Reading to Recharge by Debra H. Goldstein No deadlines! No responsibility! What was I to do with myself once I turned in the second book for Kensington’s new Sarah Blair cozy mystery series, the final edits for the first book, One Taste Too Many, the synopsis for the third book in the series, and a […]

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 […]