Have you ever read a book you just couldn't put down? One in which there is so much action and tangled-up relationships that you end up reading it in no time at all? Mix that with warrior angels, demons wearing human skins, and Earth as we think we know it, and you've...
writing
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...
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...
“Literally” Is The New “Figuratively”…And Other Word Anomalies
Language evolution is an understandable and even necessary thing – linguists agree that when a language stops evolving, it quickly becomes a dead language. But English is undergoing an interesting type of evolution: word definitions are changing and expanding to...
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...
Hot Today, Cold Tamale…Another Menu Misspelling
Restaurant menus are fertile grounds for misspellings that are either funny or create double entendres. This one actually gave its customers the wrong impression, as the entire dish was hot: The funny thing is that "chili" was used in almost every dish on the menu,...
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...
The Joys of Language Evolution
No one likes change. Or so they say. The English language is in a constant state of evolution. Some people think it’s a bad thing and mourn the idea of static language. I think it’s a good thing – even an exciting thing – especially for writers. Why is this a good...