Writing
MY OWN LITTLE LITERARY FIEFDOM
A good friend of mine who is also an author and publisher recently suggested that traditional thrillers, à la Plague, were my real forte, as opposed to the “tight” sub-genre of weather thrillers in which he viewed me as being “trapped.” His comments came in the wake of a couple of successes by Plague: being…
Read MoreHow I Almost Blew It With BLIZZARD
You’d think after three novels I’d know the “rules.” (Actually, as NYT best-selling author Steve Berry likes to say about his ten rules of writing, the number one rule is “There are no rules.”) So let’s just call them guidelines. I actually do know the guidelines, but I managed to ignore one of the most…
Read More“YOU AREN’T DOING THAT AGAIN”–SOME THOUGHTS ON CHASING TORNADOES
My wife Chris and I are watching coverage of the Moore, Oklahoma, tornado, the devastating EF-5. It’s gripping, gut-wrenching, heart-rending stuff. After while, we can’t watch any more and turn off the TV. Chris grasps my arm. “You aren’t doing that again,” she says. “Doing what?” I ask, not making an immediate connection to any…
Read MoreA SHAMELESS PITCH FOR THE ANNUAL SOUTHEASTERN WRITERS WORKSHOP
It wasn’t an easy decision for me. I had to burn a week’s vacation and shell out several hundred bucks just to mingle for five days with 75 people I’d never met before. While I’m not shy, I’m not by nature exceptionally outgoing. Thus, having to hang out with a bunch of folks I didn’t…
Read MoreDOESN’T WORK FOR ME—-SOME OBSERVATIONS ON THE WRITING PROCESS
The writing process is different for every author. There is no right or wrong way. No, that’s not entirely correct. The right way is whatever works for you. There’s one school of thought that says the first draft of your book should be pounded out just as fast as you can get the thoughts from…
Read MoreTHE NEXT BIG THING
Happy New Year and welcome to the January 2nd NEXT BIG THING Blog Hop. Exciting, huh? But what the heck is it? Basically, it provides a way for readers to discover authors new to them. On this stop of the Blog Hop, you’ll find a bit of information about me and my latest novel,…
Read MoreTHE AUTHORING LIFE
For my non-Facebook friends, it’s time to bring you up to date on my authoring life. First, my upcoming novel is now called Plague. It was born as The Koltsovo Legacy and went through three or four title changes before reaching the “carved in stone” stage. Plague. Second, the release date for Plague is September…
Read MoreWRITERS CONFERENCES … WHY?
Some of my friends, non-writers, knowing I’d just returned from the Southeastern Writers Association Workshop, asked me what goes on at such conferences. First, I must explain, there are different types of conferences. Some, such as the one sponsored by the Southeastern Writers, focus on teaching the craftsmanship of writing. Many, like those held by…
Read MoreIT’S A WONDER WE GOT ANYTHING DONE
I’ve just returned from the annual Southeastern Writers Workshop on St. Simons Island, Georgia. It—-and this is according to others, not just me—-is one of the greatest bargains in Writerdom. It’s a four-day affair in a beautiful subtropical setting, a causeway’s drive from the mainland. What makes the conference unique is that its faculty is…
Read MoreDEAR JOHN…
To me, it was akin to getting a “Dear John” letter from an old girl friend long after I’d married someone else. But here it came, a rejection letter (email) from a literary agent for Eyewall over a year after the novel had been published and more than two years since I’d contacted—-and long forgotten…
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