Ah, the holidays. For those of us who live in the North Eastern United States, it’s the magical time of year that falls between the spooky joy of Halloween and the absolute suck of everything that comes after the New Year. 

My family wasn’t what you would call “financially stable.” And this wasn’t any fault of my folks. They always did the best they could for my brothers and me. And Christmas was that time of year when they would go all out. 

Santa’s yearly visit was always the highlight of the year in our family, as my parents loved to make Christmas as magical as they could. But I think it was the Christmas of 1989 when everything almost went off the rails. 

(This is a repost from May 2024, but I think it’s fun to revisit the topic from time to time.)

I know a lot of authors often talk about their influences. If you’ve been following me a while you may have noticed that I don’t. At least not as much as other authors. This is because somewhere in the back of my tiny little mind, I worry that folks will somehow figure that my entire writing style/stories will be like the books and authors I name.

Logically, I know it’s not true. I know most readers will not assume that of me and my work. Every once in a while I need to remind myself, though. Thus, today I figure I’ll talk about three books that had a tremendous impact on me and my writing, in no particular order.

I’m giving away a signed book of your choice, plus a couple of other fun assorted goodies, to TWO lucky winners this month. If you’re already subscribed to the newsletter, there’s nothing else you need to do — you’re already in the running!

If you're not subscribed, you can go ahead and do so on this very site’s main page. No matter what, you'll get a free short novella, "Strays", for your trouble.

Do you know someone who writes? Whether they’re a dabbling hobbyist, an author in the process of publishing, or somebody with three books currently out and more on the way cough, your writer acquaintance is probably tired. Specifically, they’re probably tired of hearing these five things.

Some folks are getting together and creating their own versions of NaNoWriMo this November. But, personally, although I am currently drafting a manuscript, I’m not trying to keep this tradition going. It may work for other people, but here’s why I don’t want to write an entire novel in a month.

There’s still a little time left to preorder The Case Of The Puppeteer’s Play!

Today I’m going to discuss some tropes that are generally considered to be inoffensive but I personally want to yeet into the sun.

🎉You Can Pre-Order TCOTPP Now Through 10/13!🎉

How is anyone supposed to know which feedback to keep and act on, and which to toss in the dumpster? I’ve been through the process now with three books, and here are my thoughts.

One of the most common questions I see asked in the author community is, “I finished drafting my book! Now what?” 

First of all, take a moment to congratulate yourself. Most people who entertain the idea of writing a book never reach the finish line on the first draft, so well done you! You’re already ahead of the game. The trouble is, there’s a lot more advice about how to write the first draft out there than there is on how to navigate life afterward.

Wanna get an ARC of TCOTPP for free? Well, now’s your chance!

I don’t know why, but lately I’ve seen more than a few people across the Internet making arguments against posting Trigger Warnings in their books. If you follow me on social media at all, you probably already know how I feel about it, but since I tend to express myself in memes there, perhaps it’s time I went into a bit more detail. 

One more week to get dozens of free short stories, freebie novels, and freebie excerpts!

It’s Summer, and time for adventure!

Today, let’s talk about a few tips that can ensure you don’t set yourself up for failure with your beta readers.

It’s unbelievably easy to sit down at the computer, dissociate for nine hours, then come to, wondering why I’m thirsty and I have a headache. Alternatively, I might end up sitting doing nothing, while simultaneously feeling guilty for doing nothing. Here are a few things I like to do to make this outcome less likely.

If you’re writing a book with intent to publish, then no matter what else happens, you’re going to need a cover for that book. Today, let’s talk about where to get book covers made and what’s so important about them (other than, you know, you have to have one.)

More and more, aspiring writers are advised not to include something in their manuscripts – the dreaded prologue. Why is this? Anecdotal evidence strongly indicates that many readers don’t think they’re useful, and some just skip over them entirely. 

Other than the fact that books typically release on Tuesdays, there’s a whole array of months and seasons available to authors when it comes time to pick a release date for their books. While it’s not down to a science, e.g. “If you release a mystery novel in July it’ll be a guaranteed bestseller!” there are some months that are better than others for books releases. It depends mostly on your genre. Let’s break the possibilities down, month by month.

It seems like the old vanity press scam has been evolving in recent years. There’s now an offshoot, which I guess we’ll call the Marketing Agency Fake Author Scam.