Work, Wine, Twitter & The Hop

Posted on June 4, 2014 by admin

I've met many fun, kind and talented people through Twitter. One of them is fantasy writer Kyle Newton, whose sense of humor I love, and who tagged me in a blog hop. His blog is required reading for me when I need inspiration or want to laugh or both. As for what I'm up to (required questions for hopping):1 – What am I working on (or struggling not to work on in my version of the hop) –Here's the crazy thing I discovered - when you work for yourself, it's hard to not work. In cont...

Sin, Sex and the Art of Persuasive Writing

Posted on November 21, 2013 by admin

My parents used to subscribe to a Catholic magazine with a column for young adults. When I was in high school, I read one of the columns that advised teenagers that the Bible clearly showed pre-marital sex was wrong - just look at the Sixth and Ninth commandments. I didn't remember anything in the Ten Commandments about pre-marital sex. I checked my parents' Bible (no Internet at that time, so I used the index - remember those?). The Sixth Commandment prohibits adultery. The ...

Anatomy of (Rewriting) a Thriller

Posted on September 20, 2013 by admin

A few people have asked me where The Awakening II is. Which makes me very happy, as I hope it means they read The Awakening. The answer makes me less happy: It's on my dining room table. That is, the first draft of it is. A second/third draft (I rewrite in pieces) is in the laptop. I should add that, actually, first I outline, which sometimes takes longer than the first draft. So I basically write from point to point in my outline, in sort of a mad dash to the end. &nbs...

Why Do I Like Don Draper?

Posted on July 10, 2013 by admin

Warning - This Post Contains Mad Men Season 6 SpoilersA male friend -- who isn't a Mad Men fan -- watched the Season 6 premiere with me. Afterwards, he turned to me and said, referring to Don Draper, "I don't understand why you like this character." As a writer, I always want to understand what makes a particular character compelling or likable, or both or neither. As to Don, for me, it's both. The puzzle is, why? Don Draper is a womanizer, he treats my favorite characte...