I don’t know about you, but characters often make or break a story for me. As a writer, I try to remember what makes some characters and their stories more compelling for me than others. Here are a few tips I try to keep in mind as I write based on the characters that I love to read about again …
Why Mackinac Island?
Mackinac Island. It’s a magical place that allows you to step back in time from the moment you first step off the ferry. That’s what attracted me to the island as a visitor and then as an author looking for a new setting for a book. A Wedding Transpires on Mackinac Island is being sold as a package in Waterfront Weddings, …
Show v. Tell: 4 Tips from Author Jordyn Redwood
Today I’m delighted to have Jordyn Redwood join me with a guest post on how to write show v. tell. As you’ll see below, this is something I believe she did with excellence in her new novel Poison. It’s also why I asked her if she’d like to write a post to share. Without further ado, here’s Jordyn: Because the …
Picking Topics for Books
One challenge for a novelist is coming up with ideas that generate ideas for future books. While we’re writing one, we need to generate ideas for more — it’s a cycle of life of sorts. I read a few non-fiction books, looking for anything that jumps out at me. And if it interests me, there is a chance I can spin …
To brand or not to brand…
A brand. That’s what every author needs. At least that’s what we’re told as authors almost from the moment we first tap out a word on a keyboard. From some perspectives, people take it to mean you need a tagline. A pithy phrase that defines you to readers and publishers. Others say it means identifying those elements that are consistent …
Writing, Dreaming, or Scheming
Here’s another post. Life is still the same. Only now I’m balancing writing a WWII novel with a contemporary mystery. Oh and spent a lot of time the last couple weeks trying to beat another WWII proposal into submission. Amazing how the more I write, the more the process stays the same. One of the challenges of the writing life …
Three Tips for Creating Compelling Characters
I don’t know about you, but characters often make or break a story for me. As a writer, I try to remember what makes some characters and their stories more compelling for me than others. Here are a few tips I try to keep in mind as I write based on the characters that I love to read about again …
Getting Our Facts Right…
I’m bringing this one back. Getting research right is so important. Our readers care. My friend Julie Lessman recently had a great post on this at the ACFW blog. So Recently, I received some really amazing feedback for one of my historicals A Promise Forged. First, you need to know a little about the story, set in 1943: When Kat …
Interview with author Olivia Newport
Today I’m delighted to have fellow author Olivia Newport join us. her first novel, The Pursuit of Lucy Banning released May 1st. I always love to talk to new authors and see what their process is like. I hope you enjoy getting to know Olivia and her book as much as I have. Olivia, can you tell us a bit …
3 Ways to Incorporate Setting into Your Story
If your a writer I’m sure you’ve had a moment like this…you have characters. You might even have a plot. But you’re not sure where to place the story. My mentor Colleen Coble has told me often that the setting should be so integral to the story that it is practically a character. To the point readers can’t imagine the …