Picturing Grief

As the world enters into a winter of COVID, grief hangs over so many people, it’s hard to know how to comfort others, to console oneself, to anticipate the next loss coming round the bend.  It seems ridiculous to say with any kind of certainty what’s best to do in these shifting, traumatic and disruptive… Read more »

How to Build an Authentic Author Brand

Hey, writers! Today I want to talk about authentic author brand building. In other words: how can you establish yourself as a real human being, rather than as a robotic, faceless business?  An author brand boils down to a couple key features: what sets you apart from other authors and, more specifically, what readers love… Read more »

Interview with Linda Olson

This week our #ownvoices series shifts slightly from the experiences of BIPOC mystery/thriller writers to share the story of a woman who endured an extraordinary event and became part of a large and varied group – people with disabilities both seen and unseen. Linda Olson was a young med student and wife in 1979 when,… Read more »

Creating Authentic Details: Medicine

Full disclosure: the impetus for this article came from my own research about medicine. I was having fun because I was finally getting to use Bald’s eyesalve in my story – though I’m not so sure the character was enjoying it quite as much as I was.  Bald’s eyesalve (from a 10th-century medical text) is… Read more »

Feeling stuck? Reconnect your values.

Whether you choose to publish traditionally or independently, aligning your goals and intentions with your values can help you persevere in your writing practice. How is 2020 treating you? Are you doing okay? Staying hydrated? Healthy, I hope? The year has not, on the whole, been kind to us, and if you’re anything like me… Read more »

What Happens When You Decide the Answer is “Yes”?

Jeanette the Curriculum Unicorn here with your writerly wisdom. Have you ever asked yourself the right questions so that the answer is yes? Like this first one that is top of mind: Can I really write a book? Does that thought seem familiar? I can’t even express how many times those words have gone through… Read more »

#5onFri: Five Bits of Writing Advice (that Actually Work!)

As writers, I’m sure we’ve all heard our fair share of colorful writing advice from famous authors. From the controversial “Write drunk, edit sober” (frequently attributed to Ernest Hemingway, but actually sourced from a novel by Peter de Vries) to the unorthodox suggestion of “Get a cat” (one of my personal favorites, courtesy of Muriel… Read more »