To preface this list: I try hard to stay away from bashing bad books. In the first place, I wouldn’t like it done to my books. That shit hurts. Second, I might meet the actual author some day, and that would be awkward AF. Can you picture it at a convention? Me: “Oh, hi, you’re [author]? You must be the one who wrote [this book, which I totally trashed in a review].” Poor Author: “Yep, that’s me. So you’ve read…
This post was part of the author toolbox blog hop, created and hosted by Raimey Gallant. It has gone on hiatus, but there are still plenty of great posts in Raimey’s archives to help you out! Do you know how to tell, at a glance, that you’re dealing with a new, inexperienced author? Telling. When the writing is chock-a-block full of telling, it’s a gargantuan, neon clue blaring out: This author is still learning. This author is hacking out the…
Welcome to another Insecure Writer’s Support Group day! To sign up for the Group yourself, join in on the fun and receive all the wonderful support, go here. The awesome co-hosts for the February 5 posting of the IWSG are Lee Lowery, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Jennifer Hawes, Cathrina Constantine, and Tyrean Martinson! Stop by their blogs and offer a thank-you for today. The optional question for today was: has a single photo or work of art ever inspired a story? What was it and did…
This old post has been brushed up for this month’s Author Toolbox Blog Hop, hosted and moderated by author Raimey Gallant. Authors at all stages of their writing/publishing journey are welcome to hop in and bring new ideas and tools. Did you know there are such things as “filter words” when writing? I did not as a smol writer but now, thanks to the Tunnel of Everlasting Rejection which was 2017, I do. In the course of a) submitting my…
This is an Insecure Writer’s Support Group post. Come, writers of all neurotic types, and join us. Any and all are welcome and the support is unbeatable. Our Co-Hosts this month are Raimey Gallant (Hi!!), Natalie Aguirre, CV Grehan and Michelle Wallace. Don’t forget to go over and show them some loving support. The (optional) question for this February 6th: Besides writing, what other creative outlets do you have? Does the ability to raise three tiny destroyers without significant loss of life, limb, or property count…
Exposure isn’t just something that will kill you while hiking. For authors, it’s a coveted, elusive treasure. Like Atlantis? Let’s call it Atlantis. It’s well-concealed, no one knows if it’s real for sure, and you’ll most likely run out of air before you find it. Sounds about right. In the quest for some exposure I swallowed my pride and forked money over to the social behemoth. I decided to go with Facebook for two main reasons. First, it might not…
*And no, “Ban” is not an up-cycled traditional French men’s name. I literally mean “ban” as in “refuse access” New self-hosted website, new world, brave new problems. So far I have been extremely lucky in the troll department *knocks on wood*. Mostly because my site is very small, possibly because the tiny niche of aspiring writer is a hard one to have a big old troll issue with? For whatever reason, I mostly got useful, legit comments on the old…
Not much of a long wordy post today, I’m too busy doing a happy Muppet flail! I’m thrilled to announce that my first ever book, Big Mistake, is now available! You can find it here on eXtasy Book’s website. Look at that pretty, shiny new cover. That’s right, an official link to an official eBook that I officially wrote! Do I get to tell people “I’m an author” when they ask what I do? It’s established fact now? Riding on the wave…
The Query ship sets sail again this week! In batches of three, my latest begging letter will be heading out to seas unknown, trying to lure me in an agent. My first three letters for 2018 have already garnered me three rejections. Here be monsters (if you define monsters as a vicious cycle of hope and rejection, which I totally do.) In honor of the maiden voyage of my completed manuscript (New Adult, alternate universe, with a strong love story)…
Did you know there’s such a thing as “filter words” when writing? I did not, but now thanks to the Tunnel of Rejection that was 2017, I do. In the course of a) submitting my manuscripts to RWA contests for judging and b) having my bits chopped off by the Axe of Editing the awesome staff at eXtasy Books wields, I have learned the stuff they teach you in creative writing. So take writing classes, is the lesson here. Alternate lesson: If,…