Still Haunted By Things I Don’t Know
Some of you who pop in an out of my Facebook page know that I’ve been working non-stop on character sketches for the first book of my new series, which will debut in August of 2012. Not all authors bother with this. Some are content to allow the character to reveal him or herself as…
Read MoreIn the White Light of the Lantern
Welcome to Sunday Poetry. We began last Sunday, and if you didn’t join us then, you can read about the purpose and inspiration behind Sunday Poetry here. What’s your part? It’s easy. Just slow down a little and come along for the read. If you’d like to tell us what the day’s poem means in your…
Read MoreQuestions from Germany, Answers from Emilie
My public relations trip to Germany is over, but the questions keep arriving. I answered these today for a major German newspaper, and it occurred to me that you might find the answers interesting, as well. Maybe you’ve wondered about some of these subjects yourself. As always, I’ll enjoy your comments. 1. Are you surprised about…
Read MoreWalk Inside the Poem’s Room
I’ll start with a confession. I’ve never particularly liked poetry. I read everything quickly, skipping words and phrases that seem extraneous. I want to get right to the heart of a story, a description, an insight. I rarely linger. I rarely pause to reflect. This is odd coming from an author whose novels tend to…
Read MoreWatch Out, Jessica Fletcher, Here I Come
Author Casey Daniels once referred to an event in a mutual friend’s writing career as a “Murder She Wrote” moment. Not because our friend Diane found a dead body or solved a murder (although she certainly has written wonderful novels about both) but because she had actually been treated like the star she is during a visit…
Read MoreCockalorums, Lickspittles and Snollygosters
Today I’m on my way to Hamburg, Germany, where I’ll be doing publicity for my German TV movies, plus spending time with my German publisher, CORA Verlag. I wrote this blog in preparation, but I’ll catch you up on my trip next Friday. Meantime enjoy. Let me tell you about my secret addiction. Nothing illegal, mind you,…
Read MoreHow Hard Can It Be? Publishing an eBook.
Last Friday at Southern Exposure I posted the original covers of my novels Once More With Feeling and Twice Upon A Time, and showed the way the eBook cover for Twice Upon A Time grew from stock photography to finished product. Twice Upon A Time was the easiest. I immediately found several photographs I liked, including one…
Read MoreCan You Judge An eBook By Its Cover?
I’ll confess of the more than sixty books I’ve written, I’ve had good covers and not-so-good covers. I’ve had a few great ones, too. Not surprisingly, those books sold the best. Have I made my point succinctly? Covers make a difference. A very big difference. And sometimes it’s hard to get them right. When I decided to…
Read MoreWe Have A Winner
Just a quick update. Congratulations to Paula Petty, who won the autographed copy of Carla Buckley’s The Things That Keep Us Here. My old friend Random.org made the selection. Many thanks to all of you who commented. If you’re looking for a good book club read, this book will spark many a rousing discussion. More…
Read MoreEbooks, Treasured Novels, and Becoming My Own Publisher
So there I was last October, in a packed room with treasured colleagues, authors I love, authors I’ve admired, and newish authors with infectious enthusiasm for this crazy career of ours. And in the front on the panels? Some of the most powerful people in publishing. Novelists, Inc., an international group of multi-published authors, is the only…
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