A (Mostly) Pantser Tries Plotting
Sometimes, it feels like a scene from West Side Story where two rival gangs meet in the dark alley and – after dancing around for a little while – square off for the fight. Who is the better gang? The…
Wednesday Words: Rock Band Names
If you want to have a lot of fun with words, learn to play a musical instrument, form a band, and then name it! One of the interview questions I want asked of bands is how they chose their name.…
I Want It for Free!
I was recently ranting to my husband about how frustrating it is to know so many people with ebook readers wanting to download free books! Having written a couple of manuscripts, I now recognize that a book involves hours and…
Who Wrote It? Author Franchises
So you pick up yet another book from an author who has churned out four this year already, excited to crack open the spine and yet wondering how he manages to write so many novels. But then you discover, he…
Prickly Pronunciations
These words all rhyme: New Cue Lieu Woo Do So how do you spell the “oo” sound in English? Um, it depends. The English language represents a mixing of cultures because it has borrowed words from many other tongues and…
A Peek into the World of Introversion
I’m a teenager sitting on my bed staring into space and contemplating life, the universe, and everything (by the way, the answer is 42). My sister barges in; looks at me, then around the room, then back at me; crosses…
Larger than Life Characters
It’s Friday Fiction time! I recently read a great post by Literary Agent Kate McKean (top ten things agents and editors want to see every day of the week) and noticed a phrase she used to tell people not to wallow…
Word Weaver, Sandra Boynton
Sandra Boynton with her chickens If you’ve never heard of Sandra Boynton, you are missing out. Most parents have either seen Boynton’s children books or heard her CDs. She has also designed numerous greeting cards. What I love most, though,…
Yep, I’m a Fanilow
The first album I recall owning was Donny Osmond: Portrait of Donny. As a young girl, I was wowed by Donny’s looks and voice. But this post is not about him. (Sorry, Donny.) You see, as I matured,…
My Reluctant Conversion to Ebooks
I lament the loss of texture. With our touch screen world, it is becoming rarer and rarer to feel the push buttons of a telephone, an ATM, or a debit card machine; the click of a mouse rather than…