• LITERARY AWARDS ENTRY DEADLINE: DECEMBER 15, 2023!

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    Guest Writer

    Capturing Convincing Settings
     Capturing Convincing Settings 1024 576 Reader Views
    During his author talks, Randy Overbeck is often asked if he grew up in the locales of his stories—the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake bay, Cape May, New Jersey and the Gulf Coast of Florida. Readers are often surprised by his answer – NO! Today, he shares four suggestions on how to make your settings come alive. read more
    Dream Big and Work Hard!
     Dream Big and Work Hard! 600 240 Reader Views
    How did a finance major transition into a novelist and music producer with projects spanning the globe? BIG DREAMS AND HARD WORK! read more
    So a Reviewer Said Yes. Now what?!
     So a Reviewer Said Yes. Now what?! 1024 576 Reader Views
    Here are a few ideas to dress up a review copy. They will do big things for your submission. They make it easier for your reviewer to get the information she needs for her review, including metadata. read more
    Using Fiction to Teach Checking Facts
     Using Fiction to Teach Checking Facts 1024 576 Reader Views
    Fiction books can even provide clear examples of Truth versus Make Believe. Fiction is stories that never happened, written for entertainment value, but that can also be educational. Fiction falls into recognizable types, created for different purposes. read more
    Three Editing Strategies That Can Make a Real Difference
     Three Editing Strategies That Can Make a Real Difference 1024 576 Reader Views
    Once you written and slaved over a manuscript and revised and nursed it through several iterations, the last thing you want to do is to slough through even more editing tasks. I get it. Sometimes, after I’ve put in hundreds of hours to write and strengthen my work, taking one or two more hours to do even more editing seems like a bridge too far. But I’ve found these three editing strategies—which don’t take that much time—can make a huge difference in how a piece reads. These are hardly new, but the changes they exact can be dramatic. read more
    “How to Handle Book Bigotry”
     “How to Handle Book Bigotry” 1024 576 Reader Views
    I believe—know—that attitudes toward self- and indie-publishers have become more accepted over the decades. When my first novel was published, any book published by anything other than university presses and New York’s Big Five were derisively called “vanity publishers.” Still, book bigotry or its near cousins hasn’t disappeared entirely. read more
    How Improv Comedy Made Me a Better Writer
     How Improv Comedy Made Me a Better Writer 1024 576 Reader Views
    The basic premise of improv is that scenes are made up live on stage in front of an audience.  Terrifying and hilarious, improv is a form that exists every moment in the creative place where artists surprise themselves and their scene partners… don’t writers perform improv every time we pick up a pen? read more
    Hispanic Heritage Month – A great time to reconsider what it is to be an “American.”
     Hispanic Heritage Month – A great time to reconsider what it is to be an “American.” 1024 576 Reader Views
    Generations of Hispanic and Latino Americans have positively influenced and enriched our nation. These contributions only scratch the surface. Countless immigrant families have worked hard to make our nation stronger, and if not for their influences, the U.S. would not be the vibrant country it is today. Still, immigrants are faced with challenges and the risk of deportation every day. read more
    The Age Old Question of Plotting vs. Pantsing
     The Age Old Question of Plotting vs. Pantsing 1024 576 Reader Views
    The question of how to approach writing your novel—whether you should plot out every detail or “write by the seat of your pants”—has been raised and answered more times than I can count. On this issue, I’ve learned much from several great writers, from Stephen King to William Kent Kreuger to Stephanie Evanovich. And I’ve tried to put these lessons to work in crafting the narratives of my new series, the Haunted Shores Mysteries. There is no perfect advice here, but perhaps my observations may prove helpful. read more
    When Oprah Tolled the Bell for Her Book Club
     When Oprah Tolled the Bell for Her Book Club 1024 576 Reader Views
    At first Oprah’s picks were authors of little renown. She chose novelists with important things to say and a unique way of saying them and didn’t give a T-tinkers darn who published the book or if the author’s name was known to anybody. read more