A writer's journey...

As a published author , I've found a few things give me a high. Release days , for sure! Knowing that all my hard work is now out there for the world to enjoy and be entertained by is heady. Holding my published book in my hand feels surreal. Going back, heck, finishing the first draft of a novel is exhilarating. (After all, I just created something from nothing!) But another exciting milestone is seeing my book's cover for the first time. This happened for me yesterday when my publisher emailed me the cover for a book release I have coming out in 2026. It doesn't matter if it's the first book or number fifty, this still fills me with excitement and infuses me with inspiration! So what if you're not quite there yet? Maybe you're still working on writing your first draft. First of all, congratulations for taking on such a challenge ! You've got this--just a bit each day gets a book written! But if you're looking for further motivation, why not mock up...

USB Memory Direct USBs make an excellent promotional tool. I was approached by a company called USB Memory Direct to sample their product and write a review. Lucky for me, they got my name from my partnership with Sisters in Crime. They were offering me a couple dozen customized USB drives--and all I had to do in exchange was write an honest review. Well, here it is. The drives are of excellent quality. They came in and were a lot bigger than I thought they'd be from the pictures online. (That was a bonus!) I've used them personally, but I haven't handed any out yet. When I do, I believe they'll make a statement. And who wouldn't love the fact that they are shaped like a book?! Let's face it: us authors are always looking for promotional items to give to our lovely readers, something just a little extra to stick in with that signed book in the mail. I'd say these USB drives would make an excellent option. Not only are they unique--and customized f...

Writing a book takes a lot of time. Make sure to play along the way! As writers, we have so much on our to-do lists, and as professional authors, we have even more. The last post touched on just twelve tips that lead to self-publishing success, but there are so many other things involved. And implementing those twelve tips are time-consuming. (See post: 12 Things You Need to Know for Self-Publishing Success .) So how do you find time to take care of life’s other responsibilities as well as find time to play? You add it to your calendar! That sounds easy, but it can be a lot trickier adhering to it! But just like you schedule time for writing, you should allocate time for other aspects of your life as well. And play is very important. I think in today’s world where indie authors are encouraged to produce, produce, produce, it’s too easy to get caught up on the hamster wheel thinking that all sales will stop if we don’t have a new book out every two months. Isn’t it b...

Navigate the world of self-publishing successfully by applying just 12 tips of the trade. Self-publishing is both rewarding and challenging—and has no guarantees of success. There are so many books flooding the market these days, and authors need to have a strong game plan more than ever before. The following tips, though not a comprehensive list, are some things to focus on to give yourself a better chance of self-publishing success. 1. Effective immediately: Eliminate the word hobby from your vocabulary. Successful authors view writing as a career. Before I made a single cent with my writing, I would take offense when anyone called my writing a hobby. It’s important you take your writing seriously and view publishing as a business because that’s what it truly is. Not only does this require the right mindset, it demands dedication and consistency.   2. Schedule your time. We all have twenty-four hours in a day, and we have many roles we play, along with ...

I can’t believe it’s been over two years since I wrote a piece for this blog! And before that, only one post in 2015. It seems like I was more active here leading up to 2014—before I started living every author’s dream and was able to quit my day job! It’s funny that when you’re dreaming of writing full-time, you imagine that when it happens you’ll have so much time. You tell yourself you’ll do this; you’ll do that. But reality has other plans. If you’ve made it to the point that you’re a full-time author, you’ve already treated your craft as a business. But when you set out on your own, you know that you’re running a business. After all, if you don’t manage your time and produce product, work marketing into your schedule, allocate time to engage with readers, and the list goes on, you’ll find that sales may slow down. And if you’re not at the point where you can be serving your notice just yet, keep these things in mind for when that time comes. (Notice when , not if . I b...

A book would be nothing without characters, and with such an important role, it’s vital that we create ones that are strong and rememberable. These include our supporting characters. When creating your main characters no doubt you put much time and effort into crafting their personality, their history, their relationships with others, their personal tastes in all areas of life, their physical appearance, their desires and needs, their background, education, occupation, and the list goes on. To sum this up, you know your main characters intimately. The same should be said of your supporting characters. You might be wondering why as they don’t have the same on-the-page time as do main characters, but here’s the reason: characters can make or break your book just as a bad actor or actress can kill a movie. Consider for a minute how boring it would be if all your characters were black shadows walking through a cardboard city. That’s essentially how flat a story can be if...

Last week I started to share my writing journey with you. It’s one that seems to inspire others, as well as myself. What took place in my life confirmed that I was meant to be an author. If you’re an author, you will have your own story, I have no doubt. But, here is the rest of mine. (If you didn’t catch Part 1, you can find it here .) Back in 2006, the economy was strong, and I was young and determined to find happiness with my employment. I wasn’t looking for a career, I was simply looking for a place where I’d be happy and my mind would be challenged. That year, I left a company I had worked at for seven years because I wanted a change. I ended up working at three different places in three months—and all the moves were my doing! What can I say? I knew what I wanted and I hadn’t found it yet. Through all of this, my sweet husband supported my decisions. He says he never had any doubt in my abilities. That’s probably a good reason I’ve kept him around so long. (Nineteen year...

A common question I’m asked as an author is, “when did you start writing?” Every time I get to answer this question, I fall in love all over again…not that I ever really fell out of love. Some people might tell you that they loved books from the time they could read, that they were writing stories in crayon, that writing is what defines their entire life up until this point. Well, my story is a little different. It’s a unique one that usually sends spikes of energy through me and those I’m telling it to. It didn’t necessarily start off that exciting, but how I became reunited with writing after being away from it for thirteen years, is my story alone to tell. So here goes. My story starts off much like other authors. I did start writing when I was young, but it wasn’t with crayons. It was on a typewriter and then on a computer. I was a teenager at the time and in love with the dramatics involved with young romance. Maybe it was a reflection of all the tangled emotions that w...

While we may not ask the question in so many words, it’s calculated in the background of our mind every time we choose a book to read. We have expectations about the storyline and how it will make us feel. If it’s a non-fiction book we want to come away having learned something. If it’s fiction we want to escape reality for a bit and take up with imaginary characters. We want to get lost in a world that’s not ours. Really, then, we are not buying books, we are buying outcomes . Focusing on the fictional aspect, we likely decide on a police procedural novel to enter the world of crime scene investigation. We want to be a part of the investigation, solving the case alongside the characters. We want to be thrown off by red herrings, be side-swiped by the twists and turns, and by the end we expect that the murderer face justice. We don’t just want the novel coming at us. We want to think as we read and anticipate what might be coming next. We want to solve the case before our be...

Love your book come edit time Most authors don't ever want to see "their baby" again by the time it's published. They've read it, revised it, and rewritten parts it more times than they care to count. What if I told you the process could be a little easier?  Why not take a proactive approach? Here are 5 steps to make editing easier from the first draft: 1) Research before you write your book. This can be forensics, procedure, weapons--basically anything that pertains to your story. 2) Outline. Now if you're more of a panster you might balk at this, but at this point, I see value in at least setting out with a rough outline. If you don't want to do this from the start, as the story gets going, jot out future scenes. The benefit to this is logical progression. I have learned this lesson the hard way and it resulted in more intensive edits and rewrites. 3) Write when you're alert and sober. Writing is a business. Would you ever show u...

You’ve finished your first draft and now it’s time to really get to work. The “play” time of creating a story and following along with your characters has ended—or has it? Like everything else, editing is about mindset. Do you look at it as a dredging task or do you focus on the shining gem your manuscript will be when you finish? Do you get weighed down analyzing word play (sentence structure, for example) or do you realize how you’re sharpening your manuscript? See, there are two ways of looking at a situation. If you view editing as a tedious necessity, it’s pretty safe to surmise that you don’t enjoy the process. Unfortunately, this is going to reflect in the end product. You’ll take shortcuts. You’ll declare something as finished just because you don’t want to look at it again. But what if you were to think about the end result instead of the process to get there? What if you accepted editing as a necessary step in making your book marketable, in getting it into the ...

Every writer dreams of the day they are able to leave the day job and pursue their passion full-time. Few make it happen. I’m here to share with my readers and the followers of this blog that I did it! I am now a full-time author! I share this not to brag, but to inspire, to let you know that you can do it too.  Now, I’m a huge believer in affirmations and the Law of Attraction and I want to share my story with you. Warning, though, if you’re not yet a believer, you might be after you read my story. Here it is. At the end of last year, my sister, Sherry and her husband were down for a visit. She has taught me a lot and has introduced me to many great teachers of our time. One of them is Jack Canfield. Anyway, back on point. We watched a video they had brought with Jack Canfield. In it he emphasized how we are capable of anything.  We are, in fact, limitless.  He even demonstrated this by having us do a physical exercise. It had me blurting out an explet...

As recently shared on my Facebook Author Page , the reason I write is two-fold. One, not only  is it my passion, but to know that I can touch people with my words, that I can provide a temporary escape, either from stress or pain, that touches me on an immense spiritual level that nothing else can even come close to. Thank you for choosing me and letting me into your world. Send to Kindle

The word focus harnesses unlimited potential. Its execution is so powerful that kings have forged empires, masterpieces were created and legacies were left for the next generation.  This five-letter word has changed the course of history and continues to. The best part is that each of us have the ability to utilize its influence in, and over, our life. These days establishing clear focus can prove a real challenge. Obligations come at us from every angle that we become inundated and feel overwhelmed. In addition to the necessities of life, we have our passions and desires. How can we fit everything in? Again, focus comes into play. If we make a workable schedule, this allows us to stay focused on what needs to be done. For example, as an author, if we lay out a release schedule at the start of the year, we can break this down into small increments of time and know what we have to do, and when, in order to reach our targets. A good question is, how do we make a ...

How to write solid characters has been a regular topic on my blog. Really, providing realistic characters is the key to hooking readers. Yes, of course, you need an intriguing plot, ideal pacing, and so on, but at the root of every book is its characters. Ernest Hemingway said, "We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master."  Are your characters real enough to pinch? Well, more recently I've discovered another means of creating characters my readers can pinch. The suggestion actually came from Katie Jennings—thank you, Katie! She’s uses this method. In fact, when I started looking at things this way, I realized I had already incorporated it into my characters without even knowing it. Still, it’s provided a means to ensure that my characters always stay true to who they are and it enables me to sharpen them. Using this method makes it possible to know how they are going to react in situations. It can tell you roughly what your c...

When you tap into the creative side and the words pour out of you, it's euphoric —it's what I term "falling into the rabbit hole"—and it's even more magical than  Alice in Wonderland .   It's a kind of rush you can't get enough of and it seems it's something you can never truly prepare yourself for—or can you? Maybe you've been struggling with a manuscript or it's just finding the time to write. Maybe you're not sure about what comes next and you procrastinate to the point you haven't written in days. Part of you might feel like crawling under a rock and proclaiming your work in progress stalled to the point that you hide behind "writer's block."  I'm here to tell you there's no such thing as "writer's block," per se, it's another procrastination excuse invented by writers. Of course, there are times that things come up in our writing that leave us wondering what the next step should be...

As a teenager, I wanted to write a full-length novel. I was so serious about it that I even wrote Harlequin for their submission guidelines. To this day, I still remember hunkering down in the basement reading them over.  Little did I realize at the time, it wouldn't be until over 13 years later that I would finish writing my first novel. Forwarding to the future a few more years, I am now a published author of 12 titles with more written at various stages of editing.  But, there were a few things that were ingrained in me, a couple of which I saw clearly — I would have a book signing at a Chapters store and have my books on the shelf there. There wasn't a question of whether it would happen, but when.  I'm excited to say that these visualizations have manifested in the last 7 months! I was even interviewed on a local TV show! Looking back, I know that these realities were set in motion by the visualizations of a teenage girl —a girl who had no ide...