By now, you're probably familiar with Donna Hatch's historical romance novels. If not, check out her Amazon page for a listing of her published books. I had the chance to catch up with Donna, who is always in the midst of working on her next novel. I asked her why...
authors
End It Like an Olympian
Strong endings are even more important than strong beginnings. Does that statement sound crazy to you? Especially since we’re constantly told that we need to grab readers in the first paragraph or two of the book in order to turn browsers into buyers? I’m not saying...
Author Chat: Donna Hatch
I recently had the pleasure of interviewing historical romance and fantasy author, Donna Hatch. You may know her from her Rogue Hearts series, including The Stranger She Married and The Guise of a Gentleman, the latter of which was recently released (check it out...
Meet Author Quanie Miller
Humor isn't easy to write. In fact, it's one of the hardest things to write because of how easily the punch line can be blown. Predictability will kill anything funny and at the same time, what you write should be as universally funny as possible, not only appealing...
Author Chat: Stacey J. Mitchell
Have you ever heard of the Red String of Fate? Author Stacey J. Mitchell has a new, unique take on it that will keep you turning the pages of her book Read Threads to find out more. What are the red threads? Where are they coming from? What do they mean? The idea of...
How Do You Name Your Characters?
The names you give your characters are more important than you may realize, but how easy is it to choose a name which creates the right impression of your character? Not so easy! Everyone has a different impression of common names because most readers have met Sarahs...
eBook Plague – Errors Aplenty
“Annoying.” “Very irritating.” These are just a couple of the most common descriptives readers are using when talking about their frustrations with the numerous errors in e-books. These readers are asking Amazon and other e-book distributors for refunds without...
Tuxedoed Writing
Will Rogers, Jr. once advised a fellow actor, “Don't ever take a dramatic lesson. They will try to put your voice in a dinner jacket, and people like their hominy and grits in everyday clothes." The actor – Dale Robertson – followed Rogers’s advice and became a highly...
Sex Scenes in Young Adult Books?
Malorie Blackman and Melvin Burgess say teenagers should read books in high school which tackle realistic sexual relationships as well as realistic sex itself. Their argument is that teenagers are going to get their information on sex and what it's like (or should be...
What Makes Good YA (Young Adult) Fiction?
Every genre has its own characteristics, and characters in novels each have their own personalities, accents, speech patterns, etc. It’s what distinguishes them from each other and makes each character unique, turning them into believable people. YA writing goes a bit...