Small Towns—Where Everybody Knows Your Name by Lynnette Austin Small town versus city. It’s one of the first things a writer needs to know when plotting a story. Generally, though, the story itself makes that decision…or the main character, although it’s sure fun to drop a big city gal into a small town or to […]

HOW I WRITE MYSTERIES by Sandra Robson When I start writing a new book, I begin with a blank piece of poster board and a strong sense of place. A three-story, desolate-looking house in Newport, Rhode Island, an ancient white stucco church in New Mexico, a London street in relentless rain—the aura of an intriguing […]

coming from Kensington on December 18! – available for pre-order https://www.amazon.com/Taste-Many-Sarah-Blair-Mystery/dp/1496719476 

Finding Your Voice: Plotter or Pantser by James M. Jackson Every author is told to “find your voice,” as though they left it under the hydrangea in the side yard. I suggest that if you write enough, your voice will find you. Voice is what comes naturally to you: the cadence of your sentences, the […]

Malice Domestic – Hope to See You There by Debra H. Goldstein Normally, I post thoughts about writing or personal thoughts I hope capture your interest, but this is the week of Malice Domestic. For once, I’m overwhelmed getting everything ready to go.  Because this is a fan and author conference, I hope to see […]

Instructing a Creative Writing Workshop by Judy Penz Sheluk I was recently approached to instruct a one-day Creative Writing Workshop at my town’s Arts Council. Now, for three years, I was a Creative Writing tutor for an online writing school, so I did have some experience, but the school provided the content. My role was […]

Past and Present by Debra H. Goldstein Do you remember when telephones rang? When rotary dialed objects sat on a table or hung on a wall made a ring sound? Was it that long ago before we relied on phones that fit in our purses or pockets and have individualized ringtones? I didn’t think it […]

Knowing When to Say “The End” by Debra H. Goldstein Five days ago, I typed the words “The End” at the conclusion of eighty thousand plus other words I wrote during the past few months. I rejoiced. Those eighty thousand plus words were probably more like one hundred plus words because on one day, I […]

It All Starts with the Subconscious by Kathryn Lane A recurring question I’m asked when I speak at book clubs is whether I plot the entire novel before I start writing. I usually respond by defining the two basic types of writers – detailed plotters or fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pantstypes. Once I’ve decided to begin a new book […]

My favorite shirt is torn. The minute the dryer buzzed, I stopped what I was doing and went to retrieve my shirt, so it wouldn’t wrinkle. I pulled it out, shook it, hung it, and saw the pinprick sized hole at the edge of the pocket. Perhaps it was a spot? No, a hole going […]