Writer's moments
-
Guest Today Is Editor/Writer Ally Peltier
I’m so happy to welcome editor, writer, and consultant Ally E. Peltier to the blog today. Ally has worked with small and large book publishers, including Simon & Schuster, where she acquired and edited books. Ally loves using her insider knowledge of the publishing industry and more than a decade of writing experience to help others reach their publishing goals. She offers tips, advice, and news at www.allypeltier.com and provides editorial services through www.ambitiousenterprises.com. She’s also the co-sponsor of the Self-Publishing Success Intensive, a new event for indie authors coming in March 2012. Visit www.selfpublishingsuccessintensive.com for details. Take it away, Ally. Why Fiction Writers Need Editors You’ve slaved over your…
-
Book Review: ONE MORE SUMMER by Liz Flaherty
I come from a family of voracious readers. I started reading at age four, thanks to my sisters who were both in school. They played “school” after school each day and I was their student, so learning to read early was the natural result of that. Also, Mom read aloud to us constantly and was a big reader herself. Honestly, only my sister PJ rivals Mom’s ability to be so completely absorbed in a book that she can read anywhere, anytime, while anything at all is going on around her. I once saw PJ read a book in the middle of a chaotic, crowded airport with Kate and I on…
-
Welcome, Lani & Alastair, Creators of StoryWonk.Com
Today, I’m excited to welcome Lani Diane Rich and Alastair Stephens to the blog. They are the creators of StoryWonk— a daily podcast for people who are passionate about writing and storytelling. Introductions are their own words: Lani is an award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of nine novels. Currently, she’s writing romantic fantasy for St. Martin’s Press as Lucy March; her first novel, A Little Night Magic, will be released in February 2012. She has been teaching writing workshops across the country since 2004, and has been an adjunct professor at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School for Public Communications, teaching introductory television writing and production. Alastair is a…
-
My first guest blog of 2012…
…is at the Bettyverse today! Come on over! We’re talking about movies and how lines from movies have become a part of our culture’s vernacular. Do you love movies? Do you quote lines from your favorite films? Talk to us!
-
How Do We Define Accomplishment?
The publication of my novel, Rule Number One, is moving ahead. Contracts are signed, cover questionnaire is sent in, blurbs are done, and today I’m working on my bio for BookStrand’s website and the back cover of my book. Soon, they’ll send me the cover art to approve and I can post it here, and in February, I can put up a link for folks to order the book. Whew! This is really happening. When we went to the lake last weekend for a holiday celebration with our new friends up there, several people congratulated me on the book, which I so appreciated. The hostess introduced me to new guests…
-
Somebody Smack Me
Okay, so yes, I’m a world-class worrier. But I only worry about important stuff, like whether or not the voices in my head who become novels might suddenly stop talking to me or that no one will buy my book when it launches in February or that they will buy it, but think it’s truly stupid or that I’m going to have heart attack while I’m driving…see? Only really important stuff. The book fears are more real right now because I signed my contract with the publisher on Tuesday. So, now it’s really gonna happen–I’m going to be published. So now, I get to perseverate over copyedits, launch, promotion, sales…a…
-
Guest Blogging…
…at Chick Lit Writers today. CLW is the special-interest online chapter of Romance Writers of America–a group of writers from around the world who love–and write–chick lit. Come by and talk to me about your synopsis-writing experience. For me, it’s rather arduous. How about you?
-
My Baby…or a Monkey?
One of the few jokes I can actually remember well enough to tell is one that comedian Flip Wilson (remember him?) told. It was the sixties and I was a little kid, but this joke stuck. It goes something like this: Here’s an incident that took place recently when I was returning from Chicago by train. I got on the train and sat down. And I noticed that the woman across the aisle from me had her baby with her. Ugly baby. Ugly baby. From the other end of the coach comes this guy and he was very drunk and he was staring at the baby. And the woman heard…
-
Mom’s Wish for Me
I was going to title this post, “Today I’m Finally an Author.” But when I posted that thought on my Facebook page, my critique partner shook a virtual finger at me and scolded, “First — you’ve ALWAYS been an author. Now, you’re just a published author.” Then I remembered a StoryWonk post from last week, when Lani and Alastair said words to the effect that if you complete a novel, even if only one other person reads it, you are a novelist. I am a novelist. I sent my novel, Rule Number One, to Bookstrand Publishing and they offered to publish it. I’m accepting their offer. So now, I’m going…
-
My Something New…
…today is TSTL–Too Stupid To Live. No, not me, although I guess I have my moments. I’m talking about the characters in my new novel. It’s a romantic suspense–a mystery, and I sent chapter 15 to my critique partner last night. Although she liked the chapter, she warned me that my characters were on the edge of being TSTL. That took me aback just a little–this is a mystery, aren’t we supposed to be setting things up for big surprises and unexpected events? And aren’t the hero and heroine supposed to be figuring things out and solving the mystery on their own? But as I reread the chapter, I saw…