Useful Books for Writing Crime Fiction
Last November, I reviewed two books about writing crime fiction. While I was reading them, I discovered the information within them could be useful to both writers of crime fiction and aspiring writers in general. Excerpts from my reviews are…
365 Days of the Query, Phase One: Getting Started
Over the next year, I'm going to send out query letters for my new novel, TRISKELEON. I will keep track of my progress on the blog, probably in a format like this:Agents queried: 1Partials requested: 0Fulls requested: 0 If you're on…
DITCHED: A LOVE STORY, by Robin Mellom
I'm really excited to feature DITCHED: A LOVE STORY, by Robin Mellom that debuted this week! Synopsis, from Goodreads: High school senior Justina Griffith was never the girl who dreamed of going to prom. Designer dresses and strappy heels?…
The Dangers of Overstructuring
I had an interesting discussion with a coworker this morning about classically trained musicians versus musicians who improvise. As an improvisational musician, he told me how astonished he was at how uncomfortable his classically trained friends…
What Teens Are Reading
The article I wrote a few months back, the one I mentioned in this November 2011 post is now published in this month's issue of School Library Journal! (It's entitled "What Teens are Reading: a librarian's informal survey uncovers the hottest…
SOMEONE ELSE’S FAIRYTALE, by E.M. Tippetts
I'm very happy to feature SOMEONE ELSE'S FAIRYTALE, by E.M. Tippetts (she also writes science fiction under the name Emily Mah). She's the first writer I know of who, in addition to writing and jewelry making, maintains two blogs-- one under…
2012: Dispelling Old Ideas and Trying New Things
Congtatulations to Bibliotropic, last week's commenter and winner of THE BOOK OF LOST SOULS!And now, on with the blog...The longer I've been writing, the more I've had to change my perceptions about the process. The nice thing about the New…
THE BOOK OF LOST SOULS, by Michelle Muto
THE BOOK OF LOST SOULS, the first in the Ivy MacTavish series, provides a unique twist on YA paranormal fiction. While the book looks very dark, it is actually quite humorous and fun. I hope to see more books that aren't afraid to tickle…
Why Plotting Works
Some lingo I've picked up recently is "plotting" vs. "pantsing". A plotter outlines plot points and character sketches from start to finish before the novel is written, while a pantser, for lack of a better phrase, "flies by the seat of their…
Larkstorm, by Dawn Rae Miller
Today's YA book feature is Larkstorm, by Dawn Rae Miller.From Goodreads: "In the years following the destructive Long Winter, when half the world’s population perished, the State remains locked in battle against the Sensitives: humans born…