Imagine my surprise when I saw my name and e-mail address prominently displayed on the Catherine Coulter Web site Events page! Who is Catherine Coulter, you ask? She's only the author of sixty-five historical romance and suspense thriller novels, that's who! And fifty-nine of them have landed on the New York Times bestseller list. So I'm proud to share the stage with her, … [Read more...] about The only bad publicity is no publicity! by Annette Langer
Blog
Speak to the future by Lani Longshore
An ancient Egyptian maxim reads: "It is good to speak to the future; it shall listen." The Egyptians honored scribes - writers - and even gave them to the care of Thoth, who was also the god of knowledge and truth. We should take instruction - and comfort - from ancient writers, and speak our truth to the future. November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). Several … [Read more...] about Speak to the future by Lani Longshore
I Bought It! It’s Mine! (Isn’t it?) by Annette Langer
My book manuscript was finished finally. Now all I needed was an eye-catching book cover. The perfect choice for Healing through Humor: Change Your Focus, Change Your Life! was an oil painting I'd owned for over 35 years. It pictured a seated clown listening to his own heart with a stethoscope, a medical book open on his lap. I'd simply photograph it and e-mail it to my … [Read more...] about I Bought It! It’s Mine! (Isn’t it?) by Annette Langer
The GPS I Want by Lani Longshore
Even with good maps and detailed directions, I get lost. My husband gave me a GPS for Christmas, which has cut down the number of times I miss turns because I can't read the street signs. As much as I value my map-reading skills, having Miss MapVoice tell me "turn left now" has proven more useful than I expected. I want a GPS for writers. I can read an outline and story arc … [Read more...] about The GPS I Want by Lani Longshore
Random Thoughts While on Drugs , by Annette Langer
They say bringing reading material to the hospital helps to fill the days, but I didn't want to read after my recent spinal surgery. I wanted to write about nurses who administered medications at regular intervals, even waking me during the night to take my sleeping pill. My struggle to untangle my hospital gown from the bazillion tubes connected to me ended suddenly when I … [Read more...] about Random Thoughts While on Drugs , by Annette Langer
IF A TREE FALLS BY CAMILLE MINICHINO
Here's a philosophical question of unknown attribution: if you write a book and no one reads it, is it really a book? Yes! we shout. We write out of passion; we write because we have to; we write for ourselves. Not me. I don't have to write, and I have other passions, all of which energize me. I hope I never have to pick one. I write to share, to pose questions, to … [Read more...] about IF A TREE FALLS BY CAMILLE MINICHINO
Longshore Drift by Lani Longshore
One of the advantages of having an unusual name is that you pay attention when you hear it. Or read it, as happened when I ran across the term longshore drift. The phrase has something to do with the accumulation of sand along a beach. The proper definition matters less to me than the juxtaposition of words. Like pebbles in the surf, a thousand uses for the term rolled … [Read more...] about Longshore Drift by Lani Longshore
Catch Yourself, Yourself by Ed Miracle
You know you write echoes. Within your prose lurk certain words, unconsciously written, that grate on readers because they needlessly repeat. Unless you're writing about the Strategic Air Command, these three words should not appear more than a few times throughout your article, novel or short story. But how do you spot the repetitions your editing eyes don't see? One way is … [Read more...] about Catch Yourself, Yourself by Ed Miracle
