There’s usually someone memorable wandering around, with some quirk I might tuck away later and add to one of my literary characters just for flair and flavor. Hoping to avoid alienation from friends (and/or lawsuits) […]
It’s said: ‘A smart person learns from their mistakes. A smarter person learns from the mistakes of others.’ Today, I’m offering you the chance to be the smarter person…by learning from my mistakes. Now, I’m not saying I’m already throwing in the towel (or perhaps ‘the feathery pen’ would be a better metaphor) at 11 […]
This last weekend I had my first experience at a writing conference when I attended Moonlight and Magnolias in Atlanta, Georgia. I’m not much good with crowds, but I was told that a regional conference like this would be a good introduction to help ease me into the scene, in the event I might ever […]
So far I’d been trying to use this blog to be helpful to other aspiring writers. Right now, I just want to be real with you. (Fear not–I have no intention of emotionally upchucking all over your house slippers.) I just wanted to confess that I’ve just received my fifth rejection from an agent, and […]
When I attended my first meeting for a local writer’s guild, I did a lot of nodding and smiling. A default reaction to feeling dauntingly obtuse. There I was in the middle of the largest gathering of kindred spirits I’d ever experienced (well, outside of church or a comic convention), and I wasn’t sure I […]