Jun 26, 2025 | Crime, Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult |
M.E. Roche is the author of The Nurse-Detective Mysteries and two stand-alone novels, all available on Amazon. She is a nurse with wide-ranging experience across this country as well as in Ireland. You can visit her site at https://www.meroche.com/
Viewing someone’s professional life in phases, I would break it down to the Novice, Middle Management, Top Management, and then, what I call Retreat. I went through those first three phases in my other life before deciding on Retreat, where I was sure I could focus on my writing…thinking there would be so much more independence. How naïve I was, finding myself on that same trajectory. After having that realization came the decision as to where to go next…
As a Novice, knowing only that I wanted to write—and I was initially writing for young adults—I set out to learn how to write for that genre (reading levels, etc.). I did eventually take my characters into adulthood, writing adult mysteries/thrillers, as well as two stand-alone novels., But in the beginning, because I knew nothing about publishing, I had to learn what was involved there. I took classes, watched webinars, read all the classic books suggested to writers, attended writing groups and conferences. Then I went through the query/submit process too many times to count before deciding to work with a hybrid publisher, which turned out to be a learning but very disappointing lesson, leading me to decide I needed to learn how to become an independent writer/publisher…an indie writer.
That decision having been made, I was entering the whole new world of Middle Management that included learning how to format my work for publication, working with a cover designer, and uploading the work for publication. Of course, there followed the need to set up a website and determine what social media presence might be necessary, appearing on fellow writers’ blogs, and participating in book fairs. I gave next to no attention to marketing per se; like many writers I was very uncomfortable with the idea of self-promotion, which is sadly a very important part of an indie writer’s success.
Only in the last year, as I started writing book #10, I began to re-evaluate what I was doing—what was working for me and what was not working. What I had to do and what I could skip, keeping in mind what a number of webinar instructors had stressed: “Consider the long game.” With the growth of audiobooks as a major vehicle whereby readers access books, I set my first goal of learning how to record an audiobook myself, as the cost of hiring a narrator for all my books would be prohibitive. (And how could I choose which ones to record? It’s like choosing your favorite child!)
My second goal was to immerse myself in learning the marketing angle, something I initially dreaded and have come to see as a challenge. I took several classes and read a mountain of material before experimenting with Facebook ads, with relatively poor results. There is a definite learning curve, and I do intend to retry, along with Amazon and Bookbub ads, which others have recommended. In addition, I’ve talked with another writer who is putting his ads on a streaming service. There is so much more to learn, so I’ll be here in middle management for the foreseeable future.
Finally, I had to decide which of my current commitments I would keep. I have been committed to a monthly newsletter from my website and will continue with this. I have also been committed to weekly social media posts, but that being something I have no talent for, I have successfully hired someone to help. I haven’t found book fairs particularly enjoyable or beneficial, so I’m not planning to continue doing these.
And last but not least, I’ve come to believe that I may have been marketing more to fellow authors than readers. The support of fellow writers is essential, but it seems it should not be primary. I am in the process of reviewing my membership in multiple writer associations. While they were very valuable in my early stages, I’m taking a close look at what they’re doing for me now. I would be very interested in hearing about other writers’ journeys.
Aug 22, 2024 | Action & Adventure, Crime, Historical, Mystery, Westerns, Young Adult |
Michael A. Black is the award winning author of 50 books, most of which are in the mystery and thriller genres. He’s also written in the sci-fi, western, horror, and sports genres. A retired police officer from the Chicago area, he did everything from patrol to investigating homicides to conducting numerous SWAT operations. Black was awarded the Cook County Medal of Merit in 2010. He is the author of over 100 short stories and articles and wrote two novels with the late television star Richard Belzer (Law & Order SVU). He wrote eleven novels under the name Don Pendleton in the Executioner series and numerous westerns the Gunslinger series under the name A.W. Hart (Killer’s Choice, Killer’s Brand, Killer’s Ghost, Killer’s Gamble, and Killer’s Requiem).
His Executioner novel, Fatal Prescription, won the Best Original Novel Scribe Award in 2018. His recent novels are in the ongoing Trackdown series, most recently Devil’s Lair. His most recent works are Concho: Border Blood (written as A.W. Hart) and Where Legends Lie under his own name.
You write in more than one genre. What brought you into writing? I’ve been writing all my life. I wrote my first short story in the 6th grade. The class laughed, and the teacher admonished me to never do it again, but I didn’t listen.
Tell us about your writing process. What’s the most challenging part? The challenge is to write something that’s entertaining and will hold the reader’s attention. My process is just to put my butt in the chair and write. Sometimes, I think beforehand, too.
All right, I’ll accept that. Do you outline, or are you a pantser? I’m a staunch supporter of outlining. I’ve done it both ways, and while you have to figure out the method that works best for you, an outline helps you stay on track. Pantsing is fun, but you end up going off on tangents and wasting a lot of words. It’s like trying to build a house without any blueprints.
Your latest book, Where Legends Lie, is a western set in both 1913 and 1880. What kind of research did you do? I did extensive research on this one. I’ve written a lot of westerns so I was familiar with a lot of the weaponry of the times, but this one also has scenes involving the Philippine Insurrection and the early days of motion pictures. The Philippine Insurrection was one of our bloody and tragic little wars, and back then, our society knew next to nothing about the effects of PTSD. I dedicated the book to our fallen military members, many of whom came back as walking wounded due to what they went through.
You also have a historical figure in the book. Tell us about him. Ambrose Bierce was a Civil War veteran who went on to become one of the best-known writers of his time. I read his stories in high school and always admired him. When I was plotting out Legends, I suddenly knew I had to include him as a character. He perished in Mexico in 1913 during the revolution. It’s conjectured that Pancho Villa’s men executed him, but the actual circumstances are unknown. I wanted to give Mr. Bierce one more great adventure before his untimely end.
What obstacles do you face when writing about historical figures? My mentor, Stuart Kaminsky, once told me, “You’re better off writing about them if they’re dead.” I followed Stuart’s advice because, like I said, Bierce died during the Mexican Revolution. I did copious research on him, however, and tried to use some of his actual quotes in the story.
Let me get this straight… It’s set in two different time periods? Right, it opens in the Philippines during the last battle of what was termed the Moro Rebellion. It was bloody and violent. Then the story shifts to a few months later, and returning veteran Jim Bishop lands a job with a fledgling motion picture company in southern California. They’re filming a version of a famous, or infamous, shootout that occurred thirty years before. Next I do a shift and go back to the site of the actual shootout in 1880. The two stories evolve in tandem until they finally coalesce at the end. It’s billed as two stories told as one, which I guess it is.
You’ve also got a couple of other books out, correct? I do. One of them is Devil’s Lair, which is the 8th book in my Trackdown series. It’s about ex-army ranger Steve Wolf, who spent time in prison for a war crime he didn’t commit. Upon his release, he becomes a modern-day bounty hunter or bail enforcement agent. He’s also a mixed martial arts fighter and is struggling to clear his name. There’s a common thread of intrigue and betrayal that runs through the series, starting with the first one, Devil’s Dance. Devil’s Lair is the eighth one in the series and, at this point, might be the last. I’ve managed to tie up almost all the major plot threads, but I wouldn’t be averse to penning a few more. I think Wolf still has his legs, as they say in boxing.
What about the book you wrote as A.W. Hart? Ah, yes, Concho: Border Blood. A.W. Hart’s a house name for Wolfpack Publishing, and I’ve written numerous books under that pseudonym. Old A.W. is an Amazon Bestseller, so I owe him a lot. Concho is a half Black, half Indian Texas Ranger. The books are set in modern times, and I touched upon our border mess and human trafficking in this one. I should add that the other ten books in the series were written by different authors.
 
 
Anything else you’d like to say, Mike? George, I appreciate being on your excellent blog. We know each other from the PSWA (Public Safety Writers Association), and you’ve always been a great friend and an inspiration to me, brother.
Contact Info:
Email: DocAtlas108@aol.com
Phone: 708-903-7458
Buy Links:
Blood Concho – Amazon
Devil’s Lair – Amazon
Where Legends Lie – Amazon
Aug 8, 2024 | Crime, Horror, Mystery, Police Procedural / Crime, Young Adult |
A former Spanish teacher, Marilyn Levinson writes mysteries, novels of suspense, and books for kids. Her books have received many accolades. As Allison Brook, she writes the Haunted Library series. Death Overdue, the first in the series, was an Agatha nominee for Best Contemporary Novel in 2018. Other mysteries include the Golden Age of Mystery Book Club series, the Twin Lakes series, and Giving Up the Ghost. Her suspense, Come Home to Death, was released in April 2024, and her suspense, Dangerous Relations, will be republished in 2025.
Marilyn’s juvenile novel, Rufus and Magic Run Amok, was an International Reading Association-Children’s Book Council Children’s Choice and has recently come out in a new edition, followed by Rufus and the Witch’s Drudge, the second book in the Rufus series. And Don’t Bring Jeremy was a nominee for six state awards. Her YA horror, The Devil’s Pawn, came out in a new edition in January 2024.
Marilyn lives on Long Island, where many of her books take place. She loves traveling, reading, doing crossword puzzles and Sudoku, chatting on FaceTime with her grandkids, and playing with her kittens, Romeo and Juliet.
Elevator Pitch for Booked On Murder, 
which came out August 6th:Â Carrie Singleton is ready to kiss the single life goodbye. Her wedding to Dylan Avery is just a few weeks away, and a happy ending is about to be hers. But when a body is found on the lawn of their wedding venue, happily-ever-after is looking deadlier than ever.
Do you write in more than one genre? I write mysteries, novels of suspense, and novels for kids.
What is the most challenging part of your writing process? I find it difficult to get started every day. For some reason, even after years of being an author, I still find writing a daunting challenge. But I’m fine once I get started.
 What are you currently working on? Right now, I’m working on two novels. One is the first mystery in my Dickens Island series, which is two-thirds written. The other is the third book in my Rufus and Magic Run Amok series. The book is entitled Rufus and the Dark Side of Magic. Fifth-grader Rufus, who is a witch, is in danger of falling under the influence of his evil uncle Hector.
How do you come up with character names? I think about them. Sound them out. Check out their meanings. Make sure I like how their first and last names sound together.
Do you have subplots? If so, how do you weave them into the novel’s arc? I always have subplots in my mysteries. In many of the books in my Haunted Library series, I have two plot lines that merge together.
What kind of research do you do? Sometimes, I find myself doing research when I’ve written no more than half a sentence. There are so many details that go into my books that require research. Many are everyday facts, but I like to get them right. For example, a wedding ceremony. And what to serve at the wedding reception. Or it may be more complicated, like a police procedural after the skeletal remains of a body are discovered.
Where do you place your settings—real or fictional locations? I set my books in fictional locations. But they may be based on actual locations, and my fictional settings are always surrounded by real locales.
Looking to the future, what’s in store for you? I have one more Rufus book to write, and I hope to continue writing books in my Dickens Island series.
Do you have any advice for new writers? Keep on writing; join a supportive, knowledgeable critique group; join organizations that support the genre you’re writing in. Try not to get discouraged.
How do readers contact you? They can do so through my website, http://www.marilynlevinson.com, where they can also sign up for my newsletter. I am also on Facebook every day.
Facebook groups:
Cozy Mystery Party
Cozy Mystery Village
Dorothy L
Writers Who Kill
Roche’s Ravenous Readers
Cozies, Conversations, and More
Kings River Life Mysteryrat’s Maze
Save Our Cozies
Cozy Mysteries 24/7
Buy links:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3uuPRDZ
PRH: (all buy links): https://bit.ly/PRHBookedonMurder
Social Links:
Website: http://www.marilynlevinson.com, where you can sign up for my newsletter
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marilyn.levinson.10?ref=ts&fref=ts
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/161602.Marilyn_Levinson
X: https://twitter.com/MarilynLevinson
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/marilyn-levinson
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marilynlevinsonauthor/
Jun 13, 2024 | Crime, Historical, Mystery, Romance, Thriller, Young Adult |
Piano-playing, multi-award-winning author Mariko Tatsumoto immigrated to the U.S. from Japan with her family when she was eight. She was detoured from her passion of books by becoming the first Asian woman lawyer in Colorado. But like a pebble in a shoe, she couldn’t let go of her childhood dream and began writing novels. She lives in a small town in the Rocky Mountains, where she’s often found outdoors.
She is a member of the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, Colorado Authors League, Historical Novel Society, and Romance Writers of America.
What is your latest book? BLOSSOMS ON A POISONED SEA is a
thrilling coming-of-age romance based on the actual events of one of history’s most shocking industrial mercury poisoning disasters and corporate coverups that inspired Johnny Depp’s film Minamata. Two young people must fight a powerful corporation and the government to save their townspeople from a horrific neurological disease.
What made you write it? I recalled my mother showing me photojournalist W. Eugene Smith’s pictures of Minamata Disease victims in Life Magazine when I was young and wondered whatever happened to those people. I was horrified to learn there was no cure, and they kept suffering. I had to tell the world about the tragedy, which led to years of research. Ultimately, I decided to tell the story through two fictional characters.
What is it about? Yuki is the daughter of a poor fisherman. Kiyo is the son of a senior executive at Chisso. In 1956, they become friends, then gradually fell in love. But then all living things in the once beautiful Minamata Bay suddenly die. The impoverished people living around it begin suffering from a terrifying disease that causes agonizing pain, paralysis, and death … including Yuki’s family. As the sole wage earner, Yuki is reduced to low-paying, backbreaking work as a laborer and then as a housekeeper.
The city dwellers turn their backs on the dying fisherfolk. The corporation stonewalls, denying culpability. As the suffering spreads, Kiyo helps researchers find answers to the devastating neurological disease. But they’re blocked by the government and the corporate-influenced media.
Together, Yuki and Kiyo must fight the Japanese government and a powerful and ruthless corporation to save her family and the Bay.
Do you write in more than one genre? Yes. I published several middle-grade and Young Adult novels before turning to adult fiction. Without planning to do so, my books turned out to be primarily historical set in Japan or with Japanese protagonists, and often based on actual events:
AYUMI’S VIOLIN – set in 1959, drawing from my immigration experience
ACCIDENTAL SAMURAI SPY – set in 1868, inspired by the bloody political warfare to unify Japan under one rule
SWEPT AWAY – set in 2011, recounting the devastating tsunami in Japan
KIDNAPPED AT THE ICEFALL – contemporary novella set in Colorado
BLOSSOMS ON A POISONED SEA – set in the late 1950s in Minamata, Japan
I’ve also written two nonfictions: The Colorado Bed and Breakfast Guide and How To Write A Middle-Grade Book Kids Will Love
What kind of research do you do? Because my books are often based on actual events, I spend months or years studying the incidents, history, culture, politics, styles, and fashion around that time. This involves reading books and Internet sites and watching videos and movies made around that time. I sometimes need to learn a new sport. In Swept Away, I had to study sumo wrestling in order to write the lifestyle the protagonist must endure at a sumo training center. In Accidental Samurai Spy, I needed to learn the principles, techniques, and styles of sword fighting. A climber friend showed me the ropes of rock and ice climbing for Kidnapped at the Icefall. These sports were fascinating to learn.
What obstacles do you face when writing about historical figures? Despite painstaking hours of research, gaps in historical records pose challenges. In those instances, it may mean revising a part of the plot or a scene. I exercise creative license but try to maintain authenticity the best I can.
Going back in time half a century or more means that information at the time was all in print. If the place or incident is not well known, not many articles or books may have been written about it.
Do you ever kill a popular character? If so, what happens to your story? I often kill a likable character in a book. Sometimes several. These events force the protagonist to rethink life, learn, and make changes they would never have made. Readers remember and tell friends of these memorable moments. Shocking scenes stay with them, which is what writers want.
What are you currently working on? It’s another history fiction set in a World War II internment camp where Japanese Americans were incarcerated. Mine is different from other books written about the imprisonment because the subject matters I delve into were too shameful for the internees to have disclosed. That’s the part I like.
marikotatsumoto.com
marikotatsumoto@gmail.com
Instagram: @marikotatsumotoauthor
FB: MarikoTatsumotoAuthor
Twitter (X): @MarikoTatsumoto
Mar 28, 2024 | Crime, Fantasy, Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult |
Laurie Stevens is the author of the Gabriel McRay thriller series. Her books have won twelve awards, including Kirkus Review’s “Best of” and a Random House Editors’ Book of the Month. International Thriller Writers says she’s “cracked the code” regarding writing psychological suspense, while Suspense Magazine claims she’s the “leader of the pack.”
Laurie’s short stories have appeared in many anthologies and magazines, and she co-edited the Sisters in Crime anthology Fatally Haunted. Laurie’s newest novel, THE RETURN (just released in January), pits human consciousness against artificial intelligence.
ELEVATOR PITCH: Completely reliant on automation and artificial intelligence to run their
lives, human beings struggle to survive when a war destroys all the power grids across the globe. Pitting human consciousness against AI, The Return is a timely, suspenseful story of human survival, coming-of-age love, and the true power unleashed when our human hearts connect.
Do you write in more than one genre? When I completed the Gabriel McRay psychological suspense series, I thought I was strictly a crime fiction writer. Then, I began researching the tech that’s upcoming (yikes!) and got the idea for The Return, which is not only a sci-fi/fantasy but a Young Adult crossover. Quite a change!
Was it difficult to change genres? Changing genres blew me out of my comfort zone, for sure. I’m working on a psychological suspense stand-alone novel right now, and writing it feels like a visit with an old friend. That said, I really enjoyed exploring the sci-fi and fantasy elements of the new book. I never intended The Return to be YA, but my editor was once a middle-grade English teacher and said, ‘Do you realize you’ve hit all the hallmarks of a YA novel? I would recommend this to my students!”
Your Gabriel McRay novels featured a male detective, and The Return also features a young male protagonist. What’s the most challenging thing about writing characters from the opposite sex? When I first wrote the character of Gabriel McRay, I asked my husband if he hated shaving every day and other things like that, but then Gabriel sort of took over and began writing himself. A creative writing class at UCLA dissected my second book, Deep into Dusk, and most of the students enjoyed the “role reversals,” where Gabriel has a feminine side and his medical examiner girlfriend, Dr. Ming Li, has a masculine side. I swear I didn’t try to switch them up. Aiden Baylor, the protagonist from The Return, is a young man facing the challenges many young men face. Having a son made my job easier, but placing this young man in a future world created its own set of challenges. Teen crushes may never change, but how a kid 75 years from now pursues his interests is another story.
What kind of research did you do? To build a world dependent entirely on automation and tech, I spoke with tech professionals, got my subscription to Wired and other tech magazines, and read fiction books like Blake Crouch’s Upgrade and non-fiction such as The Fourth Age by Byran Reese. In the book The Digital World “Unplugs,” I had to research how people once lived off the land. I don’t mind. I am a research junkie. It’s my favorite part of the writing process.
Tell us a little about your new book. Well, you might have gathered a little info from the previous paragraph. Here’s the logline: Completely reliant on automation and artificial intelligence to manage their lives, human beings learn to survive, bond, and unlock the power of their minds when a war destroys all the power grids across the globe.
Believe it or not, I based the story on a question inspired by the biblical story of Adam and Eve and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Why would God kick Adam and Eve out of Eden because they gained wisdom and awareness? What’s so bad about knowledge? I explore a possible answer in this book.
Do you have any advice for new writers? An acquisitions editor from a publishing house once asked me if I had any vampire manuscripts lying around or perhaps a story about wizards at a boarding school (you can imagine about what year this took place). I said, “No, I have a manuscript about a traumatized Los Angeles male detective, and every case he works triggers a key point in his psychological recovery.” That went over like a lead balloon with this editor. My advice is, you have to make a choice. If being published means the world to you, and an editor asks if you have a vampire manuscript, go home and write one.
If the message in your heart is of utmost importance to you, write it and hope it resonates with the gatekeepers or better yet – the readers.
How do our readers contact you?
You can always see my books at https://lauriestevensbooks.com
To get in touch with me, laurie@lauriestevensbooks.com
THE RETURN is available at:
Amazon at http://tinyurl.com/The-Return-Amazon
Barnes and Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-return-laurie-stevens/1144524026?ean=9798223883234
Kobo https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-return-250
Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-return/id6474872190
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1497892
Thanks for having me as a guest blogger. It’s been fun!
Laurie
Apr 3, 2023 | Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult |
In her youth, Kassandra Lamb had two great passions—psychology and writing. Advised that writers need day jobs—and being partial to eating—she studied psychology. Her career as a psychotherapist and college professor taught her much about the dark side of human nature but also much about resilience, perseverance, and the healing power of laughter. Now retired, she spends most of her time in an alternate universe populated by her fictional characters. The portal to this universe (aka her computer) is located in North Central Florida, where her husband and dog catch occasional glimpses of her.
Should auld acquaintance be forgot…
The last year has been eventful for Marcia and her husband, Will. They’ve successfully launched their private
investigation agency and completed their family with an adorable but creatively energetic baby girl. They’re about to ring in the New Year with friends and neighbors, but there’s something more than champagne bubbling in Mayfair, Florida.
The octogenarian matriarch of the town is always looking for ways to boost the community’s economy. Her latest scheme is the addition of a row of shops along Main Street. But a few of her new tenants have something more nefarious in mind than simply selling their wares.
When old hostilities set off New Year’s fireworks, a shopkeeper ends up dead, and two friends of Marcia’s are prime suspects. Determined to clear them, Marcia and Will—with Buddy’s help, of course—set out to uncover the real Grim Reaper.
I’m ending a mystery series this month for the second time in my writing career. And letting go of old friends, i.e., the series’ characters, is not any easier this time around.
There are lots of good reasons for ending a series, one of them being that the main character(s) have reached the culmination of their character arc. They start out with flaws, issues, neuroses to overcome, and over the course of the series, they mature and grow.
When it gets to the point where those issues are mostly resolved, their arc is complete, and it’s time to let go.
I’m happy for my main characters, Marcia and her husband. Their lives are going well, and they have an adorable baby girl now. I’m happy they will get to enjoy the fruits of their labor. (And I’m excited about the new series I’m starting.)
But on the other hand, it feels like good friends—or maybe grown children would be a better analogy—are moving to the other side of the world. It’s not just that they are going away, but I won’t be keeping in touch with them. I won’t know what’s happening in their lives. No phone calls, no emails, no texts!
And it’s not just the main characters I will miss. These stories were set in a small fictitional Florida town called Mayfair, a town I have grown to love as much as Marcia does.
I’m going to miss all the quirky neighbors—the octogenarian town matriarch who wears brightly colored muumuus and flip-flops, and the regal Black woman, a retired schoolteacher, who lives next door and who always has a pitcher of iced tea in her fridge and some sound advice to offer.
And even more secondary characters—the matriarch’s niece, sweet Susanna Mayfair, who shares Marcia’s love of horses, and her son Dexter, not the brightest bulb in the package but a truly loveable guy. And Marcia’s friends, the Mayfair diner’s owner Jess, and Marcia’s fellow service dog trainer, Carla, and her best friend, Becky. Oh, and Marcia’s mom and her new stepfather.
Most of these characters have also grown and changed over the course of the 13-book series. And I feel like they are my friends and neighbors too.
But I’m leaving them and Mayfair behind. I won’t be able to stroll down its streets again—the fictitious Black Lab Buddy on his leash—waving at folks or stopping to gossip.
Yes, it’s time to let Marcia and her crew have some peace and quiet. No more murderers or other culprits will be coming their way, making life scary and difficult in their little town. I’m happy for them.
But I’m sure gonna miss all those good folks!
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
WEBSITE: https://kassandralamb.com
BLOG: https://misteriopress.com
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/kassandralambauthor
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/kasslamb/
PINTEREST: https://www.pinterest.com/kassandralamb/
BOOKBUB PROFILE: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/kassandra-lamb
AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE: http://www.amazon.com/Kassandra-Lamb/e/B006NB5WAI/
BUY LINKS:
AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BRNSP9CM
APPLE: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id6445299219
KOBO: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/auld-lang-mayfair
NOOK: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/auld-lang-mayfair-kassandra-lamb/1142910606?ean=2940166853714
Such an inspiring journey! Loved how authentically M.E. Roche shared the highs and challenges of the writing process.
Thank you for sharing your writing process and what you went through. It was interesting and informative. Just picked up one of your books. Thanks Peg and George.
Thanks, Darlene!
My goodness, writing journeys sound so much like life journeys in so many, many ways, don’t they? Thanks for sharing your very unique one with us here on George’s blog today.
Thanks, Pamela. Believe it or not, I was just thinking the same this morning! How we go on the same journey every time we try something new….
All of life is a learning process, isn’t it? I was in marketing for 30 years and found it easy to market my employers and/or my clients. Marketing for myself–not so much. But lately, I’ve started to see some results since I started focusing marketing activities that help me find folks who read what I write –readers–my clients. Additionally, I’ve decided to stop always trying new things and focus on just a few things that I know I will do consistently and that actually yield results. Funny how that’s exactly what I used to advise my clients. LOL!
I totally agree, Sally. Pick the area where you can work consistently. You can’t do everything. Thanks for your words of wisdom!
Thanks for sharing your journey, Dave. We do need to hear what other writers experience! And thanks again, George! Peg
Hi M.E.
It is a journey to be sure, an adventure, that isn’t always pleasant and fun. But it’s worth it, isn’t is? Many of us have gone through similar trials and tribulations. Thanks for sharing yours. It’s funny how, “We’re all in this together,” yet it is a very singular struggle. Though we can enlist assistance, I know I do, it’s still your butt in the chair typing.
Glad to hear you’re doing well and carrying on. I entered the world of writing completely oblivious to what I was getting into and I remained naive for a little while. Long enough to pen my first novel. Then I found out I didn’t have the foggiest idea of writing for publication truly was.
Instead of shelving the first book, I doubled-down and rewrote and revised it, refusing to let it languish. I knew it was good, I just had to sift through the words and find its voice.
It took years but I was able to find a publisher, having given up on agents early. With all the query letters and eight or nine month wait. The novel did well for the small publisher that bought it. Then through an innocuous meeting at a book signing, I was solicited by an agent, one from New York, no less. I thought, here I go.
Agents aren’t always the answer.
Whereas I love writer’s conferences, I don’t see the payoff unless you have a book to pitch or sell. But I do so love to talk to other writers and readers, of course.
Thank you of the insight!
Warmly,
Dave