Covers and Titles and Authors, Oh My. . .
If you follow this blog you’ll remember more than one post where I talked about the many things over which authors have no control. One sentence summarizes much of this: “We write the books, but quite frankly, if we sign a contract with a publisher there are many parts of the process over which we have…
Read MoreSunday Inspiration: Saving Children
Have you seen this incredible video? It’s about an amazing man, Sir Nicholas Winton, who saved many Czechoslovakian Jewish children during World War II. When he was honored on an English television show 50 years later, to his surprise 80 of those children who had grown into adults, stood up and gave thanks for his…
Read MoreThe Writing Process 2015: Research, or All The Facts We Cannot Know
Recently I emailed a good friend and listed some of the research I was doing for my new book. She responded much the way I might have if I hadn’t written so many of the darned things. She pointed out that most readers believe we write about things we know, and in fact common wisdom…
Read MoreSunday Inspiration: “Anything Is Possible”
Last Sunday morning I was looking through Parade magazine, which usually takes me a couple of minutes. But Sunday I ran across their cover story titled “Anything Is Possible!” Instant inspiration. Did you see it? Five people are highlighted for the difference they are making in the world. These are average folks who decided that the…
Read MoreCan You Abide Another Post about Titles?
Drum roll, please. It’s that time of year. TITLES TIME. Last week I learned that my new book proposal has been approved. No one asked for changes. Oh, except one little thing. Yep. The title, which I loved, which I’ve hoarded for years in hopes I’d find the right story to deserve it, was immediately…
Read MoreSunday Inspiration: Desiderata
This week when I learned that Leonard Nimoy had died I was immediately reminded of a day in the 60s when I heard him on an afternoon talk show reading this wonderful prose poem. At the time it was thought to have been written in the 1600s because it had been included in a book of…
Read MoreThe Writing Process 2015: Practicing Patience
Have you ever had the fun of waiting for the okay on a project? My mother was filled with sage advice and sayings. “Patience is a virtue” was one of her favorites. Clearly that sentiment is not without challenges. For instance how many men and women are hopelessly practicing patience, waiting stoically for something to change in a…
Read MoreSunday Inspiration: 18 Rules for Life
These 18 Rules for Life are often attributed to the Dalai Lama, the leader of Tibetan Buddhism, but they are actually adapted from Life’s Little Instruction Book, by H. Jackson Brown, Jr., a book of advice from a father to his son as he goes off to college. These rules work for everyone, no matter what…
Read MoreControversial Topics: What Affects Your Reading Choices?
When in doubt for what to write about, write about controversial topics. I’ve heard the above advice so often that I can’t attribute it to anyone. The point, of course, is to get more people to read your novels or blog posts. The result can be lots of contentious discussion with an emphasis on the “lots of.” I…
Read MoreSunday Inspiration: “All you need is love…”
Sing along with me… “All you need is love, la, la, la, la, la. All you need is love, la, la, la, la, la. All you need is love, love, love is all you need.” These are some of the best known song lyrics in the world — thank you Beatles! — and they are…
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