I’m excited to announce that my novel, Testing the Prisoner, was a finalist in American Book Fest’s 2023 Best Book Awards in the Horror category!
I wrote this book to increase awareness and prevention of child abuse and domestic violence. After all, the best fiction tackles difficult and often uncomfortable social issues. It’s nice to see some recognition at this level. Not too shabby! I have the book out in one other contest but won’t hear the results until March.
This month, writer pal Kathryn Craft shows us how to use weddings and funerals in our stories to explore characters and heighten emotions. Over at Mythcreants, Oren Ashkenazi examines the ever-popular literary device known as unreliable narrator.
Kristen Overman offers advice on self-editing and developing strong characters while Meredith Lyons talks about keepin’ it real in paranormal fiction. Do you feel pressured to sacrifice your social time for your writing? John Gilstrap reminds us not to feel guilty for living our lives.
Kelsey McConnell discusses the need for trigger warnings in horror novels. This is a timely topic given that I just released the second edition of Testing the Prisoner, my first paranormal mystery novel from 2009 that deals with child abuse and domestic violence.
All that and a lot more. Enjoy!
Writing Believable Characters by Michal Leah
There’s Always a Choice: Revision Techniques to Make Your Writing Stronger by Kristen Overman
How Subplots and Plot Filaments Lend Texture and Depth to Any Novel by Michael Craft
Why Is Strong Character Development Important? by Kristen Overman
Marry ’em and Bury ’em: Weddings, Funerals, and Your Novel by Kathryn Craft
Is There a Place For Trigger Warnings in Horror Books? by Kelsey Christine McConnell
How to Write a Realistic Paranormal by Meredith R. Lyons
How to Point Readers’ Attention in the Right Direction by Jami Gold
How to Increase Your Productivity When You Don’t Feel Productive by James Scott Bell
Writer’s Guilt by John Gilstrap
Unreliable Narration: A Useful Tool or Just Hype? by Oren Ashkenazi
Atmosphere Literary Definition: Genre Examples that Evoke Emotion by Joslyn Chase
If you’re a LibraryThing member, I’m running a giveaway for Testing the Prisoner! Six winners will receive a signed copy. Check it out here. Ends October 25th.
Testing the Prisoner is available now in ebook ($2.99) and paperback ($18.99)!
A few weeks ago, lovely and perspicacious writer pal Sara Karnish threw some questions at me about novels, novellas, and short stories and from my addled, sleep-deprived brain, I conjured up some reasonably cogent replies (or a reasonable facsimile thereof).
Check out the interview on the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group blog!
The second edition of my first paranormal mystery novel, Testing the Prisoner, is out now in ebook and paperback!
And if you’re in the Lehigh Valley this coming weekend, October 19-22, come on out to the Easton Book Festival for a dazzling array of writers and poets offering readings, panel discussions, presentations, and more!
Nice to hear from a few writer friends on the blog this month. Sara Karnish reminds us about proper critique etiquette and discusses the writer/editor relationship with Pattie Giordani.
It is said that your focus determines your reality. That applies to fictional characters as well. However, there are occasions in real life when we deliberately ignore or avoid something unpleasant. Writer pal Kathryn Craft shows us effective ways to depict that in our characters.
Over at Good Story Company, Amy Wilson draws a distinct line between editing and revision while Kristen Overman delves into the “chosen one” trope and how to ensure your hero is up to the task.
Struggling with book marketing? With a writing drought? With imposter syndrome? We got you covered on all three this month.
All that and a little more. Enjoy!
Follow the Energy of Denial by Kathryn Craft
Chosen One Stories: Is Your Hero Worthy of the Journey? by Kristen Overman
How Right Do Your Characters Have to Be? by Terry Odell
How to Give a Critique (Without Being Too Critical) by Sara Karnish
I Would Rather See My Books Pirated Than This (Or Why Goodreads and Amazon are Becoming Dumpster Fires) by Jane Friedman
How to Market Your Books to Get Worldwide Exposure by Diana Urban
How Authors Use Preorders to Promote New Books in 2023 by AJ Yee
5 Things Influencers Look for in a Book by Ryan Steck
5 Ways to Survive a Publishing Drought by Katrina Kittle
The Difference Between Editing and Revising by Amy Wilson
The Author/Editor Relationship: A Q&A with Pattie Giordani by Sara Karnish
How to Escape Imposter Syndrome in Your Writing Life by Lynette M. Burrows
This week, we’re doing it by the numbers. At Career Authors, Polly Stewart offers five tips for creating suspense while Barbara Butcher explains six rules for writing true crime.
Mythcreants Chris Winkle and Oren Ashkenazi give us five ways to maintain tension in our stories and five mistakes to avoid when crafting our villain’s master plan.
Over at the Kill Zone, Sue Coletta shows us a formula for writing effective back cover copy while James Scott Bell reviews the latest news in the publishing industry.
If you want to make sure your characters aren’t boring, listen to Amy Wilson at Good Story Company. If you want your characters to be iconic, take some advice from literary agent Donald Maass.
All that and a lot more. Enjoy!
Boring Characters by Amy Wilson
3 Helpful Tips for How to Rewrite a Novel by Rhiannon Richardson
Better Book Descriptions in 3 Easy Steps by Sue Coletta
Five Secrets to Writing Suspense by Polly Stewart
Five Ways to Restore Tension by Chris Winkle
Five Questions to Ask About Your Villain’s Master Plan by Oren Ashkenazi
Six Rules for Writing About True Crime by Barbara Butcher
Iconic Characters: Made Not Born by Donald Maass
Eye on the Publishing Business by James Scott Bell
The Balance Between Indies by Lauren Wise
8 Unexpected Benefits from BookBub’s New Releases for Less Promotions by AJ Yee
Top Tips on BookBub Cost-Per-Click Bidding from 15 Advertisers by Carolyn Robertson
KKR in Advanced Talks to Buy Simon & Schuster for $1.65 Billion by Anirban Sen and Milana Vinn
This week, take some lessons in suspense from the master himself, Alfred Hitchcock.
Speaking of lessons, Amy Wilson and Anne R. Allen offer advice about writing effective dialogue while Maggie Smith teaches us several ways to make our secondary characters stand out. Over at Mythcreants, Chris Winkle discusses passive voice and how to create a story outline.
The nice folks at Good Story Company show us how to build a better author website and at BookBub, it’s all about promotion and crafting a captivating book description.
All that and a little more. Enjoy!
Using Dialogue Tags Effectively by Amy Wilson
Electrify Your Thriller with These Tips from the Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock by Dana Isaacson
Writing Under a Pseudonym by Good Story Company
How to Write a Book Description: Tips from BookBub Editors by Lauren Aldrich
What Fiction Writers Should Know About Passive Voice by Chris Winkle
How to Outline Your Story by Chris Winkle
From Sidekick to Scene-Stealer: Making Your Secondary Characters Memorable by Maggie Smith
Who Should Be Telling This Story? by Jeanne Kisacky
9 Common Dialogue Problems and How to Fix Them by Anne R. Allen
10 Author Websites and Why They Work by Good Story Company
12 Fantastic BookBub Ad Designs Promoting New Releases by Shailee Shah
25 Authors Running Fantastic Book Promotions on Instagram by Shailee Shah