My debut romance novel, The Art of Love is free today and tomorrow (May 20 and 21) on Kindle. A number of people have asked me the million-dollar question, “How can you make money if you’re giving your book away for free?” The answer sounds crazy, but if you use the pond analogy, it makes sense. I started out by giving my friends copies of the books to read. I told them, “Don’t worry – if you like it, tell me; if you don’t, don’t worry about it.” Well, they told me. They let me know they ... VIEW POST
What? There Was a Time When Women Didn’t wear the Pants in the Family?!
It’s 1903. The heroine of my new historical romance, The Art of Love, has been invited on a mysterious outing, and after telling the hero she doesn’t own any trousers, he has a pair sent to her. No big deal today, right? We’d just slip on our most comfortable pants (Mom jeans, anyone?) and head out the door. But back at the turn of the twentieth century it was practically unthinkable for women to wear pants. Evidence from ancient Greek pottery shows that at least some women wore them (okay, ... VIEW POST
Advice from a Pro: Get Real! (even if you made it up)
One of the presenters at this year’s Idaho Writer’s Rendezvous was the novelist Ciji Ware. (http://cijiware.com.) She’s known for sink-your-teeth-into sagas that explore little known, but fascinating female historical figures, like the fourth Duchess of Gordon (Island of the Swans) and the many English women playwrights who flourished in the 18th century (Wicked Company). Ms. Ware was a journalist before launching her fiction writing career, and her attention to the “truth” of a given situation ... VIEW POST
Leaving The Waiting Place
Fans of Dr. Seuss know very well the infamous Waiting Place described in his classic children’s book, Oh, the Places You’ll Go. It’s the state of mind we all get stuck in at some point in our lives—a time of “in between,” where we think we want to move in one direction, but we’re not sure, so we wait for something to happen, or for things to stop happening, before we move. For me, the elusive goal has been fiction writing. For years I worked in marketing and wrote in many forms, none ... VIEW POST
The Difference Between Fiction Editing and a Rock Band Tour? Not Much
My older son is a musician and college student in Denver. I’d call him “struggling,” but 1) that would be a cliché, and 2) how bad can it be when you’re twenty-one with no major responsibilities except to feed yourself, get to rehearsal/performances on time and, oh yes, pass your classes? Plus, his bands are “on the way up,” as they say. They’re going places. Literally. He just got back from a multi-state tour with one of his groups. They played in Utah, California, Washington, Oregon and ... VIEW POST
