Once upon a time, though not so very long ago, writers who wanted to become published authors had to pass through several gates to meet their goal. First, they had to attract the attention of a decent literary agent to represent their work. If the agent liked the manuscript and felt the writer was worth... Continue Reading →
I haven't been marketing my books very actively lately, so it's always fun to get a notice I've sold copies (!), which tells me my past efforts must still be paying off. I can't trace where readers are learning about my books, but here are a couple of places I've promoted my books in the... Continue Reading →
Do you get as distracted as I do by all those bookshelves behind the talking heads on TV? It's hard for me to keep up with Judy Woodruff and the PBS Newshour when they broadcast out of the studio, presumably in the anchor and reporters' homes. I'm more curious about the books they read than... Continue Reading →
[Image courtesy istock] Some say the e-book revolution did brick-and-mortar stores in, but I recently read a fascinating interview that points in another direction: to the bookstore companies themselves. Notice I wrote "bookstore companies" rather than "booksellers" or "bookstores." "Bookstore companies" is something that -- as far as I know -- I made up so... Continue Reading →
With the NCAA Basketball Tournament in full-court press these days, it's easy for me to pick teams, even though my favorites lost early and are no longer in contention. I had hoped for a good game between the Akron Zips and the Zags (okay, technically Gonzaga's team is actually called the Bulldogs….), but that won't... Continue Reading →
New Book for Fellow Writers! Years ago I devoted two full years of my life to obtaining an MFA degree in Creative Writing -- a combination of workshops and standard classes. Two years of reading and writing (and teaching, to help pay my way). I went into some serious debt in that effort, but it... Continue Reading →
Awhile back I wrote about some problems I was having with Lulu, my long-time, go-to print-on-demand platform. While many of those problems have been resolved, some linger, despite some helpful intervention by a particularly attentive customer service rep. It was so frustrating my very supportive husband found himself asking why I persisted. "If it causes... Continue Reading →
If you've ever wondered whether what you write matters, if words actually count, you have all the evidence you need in the events of Wednesday this week, the most prominent of many examples we've all witnessed. The insurgents who swarmed our nation's Capitol have been listening to spoken words, reading written words. They believed those... Continue Reading →
…but the good news, they're back! Last I checked, all of my ebooks have reappeared on Amazon, though they've gone missing at some of the other online booksellers 😦 It's great to know that RVers who want to gift their fellow RVing friends with an ebook by sharing the fun of a Rollin RV Mystery... Continue Reading →
Sometimes real-life hands us our own mysteries. After writing them for awhile, you'd think I'd be thrilled to have a real life mystery drop in my lap. Not exactly. I've been quiet here but active in other places online, promoting my latest Rollin RV Mystery, Superstition Victim. The other day I was on Amazon (where... Continue Reading →
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