When Research is Too Much Fun Terry Odell Last time, I talked about throwing out the “Write What You Know” rule, and mentioned writing what you can learn. Sometimes, we authors get to have Too Much Fun doing just that. I recently attended a conference devoted to helping writers get it ‘right’ with all things […]
Writing a Series By Karla Brandenburg Many readers these days look for authors who can give them continuity in what they’re reading, a series. There are two approaches, continuing saga and recurring characters. In the continuing saga, like serial television, you generally want to start at the beginning and read in order. For recurring characters, […]
Great White Shark by Tina Whittle In Blood, Ash and Bone, the third novel in my Tai Randolph/Trey Seaver series, I created a fictitious law enforcement agency, a task force collaboration between the Atlanta Police Department and the FBI. By the time the book was released, my pretend organization was real (it was called AMMO […]
Learning While Writing Terry Odell Congratulations to Connie Williamson, who won a cool Windswept Danger magnet and a download of the book. When I started writing, the first rule was “Write What You Know.” But aside from knowing any book I wrote that conformed to that rule would be boring as all get out, part […]
Traveling for Inspiration By Karla Brandenburg I recently took a trip to Alaska, and for one of the few times in my life, I didn’t stop to put characters into the beautiful places that I visited. I like to travel, to see new places. Sometimes I take a trip with a story in mind based […]
Kennesaw Unconquered By Tina Whittle It’s always an odd feeling, when fiction and real life meet. It’s a crossroads moment – to the left, the world I created, with characters as I know as intimately as my own head. To the right, the world flowing under its own steam, with people of flesh and bone, […]
Turning the Tables By Terry Odell I thought I’d switch things around this week. Normally, I try to figure out what readers might find interesting, and fill a page or so with my thoughts on the topic. But this time, I don’t want to try to second guess your questions. I’ve got some of […]
Character Occupations By Karla Brandenburg I’ve recently seen a trend in novels toward main characters who are billionaires, or at least independently wealthy. While that makes for an easier character to draw (they don’t have to go to work), my preference is for hard-working folks. A hard-edged cop or a fireman struggling to get […]
Cemeteries Rock By Tina Whittle I love strolling in old cemeteries. I suppose this shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone – I am, after all, a mystery writer, and I write a character who used to be a tour guide in Savannah graveyards – but my appreciation is occasionally met with a shudder from […]
What’s in a Name? Terry Odell Naming characters has always been a problem for me. I seem to fall into ruts, using the same names over and over. In fact, in my book, What’s in a Name?, I named three characters “Hank” and the editor never caught it. It wasn’t until I got the rights […]
