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 …
An efriend writer originally published this as a guest post on their blog to help me launch Against All Odds August 2020. In case you missed it there, here are my anecdotal thoughts on how to add drama to your story: *** I should get writer’s block. I write twelve hours a day, pretty much … Continue reading
Sandra Cox is hosting my latest book, Laws of Nature, for a cover reveal (maybe even an early review though that could come later). If you haven’t seen this gorgeous cover designed by Damonza, come on over! Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular prehistoric fiction saga, Man vs. Nature which explores seminal events in man’s evolution … Continue reading
I’ve read so many of Diana’s fantasy stories that I’ve lost count (click for my reviews of Unraveling the Veil, Sunwielder, Legacy of Souls, and Soul Swallowers). They’re fast reads, not because they’re easy reads but because I can’t put them down. Diana’s ability to create believable fantasy worlds that leave me sure somewhere they … Continue reading
Today, I’m visiting Susanne Lakin over at her amazing blog, Live Write Thrive. Her posts are chock full of advice on being the best at what you love doing (writing). Articles include: How Fiction Writers Can Use Sensory Detail to Set Mood The Secret to Writing Commercially Successful Novels Writing Scenes with a Purpose She … Continue reading
Robbie Cheadle’s latest book, A Ghost and his Gold, takes place during the Boer Wars, two important South African conflicts that few outside the country understand. They were between the Brits fighting for the Crown and Dutch settlers (called Boers) fighting for their way of life. The First resulted in Boer victory and the eventual … Continue reading
A boy blinded by fire. A woman raised by wolves. An avowed enemy offers help. In this second of the Dawn of Humanity trilogy, the first trilogy in the Man vs. Nature saga, Lucy and her eclectic group escape the treacherous tribe that has been hunting them and find a safe haven in the famous … Continue reading
An efriend writer originally published this as a guest post on their blog to help me launch Against All Odds. In case you missed it there, here are my anecdotal thoughts on completing a novel with a few updates: *** Let’s be honest. For most of us, completing the writing of our novel isn’t when … 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
My trip was amazing but I’m going to let pictures speak for me. I hope you enjoy them. Hover over image for the subtitle: the Rowe-Delamagente thrillers and Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. Her non-fiction includes over a hundred books on integrating tech into education, reviews as … Continue reading
I’m taking the day to honor our all soldiers on America’s Memorial Day. Without their sacrifice, where would we be? I tried (again–like last year) to keep the videos to just a few but couldn’t figure out which to skip. I’ll leave that up to you! Continue reading
