Recently I was ranting to a friend about someone who annoys me. I explained that I can’t remove this person from my life; I just need to learn how to manage my frustration. My friend said, “You need to pray for this person.” What? I don’t even like this person. But I knew immediately my [...]
It’s an exciting time to be a self-published author, but mistakes can doom your book. One of the most common mistakes self-publishers make is sloppy proofreading. Errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, word usage, and so on are one of the primary reasons for negative book reviews and returns. A good proofreader will catch and correct [...]
When I had the privilege of speaking to the Space Coast Writers' Guild about mistakes self-publishers make, I shared some predictions about what would change for self-publishers in the 2020s. One of the most important trends we’ve been seeing and that will only get stronger is that authors are becoming increasingly empowered. Traditional publishers no [...]
Above the Fold Rachel Scott McDaniel Smitten Historical Romance (Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas) I don’t usually review romance fiction on our site, but when I was offered the opportunity to review a story about a young woman trying to make it in the newspaper business in the early 1900s, I couldn’t resist. Above the [...]
When kind, generous, service-minded people do charitable work, they often say that they want to “give back.” And I think: Why not simply give? To me, “giving back” means returning something. It means I have something that was loaned or given to me and I’m giving it back. But most of the organizations I support [...]
One of the most common questions prospective clients and aspiring authors ask me is, “How long should my book be?” It’s an important question with a simple answer: It depends. Your book needs to be long enough to accomplish its purpose. For some books, that could be as few as 5,000 words; for others, it [...]
Priceless: A Devotional Cookbook Based on Proverbs 31 Vickie Burns Redemption Press Devotions, reflections, a prayer journal, menu plan and recipes—all carefully crafted and blended to help the reader move closer to becoming a Proverbs 31 woman. Blending a devotional with a cookbook is a charming and challenging idea, and Vickie Burns does it well. [...]
Have you heard that books are the new business card? That’s a bit of an overstatement. In fact, though electronic contact lists have replaced Rolodexes for most of us, traditional business cards are going to be around for a long time. Still, if you have a book, giving away a copy of it (instead of [...]
Focused Backstory: The Key to Writing Deep Character Journeys Carol Alwood Fiction authors: Learn how to construct backstories for your characters and use them throughout your novel to build and complete the character arc. I read this book while I was working on the scene outline for my second novel. I was having trouble, and [...]
Whether writing or speaking, your goal should be to communicate, not to impress. Many years ago, I was at a Mensa gathering. It was a games night and we were playing Password. I usually do well at word games, but not this time. My partner decided he wanted to show off his expansive vocabulary rather [...]
