Yes, it’s cliché, but the reality of clichés is that they more often than not develop from fact and truth. The term “cliché” is most often used to denigrate a lack of imagination on the part of the writer. I don’t disagree with that label most of the time. Cliché writing as a practice is, […]

TEN BRIDES FOR TEN HEROES An anthology ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BLURB: Ten Brides for Ten Heroes spans the gamut of the ever-popular wedding romance genre—from heartwarming laughter to thrilling adventure, from sweet to steamy. This 10-book bundle features novels by New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors. So get ready to toss the bouquet and say, […]

When I jumped feet-first into the publishing swimming pool in 2011, it was pretty packed—not a lot of room to find yourself a small square foot or two without someone’s chubby foot stepping on yours or catching an errant elbow in the eye socket. Quite a few of the swimmers I ran into that first […]

So I am going to admit up front that I have not—at least yet—read the Game of Thrones series of novels. The last time I invested time (or had enough time to invest) in a Fantasy series was Lord of the Rings, decades ago. However, that said, I am HOOKED like a junkie looking for his next […]

I don’t know why it is we wait to write about profound individuals who have impacted the very core of society and made tectonic shifts in the bedrock of culture until they are gone. Not that Maya Angelou was not written about during her impactful lifetime. She was. A LOT. So perhaps it is more […]

My good, good friend (and writer) Ryan Schneider is up for yet another award for his book. This time he needs our votes! If you’ve NOT read this masterpiece of dystopian drama, you’re missing out! I don’t plug many authors or books on this blog (including myself), but Ryan is one of the rare breed. […]

In the days when I participated in (far too many) online writing workshops, I continually found myself thinking that the well-written pieces were far easier to critique than the poorly-written ones. Now that might at first glance seem logical, and by nature that is probably a simple, logical conclusion. But I never felt that way […]

In some ways I am hopeful this blog gets fewer hits than my normal postings. I see at least twenty to thirty of these kind of ads/offers/scams (and yes, dirtbag authors who write books to their own compatriots to make a quick buck before enough writers realize it’s just the same old rhetoric. I am […]

INDEED, A HUNDRED THOUSAND WELCOMES! I was working today on an epic novel that should be out this summer—a ghostwriting project—and I just had to take a break to blog on St. Patrick’s Day. I’ve said over the years I detest St. Valentine’s Day, not because there weren’t a number or heroic and martyred St. […]

I finally got to see 12 Years A Slave. It was an outstanding film—as good as advertised. Obviously, as with many epic movies, the subject matter is difficult to watch. I find films about slavery in the United States in the 1800s particularly hard to watch. My family is from the North, as far as […]