Mar 18Member-onlyIt’s All About the FantasyIt’s no secret that I write about that most terrible of crimes — murder — for fun and profit. The murders in my novels are fictional and genteel; they may involve violence, but said violence is never on-camera and is not generally deeply disturbing: it arises out of personal conflicts…Murder4 min readMurder4 min read
Mar 12Member-onlyWriter’s Block as Liminal SpaceOne of the gifts of age, for me, has been in becoming less didactic, more tolerant… and certainly less prescriptive. And thank goodness for that! But not so very long ago I was telling students, clients, and audiences alike that I didn’t believe in “writer’s block.” …Writers Block4 min readWriters Block4 min read
Feb 15Member-onlyWill Technology Leave Readers Behind? Not if Writers Can Help It!It’s pretty much an accepted fact that ethics will always trail technology. It’s inevitable: you can’t ask questions of something that doesn’t yet exist; and, by and large, the people pushing the boundaries of the possible in science and technology aren’t necessarily the people who will look at the breakthrough…Storytelling4 min readStorytelling4 min read
Jan 18Member-onlyWhat’s in a Murder Mystery, Anyway?My favorite genre, whether reading or writing, is mystery. There’s something that’s intellectually and morally satisfying about seeing justice done — and having a go at figuring out how to get there. Most murders originate long before they come to the reader’s — or the sleuth’s — attention. The body…Mystery3 min readMystery3 min read
Jan 10Member-onlyWhy Women Like Murder MysteriesWhy is it that women become so engaged with murder mysteries? Here’s the thing: while only about a third of published authors in almost all genres are women, women have long made up the majority of adult readers. We read. A lot. …Mystery Thriller6 min readMystery Thriller6 min read
Jan 5Member-onlyHow Long is a Novel?How long is a novel? Well, of course that depends. But if you’re a first-time author and you’re trying to catch the eye of a traditional publisher (okay, okay, a mixed metaphor at best), you need to be concerned about length. There are a lot of reasons for this, but…Writing3 min readWriting3 min read
May 23, 2022Member-onlyBe The Best Answer: Four Steps to Developing Winning ContentOnce upon a time, Lee Odden of TopRank Marketing gave this advice to content marketers: “Be the best answer.” It’s great advice. …Marketing Copy4 min readMarketing Copy4 min read
Apr 10, 2022Member-onlyWhy is the Sidekick the Most Difficult Character to Create?Whatever fiction genre you write, you’re faced with assembling a cast of characters who will bring life to your story and engage your readers. Some are relatively easy: your protagonist is generally a likable, pleasant, intelligent, quirky person. Your antagonist gives readers a reason to distrust them. If you’re writing…Fiction4 min readFiction4 min read
Apr 1, 2022Member-onlyFictional Deaths and Real FuneralsThe words stopped me in my tracks. I’d been hired to write a grant proposal. It seemed like a good match, too: a not-for-profit agency that does work with homicide victims’ families in an inner-city locale, and a partnership grant between the federal Office of Victims of Crime and a…Writing5 min readWriting5 min read
Dec 9, 2021Member-onlyImprove Your Presentations — and Sell More Books!Many (if not most) authors are introverts: we sit in a room and we write, and we like it that way. …Public Speaking6 min readPublic Speaking6 min read
