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 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 Kat Heckenbach’s childhood reading tree
“The tree grew near the back fence at a thirty- degree angle. Angel had no idea what had knocked the oak over, but it stayed rooted at that odd slant. Someone had also chopped off the top of the tree, leaving one single branch that pointed straight up. Angel walked up the trunk of the […]
Behind the Scenes: Author Kim Vandel Wants to Be a Superhero
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 Terri Luckey offers a peek at an outtake scene
Free ebook offer! Read to the end to find it. To write a great scene, I’ve found it really important to know my characters. How are they going to react to a situation I throw them in? To write it, I want to experience it through their eyes, but not just see it. Feel it. […]
Six marketing tips by author Terri Luckey
Here are six things I learned about marketing when I wrote commerical and promotional advertisements for newspapers, radio and television. Keep it simple. Keep in mind who you’re addressing. I stopped calling my book YA and switched to teen after I got asked what YA meant. For commercials aimed at the general public, we didn’t […]
What’s behind the scenes? Poet John Milton, says author Scott J. Abel
Cool. Swag. The “it” factor. Whatever you want to call it, the poet John Milton’s got it. His classic work, Paradise Lost, simply rocks. As a big-time history geek, I’ve always viewed history through the lens of storytelling. And Paradise Lost is an amazing story about the little-known history of fallen angels. Milton’s story has […]