What’s the Matter with Mary Sue?

Another Facebook meme, another blog post about female protagonists.

Authors: Don’t Rush; Revise

An indie author's success depends on having multiple books on the market, but if your book consists of dull conversations leading to anticlimaxes, your readers won't be likely to pick up your next book.

Finding Meaning in Footnotes: An Interview with Author Jane Rosenberg LaForge

Jane ties together lovely, lyrical fantasy and hard-boiled memoir to say something about love, loyalty, and the damage we do to ourselves when we don’t live up to our ideals.

Spoiler Alert! The Unpublished Epilogue to A Wizard’s Forge

I read all my reviews. I cringe at the bad ones (I've received some doozies!) and rejoice in the good ones. I also occasionally respond to issues reviewers bring up, such as questions about the worldbuilding in Knownearth or about Vic's difficulties overcoming past trauma. Today I'm responding to another frequently mentioned topic: the so-called cliffhanger ending of … Continue reading Spoiler Alert! The Unpublished Epilogue to A Wizard’s Forge →

Knownearth vs Earth: Another Look at the World of A Wizard’s Forge

People seem to have a lot of questions about the world where A Wizard's Forge takes place, so I've been hitting this topic a lot lately. A few weeks ago, I traced Vic's path through her world, and last week I wrote a post on AutumnWriting about Knownearth's native inhabitants (humans are the aliens on that planet). Lots of … Continue reading Knownearth vs Earth: Another Look at the World of A Wizard’s Forge →

Parallel Paths—an Interview with Author JL Gribble

Once in a while you run across a kindred spirit on the Internet, someone whose life has followed a path similar to yours. Such is the case with former military brat, cat lover, medical editor, and scifi/fantasy author JL Gribble. She and I even gave our protagonists similar names (hers is Victory, mine is Victoria). … Continue reading Parallel Paths—an Interview with Author JL Gribble →

Somebody Is Reading My Book!

Confident authors are supposed to release their books on the world and never read reviews or, indeed, look back. I can't do that...

Crafting Back Cover Copy: Don’t Try It Alone

Despite the risk of inaccuracies, however, there’s value in having someone else write the book description. As authors we can be blinded by our own vision, where another person can see through the forest to the particular trees that will hook readers’ interest.

Mulligans, Market Research, and Masterpieces

People tried it and stopped reading before the halfway point. By swallowing my pride and asking those who gave up, I discovered why, and then I got to work.