work-life balance

Finding Work-Life Balance as a Full-Time Author

As I sit here writing about how to be a full-time author AND take weekends and evenings off, creating that perfect work-life balance, there is some real irony in the fact that it is currently Saturday afternoon. But to my defense, it is just a few days before I release a new book.  While September… Read more »

tackle writing fears

12 Spooky Articles to Tackle Writing Fears

October is a scary month. Not only do we have Halloween, but we’re also all realizing that the end of the year is coming up fast, and that’s frightening in itself. But as writers, we have a whole other set of fears. From battling imposter syndrome to self-publishing, there are a lot of difficult aspects… Read more »

your email list

Grow Your Email List (and Your Influence)

I’m sure you’ve heard this saying at least once, “the money is in the list.” Writer, the experts are right. Your email list will always convert more when it’s time to sell books then social media or any other medium. If no one’s said it to you before, building an email list is vital to… Read more »

October

Book Nook — October Edition

Truly, where has the year gone? How is it October? I am not ready for the weather to turn cold. I am a summer gal, through and through. To me, cold weather means seasonal depression, so give me that summer sunshine. Alas, nobody asked me about the changing of the seasons, so here we are… Read more »

historical mystery

#5onFri: Five Tips for Writing a Historical Mystery

I love a good mystery! And I especially love a good historical mystery.  Who killed the Princes in the Tower? (Hint: It was not Richard III.)  Did Princess Anastasia survive the murder of her family?  Was Elizabeth I really a virgin Queen, or did she allow herself to be seduced by the dashing Robert Dudley?… Read more »

hacks

Hacks to Combat Writer’s Block and Develop Discipline

Nothing excites me more than a new writing project. It’s one of the reasons why I’m in this wonderful profession of stringing beautiful words together to form an idea or a tale. It always starts with my heart jumping, adrenaline pumping, soul soaring high and then just like that, I have amazing prose and a… Read more »

modern girl detectives

Cozy to Cold-Blooded: Modern Girl Detectives

In my last column, I talked about classic girl detectives. This time, the modern girl detectives get their chance.  The girl detectives from the late 20th-early 21st century comprise a much more diverse group. But they share with each other and their predecessors the qualities of intelligence, bravery, and grit.  Some of you might notice… Read more »

graphics

Book Promotion Graphics for Newbies

As an author, when you’ve got a new book releasing, you want to shout it from the rooftops! These days, for all sorts of converging reasons, that increasingly means the metaphorical, digital rooftops of Instagram, Twitter, and other online forums. This requires a familiarity with book promotion graphics. By nature of what we do as… Read more »