Tag: publishing

On Making Clichés Feel Fresh (When You Can’t Avoid Them)

I haven't conducted any scientifically-valid surveys or research, but I'm nonetheless willing to bet that, at some point in their careers, every budding writer has been taught to avoid clichés like the plague. When a phrase has been used so often that it's lost all impact, well, it no longer has impact, and the writing comes across as lazy and unoriginal. Those are not great selling points and they don't engage readers. So let’s grab the bull by the horns and think outside the box so we can figure out how to avoid clichés, which I honestly think has been a problem since the dawn of time.

Okay, So, I’m a Wee Bit Behind on the ’ol Book Updates

One of the reasons I started this blog in the first place was to keep all y'all updated on my various projects, and to keep myself accountable. The good news is, I've made tremendous progress on the writing projects. The bad news is, I was so focused that the blog slipped a bit.

On Creating a Main Character . . . When you can’t give the reader any obvious information about that character

I firmly believe that character is the most important part of a novel. That's the hill I'll die on. Plot keeps us turning the pages, setting immerses us, but character makes us care. If you're racking your brain for story idea, character is a terrific place to start. Of course, developing a compelling character is easier said than done. There are, however, some tricks that can help you. So what happens if you can't use some of the obvious tools?

New Book!

I just added a new book to my author site! This one is called Incandescent: A Winter Tale of Blackthorne Faire, and it's the next in my series of winter tales—short, sort of holiday-adjacent books meant to be read in just a sitting or two, ideally under a blanket by the fire, with a mug of something warm. This book will be available wherever fine books are sold in early November.

Book Updates: One Out, One (Slightly) Delayed, Two Polished, and Two Underway

So, it's been a pretty momentous month—it always is when one launches a new book out into the world. It never, ever gets old and I am way beyond thrilled. And I have many more projects in the hopper!

Writing Update: It’s Book Launch Time!

Next week—Tuesday, November 14 to be precise—my next novel, Make Up Test: A Rom-Com Winter Tale, meets the world for the first time. This time, it's launching with a very special Limited and Numbered edition.

I’m Not Making Progress: In which I offer an update on the projects I’m NOT (yet!) working on

In my last blog article, I updated all y'all on all the many writing projects I'm working on currently. What I didn't talk about was all the projects I'm not working on. Well, I guess technically that list would be infinite, but I mean specifically the ideas that are stirring around rather urgently in my head, that I haven't been able to let go of, but for which I haven't written more than the occasional note.

I’m Making Progress! In Which I Offer Another Book Update

One of the reasons I started this blog was to chronicle my journey as a writer and, I like to hope, to pass along some of the things I've learned. I also intended to hold myself accountable and present updates on all my works in progress. I haven't been too great about that last part, … Continue reading I’m Making Progress! In Which I Offer Another Book Update →

Ideas are easy; stories are hard

I didn't learn a lot from meeting the late, great Wylly Folk St. John, but I sure did from reading her books. When I was in the third or fourth grade, I met a professional author for the first time. It happened to be one of my very favorites, Wylly Folk St. John, who was … Continue reading Ideas are easy; stories are hard →

If you want to write, read!

I've wanted to write since (at least) the third grade. My urges to become an astronaut or a dinosaur-seeking paleontologist faded (although my love for astronauts, space exploration, and dinosaurs remains undimmed), but my longing to create stories never did. In fact, I can still remember the exact books that made me want to make … Continue reading If you want to write, read! →

On Using Someone Else’s Characters in a Story

Spoiler Alert: William Shakespeare's Juliet is probably going to turn up in one of my novels—the Winter Tale that I'm starting to work on now. As a rule, I am not a huge fan of using someone else's characters in a story. That said, rules are meant to be broken and all that. So (spoiler … Continue reading On Using Someone Else’s Characters in a Story →

On Writers in Community

Professors Tolkien and Lewis, writers in community If you've read this blog before, you know I talk a lot about my book grandparents—the writers who shaped and influenced me so deeply, and at so young an age, that I'm scarcely even aware of it. It's like thinking about who taught you to breathe. Two of … Continue reading On Writers in Community →

Novelists: Where Do You Begin a Story?

I have a talk I give on writing called The Storyteller's Toolbox. I've given versions of it at Georgia Tech, Georgia State University, the CONjuration fantasy fan convention, the Broadleaf Writers Conference, and a few other places like that. There's a video version online. One of the questions that just about always comes up is … Continue reading Novelists: Where Do You Begin a Story? →

Thinking About Music, Stories, and Author’s Voice

I've been thinking a lot about music, and how it influences emotion in movies. How do we as book authors do this same in our fiction? How do we capture music in the written word?

It is Accomplished!

The final final draft is officially delivered to my publisher! Here we go again. This post is an update to this one, which updated this one, which was in turn an update to this one. It's always good to remind the audience of the previous episode before diving into the new one. Makeup Test has been delivered … Continue reading It is Accomplished! →

Yet Another Book Update

Okay. So. This post is an update to this one, which was in turn an update to this one. Y'all all caught up? Alright then. It turns out the draft of Makeup Test that I submitted was week was not, in fact, the final. In the words of my editor/publisher, "it's 99.9% there." Bringing a … Continue reading Yet Another Book Update →

On (finally!) Delivering an Overdue Manuscript and Thinking About What’s Funny

This post is mostly an update to this one from earlier in the week. At that point, I was close to delivering the revised draft of Makeup Test: A Rom-Com Winter Tale. At this point, I have done so. What I think is probably the last major draft is now in the hands of my … Continue reading On (finally!) Delivering an Overdue Manuscript and Thinking About What’s Funny →

Reinventing this blog … just a little. (Or … A New Mission)

As many of you already now, I've recently signed with a new agent, Mr. Peter Miller of Global Lion Intellectual Property Management. Peter's a great guy, and to be blunt, he gets things done and deals made. I'm just all kinds of lucky to be working with him.

As as my books and scripts get closer to finding their way to bookstores and screens, I'm going to be sharing a little bit of that journey here.

Musing on Some Elements that Work in Fantasy, Part Two: Iconic Imagery

As we build the ePic Books brand, we're focusing on a single genre (or range of subgenres, I guess), at least for the first year or two: fantasy. A part of our strategy involves looking for certain elements that the very best and most successful fantasies—I'm talking the classics, the most beloved and enduring works that stand out, across years and even generations. One of those elements, Iconic Imagery, is very closely related to the Iconic Locations detailed in Part One.

Musing on Some Elements that Work in Fantasy, Part One: Iconic Locations

When asked to picture Narnia, you probably think of something rather like this, don't you?[/caption]If asked to close one's eyes and picture Narnia, I am willing to bet that just about everyone will picture a snow-covered wood surrounding a clearing where a lamppost sheds a soft, golden light ... just beyond a wardrobe door. Something about that image, that specific location, is iconic. It's a strong, concrete, visual image. It's something we almost can't help responding to, almost like it, that one place, was a character in a story. When we revisit, years later, it's like meeting an old friend.