Sucker for the Handwritten Word
I must have been sick the day they taught us to write the cursive form of ‘z’. Too shy to ask for special help, I just added a loop either side of the block letter, and no one, I thought, was the...
View ArticleTechnically Correct Is Not Enough
I’ve been reading a book recently that I don’t want to name because I don’t want to call the author out in public. It’s a good book. Well-rounded characters and a nice, twisty plot. Plenty of murders...
View ArticleBrand New Books as Precious Objects!
Shy REFINEMENT beneath today’s dust jacket When I posted this past September on the Espresso Book Machines (EBM), I mentioned how that fulfilled one personal wish for how the digital revolution could...
View ArticleFifty Shades of What?
People who know me know I am deeply immersed in the business of books. They know I read romance. They know I write romance as well as crime. And of late, every single one of them, it seems has asked...
View ArticleMy Little Tirade
Enough! I have to say something! I’ve been watching “True Blood” since the first episode and truly enjoyed the first season, which closely followed book one of the Southern Vampire Series, a.k.a....
View ArticlePlagiarism: An Unintentional Error?
A hypothetical: In the course of doing research for an article, you come across a piece in which the author, Ms X, cites a source you’d like to use. You tweak her language, i.e. paraphrase her...
View ArticleJust the Facts, Ma’am
I recently read a book for review that I thoroughly enjoyed . . . except for one little flaw–the writer referred to characters by their last names. As a former reporter, I know this is a common...
View ArticleThe Art of the Con: Shut Up And Listen
Years ago, I began attending writers conferences. The first one I went to was while I was living in St. Louis, the second when I was living out in East Hampton. In both places I was fairly isolated,...
View ArticleWrite a Good Book Description, but not FOR YOUR LIFE!
Richard Ridley wrote a post for CreateSpace with advice on writing book descriptions, what you might think of as the book blurb or flap copy. Reading it, I thought his advice was pretty good. You won’t...
View ArticleAnother Writer’s Overnight Success: Installment #532
Take it from a Caesar, Erwin is The Man!! Did you hear about the guy who wrote a blog post over his lunch hour, which spread like thumbs-up wildfire across user-voted Reddit.com, netting him instant...
View ArticleVintage Sherlock PWNS the 21st Century: Part 1 of 3
I had fun dashing off this silly essay, but since the place I wrote it for didn’t need it after all *ahem*, I share it here in 3 deluxe installments! Illustration by Sidney Paget Some people may regard...
View ArticlePSA: Thyroid Cancer on the Rise
I am a Thyroid Cancer survivor. My surgery was four years ago this month and my radiation was completed four years ago October, so I want to give a reminder to all. When you have your annual check-up...
View ArticleVintage Sherlock PWNS the 21st Century: Part 2 of 3
Delivered in 3 deluxe installments- here’s Part 1 11 Reasons Why Sherlock Holmes is Better at the 21st Century Than You Are (cont.): 4) Holmes is aware of current events and pop culture, but is immune...
View Article“Where the press is free and every [individual] is able to read, all is...
In our house, my father always came home at night with two newspapers: The New York Times, of course, and the World-Telegram & Sun for the closing stock market prices. In addition, the Long Island...
View ArticleVintage Sherlock PWNS the 21st Century: Part 3 of 3
Delivered in 3 deluxe installments- here are Part 1 and Part 2 11 Reasons Why Sherlock Holmes is Better at the 21st Century Than You Are (cont.): 8) Holmes doesn’t require guarantees of success. When...
View ArticleRanting, Passion, and Social Media
Last summer, I met Molly O’Keefe at the RWA national conference. I love Molly’s books, so it was a squee moment for me. But also, it was a frankly hilarious moment because she said something to me no...
View ArticleThe Brutal Honesty of Kids
This post on Distractify.com ~ a collection of handwritten notes revealing the brutal honesty in the nature of children’s writing (“The 35 Funniest Moments When Kids Decided to Be Brutally Honest,”...
View Article“Branding” Yourself Shows Respect for Readers
Author branding is the current buzzphrase for a collection of activities that, I think, ought to boil down to one thing: creating accurate reader expectations. Sure, there may also be romancing,...
View ArticleBurglar Swipes Snickers
For sixteen of my twenty-one-years with the Suffolk County Police Department, while assigned to Public Information (liaison with the media) and Crime Stoppers (taking anonymous tips from the public to...
View ArticleHow to Read Fiction Aloud: Slowly, 150 words/minute
Laura and I are back in one piece from last weekend’s Noir at the Bar, and what a fun time it was! Lots of writers, yummy crepes. It was cozy and collegial, and that was a night with many terrific...
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