Humor in Fiction
© 2013 Sandra Balzo When I sat down to write my first Maggy Thorsen coffee mystery, Uncommon Grounds, I didn't intend it to be humorous. Why I didn't realize that having…
Creating a Quality e-Product
© 2013 Susan K. Stewart Publisher’s Weekly reported that e-book sales rose by 117% in 2011 while print sales fell. That trend seems to be leveling off now. So for most…
Make Your Story Captivating
© 2013 Frank Ball People who most need to hear our messages aren’t listening because they live in a video world that is more exciting than what they see in…
Using Food to Create an Appetite for Your Novel
© 2012 Alice J. Wisler "One cannot think well, live well, sleep well, if one has not dined well," wrote Virginia Woolf. That quote grabbed me, and I used it…
The Story Behind the Story
© 2012 Patrick E. Craig In late 2010, I read a blog by Nick Harrison, a senior editor at Harvest House Publishers, whom I had met at the Mt. Hermon…
Giving Your Character a Past
© 2011 Vonda Skelton I was recently asked to play the role of a psychiatric patient. For this part (which wasn't even filmed, so don't look for an Academy Award…
Truth and Fiction—Bringing History to Life
© 2010 Ann H. Gabhart In high school, one of my required courses was American History. Our teacher seemed uninspired by the idea of history—or teaching if his constant frown…
Crafting a Page-Turner
© 2010 Virginia Smith “I stayed up all night to finish your book. I couldn’t put it down!” That’s one of the highest compliments a novelist can receive, and I…
Writing for Tween Boys
© 2010 Max Elliot Anderson It's clear that some of the most critical patterns for a lifetime are decided during the tween years, that awkward time between still wanting to…