Negative Book Review

Over at The Kill Zone today, Joe Moore talked about identifying and knowing your audience. He says don’t chose a group of people that you’re writing for, choose one individual. Then cater everything you write to that one person. That’s sound advice, in my book, and it got me thinking about who my target audience is. Then … Continue reading →

What I’m Reading

I have utterly failed in my resolution this year to blog three times per week. I’m six weeks into 2014, but I’ve only posted 10 articles. For those who are math-challenged, I’m 8 short of my goal. The interesting part about this is that I feel no guilt. I’ve been sick, I’ve been busy, I’ve … Continue reading →

Good Love Stories

I’m not a huge fan of modern romance novels, mainly because there doesn’t seem to be a ton of romance in them. It’s mostly sex. Call me old-fashioned, but I don’t care for those stories where the hero and the heroine take one look at each other, the hormones start coursing, and they jump in … Continue reading →

To Review or Not To Review

I have a bit of a dilemma that I’m sure ya’ll can help me solve. Last week, someone I admire (I once paid to take his class) recommended a book written by a former student. The premise looked fun. Reviews on Amazon gave the book five stars and awesome comments. On Goodreads, there were only three … Continue reading →

Malicious Mischief (Mischief and Mayhem #1) by Marianne Harden

My friend Marianne Harden has a book coming out on October 22, 2013. Not only am I pitching the book to you today, but I’m also revealing the cover art for this new masterpiece! So without further words from me, here’s everything you need to know about Malicious Mischief: Book Summary: Career chameleon Rylie Keyes … Continue reading →

Book Review: A PLAIN SCANDAL by Guest Blogger Melody Steiner

Whatever it is about this book that makes it so relatable, so down-to-Earth funny, Amanda Flower should bottle it and sell it. Perhaps it’s the fact that this book takes place in rural Ohio, and I happened to live in rural Ohio for four years. The… Continue reading →

Stalking Susan Review

I’m heading off for a one-week vacation today, so I need some quality reading material to take along. Somewhere on the net, I found a review by the Chicago Tribune that said, “Readers who enjoy Janet Evanovich will soon be stalking Julie Kramer.” … Continue reading →

Paranormal Steampunk Fun

This week I’m reading the Alexia Tarabotti series by Gail Carriger. They are so much fun! Vampires, werewolves, parasols, teapots, dirigibles… what’s not to love?The books are set in Victorian London (1873), where werewolves and vampires co-exis… Continue reading →

Of all the stupid things…

I want to take a brief moment away from my study of dialogue to discuss a peeve of mine. I recently read a mystery novel with a female FBI protagonist. Naming the book will only offend the author, and I don’t like doing that, so I won’t. But I can… Continue reading →

Don’t Play with Toothy Cows

In my last post, I said I’d discovered two fabulous books. The first was The Fire in Fiction by Donald Maass. The second is On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson. I really can’t sing enough praises for this delightful young ad… Continue reading →