My publisher wanted some stories set in the National Parks across the US. So, I started doing some research. Finally, I zeroed on the Great Smoky Mountain Park. Next, I needed to figure out who my heroes would be. I then settled for a medically discharged US Marine. I wanted him to be a park […]
Behind the Scenes: Author Leeann Betts and the book you always wanted to write
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 Johnnie Alexander recalls a childhood on the farm
See below for giveaway! The strong sense of place imbedded in my Misty Willow Series comes from all the childhood moments, those forgotten and those I will never forget, that made up my life on a central Ohio farm. We moved there when I seven or eight, living first in the upstairs apartment of a […]
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 […]
Our approach to editing your book
Castle Gate Press is unusual in several ways. One of them is in our team editing approach. The contests where we’ve been entering our books often ask who the editor of the book is, leaving space for the name of one editor. This is apparently the common way for the big publishers to do it, with […]
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 Victoria Kimble recalls junior high school
I don’t know if this is true for all writers, but I have a very vivid memory. It takes no effort at all for me to conjure up the sights, smells, and, most importantly, feelings of certain times in my life. Junior high is such a time for me. I can still picture my locker, […]
Behind the Scenes: Author Christine Lindsay took dialogue from the Emerald Isle
Ireland, yes it really is the emerald isle. I know for a fact because I was born there and have visited several times. That small, beautiful island with its 40 shades of green, majestic cliffs that tower over the Atlantic Ocean, misty mountains, and its charming people and their lilting speech, does a wee jig […]
The Answer Place: Should I, an author, focus on selling print books or ebooks?
The answer to this depends on whether you have managed to land one of the big five traditional publishers. If you are working with one of these, they have the keys to possibly making money on print books. Nobody else does. Not you, not your small press publisher. The reason is that you will have […]