June 2019
![Shows four book covers, including The Scent of Murder by Kylie Logan, Darksight by D. C. Mallery, Permafrost by Alastair Reynolds, and The Lonely Witness by William Boyle. A rectangular [...]
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May 2019
![Photo shows book covers of The Controller by Matt Brolly, Smoke [...]
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Writing tips from May 2019 book reviews, part one
Here are a few writing tips. This is what I’ve learned about the writing craft from books I’ve recently reviewed.
![Writing Tips May 2019 shows covers of The Killer You Know [...]
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Writing Tips from my April 2019 reviews #writingtips
Bonus Tips for Writers from this month’s reviewed books.
I used to include these bonus tips at the end of each review, but I noticed that it often made my reviews quite long. Instead, I’ll share […]
February 2019
January 2019
Top 5 Unusual Writing Places for Novelists
My top 5 places to write when I'm not at home. Some may be obvious but others are more unusual. The mall food court, anyone?
5 tips for short story submissions
If you're submitting your fiction to literary journals, here's 5 tips to stay encouraged and make your story stand out from the slush pile.
March 2016
Why a novel is rejected on the first page
Two big reasons literary agents reject a novel submission on the first page? Boring. TMI. Learn what 1st page mistakes to avoid when querying your novel.
January 2015
Begin writing a novel: start with the end
Why I decided to write the ending of my novel before anything else--and what it taught me about courage in the middle part (of a book and my life).
December 2014
Make time to write: a lesson from P.D. James
P. D. James died on Thursday morning. For those of you who are unfamiliar with her work, she was the British author of mystery novels. She’s credited with […]