We all want recognition for our work, of which, the ultimate goal is no doubt publication—with a second and third print run to cement our success.
But along the way to publication, there are other ways for a writer to evaluate their progress, and while we’ve discussed the benefits of critique partners and similar groups before on this blog, I thought today we could talk about the bene’s (and maybe not so bene’s) of writers contests.
The thing to remember about contests is that choosing which ones to enter should involve just …

Since Jeannie’s been talking about branding the last few weeks, I’m chiming in with a post about branding for the multi-genre writer.  She mentioned this briefly in her blog at RomanceUniversity.org but I thought I would expand on this particular aspect of the branding discussion just a little further.
So, are you the kind of writer that doesn’t want to be pegged down to a particular trope? Do you like to try one thing and then switch the next book on its ear and do something completely different?
If you’re a new …

A reader wants a story she can get lost in. A story that will make an impression, make an impact and stay with her for days afterward (if not longer).
As writers, it’s our job to give the reader that lasting feeling of connection, a tug on the heartstrings or a puzzle to tantalize the mind. So how do we do it?
We too have to make a connection. We have to become the characters we write about, as much as possible. It isn’t easy. It’s hard. Hard because it has to …

I’m very much looking forward to a relaxing holiday this year.
In previous years I’ve let all the hustle and bustle of this time of years stress me out, but lately I realized that instead of anticipating this season with joy, I had begun to dread it’s arrival, so I stopped. It really was as simple as that. I pared down Christmas to its basic level–a nice dinner with family, some presents under the tree for my son and warm well wishes and a basket of cookies for everyone else (who really …

I was very lucky this weekend to be able to take part in a retreat with five other authors that I know from my RWA Chapter. We got together and rented a really nice little suite at a ski chalet. Of course, we did it in October so as not to be tempted to go skiing since there’s no actual snow yet
It was great to get together with friends and enjoy the company of some people I only see every few months or so, and a very productive and …

It may seem odd for me to be doing a blog about…blogging, but there you have it. In fact, I am offering a new marketing/promotions workshop and part of it is about making the most of a blog—which brings me around in a circle to websites and other social media like Twitter.
There are a lot of people who will tell you that blogs are falling by the wayside as quicker, trendier social programs like Twitter take their place, and it may very well seem that way if you look at …

So I’m actually writing my Tuesday post on Sunday evening (be amazed by the magic of the internet). And the reason I had to do this when normally I leave everything to mostly the very last minute (like 11:55 pm the night before) is because as of Monday (tomorrow? yesterday?) I start Candy Havens’ Fast Draft—a commitment to write 2,000 words per day for fourteen days—although many of the other participants are going to be trying for the full 2,500 words per day, and you’ve got to give them credit …

I almost forgot about my post today (oh the horror!) because my deadline is now a dark cloud looming over my head and I've been in my writer's cave, struggling to get my book done. And I don't know why I'm surprised because the same thing happened to me with the last book, and the one before that…
So I ask–How do you get a book written?
It should be an easy enough question to answer, right? You start at the beginning (or sometimes a place in between) and you work your way through until …

February will mark the release of my fourth title since I started on this writer’s journey three years ago—Dark Immortal. (As an aside, when I started writing this book I had no idea how hard it would be. The characters came from deep within, carrying a lot of pain and heartache with them that tore me apart to write—Which is perhaps why once I did finish it, it ended up being my favourite book to date.) 
Anyway, now that I have a few books under my belt, I often get asked from other writers …

Harlequin Goes All E-Book / Borders Expands Sony Reader / E-Books Corner Niche Markets / Borders and Sony to Launch E-Bookstore 
These are just some of the headlines I’ve seen on my literary travels in the past year. Articles from Discover Magazine and Scientific American, to RWR publications and more.  Now, I’m usually pretty dense, but even I can pick up on the pattern here. E-books and e-book technology are becoming big news. BIG.  
An e-book is, of course, the digital media equivalent of a conventional printed book. And sure, we all …