In today’s post, I’ll be discussing the most interesting information found during the research phase of a book. When I was writing The Bone Maiden, I knew very little about the Crescent City. Although I had actually been to New Orleans twice before, once for Mardi Gras and another time for just sightseeing, after peripherally […]

In today’s post, I’ll be discussing how to put yourself into the head of your character to write stronger characters. As I discussed in a podcast titled, Book Bible, I write a detailed character profile for each of my cast members in what’s called a Book Bible. When I need to write in the POV […]

The big question for today is how do you “ground” readers into your story and pull them in? How I ground readers into my story and pull them in are through with three different but successful methods. The first method is the all important hook. Through the course of the opening sentence, paragraph, or scene […]

Here is my Top 10 Most Common Writing Obstacles Every Writer Faces… Time Finding the right time to write can be challenging. As I illustrated in my podcast titled, How to Start Writing, I discuss ways around this obstacle. Because I have a family, that comes with certain responsibilities. But one of those responsibilities is […]

As a young child living somewhere between the Midwest and the eastern seaboard, I cut my teeth on a variety of reading. Some were beloved children’s classics while others were more traditional literature. As a scrappy elementary reader, my favorite things to read were the Little Golden Books series which had titles like The Little […]

In the writing community, there is a lot of debate among authors about being a plotter or a pantser. For some authors, they are die-hard plotters. They organize and outline their writing so it’s more manageable. Other writers write by the seat of their pants. They know where they want to start and work creatively […]

I generally write suspense & thriller novels focused on families torn by tragedy and the difficult struggles faced when that familial bond is threatened or broken. As I explained in a different blog about my favorite books growing up, I read a lot of suspense and thrillers. Some of my favorite authors include Stephen King, […]

I’ve always been the creative sort even when I was little. But I didn’t start really writing until I was in my 40s. My early career took me on a different path. After I finished my bachelors degree at Indiana University in the early 90s, I was a salesman. I hadn’t found my true calling […]

The simple answer to this question is whenever I can. The real answer which sits somewhere between the easy and hard answer and that depends on where I am in the writing process. Am I at the very beginning? In the middle? Or near the end? When I sit down to write a new story, […]