They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but it is up to the author to write those thousand words. (Richard Petracca) The road winds gracefully amidst the trees. Is this all you see when you look at the picture? Or does your mind go wild thinking of what could be at either end…
Phobias are constant, irrational fears that afflict some people. Their fear should be taken seriously. The person should never be made fun of or belittled because of their fear. But as writers, we can bless (or curse) our characters with phobias and make the story so much more interesting. What happens if someone encounters the…
Did you realize that lightning and lightening have different meanings? I used to think that either one could be used to describe the flashing light show that takes place during a thunderstorm. Then I took the time to look up the word lightening and discovered just how wrong I was. The lesson learned? Don’t ever…
Let me give you a picture of how this novel Watch the Shadows began. We were sitting by the fireplace at night, stroking the cats on our laps, and I was thinking about science fiction horror novels and movies, considering what in my own life would most terrify me. I realized that the common thread…
The homeless people in Isla Vista, California are disappearing. The ducks are vanishing from the park, and the rats are disappearing. The disappearance of the rat population is a welcome thing, but the ducks? A homeless man searches through the trash for food. The piece of meat he finds isn’t exactly what he had expected…
How much research had to be done for this book? How did he decide on the title? Why did he create his own publishing company? What kind of books does he like to read? How long did it take you to complete this book? I started it in 2006, and the last draft, #5, took…
Does your worst day even begin to compare with the day that Ian is about to have? Ian’s life goes from bad to worse when he walks into a coffee shop located inside a bank to apply for a job. While he is filling out the application, the bank is robbed by the infamous Busty…
The month of April is full of crazy and unique holidays. Here are some that take place on April 7 for you to consider including in your writing. Will you find a family of beavers to observe on International Beaver Day? How many newspapers will you read on International Snailpapers Day? Will you take a…
Nothing exciting ever happens in the life of the president of a company that specializes in bugs for organic gardening. Right? Wrong. An innocent night with a sexy lady bug sends him on a race to find her killer before he is locked up for the crime. Patton Burch is the president of BedBugs, a…
“Literary” is a type of book many people admire, but it’s not a genre that people necessarily seek. It’s even hard to call it a genre the way “mystery,” “romance,” and “paranormal” might be. Books that appear on Amazon’s literary bestseller list, for example, reveal how widely defined “literary” really is. For instance, this week,…
