If you’ve ever dived into the world of romance books or stumbled across a BookTok recommendation, you’ve probably heard the term “spicy” thrown around. But what exactly does it mean? And what is this spicy book rating system readers and…
From Monotony to Mastery: The Art of Avoiding Repetitive Words in Fiction. A Mystery Review Crew Spotlight on Writing with a Thesaurus. Have you ever perused the pages of a book in a bookstore and then set it aside? Or…
An author’s source of inspiration comes in many forms. Sometimes, it is a picture. One that immediately stirs the author’s imagination. What kind of a story can be weaved around a decrepit doll from a bygone era attired in a…
Cliffhangers! What tugs us from chapter to chapter? What creates a sense of anxiety and suspense? What keeps us reading a book far into the night? Or, we say to ourselves, just one more chapter. You reach the end of…
Being Right When You Write by CS McDonald. Synonyms…we writers use these alternate words when we’re looking for a different or creative way to convey something in…well…a different or creative way. And sometimes we get carried away, bewitched, overzealous, fanatical,…
The Mystery Of Book Plates by Anita Dickason Hear Ye! Hear Ye! The Revival Ever pick up an old hardback book and marvel at an intricate bookplate on the inside of the front cover? Maybe it had an inscription, name,…
Absent Fans, Have you got any? My dad was an avid reader. He would sit down in his Lazy Boy chair in the living room, then absolutely lose himself in a book. I swear, a bomb could have gone off…
Scruffy Little Ponies, an Observation by Cindy McDonald Where do writers get inspiration? From many places: life experiences, or perhaps overhearing an argument at the grocery, and more. As for me, I’m an observer, a people watcher. I’ve created many…
Over the past twelve years, I’ve written many blog posts and I’ve participated in many ‘author interviews’ as well. One of the most common questions I’ve been posed, on such interviews, has been: What advice would you give an upcoming…
