Starlog

  • Lesson Twenty-Five from a Manuscript Red Line: Bullying for Bully’s sake

    “Having a bully for the sake of having a bully is a contrived way of injecting conflict.” Well, I don’t think I can say it any better than the publisher’s quote above. There was a bully in the Gold Mine Manuscript that really had no concrete tie to the main plotline.  His only reason for being in… Read more

  • Finding editing help in unexpected places. AKA: Social Media Rocks!

    Last week I faced a little bit of a pickle. I had a very short (147 word) scene that included a little bit of Spanish, and a line of French. I had an A+ in Spanish in high school, but I haven’t practiced in years. I was reasonably certain that I “had it right”, but… Read more

  • Lesson Twenty-Four from a Manuscript Red Line: Remembering where your characters are

    Do you pay attention to where your characters are in a scene?  Are you sure?  I thought I was sure too. Guess what? For an intro into where these tips are coming from, please see my post: A Full Manuscript Rejection, or a Gold Mine?  You can also click “Rant Worthy Topics” in my right… Read more

  • It’s the cover reveal for ASHES IN THE SKY!

    Wahoo! It’s time to celebrate! Book two of FIRE IN THE WOODS is charging towards the finish line. It’s so exciting when your baby starts taking form and coming to life. And the first thing that makes it start feeling “real” is when the cover pops up in your email. Oh! The tingly feels!  … Read more

  • Lesson Twenty-Three from a Manuscript Red Line: Kindle Syndrome

    Does your novel have Kindle Syndrome? Would you be able to recognize it if it did? For an intro into where these tips are coming from, please see my post: A Full Manuscript Rejection, or a Gold Mine?  You can also click “Rant Worthy Topics” in my right navigation bar.  Choose “Gold Mine Manuscript” to… Read more

  • Two novels in nine months. Wow. Taking stock, and taking notes

    For the first time in my life, typing “The End” felt like a huge relief rather than an epic accomplishment. I just fulfilled my third contracted novel in the FIRE IN THE WOODS series in record time (at least for me) but still late, after asking for a one-month extension. Looking back, I have to… Read more