PERPETUALLY AROUSED ZOMBIES?

I got an email recently from the VP of my publishing company, Belle Bridge Books, detailing the marketing challenges faced by smaller presses, like Belle Bridge, and relatively unknown authors, like myself. The VP, Deborah  Smith (a New York Times best-selling author, BTW), harbors a great deal of wisdom and a laugh-out-loud sense of humor.  Her comments…

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ME AND STEVE BERRY

Steve Berry is an international, mega-best selling thriller novelist.  According to his website, he’s sold 19 million books in 51 countries. Me? Another 18.9 million copies and I’ll be right there with him. I’ve met Steve several times, but let me make it clear, we aren’t necessarily BFF.  If we were to meet again, he…

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A WRITER/METEOROLOGIST’S REVIEW OF SUPERCELL

As many of you know, I’m a meteorologist in novelist’s clothing.  (Or is it the other way around?)  Well, whatever.  I majored in atmospheric science in college and took a couple of courses in creative writing.  I think I did fairly well in them (it was a long time ago), even though I recall being…

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THE BIGGEST MISTAKE BEGINNING WRITERS MAKE

There is an abundance of guidance available–books, blogs, hand-outs–that illuminate the steps or “rules” to becoming a successful writer.  Be warned, however, as NYT Best-Selling Author Steve Berry says, “The first rule is, there are no rules.” Similarly, there’s a plethora of material out there for novice writers, whether wannabe novelists or nonfiction authors, that…

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WRITERS 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…

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