Long-time followers of the blog might remember a very early post where I interviewed Kate Hilton over Skype to talk about her first book, The Hole in the Middle. I’m slightly freaked out to link to the initial post because I was SUCH a baby blogger, but here you go (not even a photo!). See […]
I’m not a crazy fast reader. I read probably at the same speed that you would read aloud, which is why I maintain that I go through so few books a year. I admire those who plough through fifty or more books in a year, but I self-recognize… that ain’t me. So, when I think […]
When author Sarah Kades was asked by a well-known New York agent to expand her novel, she was both excited at the opportunity and nervous about what it would mean for her story. Many authors face this same fear. If their manuscript is looking a bit short in word count, how do you expand your […]
“Are you writing a series?” asked bestselling author, C.J. Carmichael. I looked around at our writers’ group meeting and there was a mixture of nodding or shaking heads. “If not, you should be!” As it turns out, I am actually writing a series, making her presentation even more gripping than anticipated. Readers Fall in Love With […]
While I feel like I’ve been reading a lot lately, I also feel dismally behind on what was supposed to be my summer reading list. As usual, I got sidetracked by the new and shiny book… the one not on my reading list. But you know what, in times of stress and baby-growing, let’s throw […]
Guys! Guys! Guys! Have you noticed? Have you noticed that it’s actually summer out there? What that means for pale Scottish-Canadians like myself is that I do my outdoor activities early morning or in the evenings, which leaves the rest of my summer weekends free for… reading! And writing, but more on the reading right […]
I first came to know about Eileen Cook at the Surrey International Writers Conference. She was a panelist on… I want to say writing with humour, but this is two years ago and my memory is shot. Regardless, she was a panelist, and I was very impressed. As a speaker Eileen is funny, thoughtful and […]
In 1994, Diana Cranstoun of the Alberta Romance Writers’ Association (ARWA) sent Diana Gabaldon a list of questions via traditional mail. Diana was in the midst of writing her fourth book. It’s been over twenty years and ARWA were curious what had changed, particularly given the recent success of the STARZ Outlander series based on Diana’s books. Diana […]
I’ve talked about my experience editing while traveling, but what about writing? Is it possible to write while on the road? Is it possible to keep the motivation up, to reach a writing goal, or to plot out a story, all while moving from place to place every few days? (more…)
Smooth as silk. Rough like sandpaper. A blanket of snow. Under the curtain of night. We’ve all read these similes and metaphors before. Heck, I’m sure that most of us have even written them. I often find that in the moment of writing fiction I am so absorbed by the characters and the conflict […]