9 Tips to Writing for a Woman’s Heart
© 2013 Janet Chester Bly Creative writing begins with an idea. What follows determines the result. The motivation. Perseverance. Research. Drafts and rewrites. The sweat to make it happen. But…
Five Ways NOT to Attract an Editor’s Attention
© 2013 W. Terry Whalin Will Rogers is credited with saying, “You never get a second chance to make a good first impression.” As an acquisitions editor, I read book…
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…