This was a pretty solid year in books for me. I discovered new authors I adore and experimented with genre a bit. One find in an anthology led to a new favorite author, and some non-fiction books blew my mind. The entire list is below, but there are some patterns I found worth highlighting. This …
Yesterday I had surgery to remove the medi-port that was installed a year ago ahead of chemo. Since then I’ve had six rounds of chemo, multiple echocardiograms, 11 infusions of Herceptin, a lumpectomy and lymphnode takey-outy, 30 sessions of radiation, a bone density test, I don’t remember how many MRIs and blood tests and zillions …
Have you been waiting for the perfect opportunity to try the Lexy Cooper mystery series? There’s no time like the…present. From December 7 through 11 the digital version of Schooled (Lexy Cooper 1) is absolutely FREE! What’s Schooled about? Lexy Cooper is a Community Manager at Xenon Corporation, maker of the Xenon24/7 videogame console and …
I’m way behind on my Goodreads goal this year, but I’ve still managed to devour 42 books. Please note these are not “published in 2015” books because I don’t just read what’s new. Like most of you, I read stuff recommended by friends, backlist stuff by newly-discovered authors, and random finds. Here are the ones that …
I review nearly every book I read. But only because the Goodreads app on my phone makes it nearly impossible NOT to select a number of stars when I’m marking a book as complete. As far as a written review? I—probably like most people—only take the trouble when I either love or loathe a book. …
Hip hip HOORAY, my new book is now available! It’s the fourth full-length Lexy Cooper mystery. You can pick up the eBook right now at Amazon, or you can wait for the paperback this summer. Any questions? What if I don’t have a Kindle? You’re in luck, cowboy. You don’t need the dedicated eReader to …
Let’s talk about pacing, i.e. the action in your novel. Does it start slow and build to an action-packed climax? Do you hit on your main themes in a regular pattern? Do you sprinkle humor here and there? I wasn’t sure how I did it. I’ve had readers comment that they like the pacing in …
My first novel, The Sleepless Nanny is free to download this week on Amazon.com. I wrote this book a long time ago and shelved it for almost as long. Then, with the arrival of the Kindle Direct Publishing platform, I unleashed it on the world in 2011. I wrote about that long lull here. Since …
This post isn’t about that final-final review when your manuscript has already gone through professional editing and proofreading. This is about getting your manuscript ready for the next step, whether that’s beta readers or your editor. Getting to the end of the first draft and typing “The end” is a fantastic feeling and nothing should …
I read 118 books this year (and I’m fairly certain I’ll squeeze one more in before midnight tomorrow), and here’s my take on best of the best, the disappointments, and the surprises. First off, the best books I read this year The ones I didn’t want to finish. The ones to which I gave five …
Trixieland 