Had to take my cat to the vet today. He had a bad infection in his blind eye and his one remaining tooth, both caused by the FIV virus he’s had since a kitten. The vet gave him shots and said he’s at that age when kidney failure will take him out, and that’s what … read more Update on Bing the Cat
Whether you are a writer, or you are traveling another road in life, the time you waste is time you lose. The time you have in this world is less than you think—use it wisely and get busy writing. Now, not next week or next month! A wonderful quote worth remembering: “Every day you waste … read more Time Wasted Is Time Lost
I made good progress today on my “To Do” list of building projects that have been hanging over me seemingly forever. I cussed, fumed, and threw some tools around, but I managed to get half of the forms installed for a 50-foot long concrete sidewalk in front of my house (yes, I know, a 50-foot … read more My Building Projects “To Do” List
I’m continuing to sort through and throw out most of the “stuff” I have accumulated over the years with the goal of fitting everything I want to keep in one small room. It’s a bit depressing to walk down the memory lane of my life, look out over piles of junk that I believed I … read more So Much Junk Collected Over the Years
A long time ago, when I initially set out to be a writer and before I sold my first book to a traditional publisher, I had a drawer full of form rejection slips—more than 100! But I persisted, and eventually landed a multi-book contract that launched my writing career. If you have writing in your … read more Never Give Up
It’s not a good idea to ask an editor to look at your work unless you are ready for an honest opinion that you might not like. Today, I received a request on Twitter from British debut novelist Mathew R. J. Parkes [ @ShriekSN ] asking me to take a look at his first full-length … read more A Quick Look at a First Novel by Mathew R. J. Parkes
This article in Publishers Weekly discusses the pros and cons of paid reviews and it’s a good read if you have written a book and now you want to promote it. When I say “paid reviews,” by the way, I’m talking about pro (and pricey) review services like Kirkus and Blueink, not $5 reviews on … read more Should Writers Pay for Reviews?
