I’m old enough to remember the days before the Internet made cartoons available anytime you wanted them. For me, Saturday wasn’t just a break from school. It was the one day of the week dedicated to cartoons. It was my chance to watch the Justice League defend mankind from the nefarious schemes of villains like […]
Behind the Scenes: Author Cleo Lampos discovers the orphan trains
The books on the gift shop shelf featured grainy photos of children huddled around coal driven steam engines. Dressed in turn of the century clothes, some ragamuffins carried grief like luggage, but others appeared wide eyed with adventure. “Orphan trains,” my brother explained. “Those children were adopted here in the St. Cloud, Minnesota area. They […]
Behind the Scenes: Alter-ego author Leeann Betts talks about how she chooses settings
Today we’re hearing from an alter ego! Leeann Betts, a pen name for Donna Schlachter, wants to share her own thoughts on how a writer chooses setting. With so many great places to set a book, how do authors go about selecting that perfect location that is not merely a backdrop to the plot but […]
For writers: Conflict is the root of your story
The root of a good story is always conflict. The more, the better. But you don’t like conflict in your own life. No one does. You’d like to be nice to your characters. Give them easy lives. Get over it. You’ve got to have conflict to keep people turning pages. How to set up conflict? […]
A strategy for growing your fan base through your author newsletter
Here’s a suggested strategy for gaining more followers for your author newsletter. Declare that new signups for your newsletter are eligible for a monthly drawing. The winner gets a coupon code for choice of free audiobook or free ebook. Until the free audiobook codes run out, that is. Then ebook only. This strategy works, people […]
Behind the Scenes: Author June Foster on asking embarrassing questions
What God Knew, book three, in the Almond Tree Series, is a biracial romance between a white geriatric nurse and a black neonatal pediatrician. The day I took advantage of a research opportunity for this story began at church. Before the pastor’s message, the choir director announced we’d have a guest musician, a university professor […]
Behind the Scenes: Author Donna Schlacter and her alter ego, Leeann
Leeann, my alter ego, and I were chatting the other day. She wanted to know why I created her. “I was writing and hoping to publish in two different genres: historical suspense and contemporary suspense. I didn’t want to confuse my readers by writing in different genres.” “How did you pick my name?” “My husband’s […]
Behind the Scenes: Author Eleanor Gustafson’s tale of a horse show
I love horses, so sooner or later, they had to show up in my writing. Enter my novel Dynamo—my magnum opus in the horse world! I clearly remember my first riding lesson around age seven. First time on the back of an old mare named Belle, I marveled at how long and skinny her neck […]
Behind the Scenes: How the Christmas Mail Order Angels came to be, by author Darlene Franklin
Since mail order brides are a popular staple for historical fiction, I brainstormed for a different twist. First of all, I wanted to write a Christmas story. I’m not sure what sparked my interest in mining towns, except that few headed to the mine fields with women. What if the gold had petered out, and […]
Why would I need to hire myself an editor?
Writers, you probably know that there are plenty of free-lance editors out there, ready to help you hone your novel. But do you need one? And do you need to pay one? Your needs depend on your goals. What if you want to take the slow route–taking five, ten years? I did it this way, […]