Tag Archives: author
Reading Goes To The Dogs
Remember back when you were a kid? I mean way back, when you were just a little nipper, in school learning to read. I recall my first or second grade teacher, Mrs. SomethingOrAnother (see how much of an impact she made) scratching what could have been Cyrillic letters on the blackboard. Through a dense cloud […]
The After Life
I have this new story idea bouncing around in my head. It refuses to leave me alone. The damned thing left a ransom note in a dusty corner of my brain, threatening to hold my attention hostage until I do something. So, here goes…the background. During the years I worked inside maximum security prisons, I […]
I Want To Be A DVR When I Grow Up
I want a pause button. When life takes an unexpected turn, from a rejected manuscript or some other personal miscalculation, I want a pause button. I should be able to unbutton my shirtsleeve, roll up the cuff and press my personal pause button. Think about the times you’ve done or said something absolutely stupid. We’ve […]
Fear – The Dark Side of Hope
Fear Fear motivates us. Fear moves us. Fear is the thing that reaches up and grabs you by the throat and shakes the marbles loose in your grey matter, forcing you to do something, or run away. And, a little fear, is a good thing. I’m afraid of being eaten by sharks. So, my fear […]
Tools For Easily Distracted Writers – Scrivener
I tried an experiment over the last couple of weeks. I’ve finished rewrites and revisions of the black market organ transplant novel, and no, that’s not the kind of experiment I’m talking about. I used Scrivener writing software to manage my edits and revisions. If you write, you’ve probably come across the writing platform […]
Resolution – Smesholution
Less than a week into the new year and I’m already lagging on the resolutions that were supposed to make me a lean, mean writing machine. Not lean, not mean (maybe a bit pissy) and the writing machinery is missing a few cogs and gears. But I have excuses, honest I do. My writing room […]
2013 Wasn’t All Bad
In 2013, we suffered the likes of Anthony Wiener as Carlos Danger, Sharknado and a strange, on-stage grand-mal seizure by Miley Cyrus which caused flights of Angels to weep. 2013 was a year mired in Syrian civil war violence, the Boston Marathon bombing, school shootings and government shutdowns. At times, it appeared the Mayan prediction […]
Pipe Fitting Bookends
My daughter gave me a set of really cool bookends for Christmas. They’re made from iron pipe fittings and make a great addition to the new writing space. We’ve finished the install on the new wood floors and found the salvaged wood for the “new” desks in the room. The wood comes from a barn […]
Newspaper Marketing for Your Novel
Getting new eyes on your work is what it’s about. No…not in a creepy way. It doesn’t matter if you choose to self publish, or go the traditional route through a publisher – getting attention about a book means looking at every possible marketing avenue. Much of that will fall on the author. In October, […]
Readers Know Best
You release your hand-fed, carefully crafted book out into the wilds and you’re bound to get feedback. Reviews, critiques and comments from readers come in different flavors – Loved it, Hated it, or the worst feedback of all, the sound of crickets. By the time your book hits the streets, at least a dozen sets […]
James L'Etoile 