#5onFri: Five New Nonfiction Books to Inspire a Long Journey

It’s necessary for a writer to get out and view the world through new perspectives. Sometimes that means observing the regulars at your usual coffee shop or talking to folks in a different part of town, and sometimes it means undertaking something more substantial, something long enough to get lost in. A long journey can… Read more »

Additional Reading on the Theme of Family

I always appreciate a great story about family. By that, I don’t mean I specifically search for books on this literary theme. Rather, when I read a book about family that resonates deeply or refreshes my perspective on the theme, I’m often thinking about that book for weeks, months, even years later. Maybe it’s because… Read more »

Deep Dive into Short Forms: Poetry

My next few articles will act as a deep dive into specific short form works. We’ll examine a piece from each short form and dive deep into its inner workings to find the path to success in our own short form pieces. Poets are alchemists. We transform the chaos of everyday life into sonnets and… Read more »

Beyond Crazy Rich Asians: A Look at Humorous Fiction

Walk into any coffee shop these days and you’re bound to see java lovers laughing out loud. Upon closer inspection, you’ll notice the source of their laughter is a book. And that book is the uproarious Crazy Rich Asians, or one of its two sequels, by Kevin Kwan. If you haven’t read it or seen… Read more »

Cozy Mysteries and the Holidays

The holiday season always reminds me of my mother’s sugar cookies, warm sweaters, and cozy mysteries—novels, short stories, Hallmark Movie Mysteries—any variety will do. I love sipping an Eggnog Latte curled under a warm blanket reading (or watching) a good cozy mystery while the rest of the world rages outside. There’s something about the familiar… Read more »

Five Biographies & Memoirs for your Fall Reading List

In his Pulitzer-Prize winning biography of American aviator Charles Lindbergh, author A. Scott Berg begins page one not with Lindbergh’s birth but with a buzzing crowd in Paris. Lindbergh, hoping to be the first pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic nonstop, has not been seen since he left New York twenty-four hours earlier. Was… Read more »

Beyond Janette Oke: A Look at Inspirational Fiction

If you have a spiritual side, you might consider penning inspirational fiction.  According to a 2017 news release from the Association of American Publishers, books with “religious and inspirational themes” are in high demand. A wider audience, including millennials and people of color, are discovering this genre once read almost exclusively by mature caucasian females…. Read more »

#5onFri: Five Ways to Develop Your Close Reading Skills

Stephen King told us, “If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.” But merely reading isn’t enough. Close reading is necessary to learn the secrets of how stories tick, which will help you sharpen those writing tools Stephen King mentioned. First we need… Read more »

Diving into Graphic Novels without Drowning

Do you want to let drawing become a part of your writing life, but are afraid to start? Do you long to dive into the world of books with pictures, but fear drowning? Let this article be your floaties to keep you safe in the deep end of the graphic novel pool. First, some history…. Read more »