Craft
REVIEW: Snitch by Rene Gutteridge
Having not read Scoop, the first book in the Occupational Hazard series, I was’t sure what to expect. I only knew if Rene Gutteridge wrote it, it had to be an entertaining read. I was right! No one does quirky characters quite like Rene Gutteridge. The characters jumped off the page and into full color.…
Romantic Suspense
Jill Elizabeth Nelson here. I write romantic suspense. I do not write suspense. I do not write romance. It is romantic suspense. Well, I do write in other genres, but today’s blog is about a subgenre in which I’ve been published, and what differentiates it from related genres. So just what IS the difference between…
My Son May be a Published Author Before Me!
We were vacationing on Pensacola Beach when I opened this email! (Thank God for high speed internet hotels) Needless to say, we were all thrilled and surprised! Joey next big goal is to audition for Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader! One thing I’ve learned with this son of mine, is that anything is…
Writing Away
I am doing something new this summer…writing a book on deadline. This is a new experience for me, and one that I pray I get right. You see as a new author, I have a reputation to earn and protect. And I’m learning all the time. In an ideal world, I’ll write a chapter a…
Using Stories to Reach Readers
by Ron Estrada I’ve undertaken a post in a new ministry in our United Methodist Church. It seems the Methodists are going through a transitional stage, a return to our roots so to speak. More for most of us, it’s a heavy sigh of relief. But it’s not just the UM Church undergoing a change,…
GROWING GRAMMAR: DIALOGUE
Writing dialogue is tricky enough. Then there’s that whole punctuation issue, unless, well, you’re William Faulkner, James Joyce, or Cormac McCarthy, to name a few. They dispensed with punctuation littering their prose, and critics deem them style-masters. (Try doing that in a Genesis contest!). Some might deem them confusion-masters, but that’s another column. The rules…
Guest Blogger: Meredith Efken on Advice for Newbie Fiction Writers
1) Don’t be in a hurry to submit work or query editors/agents. Learn the craft. Love the craft. Obsess about the craft. Aim to make your work art, not just “sellable.” 2) Educate yourself about the publishing industry, especially the fiction industry. Pay attention to what’s going on and how things work, and who’s who.…
Guest Blogger: DiAnn Mills When Characters become Friends
A mixture of emotions swept over me last week when my third and final book in the Texas Legacy Series stepped into the marketplace. I’ve grown to love these characters – everything about them. I love their stubborn moments, their victories, their defeats, the way they love, and even the way they hate. They fight…
Michelle Sutton’s review of Veil of Fire by Marlo Schalesky
Book Description: The screaming flames surrounded the small town of Hinckley before most knew to flee. Hours later, the survivors picked their way out of the ashes and began anew. For the tight-knit town, the fire meant the inexplicable loss of family, devastating financial ruin, and the disquieting loss of faith. While some agonized over…
Quick Fiction Fixes – Writer’s Voice, part six
We’re all busy, whether working full-time or chasing/chauffeuring kids around all day. Yet we’re also writers, striving to get our words on paper and then polish it to a sparkle. This column gives quick fixes for fiction manuscripts specifically for busy writers. Pick and choose what works best for you! Developing your writing voice, part…