Or How I Came Closer to Atheism While Living in a Christian Country I remembered that it was hot as hell. Women fanned themselves in futility against the onslaught of body heat and righteousness as they were dressed to the nines in their Sunday best. This ensemble included a broad hat, stately dress, gray pantyhose, and strappy white shoes with toes protruding so far out that they gripped the floor for mercy. This was […]
Read moreAs an author, I’ve encountered reviews and opinions about how a story doesn’t resonate with readers because it didn’t seem “real enough.” My first push-back response to that criticism is usually a strong defense of the genre. “It’s fiction and by definition, ‘not real.’ ” But, when you look deeper at what the reader’s trying to say, you realize that this critique is neither trite nor glib. Here’s what I mean: Share this… Facebook Pinterest […]
Read moreIf I couldn’t write fiction, would I babble to myself in the streets about these crazy Baxters who won’t leave me alone? Probably? Who said I wasn’t doing that already…🤪 For years, I technically wasn’t a fiction writer. I ignored that path for a while, but the characters came to me anyway. So, when I get a question like this, I know exactly what I’d do. But, and here’s the trick, I’d still be writing. […]
Read moreI love marketing but was wary of Amazon Marketing Services at first. I have know that Amazon was a pioneer in that type of related search technology long before it became an industry-wide practice. But AMS, at first, felt like a new pair of shoes: tight, uncomfortable, and in need of more time to stretch out before I shoved my big feet in them. So, I left it alone. Thanks to a Reedsy learning course, […]
Read moreI’ve seen authors go out to dinner, drink wine, have some decadent dessert and I have to congratulate them because I know it’s a helluva slog. But when my manuscript is ready, and I mean really ready, I don’t have time to celebrate because the game has just begun. Share this… Facebook Pinterest Twitter Linkedin
Read moreSometimes when I’m writing, I’ll have a song on repeat in my head because that song embodies the character, the situation or maybe a meaning I never realized until I paid attention to the lyrics. Basically, that song is trying to tell me something. To me, songs are stories or poems set to music. There isn’t a decade that hasn’t produced notable songs, despite what some aficionados may claim. It’s just that some years or […]
Read moreMore precisely, is your work being plagiarized? That’s my first question. Second question: Are. You. Sure? Share this… Facebook Pinterest Twitter Linkedin
Read moreI’m an author who writes stories. When I started on this path, I thought, (and still do think) how screwed up can people be in this situation, or that one. In that vein, I wound up writing interracial romance unions. I’ll never classify myself as an interracial romance author because I tend to write a variety of stories, some not romantic. But I have been shocked to realize that there aren’t that many interracial romance […]
Read moreI like giving presents that are meaningful and not just for the sake of looking good. This is one of the reasons I’m just not a fan of Christmas, which has become this exercise in showmanship. But when giving gifts are tinged with a bit of, say, revenge, that’s when things get fun and funny. Share this… Facebook Pinterest Twitter Linkedin
Read moreIt was October 1987. I was a pre-teen mooning over a cute boy I was starting to like and thinking about Halloween candy. I was clueless, to say the least, about what happened. I’m sure my parents knew what happened but I don’t remember being upset, sad or worried as others were. The rest of the U.S. and the world reeled from what became known as Black Monday where those who were rich on paper […]
Read moreI’ve often shared that my mother presented me with my first blank diary at 11. I don’t know what she knew or saw but I count it as one of the best gifts I’ve ever gotten. So, it must have been a heart-stopping moment that left her bereft when she happened on a piece of paper that said I hated her. Share this… Facebook Pinterest Twitter Linkedin
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