So you have a great idea for a book. You’ve done some character sketches. You know where the story is going. The only thing that’s left, apart from the writing, is to decide where to set your book. Your hometown? No, too many people know you there. That little town where you went on vacation […]
Behind the Scenes: Author Barbara M. Britton sifts through the Bible to find her characters
The Bible is full of wonderful characters, or should we say, Wonder Women. Ruth and Esther have their own books. Deborah, the Judge, has a few chapters devoted to her bravery. Rachel and Leah have a sisterly battle for years over Jacob. But numerous novels have been written about these women of the faith. Do […]
Behind the Scenes: Author Delia Latham fell in love with a beach house
As a lifetime California gal, I found it a bit of a shock to find myself living in East Texas in my late fifties. It’s so beautiful here, but things are…different—just as they would be had we moved anywhere else that wasn’t ‘home.’ Still, my grandchildren live close now, and that makes this location perfect […]
Get some mentoring from us at Realm Makers Conference
This summer at the Realm Makers Conference, we’re offering free mentoring to anyone who signs up. We’re happy to share some of the Castle Gate Press special handling we give our authors. This TLC has so far resulted in: last year one Amazon category bestseller, and for this year a book that is both a finalist […]
Behind the Scenes: Author June Foster tells a tale of seeing double
Writing’s never work when the story’s fun to create. Lavender Fields Inn is one of those novels. I hope readers will agree. Wren Tabor is taking a well earned vacation at an inn and spa nestled high in the Rocky mountains. Perhaps her broken heart will heal after her so called boy friend betrayed her. The […]
What’s Your Character’s Motivation?
Why does your protagonist shy away from military men? Why does your hero think all beautiful women are snobs? Why is your antagonist determined to destroy the protagonist’s career? The answers to these questions are motivations for your characters’ behavior. It’s what drives them to do things they otherwise wouldn’t do—often against common sense—therefore, we […]
Behind the Scenes: Author Grace Marshall writes for her younger self
I’ve always been a bit of an oddball in my own way. I was the kid reading books under my desk while the teacher was talking and the one who passed around a notebook between her friends so we could all write a story together, one character at a time. I loved books, I loved […]
Behind the Scenes: Author Leeann Betts adds up the numbers to solve the crime
Writers hear this all the time at conferences: write what you know. As a new writer, I took this advice seriously. So when I sat down to write my first book, I asked myself: what do you know? I knew numbers. I was trained as a bookkeeper, had worked for many years in accounting departments, and I […]
Behind the Scenes: Author Lillian Duncan and her suspenseful Christmas story
Christmas will be here before you know it! Time to get in the mood and I know just the way to do that—Christmas-themed novels. At first glance fast-paced suspense novels and Christmas wouldn’t seem to mix, but let me assure you they do. I love the challenge of finding a way to mix suspense into […]
Revision Prompt – Sentence Spacing
You’ve heard of writing prompts, now we have revision prompts! Each prompt will give you a specific writing issue to check for in your WIP, along with tips on how to fix each. Going through this process one issue at a time will not only help polish your current novel but will also teach you specific ways to […]