We recently took a lovely vacation full of sunshine and relaxation. I came home with a pocket of anxiety about the upcoming school year, though. August is notorious for being full of things I generally don't enjoy such as school registration, back-to-school shopping, daily sports' practices, dentist appointments, parent meetings and…
Welcome to another edition of Writer's Life, my interview series with authors of sweet or inspirational romance novels. I'm thrilled to have Danica Favorite today! Danica and I met years ago at an RWA conference in Washington D.C. I knew her from the Harlequin forums, so I was especially happy…
Welcome to another edition of Writer's Life, my interview series with authors of sweet or inspirational romance novels. Today I'm blessed to have Lyn Cote on the blog! Lyn is an award-winning, multi-published author of contemporary and historical romance, and she's also a generous writer who has helped many new authors…
Symptoms of writer's brain: 1. Overwhelming desire to drop everything and explore a new idea. 2. Inability to focus because five things are clamoring for attention. 3. Disconnect with the world around us due to immersion in whatever we're working on. I didn't always have writer's brain. In fact…
I have always struggled with disruptions to my routine. My dedicated writing hours during the school year dwindle to snatched minutes with the kids home for summer. My kids aren't even young! It's just different having them home. They have places to be, stomachs to feed and various activities during…
I'm blessed to have an overactive imagination. Yes, blessed! Ideas clang and roll around in my brain all the time. Most of them are tiny snippets, not worth exploring, but some burrow in and won't leave me alone. About six years ago, I learned something extremely valuable. If I don't…
I hope you enjoyed your Easter Sunday! We had a beautiful sunny day, and we're still eating leftover ham and snacking on Easter basket goodies. Rain moved in. I'm hoping this means our yellow grass turns green. I am SO ready for spring! April is always hectic around here,…
If you're a writer, you know how difficult it is to land an agent. And even with an agent, it's difficult to sell your books! I'm at The Writers Alley today sharing my experience. Yes, I signed with my agent after cold querying her. And, yes, I sold my debut…
To successfully plan a book release, you need an expert level of organization. As I wrap up the plans to promote my debut novel, I realize I had no idea it would be this time consuming. And there are so many details poised to slip through the cracks! That’s why I’m sharing…
I'm always looking for a better, faster and cheaper way to do things. The last four years have seen huge improvements in tools authors use to promote their books. 4 Promotion Tool Improvements for Writers 1. Templates for business cards Three years ago I ordered my first business cards. First,…