When I wrote my first novel, To Hunt a Sub, I found out that I learned a lot about life from my characters. I wrote about that here if you’d like to check it out. That novel is set in the present day but my newest novel, Against All Odds, the third book in my …
I published this about a year ago on Alex Cavanaugh’s website. If you missed it, here’s a reprise: Six years ago, when I prepared to publish my first book, I shared my worst fears with blogging buddies. Now as I publish my seventh book, The Quest for Home, I still don’t feel like I have …
When you’re geeky, you don’t always think like the people around you or answer questions in the usual way. A writing class I took asked us newbie writers to tell the class a little bit about ourselves. Here’s how I answered that: I am a multi-cellular, hairless, short-snouted, large-brained bipedal omnivore, evolved over millions of …
Thank you so much, Adrienne (author of The Tenafly Road Series), for inviting me to again participate in this wonderful exploration of families. Last year, I shared how my children inspired most of my writing– Building a Midshipman This is a personal how-to on preparing for and applying to the United States Naval Academy. It’s based on my …
Years ago, I submitted my first novel to a list of agents who specialized in my genre, sure they’d love my quirky clever book. I’d edited, re-edited, and run it by people I trusted–it was dressed for success. At that time, I didn’t realize that finding an agent was like putting a hood on a …
I am finally back from my international trip where I visited three areas, four hotels, and took a gazillion trains. The background: My daughter and I went to Okinawa Japan where my son is stationed with the Army to celebrate his birthday and decided to also visit the main island of Japan and South Korea. …
About a year ago, I got an email from a reader who asked when the print book of To Hunt a Sub would be available. Well, I didn’t have any plans on that happening but told him it was coming. That sealed the deal. I don’t lie so I had to make the print book …
I’m excited to join Raimey Gallant’s #AuthorToolbox monthly blog hop (third Wednesday of each month) with the theme of resources/learning for authors. Post are related to the craft of writing, editing, querying, marketing, publishing, blogging tips for authors, reviews of author-related products, anything that an author would find helpful. We share our experiences as it relates to these …
I’m madly working on my book launch, scheduled for March 7th. So, instead of writing a new article, I’m reposting this from a few years ago for anyone who didn’t read it then: My efriend, Kirk Allmond, had a hilarious rundown of what NOT to say to a writer. Well, they were all true, but …
I’m excited to join Raimey Gallant’s #AuthorToolbox monthly blog hop (third Wednesday of each month) with the theme of resources/learning for authors. Post are related to the craft of writing, editing, querying, marketing, publishing, blogging tips for authors, reviews of author-related products, anything that an author would find helpful. We share our experiences as it relates …
I’m reposting this from a few years ago. Back then, I didn’t have many readers so now, I wanted to share these pithy thoughts–including a few updates–with all my new efriends! There are a lot of difficult parts to writing. I mean, besides the whole write-edit-revise-rewrite-market-start over thing. That cutting a vein and bleeding on …
One of my summer reading discoveries is Darlene Foster’s six-volume Amanda series. I’m a teacher-author so I’m always eager to find fresh books that my K-8 students will love. When I came across Darlene on her blog, Darlene Foster’s Blog, I have to admit, I was really excited. I’d never found a children’s travelogue series that …
As those who follow my writing progress know, I sent Born in a Treacherous Time to be reviewed by the inimitable Kirkus Reviews. This group, a name in publishing since 1933, reviews about 10,000 books a year. You’ve probably seen their reviews on the back covers of popular novels and online sites. They are a …
When I teach professional development classes, by far the topic that surprises attendees the most is the legal use of online images. And they’re not alone. On my blog, in educator forums, and in the virtual meetings I moderate, there is much confusion about what can be grabbed for free from online sites and what …
A few weeks ago, I attended the San Diego Writers Conference, sponsored annually by San Diego State University. It was my second time at this event (here are my takeaways from last year’s event) so I knew it would be cerebral, well-worth the time and money, leave me motivated to get back into the trenches with …
It’s summer, time for writers to recharge our cerebral batteries. That could mean reading, going on field trips, spending time with online PLNs, or taking calls from family members who usually end up at voice mail. For many, it means attending conferences like Writers Digest Conference August 12-14 and the Writers’ Police Academy August 11-14 (this …
I confess, I like the Twitter approach to writing. It’s pithy, cogent, brief, with headlines that stick. I don’t always believe them, but am often entertained. And the posters–love them. Getting quickly-consumed tips from Twitter that inspire as I start my daily writing seems to be a natural, especially when Tweeple include images (which I …
Tech Tips for Writers is an (almost) weekly post on overcoming Tech Dread. I’ll cover issues that friends, both real-time and virtual, have shared. Feel free to post a comment about a question you have. I’ll cover it in a future Tip. Q: I’m paranoid of losing lesson plans, report card comments, and other school work. …
For the next few months, weekly writing tips will include word choice suggestions. That includes: colorful and original descriptions pithy words and phrases picture nouns and action verbs writing that draws a reader in and addicts them to your voice I keep a collection of descriptions that have pulled me into the books. I’m fascinated how …
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card My rating: 5 of 5 stars Guest Blogger: Corporal Murray Ender’s Game, a novel written by Orson Scott Card decades ago, remains popular today due to the ability of the author and the fact that it addresses several issues that are relevant today. It focuses on the evolution of …
A while ago, I wrote a post about what I’d wished I’d known before I started blogging. You can read the article here; I’ll summarize the six gold nuggets for new bloggers: only reblog 10% of someone else’s post. hot links are bad. it takes a long time to write a post I need to …
This is inspired by Jennifer Cohen over at Forbes who wrote a wonderful article on “5 Things Super Successful People Do Before 8am” (few of which I did, though I can claim #5). She includes chores like exercise, eat a healthy breakfast, map out the day–all great ideas, but not pithy enough for the average …
The A to Z Challenge asks bloggers to post 26 articles on a themed topic. It’s supposed to be every day except Sundays during the month of April but I find that too busy and decided to post mine ‘about’ once a month. Yes, it’ll take me a couple of years. Sigh. My topic, like the … Continue reading
The A to Z Challenge asks bloggers to post 26 articles on a themed topic. It’s supposed to be every day except Sundays during the month of April but I find that too busy and decided to post mine ‘about’ once a month. Yes, it’ll take me a couple of years. Sigh. My topic, like the … Continue reading
A lot of teacher-authors read my WordDreams blog. In this monthly column, I share the most popular post from the past month on my teacher education blog, Ask a Tech Teacher. Good efriend Robbie over at Roberta Writes did research on the benefits of children learning to read using an ipad versus a paperback book. … Continue reading
For the USA, April is National Poetry Month. For thirty days, we celebrate the value and joy that poetry brings to our world. According to the Academy of American Poets, the goals are: Highlight the extraordinary legacy and ongoing achievement of American poets Introduce more Americans to the pleasures of reading poetry Bring poets and … Continue reading
This post is for Alex Cavanaugh’s Insecure Writers Support Group (click the link for details on what that means and how to join. You will also find a list of bloggers signed up to the challenge that are worth checking out. The first Wednesday of every month, we all post our thoughts, fears or words … Continue reading
The A to Z Challenge asks bloggers to post 26 articles on a themed topic. It’s supposed to be every day except Sundays during the month of April but I find that too busy and decided to post mine ‘about’ once a month. Yes, it’ll take me a couple of years. Sigh. My topic, like the … Continue reading
The A to Z Challenge asks bloggers to post 26 articles on a themed topic. It’s supposed to be every day except Sundays during the month of April but I find that too busy and decided to post mine ‘about’ twice a month. Yes, it’ll take me a year. Sigh. My topic, like the last three … Continue reading
The A to Z Challenge asks bloggers to post 26 articles on a themed topic. It’s supposed to be every day except Sundays during the month of April but I find that too busy and decided to post mine ‘about’ twice a month. Yes, it’ll take me a year. Sigh. My topic, like the last three … Continue reading
I’ve read a lot of Jacquie Biggar’s stories. They’re always fast-moving with engaging characters and just enough romance to make me hopeful. Her latest–The SEAL’s Temptation–is no exception. The SEAL’s Temptation Wounded Hearts Book 7 by Jacquie Biggar Genre: Romantic Suspense DEA Agent Maggie Holt knows about Hell… After eighteen months undercover in a Mexican … Continue reading
I don’t read a lot of cozy mysteries but was drawn to this one because I’ve loved Carrie Rubin’s thrillers (see my review of The Bone Curse). She has a way with spinning a tale, connecting the dots, keeping the pace perfect. I never thought a thriller author could switch to cozies but Carrie did … Continue reading
