No, I’m not practicing my Elmer Fudd imitation. I’ve been too busy for such entertaining pastimes. I’m revising my manuscript that recently came back from the Line Editor from Hell (aka, my critique partner, Martin McCaw). As a bonus, I’m also helping my husband rid...

One of the elements a writer has to consider for every story is where the story takes place. For one thing, it’s important to have a setting in which the action occurs. But don’t let “place” fool you- -it serves as far more than window-dressing. When we first moved to...

When I was a kid I spent a lot of time in the biography section of the one-room school library that served third through sixth grades. This section was packed with great American lives- -George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Clara Barton. The stories of these folks...

Writing a novel is a lot of hard work. Selling a novel is harder still. But there’s an intermediate step that I’m struggling with right now. I have a completed and polished manuscript ready to send to prospective publishers but I don’t know what type of book it is,...

Anyone who writes will likely appreciate the support and encouragement of their family. I’ve already shared about my “First Reader” husband, a fellow who cheers when stories are sold and consoles when rejections roll in. He was as thrilled as I was when, in 2007, I...

Anyone who writes will likely appreciate the support and encouragement of their family. I’ve already shared about my “First Reader” husband, a fellow who cheers when stories are sold and consoles when rejections roll in. He was as thrilled as I was when, in 2007, I...