Posts about writing and publishing.
Navigating eczema. So, you probably noticed already (because you are very sharp) that this post does not exactly fall under my usual three R’s: reading, ‘riting, or ranting. Nope. Today I will be discussing eczema–primarily hand eczema–so if this is not a concern for you, you may want to skip this post. But actually, my eczema is related to writing because it affects my hands–bad news for a writer. The other way eczema is related to writing is that writers…
Book banning Book burning. The Nazis did it in the 1930’s. The Red Guard did it during the Cultural Revolution. Want to know when the earliest recorded state book burning occurred? China in 213 BCE. Yep, that long ago. Emperor Qin Shi Huang burned books he deemed uncomplimentary to his regime. And since then, many countries, states, and provinces have joined in book banning and book burning. Journalist Daniel Schwartz details this history in his article, “The Books Have Been…
Sweet are the uses of adversity, Which like the toad, ugly and venomous, Wears yet a precious jewel in his head; And this our life, exempt from public haunt, Finds tongues in trees, books in running brooks, Sermons in stones and good in everything ~William Shakespeare I’ve been thinking about some of the bad stuff that’s happened in the last year—the…
Sweet are the uses of adversity, Which like the toad, ugly and venomous, Wears yet a precious jewel in his head; And this our life, exempt from public haunt, Finds tongues in trees, books in running brooks, Sermons in stones and good in everything ~William Shakespeare I’m sitting here on election eve feeling jittery. I mean, jittery. Staying up all night…
Welcome to my DIY Writing Retreat! Open the door and enter my hideaway solo DIY writing retreat. Oh, and what is a DIY Writing Retreat? I often attend a writing conference in the fall; for two years I reveled in the Better Books craft retreat (and, in fact, after that excellent retreat last year I decided to rewrite my novel for the fourth time. But this year I felt I knew where I was headed with my book, and…
Going AWOL Hi Dear Readers! I missed you! How are you all doing? Did you notice I’d gone AWOL? I’ve been AWOL from Pen In Her Hand for two months now. I didn’t even realize it had been that long. What, you may ask, have I been up to? Well, I’ve been focusing more on novel writing. I’ve been working on a YA novel, which has now changed to Upper Middle Grade mostly because workshop readers told me my book…
Yes, I did say El Cheapo. Writers, think you can’t afford a writing retreat? Think again. Today I’m going to introduce you to the benefits of an El Cheapo writing retreat. In Part Two, we’ll discuss tips to help you make your own El Cheapo a successful event. First off, what or who is an El Cheapo? Answer: El Cheapo is a DIY writing experience. It is not a conference (which are also good) where you rush from lecture to workshop…
Your Reading Room If you’re reading this, then it follows as night follows day (I always wanted to use that simile, and now I have!) that you’re a reader. It also follows that you may be in need of the perfect reading room. Bear with me. I know you have a place to read–perhaps it’s your bed with a bevy of pillows tucked in behind you, and you’re wearing your fuzzy bunny sleeper. But that’s not the reading room we’re…
“Are you going to be Asian or white?” my older daughter asked her sister. We were in the kitchen. The kids were working on homework, and I was meal planning. My ears pricked, and I stopped what I was doing to listen. This conversation between my daughters took place some years ago as my younger child was preparing to attend middle school. We were looking at a couple of different schools, one of which, a large public school, had a…
Please join me in welcoming Margaret Mizushima! I’m excited to spotlight Margaret Mizushima, the author of the Timber Creek mysteries featuring Deputy Mattie Cobb and her K-9 partner Robo. Together they keep the peace in Timber Creek, Colorado. Today we’re discussing the upcoming novel Hunting Hour to be released August 8th. Welcome, Margaret! Thank you, Deb. I’m happy to be here! I appreciate you hosting me and highlighting Hunting Hour. DA: You’ve clearly spent a lot of time around dogs….
Today I’m pleased to welcome cemetery historian Tui Snider. Tui Snider is a writer, speaker, photographer, and musician specializing in offbeat sites, overlooked history, cemetery symbolism, and haunted lore. Her award-winning books include Paranormal Texas, The Lynching of the Santa Claus Bank Robber, Unexpected Texas, and Understanding Cemetery Symbols. Thanks for stopping by, Tui! As readers of this blog know, I have a lifelong fascination with ghostlit. And, as an avid reader of ghostlit, I especially love scenes that take place…
Mystery Blogger Award Nominee…that’s me! I know I should have said “that is I” instead of “that’s me,” but who cares about grammar at a time like this? Anyhow, yay! And thank you Doree Weller for nominating me! So, some housekeeping details. There are rules involved. Serious rules. Rule #1: Put the Mystery Blogger Award logo on the blog post. See above. Rule #2: List the rules. They are as follows (starting with number 3 since you already have 1…
“Would you rather” book tag. So, I guess this “would you rather” game of tag has been around for a while. The newest thread originated by RayKayBooks focuses on book questions. Trin Carl over at The Global Dig tagged me and challenged me to answer some questions. Hi Trin! Here are the questions and my answers. Would you rather: 1. READ ONLY TRILOGIES OR STANDALONES? Definitely standalones. I rarely read trilogies. I find with trilogies that the first book is compelling, the…