Mid-Year Check: Reassessing Your 2020 Author Platform Goals

So, we’re a little more than halfway through the year. And holy moly has it been a year.  A pretty tough one, and one that has upended just about all of our well-intentioned plans. How have you been doing with your author platforming goals through all this? Personally, social distancing totally took my March book… Read more »

#5onFri: Five Ways to Keep History Relevant in Your Novel

Over the past ten years, historical fiction has become more relevant to readers. As authors, we want to write fiction that helps readers understand their own lives, here and now. Perhaps we also would like to offer readers a visit to another time, a visit that can show how the past has shaped our present… Read more »

Let’s Create a Series Bible

You have sealed your passion-infused romance novel with the last two celebratory words: The End. Your cast of characters are so dynamic they jumped off the page and popped the cork on a bottle of bubbly and it didn’t faze you one bit. This describes writing that screams, “Make me a Series!” I wrote about… Read more »

Creating Authentic Details: Character Names

None of us get to choose our own names—well, except for those rare few who, as adults, opt for a legal change of moniker. But now you’re a writer and what your characters will be called is entirely in your hands. Happy day! You finally get to use all your favorite names for your favorite… Read more »

Conversations: Karen Brooks

I hope you’re as excited as I am about this new series for the column. Karen Brooks is a columnist, book reviewer, blogger, former academic, and—most importantly for us—a successful author in the historical fiction genre. I discovered her work in The Locksmith’s Daughter, published in the US and the UK by HarperCollins and in… Read more »

Research as Real Life

Research: for some people, the word itself is enough to send chills up the spine. It brings back memories of term papers and case studies . . . of long hours pouring over mostly boring academic treatises and note cards . . . of bibliographies and footnotes and the dreaded decision about when to use… Read more »

Literary Magazines: How to Find the Right Home for Your Work

One of the most fantastic things about writing short form work is the ability to submit it for publication in a literary magazine or journal. You can write something you’re truly proud of, have it published in print or online, and (in many cases) get paid for your words. It’s exciting to start collecting professional… Read more »