Let’s talk about what makes an historical novel a wall-banger. That’s what author Elizabeth Chadwick calls the kind of book that annoys the reader enough to chuck it at the wall in disgust. Medieval mysteries have been my dessert reading …
New Year • New Challenge
Did you set a new challenge for the new year? A few months ago, I asked my primary care physician what I could do to remain cognitively sharp as I age, He’s a young guy and the best doctor I’ve …
Is There a Perfect Time to Submit?
Ever since I became an agent, I’ve been trying to figure out the rhythm of this industry— the perfect time to submit proposals. Every industry has “seasons” and because we agents are always trying to second-guess things, we are ever …
If Wishes were Horses. . .
Ever wonder what a literary agent wishes for? Let me tell you a few things I wish for on the last star of the morning or when I blow out the candles on the birthday cake.
Wish #1: That …
Work vs. Rest
It’s ironic that on the day we honor labor, I’m beginning a week of vacation. Well, not really vacation since I’m going nowhere. It’s important to recognize when we need a rest from labor. Our creative souls starve for adequate …
Brain Fitness
We writers have a challenging job. We try to eat healthy, drink water, move our muscles and improve our health to keep up with the pace of marketing and deadlines without flatlining along the way. All are important for fitness …
What Not to Say
Several years ago I outlined these ten no-nos. With conference season in full swing I thought a refresher would be a good thing. Plenty of blogs tell you how to approach an agent, what to say and how to say …
What Now?
Remember those days when we worked so hard to get published? Did you ever think that publication would only be the beginning of a new set of worries? As aspiring writers we were fixated on the prize– representation and an …
The Measure of Success
If there’s one question I’m asked more than any other, it’s this: “How do I measure success when it comes to book sales?”
I’ve heard the strangest theories of what constitutes success. For instance, this from an old Publishers Weekly, …
Workspaces
I’ll confess. I’ve been watching YouTube videos of art studios as I reorganize my own studio. January definitely seems to be the month to reorganize and get ready for a new year. My office—my writing and working space— is already …