If you're writing historical ficiton, don't miss this interview with Amanda Skenandore who wrote The Second Life of Mirelle West, which I reviewed recently. She gives some good insight into the writing process, especially in relationship to researching. Find out more about Amanda and her awesome books on her website: https://www.amandaskenandore.com/ https://youtu.be/h2x7R6TxB6c … [Read more...]
Women’s Fiction Review: Red Rain by Lara Bernhardt
Red Rain by Lara Bernhardt is an exceptional book. Not only is it extremely well-written, but it also deals with important themes - dealing with grief following the lost of a baby, the crushing effect relationships with a controlling partner have on women, and most of all, the issue of women in rural India (and other third world countries) not having access to affordable menstruation pads. After a divorce Olivia leaves her home in the US to travel to India to volunteer at an English language school in rural India. Travelling to escape her grief and hopefully to find some direction for her presently empty life. She falls in love with the children in her classes and is shocked to discover the girls leaving and never returning once they get their periods. Though she can't change the cultural attitudes to women, she can do something about the practical issue that means women can't risk leaving home at 'their time of the month' - a lack of quality and affordable personal hygene … [Read more...]
Why Self-Publish?
A question every author will probably ask themselves one day is Why self-publish? Today, Stacy-Deanne, author of romantic suspense, contemporary romance, thrillers and women's fiction, answers this question for you. Note that although self-publishing is only one kind of indie publishing, in this article the term 'indie' refers to self-publishing. Thanks Stacy. I think you put it really well. Why self-publish? As someone who was once published by a (at the time) Big Six Publisher in the US, spent years in trade and have been indie since 2015, I don't think trade pubs have any advantages these days unless you write stuff that only works for trade. If you write things that can sell well being indie, I suggest you do it. Trade publishing's disadvantages FAR outweigh any advantages. The problem with taking the mainstream publishing route. 1) You'll need an agent if you want a big publisher and it can take years to find one IF you are lucky enough to do so. 2) If you are … [Read more...]
Historical Fiction Book Review: The Second Life of Mirielle West
This book review of The Second Life of Mirielle West, by Amanda SkenandoreI will take 6 minutes of your time, and you may find you've discovered another good read. I shot it ages ago and only just got around to posting it. Find out more about the book here: https://geni.us/SdAn https://youtu.be/bykvch68__8 … [Read more...]
What Makes a Good Editor
An editor hard at work! What makes a good editor? Is it their knowlege of grammar, punctuation and spelling? That's an important part of it, for sure, but correcting grammar, punctuation and spelling is only one part of editing. That's what a copy editor does. But the developmental editing and line editing are just as important in the production of quality writing, and different skills are required for the different areas. A good editor in one area is not necessarily a good editor in all areas, and it takes more than a fancy piece of paper from a top university to make a good editor because in all but the copy editing and proofing, good editing relies on artistry and intuitive understanding of the author’s intentions as much as knowledge. So what makes a good editor? What makes a good structural/developmental editor? This is the person that does your manuscript appraisal and tells you how to improve the big story elements - the plot, characterisation, pacing, structure, … [Read more...]
Book Review – Dog Leap Stairs by Barbara Scott Emmett
Barbara Scott Emmett is one of those rare authors whose prose is so superb that I enjoy every sentence, and at the same time as I want to get to the end to find out what happens, I don't want it to end because the pleasure of reading her writing is just so good. In this book, Dog Leap Stairs, set in the fifties, Emmett writes in first person point of view as Monica. From the begining she is portrayed as a woman with two sides, one a normal woman of the times, the other, someone with a dark secret. At the begining it's not clear exactly what that secret is. Murders, we hear in passing conversation with her friend Jan, are taking place in the area of Dog Leap Stairs, a place known to be frequented by prostitutes. But is this Monica's secret? We discover that Monica does visit that area and get's a thrill from doing so, but that doesn't mean she's a prostitute or a murderer. Or does it? The mystery unravels as the story progresses and we find out about Monica's history, but her dark … [Read more...]
How to Use Present Participles Correctly at the Beginning of a Sentence
Grammar is not boring. It's fascinating. Sentences that begin with present participles (-ing ending verbs) are, as some of you know, one of my pet hates in writing. (Head hopping is the other one.) In my book The Elements of Active Prose: Writing Tips to Make Your Prose Shine, I recommend that authors use such a sentence construction no more than once every 10,000 words. One of the reasons why is because authors rarely use it correctly and often overuse it, at least in self-published books (unfortunately). Used badly and too often, it’s a mark of an unskilled writer and a lack of line editing—or a lack of education in the editor. So why am I talking about using it at all? Because when used occasionally and skilfully, it varies the sentence structure. Being too rigid in not using it at all limits your options. Sometimes it’s just right, but only if you don’t use it often. So let’s learn to use it well. Dangling participles The worst example of a sentence … [Read more...]
An Interview With Author Catherine Ryan Hyde
I had a really delightful zoom talk to Catherine Ryan Hyde, one of my favourite authors. It's an interview that is interesting for both readers and writers. You might learn things about the publishing industry that you didn't know before. https://youtu.be/6Ic4gCWXNSE I also talk about one of her books in my review of 'Seven Precious Things'. https://youtu.be/sEUAnhTpyvE You can find her books on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Catherine-Ryan-Hyde/e/B001ITTR60 … [Read more...]
6 Benefits from Turning Your Book Into An Audiobook
Today I'm sharing a guest post from Alicia Gerrard, the director & founder of Audio Quants. Producing an audiobook is not cheap, but Alicia points out some of the reasons why the investment might be worth it. Of course, Audio Quants is just one of many audio book production companies, and like with everything you're thinking of purchasing, you need to research your options before committing to anything. My advice if you do decide to make an audio book, is to have a good marketing plan in place before taking the plunge. You'll not get back the money you spend on producing an audio book if you don't market it. Now read what Alicia has to say: Audiobooks now rival print as the format of choice for literary consumers. For good reason too. Reasons, in fact! Here are Audio Quants’ six benefits to turning your book into an audiobook. 1. An Ever-growing Market A 2020 survey by the Audio Publishers Association (APA) recorded that the number of Americans who have ever … [Read more...]
Book Review The Keeper of Happy Endings by Barbara Davis
My daughter, Rose, and I both read The Keeper of Happy Endings by Barbara Davis and decided to do a review video together. If you'd rather read the book review The Keeper of Happy Endings by Barbara Davis than watch it, the subtitles are on the video. https://youtu.be/GlDk9szQ4wo BUY BOOK NOW It's free on Kindle Unlimited. … [Read more...]
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