Interview with Jane Cleere Johnson: Summer 2024 Flash Fiction Contest Runner Up

Tuesday, February 04, 2025
Jane’s Bio: Jane Cleere Johnson has been a member of SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) for over 30 years and has been published in children’s magazines like The Friend and knowonder! Jane’s first Indie tween fantasy The Legends of Caraigdun: Quest to Slay the Dragon was released to global distribution through IngramSpark in September. Jane is currently working on developing her picture book manuscripts and is working on a middle grade novel. Every now and then Jane feels the muse singing to her, “write for adults.” She knows she can appease the Goddess by writing flash fiction. Way back in the beginnings of WOW!—in 2007, Jane was honored and ecstatic to be awarded 1st place for her story "Funding a Memory." She has submitted to WOW! on and off since then, has recently been awarded honorable mention for her story "The Haunting" and has been grateful for the opportunity to have her stories critiqued by the insightful women of WOW! When Jane is not writing she enjoys spending time with her family, reading (especially picture books to her nine grandkids), and going for walks on crisp autumn days. You can read more about Jane and purchase her debut novel on her website Mushroom Manor Books. 

If you haven't done so already, check out Jane's award winning story "Never Too Late" and then return here for a chat with the author. 

WOW: Congratulations on placing in the Summer 2024 Flash Fiction Contest! What excited you most about writing this story? 

Jane: This story came from an idea I had many years ago and I was excited to submit to WOW, get an excellent critique last year, make some revisions, and place with this story. It was a fun task, to fit this tale of love into a flash fiction format. 

WOW: Excellent! We’re so glad you found the critique beneficial and that you resubmitted! What did you learn about yourself or your writing while crafting this piece? 

Jane: This story came from deep within my heart, a tender heart that loves people and still believes in soul mates. David and Margaret and the beginnings of their story sat in a file for many years. Their story needed to be told! What I learned is to look through all my files because there are a lot of good ideas and first drafts in there. 

WOW: From your bio, it sounds like much of your writing has been for children. Why do you think you’ve been called to write for adults through flash fiction recently? What differences and similarities do you see between writing for children and adults? 

Jane: I have written many short stories aimed at children's magazines over the years, but every once in a while, an idea pops in my head that is about adults. Flash fiction is perfect for me, especially as I've gotten older and feel that there's no way I could remember enough to write a novel! I write for children because I know children. There is rarely a day that has gone by in my life that I wasn't with children. Even in college I volunteered with children and youth. So, I write what I know and for those I know. Writing for adults doesn't come as naturally for me. 

WOW: What are you reading right now, and why did you choose to read it? 

Jane: This question makes me smile. I always seem to have at least three books that I'm reading at once. I am reading Atomic Habits. I'm 61 and even though they say you can't teach a dog new tricks, I'm retired and want to focus on getting in shape, eating more healthily, and writing. I'm learning some great concepts! I'm also reading Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott which was recommended to me by my oldest daughter and a great read for writers! And, I'm re-reading The Hobbit, because I can and it's so much fun! 

WOW: What a great array of classics from different genres! If you could give your younger self one piece of writing advice, what would it be and why? 

Jane: Write. Revise. Submit. Repeat. My writing literally got buried many times over the years. I kept little yellow notepads and wrote down so many ideas, beginnings, and I typed up so many first drafts, first chapters, even got up to 5th and 10th chapters on some YA, and Middle Grade attempts, but life would get in the way. I'd get distracted. There was work, rearing six children, and lots of volunteering and now my brain doesn't work the way it did even five years ago. So, I would tell myself and everyone out there. Write. Write while you're young. Write while you can. 

WOW: Great advice, and I love the idea of mining your old drafts for gems to work with. Anything else you’d like to add? 

Jane: WOW is always in my mind as a place to submit. I really value the critiques I've gotten. Your words of encouragement are a boon to my soul. Thank you. So much. 

WOW: You are very welcome! Thank you for sharing your story and your inspiring responses with us. Happy writing! 


Interviewed by Anne Greenawalt, founder and editor-in-chief of Sport Stories Press, which publishes sports books by, for, and about sportswomen and amateur athletes and offers developmental editing and ghostwriting services to partially fund the press. Connect on Twitter @greenmachine459.
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Friday Speak Out!: Express Yourself

Friday, January 31, 2025
By: Jenn Todling

When you were a child, what creative outlets lit you up? Were you a painter, singer, pillow fort architect, or LEGO master? And more importantly, how many of those creative outlets have followed you into adulthood? Anyone?

For me, writing and dance have always been the purest expressions of my heart and soul. Yet, I spent the entirety of my 20s pushing them aside. I was climbing the corporate ladder, collecting accolades, but something was missing. I didn’t feel fully alive.

Why? In my pursuit of professionalism, I lost sight of the value and importance of creativity. I forgot how vital it is to bring our full selves—not just our to-do lists—into the workplace. A turning point came during the pandemic. I reconnected with my favorite hip-hop teacher in NYC (thank you, virtual classes!)—right in the middle of busy season. To my surprise, this creative outlet didn’t just keep me balanced; it sharpened my mind and made me better at my job.

We often think of creative passions or exercise as “extras”—nice to have if we have the time, which we usually don’t. But what if we reframed them as essential components of balanced leadership? Our brains operate on two key networks: the task-positive network (TPN), perfect for getting things done, and the default mode network (DMN), which is where innovation and insight live.

As a former accountant, I was a master of the TPN. I could tackle to-do lists, solve audit challenges, and outwork anyone around me. But allowing myself time to “chill”—to paint, sing, dance, or simply daydream? That was harder for me to wrap my head around. Yet, the more I learned about neuroscience and leadership, the more I realized that without tapping into both networks, I was only using half of my superpower.

Now, I start each morning with a reflective walk in nature, letting my mind wander and giving space for my DMN to wake up. Every day, I come home with a new creative insight to kickstart my day. I’ve also joined a weekly choir to train my brain in new ways, and I’ve returned to teaching ballroom dance. Moving my body and expressing myself has brought more of me to my work and leadership—not less.

What about you? How will you express yourself this week? For the world needs who you were made to be.

***

Jenn Todling is an author, speaker, executive coach, as well as an adjunct instructor at the University of Denver as part of its Frontline Manager Leadership Program. Formerly an audit partner at a global Big 4 accounting firm with over twenty years of professional services experience and an ICF-certified transformational leadership coach for over ten years, Jenn helps her clients express their soul in their work and life. A lover of adventure, travel, and dance, she currently resides near her hometown of Boulder, Colorado, with her husband (and dance partner), and young daughter. Her debut memoir Dancing on My Own Two Feet will be available April 2025. Learn more at jenntodling.com. 

Social media links: Substack  LinkedIn  Instagram  Facebook

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Would you like to participate in Friday "Speak Out!"? Email your short posts (under 500 words) about women and writing to: marcia[at]wow-womenonwriting[dot]com for consideration. We look forward to hearing from you!
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A Rose by Any Other Name: Why You Need to Call Your Book What It Is

Thursday, January 30, 2025

I love it when a discussion comes together in the comments on a post. Recently Renee Roberson and I were discussing Erik Larsen’s The Devil in the White City. You can see the conversation on Jodi Webb's post "Why Good Writers Read Bad Books." Renee disliked it, but I love it. 

Obviously, different people love different types of books, but she diagnosed an important problem. The book had been misidentified when it was recommended to her book club. They were told it is historic fiction and true crime. While it deals with true crime and a serial killer, it is a nonfiction history about the Chicago World’s Fair and a serial killer that operated against that backdrop. 

What’s the big deal? So, it’s nonfiction and not fiction. Surely a book lover could get over that. 

The problem is focus and pacing. True crime is tense and fast paced. Danger and deceit keep the reader turning the pages. History? The pace is going to be much slower because you must pull in so much material. This is all about the Gilded Age and is as layered and complex as a Gilded Age drawing room. There’s landscape architecture, architecture, and city politics. What? Oh, right. A murderer. He’s in there too, but he is only a part of a very complicated whole. People who read history are okay with that. People who read true crime may be, but it is going to help if they know what they are getting into. 

Call your book the wrong thing, and you are going to lose potential readers. Call your manuscript the wrong thing and you are going to lose potential sales. 

So how do you make sure you’ve got it right? A big part of it is knowing the market. If you read in a certain area, then you are going to have a better idea what to call a manuscript. I read a lot of mysteries. I can explain the difference between a cozy, a police procedural, and noir. Although I enjoy fantasy, my recent reading is more science fiction. Because of this, I have only a vague idea of what a romantasy is versus a cozy fantasy. I’m much more familiar with older terms like high fantasy, steampunk, and Arthurian. 

Reading your competition but still not sure what to call your own writing? Read articles about writing mystery or fantasy, essays or whatever it is that you write. Don’t forget to look up “types of fantasy” or “mystery subgenres.” And don’t read just one list but several since they are sure to have different sub-genre listed. For example, I just did a quick search and only one of three articles I skimmed included Wuxia fantasy. 

A third way to find the right term is to read reviews. Do you have a mentor text? Google it and read reviews. Be sure to look for professional journal reviews. Skim them for phrases like “a perfect example of real crime” or “the best cozy we’ve read this season.” 

Still not sure? Ask a book seller or librarian. They need to know how to find things, and they often make book recommendations. If they can tell you what genre or subgenre your mentor text falls into, this can help you categorize your own work. Categorize it correctly and you are that much closer to helping your readers find your work. 

--SueBE

  • Click here to find her newsletter.
Sue Bradford Edwards' is the author of over 60 books for young readers.  

She is also the instructor for 3 WOW classes which begin on the first Monday of every month. She teaches:
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Interview with Zarah Elouis-Ro , Runner Up in the WOW! Summer 2024 Flash Fiction Contest

Tuesday, January 28, 2025

Zarah is a single parent living in Liverpool, United Kingdom, with her son, Kellen. Zarah holds a marketing degree from the University of Liverpool and previously worked as a paralegal in contract law. Zarah is independently learning creative writing after reassessing her life during the pandemic. In 2021, Zarah was shortlisted in the Penguin Michael Joseph Christmas Romance competition, following which she organised with other shortlistees to write and publish two Christmas Romance anthologies, with a third planned for 2025. However, Zarah writes broadly across the Fiction genre with a preference for dystopian and speculative fiction. This year, Zarah was a candidate awarded the Writers on the Rise program with the Black British Book Festival and Pan Macmillan, and she was also shortlisted in the Jericho Writers Self-Edit Your Novel course and was awarded a premium membership to enable further study of creative writing. Zarah hosts a weekly online writing group for underrepresented writers, and this year has focused on entering short, micro, and flash competitions to hone the art of saying more with less, alongside development of novel projects. Zarah crochets for procrastination, enjoys DIY (but is fairly poor at it), and is learning pole fitness. 


----------Interview by Renee Roberson 


WOW: Congratulations, Zarah, and welcome!  “Cereal, Love” employs a clever use of wording that results in a chilling end. How did you get the idea for this story? 


Zarah: I had been watching something about a serial killer a while back, and there had been a throwaway comment about how the family hadn't suspected anything. It conjured up a whole scene in my head (I usually visualise my stories as films/tv shows before writing) of a child processing that moment their life changed forever. Initially, I saw this as a novel - a child reckoning with their father's crimes and how the family of the serial killer are just as much victims but without any of the sympathy. I had thought about how they would exist in a world post exposure and how they would navigate losing someone they never really knew. I wanted to write it through a child's eyes because trauma presents so differently as you age, especially when it has occurred in childhood. That perspective really fascinated me, and the cereal/serial conversation came to me quite quickly thinking about how a child would muddle up the words, and what clues might stick out on later reflection that may have seen innocuous - if strange - at the time. Initially, this was going to be the first chapter of said novel, but as I have a million ideas every year, it got filed away for "expanding at a later date". This year, I have really enjoyed honing my skill with micro, flash, and short story comps and I realised that this would make a perfect flash with a bit of a tweaking. 


WOW: You have had success writing Christmas Romance, as stated in your bio. What are some of the most prominent hallmarks of this genre and what has drawn you into writing it? 


Zarah: I don't like to be pigeon holed, and especially when it comes to creating. I am a firm believer that even if you have a preferred genre(s) - mine are dystopian, speculative fiction and fantasy - you should always practice writing across genres. It's so fun to go places where you normally wouldn't when creating, and you never know what else it will inspire. My first dabble in Christmas Romance was in the 2021 PMJ Christmas Love Story competition. I saw the competition the day before it closed and I had just binged "It's A Sin" and the idea of an elderly gay married couple reliving their love story came to me in a flash. It was such a joy to be shortlisted because I had just left a role in contract law after hitting burnout in the pandemic and everything was up in the air. These little wins as writers can really give you a boost when needed to show that you are on the right path and that you do have talent. Writing is such a solitary process and I love creating community wherever I can. I set up a group for all the shortlisted participants (we called ourselves the penguins) to wait together in the months it took for the winner to be announced. The winner - Talia Samuels - was in our group and let us know as she got the win. From there, a few of us decided to keep the momentum going and in a few shorts months had written, edited and self-published under the name The Christmas Collective "More than Mistletoe", which was a collection of short stories with a Christmas Romance theme. The following year we did the same with "The Mistletoe Mixtape" and we have started work on our third in the series to be released Autumn 2025. Some of our authors have been traditionally published since and it's been really heart warming to see their progress. Writing is such a competitive field but among authors there is also a huge comradery and level of support that can help you along the way. Even though Christmas Romance isn't my niche, I love all things Christmas and I am a romantic, so it isn't difficult for me to indulge that when writing and I am so grateful top have a set space to do that with my anthology pals. 


WOW: As a busy mom, how do you organize your days to prioritize your writing projects? 


Zarah: This year has been unique in that I have set up several online writing groups to aid in keeping myself and others accountable in our writing. As a recently diagnosed ADHD-er and single parent to a disabled child, organising my creativity alongside all the non-dopamine inducing tasks I have to do has been super difficult. I really thrive on having external deadlines, so this year I have been entering competitions left, right and centre to keep my writing consistent. They say it takes 6 weeks to form a habit but when you are neurodivergent it is a constant effort. I do not rely on motivation to do anything because motivation (that wily minx) shows up at the most awkward times - when I am driving or when I am supposed to go to sleep. I also grapple with imposter syndrome, writer's block and rejection sensitivity - the perfect cocktail for procrastination. So this year, setting up writing groups and working with feedback partners has been invaluable. Not only has it progressed all of the separate projects I am working on, it has also given me and many others a sense of community. I host the sessions which means I stick to them because I don't want to let anyone down, but it allows others to dip in and out whenever they can without any pressure and always knowing there is a space for them to write. Sometimes, these sessions (4x a week) are the only time I will sit down and write, but because of that dedicated time, I am more productive. Finding your routine as a writer is probably one of the most difficult hurdles you will overcome, but when you do, it is so satisfying. 


WOW: What sorts of topics do you discuss in your weekly online writing group and how has it been beneficial to you personally? 


Zarah: We always start with a five minute random word exercise which one of the members suggested in our first meeting. A different person each week will choose five random words and we have 5 minutes to write whatever comes to mind. We share these in our whatsapp chat after and it's always so fun to see the different perspectives when writing even when the same words have been used. From there, we have 45 minutes to focus on our solo projects and that we have a period of time to discuss what we have been working on. In this time we offer resources to each other that we think people may find helpful, talk out sticking points in people's projects, discuss writing devises and suggest books we are reading, articles, podcasts or anything else that can help us along on our journey. For me, these groups have been invaluable - I am not able to attend night classes anywhere and because of my daily obligations it can be hard finding a community to engage in. So, ever the proactive person, I decided to create them myself! Next year, I would like to add a group specifically for carers and disabled adults who find it difficult to attend classes because of their responsibilities - we all deserve community and carving out time for yourself, even if you don't leave the house - can be a huge lifeline to many. I really want to break down the barriers for people and these free, low-commitment spaces are vital for people who are not able to keep regular schedules through no fault of their own. 


WOW: Is there any advice you would give to other writers on where to find the best places to submit their work? 


Zarah: The Penguin site has a very comprehensive list of authentic competitions which you can scroll through and decide which ones to enter. I tend to do a lot of Googling and look for the competitions that have been verified through external means like Reedsy. Recently, I have entered the Globe Soup community and they have a wonderful online community and do regular competitions where you can meet other authors online and exchange feedback.

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No Life But Immortality by Liudmila Brus - Review Event & Giveaway!

Monday, January 27, 2025
No Life But Immortality by Liudmila Brus

Today, I'm excited to announce a special reader review event with Liudmila Brus. Our readers will share their thoughts about her amazing science fiction story, No Life But Immortality. You'll also have a chance to win a copy of this fantastic book!

But first, here's more about Liudmila's book:

Set at the end of the 22nd century, this dystopian epic takes readers into a hauntingly plausible future where humanity must navigate the consequences of its technological ambitions and societal failure.

In a world where digital consciousness reigns supreme, convicted serial killer Geryon Lindon orchestrates a sinister plan, manipulating technology and humanity alike to rewrite history, but when a team of Martian scouts infiltrates his lunar stronghold, the fate of Earth hangs in the balance as they race against time to thwart his designs and uncover the truth behind the global Blackout.

Liudmila Brus’s storytelling takes inspiration from classics like Neuromancer and The Martian, combined with the intricate politics and environmental topics. Readers can expect a narrative that blends psychological drama with interplanetary intrigue, perfect for fans of dystopian fiction, virtual reality, and richly layered worlds.

Publisher:  Independently published
ISBN-979-8343973259
ASIN: B0DLGLPQCJ
Print Length: 408 pages

Purchase a copy on Amazon, Booksamillion, and Bookshop.org. Be sure to add it to your GoodReads reading list as well.
 
No Life But Immortality by Liudmila Brus Reader Review Event

Here Is What WOW's Readers Thought

"Liudmila Brus's No Life But Immortality is a gripping story set in a world where you can choose to live forever—but it comes at a big cost: your humanity. The book mixes deep ideas with emotional, personal struggles, making it easy to connect with the characters. Brus's writing is clear and sharp, and the world she creates feels real and thought-provoking. Some parts slow down with lots of explanation, but the story's rich details and big questions stay with you long after you finish. If you like stories that make you think and feel, this is a great pick." - Ellen LaFleche Christian

"Liudmila Brus writes with an ambitious blend of clarity and density, constructing a future both alien and uncomfortably familiar. Her style is intricate and visual, layering speculative ideas with deeply atmospheric settings—Mars’ disciplined domes, Earth’s decay, and the sterile depths of an underwater lab.

"No Life but Immortality probes moral and philosophical questions: What does survival mean? How far will humanity go to transcend its limits? These are big questions, and Brus approaches them with precision. At the same time, as a reader, I sometimes found the narrative weighty. Exposition sometimes overshadowed the characters, slowing the momentum of what could have been a more dynamic narrative.

"Still, this is a novel that rewards patient readers who enjoy grappling with complex themes. It challenges the idea of straightforward storytelling, encouraging reflection rather than providing easy answers. For speculative fiction or sci-fi fans drawn to thought-provoking, layered worlds, it’s an intriguing read." - Kaecey McCormick

"No Life But Immortality is the first book in author Liudmila Brus’s science fiction series, Geryon’s Code Cycle, and it is a densely built tale of a future world with humans populating Mars, Earth, and the moon. When the Mars colonies lose contact with their home planet of Earth and an exploratory space mission to determine Earth’s status goes missing and presumed lost, the governing council must decide whether or not to follow up with a second attempt. Eventually, armed with additional resources, a new ship goes in search of the lost mission and its crew with unexpected and life-or-death results.

"This story, while having moments of action and suspense, is more of a world building and investigative sci-fi mystery. I enjoyed the individual storylines offered at the start on which the main plot was built. Each main character is engaging in their own way and someone you want to know more about. However, they appear in the story over a number of years, and the author surprised me with how they finally interconnected - most not in life or face-to-face.

"The narrative is dense with discussion and description and isn’t one to choose for light reading. At times, I had difficulty staying with the story because of execution issues: unusual wording or even wrong words used entirely. But the end result was worth the little extra effort.

"I recommend NO LIFE BUT IMMORTALITY to science fiction readers." - Karen Siddall

"I am a big fan of dystopian fiction novels and this one really captured my attention. Liudmila does such a great job of developing a vivid, futuristic world and strong characters. I love how she wove in all the advancements in our world, from AI to robots. It could be complicated at times, but that didn't bother me. I love this type of genre and the author did this so well." - Nicole Pyles

"Wow... this is a dystopian novel with tons of gumption, fast paced action and plenty of titbits to mull over visions of what Mars, Moon and Earth could really be like in the 22nd century - according to Liudmila, of course. Die hard sci-fi/ dystopian fans will not be disappointed. No Life But Immortality definitely has screen adaptation potential. I particularly liked the fast paced storyline in parts... especially when the Martian scouts explored Geryon’s lunar stronghold. I was also fascinated with Liudmila’s vision of the future of Antarctica on Earth in the 22nd century. She’s definitely given me food for thought at any rate, along with an excellent read." - Linda Hobden

About the Author, Liudmila Brus 

Author Liudmila Brus

Liudmila lives in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, with her small family and her adopted cat. She is currently a video game writer at Ghost Workshop, working on the game Marsbound.

Under the influence of her grandparents, Liudmila fell in love with reading at an early age and developed a passion for writing. She began collaborating with a city newspaper at the age of 15. At 16, she entered the Moscow State Institute of International Relations to study journalism. She also participated in a student exchange program with Sciences Po, one of the leading universities of France. 

Her sci-fi book cycle Geryon's Code consists of three novels: No Life but Immortality, The Orphaned Earth, and From The Abyss, To The Abyss (currently in progress). Follow her online here, on X @BigBadBittern, Instagram: @lyudmilabrus.

***** BOOK GIVEAWAY ****

Enter to win a print copy of No Life But Immortality by Liudmila Brus! Fill out the Rafflecopter form below for a chance to win. The giveaway ends February 9th at 11:59 pm CT. We will randomly draw a winner the next day via Rafflecopter and follow up via email. Good luck!
 
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Ask the Book Doctor: Why Did You Change My Writing?

Saturday, January 25, 2025

By Bobbie Christmas

Q: Your track changes on my manuscript show that you want me to delete a lot of words from my manuscript. Why did you make that recommendation?

A: Please be assured I didn’t randomly select words to delete, and as you can see, many of the words are the same, meaning they were overused. I also rarely removed entire sentences. First let me address a few of the specific words I’d like to see deleted because they are repetitive, superfluous, and/or redundant. I’ll give examples. 

Original: He had objected to her demands when she made them, but she had insisted, and he had relented. 

Preferred: He had objected to her demands when she made them, but she insisted, and he relented. 

I recommended deleting the second and third use of “had” in the same paragraph (and in this case the same sentence) because one use of “had” sets the scene in past perfect tense. Repeating the word leads to loose writing, and creative writers should write tight.

Original: She stood up, walked over to the closet, and then grabbed a scarf.

Preferred: She stood, walked to the closet, and grabbed a scarf. 

I recommended deleting “up,” “over,” and “then” because all are unnecessary. Note how no meaning is lost yet the sentence is tighter.

The following is an example of a sentence I deleted.

Original: He thought she didn’t understand. He turned to her and said, “I don’t think you understand.” 

Preferred: He turned to her and said, “I don’t think you understand.” 

I recommended deleting the first sentence because it tells, rather than shows, and the second sentence, the dialogue, shows and repeats what the first sentence told. It’s always best to show, rather than tell and never wise to show and tell duplicate information.

Q: I see that in my manuscript you changed the order of pronouns and names in some places. Please explain why.

A: In polite language, especially in the narrative, we put our own pronoun last. For example, instead of this: “I and John went to the store,” the correct order is this: “John and I went to the store.” Completely incorrect (although I see it and hear it often) is this: “Me and John went to the store.” We wouldn’t say “Me went to the store,” so you can see why it’s incorrect to say, “Me and John went to the store.”

In other places in the manuscript I saw “me” used correctly, but in the wrong order. For example, this: “He gave orders to me and John.” In this case it should be this: “He gave orders to John and me.”

A writer may, however, intentionally use incorrect grammar in a specific character’s dialogue to indicate the character isn’t well educated or refined. I’d be careful not to have many of the characters speak that way, though, or readers may think it’s the writer who isn’t well educated.

Q: Why did you change some of the pronouns in my manuscript?

A: I substituted names or identifiers in place of pronouns for clarity, especially when more than one character of the same sex appears in the same paragraph. Each pronoun should clearly refer to the last stated noun. Especially when starting a new scene or chapter, names or identifications should precede the use of pronouns. I’ll create a paragraph to show how confusing pronouns can be. Let’s assume the paragraph is the start of a new scene. Here goes:

She combed her blond hair before she applied blush to her cheeks. Janice looked in the mirror to examine her makeup and saw her aide standing behind her. She held a leather portfolio brimming with papers. She turned around before she handed her the papers. She studied the papers before she said, “I’ll take care of this.”

With all those uses of “she,” how can the reader tell who did what? As an editor I would revise the paragraph this way:

Janice combed her blond hair before she applied blush to her cheeks. She looked in the mirror to examine her makeup and saw her aide standing behind her. The aide held a leather portfolio brimming with papers. Janice turned around before her aide handed her the papers. Janice studied the papers before she said, “I’ll take care of this.”

*

Bobbie Christmas is a book editor, author of Write In Style: Use Your Computer to Improve Your Writing, and owner of Zebra Communications. She will answer your questions too. Send them to Bobbie@zebraeditor.com or BZebra@aol.com. Read Bobbie’s Zebra Communications blog at https://www.zebraeditor.com/blog/.
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Why Good Writers Read Bad Books

Thursday, January 23, 2025
 
I've spent the last two weeks thinking about a book I just finished. No, sadly not because it was so great I couldn't wait to tell you all about it. I disliked it so much. This book was a handoff from a friend who gave it to me with the words, 

"This isn't the type of thing I read but I thought you..."

She, in turn, was given it by a friend of hers. Are we endlessly pawning off the only sold copy of this title, hoping to find someone who likes it? Ever the optimist, I sloughed through 300+ pages, certain it would ultimately "get better." By the last page I was asking myself why I had finished it. (Of course, the question of why readers finish books we are clearly not enjoying is a subject for another post.)

Not daring to pass it off to one of my book loving friends, I put it on my growing stack for the local library used book sale. Due to a combination of snow, cold weather (-4° this morning) and a bout of flu, the book stayed at the top of that stack, forcing me to think about it.

Readers are always eager to tell you a hundred different things they love about a book: the twists, the quirky characters, the beautiful setting descriptions, the unusual format, the humor...we will go on and on if given the chance. Have you ever asked a reader their opinion and they didn't like the book? Too often we are brief and unspecific. If we're polite, "It just wasn't for me." If we're direct, "Ugh, no." Sometimes you only get a pained look or a shake of the head. OK, on to the next title.

As only a person on the verge of cabin fever can, I began to obsess about the book. What exactly didn't I like about it? I picked it up one night, leafed through it and made a list!

  1. Character Names - Why do two unrelated characters in a book have to have the same first name? This quirk alternately annoyed and confused me. Of all the names in the world, you couldn't give everyone their own name? There were also two sets of related characters with the same first name. Also frustrating but a little more forgivable.
  2. Long Chapters - At the beginning of each 50+ page chapter there was a brief paragraph outlining political events happening in the city during the time period. Perfectly fine if you read every chapter in one setting. Stopping in the middle meant losing track of what decade we were in and having to page back to find the chapter beginning for a brush up. There sometimes being years between chapters made it difficult to keep track of how old the characters were at any given time. I had to do math! Also the vagueness about the passage of time didn't help me experience the story. At times I would be asking myself, is this later in the month or is it years later? 
  3. Character Evolution - The young man who hid a violent streak under gentlemanly manners became an old man who hid a violent streak under the veneer of money. The timid man eventually became head of the family but remained timid. The young women unsure of her groom's love on their wedding day was still unsure on the day he died. The bitter, homesick young woman died a bitter, homesick old woman. There were no epiphanies, no improvements, no spirals....just a steady march to death as the exact same people they were on page one, just a little older and richer.
  4. Impetus - Several times while reading, I put this book down for days and didn't think about it once. Didn't wonder what would happen next, didn't want to finish "just one one chapter", didn't try to sneak in just a few pages. In the beginning, I thought this family that was slowly climbing the economic ladder would be pushed off and have to crawl their way back to the top but , no. Basically they made money, found and lost love, died, made money, found and lost love, died...for several generations. Where were the surprises?

I realize these are just personal dislikes. I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who love a generational sage about a slow and steady slog to the top while dealing with confusing time periods and names. But what did I do with this cranky list of mine? I opened up my WIP and read through with these complaints in mind, trying to ensure I wasn't subjecting any future readers to them.

Perhaps that is why we finish reading books we don't like. To pinpoint what we (and potentially our readers) won't like. What do we find annoying, uninspiring, confusing, boring, trite? What exactly makes us say "I don't like that book"? Then we can make a list and apply it to our own writing.

Have you ever been inspired to change your writing by a book you didn't like?


Jodi M. Webb writes from her home in the Pennsylvania mountains about everything from DIY projects to tea to butterflies. She's also a blog tour manager for WOW-Women on Writing and a writing tutor at her local university.  She recently changed a character's name in her WIP because two woman who were close friends both had names that began with the letter M. No taking chances confusing people.Get to know her @jodiwebbwrites,  Facebook and blogging at Words by Webb. 




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Interview with Carole Mertz: Summer '24 Flash Fiction Contest Runner Up

Tuesday, January 21, 2025
Carole Mertz, graduate of Oberlin College, is a poet, editor, and essayist, and author of the occasional flash fiction. Her poetry chapbook Toward a Peeping Sunrise published with Prolific Press in 2019. Color and Line (Kelsay Books, 2021) is her collection of ekphrastic and other poetry. Carole completed a two-year course at Long Ridge Writers Group, on Writing the Short Story, and a subsequent course on Writing the Novel. Her story “Wish I May, Wish I Might,” won a Silver at Toasted Cheese Lit Journal. She has judged in poetry for Kallisto Gaia Press, and the contests at Women’s National Book Association and Poets and Patrons in Illinois. Carole was Poetry Editor for Issue 8.1 of The Ocotillo Review and is Book Review Editor at Dreamers Creative Writing. She is published widely in anthologies and literary journals. Recent works are with Heavy Feather, Whale Road Review, Mom Egg, Oyster River Pages, and World Literature Today. In December, 2024, she will have published her hundredth book review since 2014. Carole has appreciated the essays, contests, courses, and newsletters from WOW! Women on Writing for the past decade. She resides with her husband in Parma, OH. Visit her website at www.carolemertz.com.

--interview by Marcia Peterson

WOW: Congratulations on your top ten win in our Summer 2024 Flash Fiction competition! What prompted you to enter the contest?

Carole: WOW! Women on Writing has been an inspiration for me in various ways over the past 10—12 years. I’ve appreciated essays from your staff contributors. I enjoyed Margo Dill’s work in writing about and publishing children’s books, and later Nicole Pyles with whom I worked on several reviews and interviews for the Blog Tours she conducts. See at http://CaroleWrites.com

You published one or two short pieces I submitted to your Friday “The Muffin” spot. I was encouraged by those acceptances. I’d entered one of your contests more than 10 years ago. Annoyed that my story didn’t “place,” I had strong motivation to try again. I think the decade has taught me to respect failures as much as successes, realizing you can learn from both. In fact, energy may derive as much from failure as from success.

WOW: Can you tell us what encouraged the idea behind your story, “One Soldier’s Afflictions?” You captured Arthur’s thoughts and experiences in such an insightful and beautiful way.

Carole: Thank you for your kind words. While enrolled in a novel course, I began a story fifteen years ago about a war veteran who suffered PTSD. I suppose my concept of that veteran stayed with me over the years and became Arthur. Time somehow drew me closer to this imagined character. The figure of Arthur calls me to respect the sacrifices our soldiers make, sacrifices so often overlooked.

WOW: What do you enjoy about flash fiction writing versus the other kinds of writing that you do?

Carole: It's very unusual for me to attempt flash fiction, since I spend most of my writing time in poetry. But I gained satisfaction from being able to shape and write this piece within a very short timeframe. Doing flash also made me strive to make every word count and to eliminate unneeded words. This is something Carol Smallwood, a Michigan poet, repeatedly demonstrated to me through her writing.

WOW: What advice would you give to someone wanting to try writing flash fiction for the first time?

Write what’s on your heart. Know your character(s). (In flash fiction, present only one or two characters.) If possible, use an arc with rising and falling action; then bring the story quickly to a close. In the case of “One Soldier’s Afflictions,” I’d lived with the character so long in my imagination that the story almost wrote itself.

WOW: Thanks so much for chatting with us today, Carole. Before you go, do you have a favorite writing tip or piece of advice you can share?

Carole: My tip for writers: when you’ve established a connection with a worthy literary site, stay with it and use what the site offers to your advantage. I’ve lately benefited, for example, from the Markets Newsletters at WOW! They’ve steered me to make pitches to journals I might not otherwise have considered. I also read the Craft Corner articles. Course offerings, too, were a great benefit. Chelsey Clammer boosted my writing efforts within a mere four weeks as much as a year-long course I’d taken elsewhere. I feel happy to be associated with Quill and Parchment, a journal that highlights poetry and poetry reviews, along with engaging artwork. When I contribute to that site, and to The Ekphrastic Review, I feel I’m writing directly for the editors and their readership; it helps to be able to envision your “audience.”
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Side Hustle & Flow: Shape-Up! by Cliff Beach: Blog Tour & Giveaway

Monday, January 20, 2025
 

Ready to get in shape for the new year? If so, you won't want to miss our next blog tour. In Side Hustle & Flow: Shape-Up, author Cliff Beach shares the seven essential steps to achieving a fitter, happier you. It's perfect for people looking to lose weight, get in shape, and overcome disease and setbacks. Join us as we celebrate the launch of his audiobook with a giveaway and an interview with the author.

But before we get to that, here's more about his audiobook:

Welcome to "Side Hustle & Flow: Shape Up!"—the second book in Cliff Beach’s acclaimed series. Following the success of "Side Hustle & Flow," nominated for a World Entertainment Award for Best Spoken Word Album in 2024, Cliff Beach returns with a powerful guide to transforming your health and fitness journey.

Discover the seven essential steps to achieving a fitter, happier you:

The Deciding Factor: Uncover your personal motivations and use them to fuel your transformation.

Checking Your Numbers: Learn the importance of tracking key health metrics, with insights from dieticians and doctors.

Intermittent Fasting Tips and Tricks: Master intermittent fasting with practical advice on timing, hydration, and managing hunger.

Picking a Diet That Works for You: Find a diet plan that suits your lifestyle and health needs for sustainable eating habits.

Exercise: Make it Fun and Be Consistent: Incorporate fun and engaging activities into your routine to ensure consistency and enjoyment.

Healthy Lifestyle Changes You Can Stick With: Implement small, manageable changes for long-term success.

Get Into a Support Group Now!: Leverage the power of community and support groups to maintain motivation and accountability.

"Side Hustle & Flow: Shape Up!" is more than just a fitness guide; it’s a call to action for a healthier, happier you. Cliff Beach’s practical advice and motivational style will inspire you to take control of your health and transform your life. Join Cliff on this transformative journey and take the first step towards a fitter, happier you today!

Release Date: January, 14th 2025
Publisher: Please and Funk You Publishing
ASIN: B0DKFZLY8T
Audiobook Length: 3 hours and 24 minutes

Purchase a copy of the audiobook on Amazon, Audible, and Barnes and Noble.

About the Author, Cliff Beach


Musician and Author Cliff Beach has been performing live for more than 20 years. His single “Confident” was featured on Spotify All Funked Up and Funk Drive playlists with over 975k+ streams. He is the host of the Deeper Grooves Podcast and Deeper Grooves on 885FM. Beach is the author of highly successful book Side Hustle & Flow on Black Spring Press Group/Eyewear Publishing, which chronicles his musical journey while still working a day job. He has written previously for Beautytap, Pepperdine and Rock Star Life. He is the winner of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest Grand Prize, 2 World Songwriting Awards, 4 Global Music Awards, a California Music Video & Film Award and nominated for 4 LA Music Awards, 1 Hollywood Music & Media Award, and 1 Independent Music Award and more. His music has recently been featured on CNN, SYFY, CW, HBO MAX and in a BMW spot. He was nominated for a World Entertainment Award for his audiobook Side Hustle & Flow and has just released his follow up Side Hustle & Flow: Shape Up on Please and Funk You Publishing via Author's Republic. He is an awarding Distinguished Toastmaster and VP of PR from Culver City Toastmasters and TedX presenter. 

Find him online at:

Interview by Nicole Pyles

WOW: First of all, congratulations on your book! You had an incredible weight loss and overall health transformation. What was the catalyst that led you to make such an incredible change in your life?

Cliff: I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. A few key things drove me to make a change. My doctor wasn’t hearing me when I said I didn’t want to be on medication for diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. I also have a fear of swallowing pills, so chewing five pills a day was both gross and disheartening. As someone who focuses on personal power and success, I felt like I was failing. I wanted to live a better life and get off the meds, which meant I needed to work hard and lose weight. I decided to book a dietitian through my insurance, separate from my doctor.

The plan was aggressive—losing 50 pounds in five months—but I committed to it. Even after achieving my goal, my doctor didn’t want to take me off the meds, so I switched insurance, got a new doctor, and eventually stopped the meds with the help of a nurse. As Chris Rock says, “The money is in the treatment, not the cure.” But I believed, like Lissa Rankin said, that I could write the prescription for my own life.

WOW: I think that's amazing that you took charge of your own treatment. What was your process when planning on writing this book? How did you start?

Cliff: After writing my first book, Side Hustle and Flow, and experiencing how long it took to write and edit, I decided to take a different approach for this one. Having created a Udemy course, spoken at Toastmasters, delivered a TEDx talk, hosted a podcast, and released a successful audiobook, I chose to make this book audio-first. Instead of writing it out and then recording it, I recorded it directly from talking points to keep a conversational feel.

WOW: The conversational feel is really effective, too! I love that you made this an audiobook. Why did you go in this direction?

Cliff: As an audiophile, I can listen to audiobooks much faster than I can read—I often listen at 2x speed. I started a plan in March to read 52 books this year, and I’m already up to 77. Audiobooks are a growing sector, and I found a way to distribute this one across platforms without requiring an eBook version.

We created a short kickoff PDF supplement for those who want something physical, but the conversational tone is meant to be heard, not read. I’ve listened to many great audiobooks like this, though technically it’s an audio program. The musician in me combined with the reader in me felt this was the way to go. If the demand is there, we can always transcribe it into an eBook later.

I also intentionally made it shorter—my first book was 7.5 hours, but this one is just 3.5 hours. You can listen to it twice over a weekend and get started on your journey to losing weight quickly.

WOW: It's a great combination! Your first book, Side Hustle and Flow, was an awesome success. What has changed in your life since your first book came out?

Cliff: In terms of productivity, nothing has changed—I’m still hustling. But I’ve learned to hustle healthier. Book 2 builds on Book 1, making it easier to apply those principles. You need stamina, mental and physical fitness, and clarity, which comes from a better body and mind.

People kept asking me how I lost weight, so I created this book to provide a single resource rather than having the same conversation repeatedly. When your life serves as the only "Bible" people read, your results speak for themselves. You don’t have to convince anyone—they’ll see the proof and ask.

WOW: Great point! What do you hope people gain by reading (or listening to) your book?

Cliff: I hope they gain hope. For years, I felt stuck, unsure if I’d ever lose weight again. There’s so much conflicting information, and it can be overwhelming. But with the right advocate and information, I achieved in months what should have taken years.

You can fix your body over time—at any age, with any condition. That’s the message I want to share. Yes, I tracked my food for 500 days and walked 10,000 steps daily, rain or shine. Some people say, “That’s too hard; I could never do that.” But with that mindset, they won’t see results. Success requires effort, consistency, and working on your weaknesses.

WOW: What a great message. What advice do you have for people struggling with weight loss or making major health changes?

Cliff: Start small and underwhelm yourself. Avoid an all-or-nothing mindset—it’s okay to fail, as long as you fail forward and improve along the way. The journey isn’t linear; there will be ups and downs, but it’s about creating a sustainable lifestyle, not just following a diet or resolution.

My dietitian gave me a list of food types, but I chose what I liked within those parameters. If you hate fish, don’t force yourself to eat it just for omega-3s—that won’t last. Many people fail because they don’t plan or set clear, actionable goals. Saying “I want to lose weight” is vague. Instead, say, “I must lose 50 pounds in five months.” Be specific, act, and stop procrastinating. It works if you work it.

WOW: I LOVE that idea of underwhelming yourself and starting small. How do you do so much with your already full schedule?

Cliff: Time management isn’t about managing time—it’s about managing yourself in relation to time. People say, “If you want something done, give it to a busy person.” I plan far in advance, planting seeds today for future harvests.

Many expect immediate results, like mushrooms that grow in hours, but real growth is like bamboo—it spends years developing roots before shooting up 90 feet in six weeks. The time will pass regardless, so why not use it wisely? A year from now, you can either be 50 pounds lighter or full of regret. You don’t get to complain about the results you didn’t achieve from the work you didn’t do. You don’t have to be great to start, but you do have to start to be great.

WOW: You have shared so many helpful insights already in this interview, and I hope readers pick up a copy of the book to gain even more from you. Best of luck on the blog tour!
 
Side Hustle and Flow - Shape Up! by Cliff Beach Audio Tour

Blog Tour Calendar

January 20th @ The Muffin
Join us on WOW as we celebrate the launch of Cliff Beach's audiobook Side Hustle & Flow: Shape-Up!. Read an interview with the author and enter to win a copy of this audiobook.

January 23rd @ Words by Webb
Visit Jodi's blog for her review of Cliff Beach's Side Hustle & Flow: Shape-Up!. 

January 27th @ Tracey Lampley's blog
Visit Tracey's blog for a post by Cliff Beach about weight-loss motivation.

January 28th @ Book Reviews from an Avid Reader
Visit Joan's blog for her review of Cliff Beach's Side Hustle & Flow: Shape-Up!. 

January 29th @ Create Write Now
Don't miss a spotlight of Cliff Beach's Side Hustle & Flow: Shape-Up!. 

January 30th @ Knotty Needle
Visit Judy's blog for her review of Cliff Beach's audiobook Side Hustle & Flow: Shape-Up! 

February 1st @ Silver's Reviews
Visit Elizabeth's blog for a spotlight of Cliff Beach's Side Hustle & Flow: Shape-Up!. 

February 5th @ Frugal Freelancer
Visit Sara's blog for a guest post by Cliff Beach about writing a memoir.

February 8th @ A Wonderful World of Books
Visit Joy's blog for an interview with author Cliff Beach.

February 12th @ Bring on Lemons
Visit Crystal's blog for a review of Cliff Beach's Side Hustle & Flow: Shape-Up!. 

February 15th @ Choices
Visit Madeline's blog for a guest post by Cliff Beach on motivation. 

February 18th @ Seaside Book Nook
Visit Jilleen's blog for her review of Side Hustle & Flow: Shape-Up!

February 20th @ World of My Imagination
Visit Nicole's blog for her review of Cliff Beach's Side Hustle & Flow: Shape-Up!. 

February 21st @ Kaecey McCromick's blog
Visit Kaecey's blog for a spotlight of Cliff Beach's Side Hustle & Flow: Shape-Up! and an interview with the author.

February 22nd @ Caitrin C. King's blog
Join Caitrin for her review of Cliff Beach's Side Hustle & Flow: Shape-Up!. 

February 23rd @ Instagram @harmonnicolenalani
Don't miss Nicole's review of Cliff Beach's Side Hustle & Flow: Shape-Up!. 

February 23rd @ Teatime and Books
Visit Janet's blog for a spotlight of Cliff Beach's audiobook Side Hustle & Flow: Shape-Up!.

--- Podcast Tour

Cliff Beach @ Confidence Through Health

Cliff Beach @ Not Quite After Midnight

Cliff Beach @ Balance Health Now

Cliff Beach @ My Fit Tribe
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/my-fit-tribe/id1778718883

Cliff Beach @ The Power to Pivot

Cliff Beach @ Just Say More

Cliff Beach @ Your Spectacular Life

***** GIVEAWAY *****

Enter the Rafflecopter form for a chance to win one of three copies of Side Hustle & Flow: Shape Up! by Cliff Beach. The giveaway ends February 2nd at 11:59 pm CT. We will randomly choose 3 winners the next day and announce it in the Rafflecopter widget as well as follow up via email. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Don't Let Technology Intimidate You

Thursday, January 16, 2025

 


I’ve always been one of those people who grumbled about keeping up with technology changes. Not to age myself, but when I tell my kids about the gadgets we used as kids and teenagers, such as VCRs, cassette decks, Walkmans (and no, Mom never had a Gameboy!) they are shocked. Heck, I even learned how to type in high school on a typewriter and that’s what I used to create my college applications, Wite-Out and all. E-mail was just becoming a thing when I headed off to college, and while working for the campus newspaper, I either had to pick up the phone and call sources or hike around campus and find them in person. 

As you know, technology has become so advanced that we now have phones that serve as mini computers in our hands and give us access to all information we may or may not want at any given time. AI can assist us in polishing our e-mails, writing, or creating artwork. As writers, our clips are found mostly online and not in a hard copy. Over the years, I’ve done my best to keep up with the changes in tech, from learning the various word-processing software, to programs that taught me how to design newspaper and magazine pages and creating my own website in the early 2000’s. Blogging platforms like Blogger and WordPress have helped me publish my own work and reach others. And while I don’t know a whole lot about search engine optimization, if you Google my name, my website, Finished Pages, is the first thing that comes up on the page. When my daughter was taking a criminal justice class in college a few years ago, she was surprised to look up a few cases and see my website, where I blog about true crime, come up as the first source for her to explore. 

When I created my podcast, "Missing in the Carolinas," I faced my greatest challenge of all. While I knew how to use the recording software on my computer, GarageBand, and purchase a microphone, how in the world would I get my stories out into the world? With a lot of research, trial and error, articles, and YouTube videos, I figured it out. I also tried to pay someone to create a podcast website for me, and when she failed to complete the work, purchased a template on my own and learned how to format it into a WordPress site. That website also comes up as the first search when you Google “Missing in the Carolinas.” It hasn’t been easy, but I feel like keeping up with technology has helped keep my work visible to others and help me grow my audience. 
I write this because I now face the next hurdle—incorporating video into my podcast. It’s something I’ve been meaning to do for a while but shied away from, mostly because I don’t want the responsibility of constantly having to be on camera. But I found a new recording software that will allow me to record video and audio simultaneously and has a built-in video editing feature so I should be able to create videos more easily for YouTube and social media. 

Don’t be scared to tackle new technology, especially if it is going to help you improve your craft, reach a broader audience, or at the very least, provide you with some funny stories of things that happened to you along the way! I already have some bloopers I’ll have to share on my YouTube channel at some point for laughs. 

Renee Roberson is an award-winning writer who also hosts/produces the true crime podcast, Missing in the Carolinas. She is currently seeking representation for her novel about, what else, a podcaster trying to solve a mystery!
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Interview with Marilyn Filewood, Runner-Up in the WOW! Summer ’24 Flash Fiction Contest

Tuesday, January 14, 2025
Marilyn’s Bio:

I came to writing late in life, partly motivated by increasing hearing loss which meant I could no longer have work or hobbies which involve a great deal of talking to other humans, as did my previous career as a lawyer.

A year after starting to write, I won, on my fourth attempt, the weekly Reedsy short story contest with "Come in Spinner" (contest 180), in 2023. Encouraged, stunned and fortified by the realisation that someone might enjoy my writing, I have completed a novel, which has taken two tortuous years. It is as yet unpublished, and I can only hope this is a temporary state. My grand ambition is historical fiction. 

I am privileged to live on the beautiful and warm east coast of New South Wales, Australia, with three generations, including grandchildren, in a rambling home with views of the forest and sea. It’s wonderful to see something of a renaissance (or birth?) of Australian books and film “overseas”, which is what Australians call every other country in the world, and I hope I can add to it.

----- Interview by Angela Mackintosh

WOW: Congratulations on winning runner up with your story, "Solitude"! Your story is so beautifully written, meditative, and atmospheric. I loved it. What inspired you to write this story?

Marilyn: My local library formed a writers' group a couple of months ago. For our first exercise, we were given a photo prompt, a derelict stone building being overcome by sandy desert, so I wrote “Solitude” in response.

WOW: I love how you included dialogue of the prisoner speaking to the gecko, which shed some light on why the soldier was in prison. What made you choose a gecko as the soldier's companion?

Marilyn: I was going to have him befriend a snake, but decided that was a step too far. I wanted to try to show the possibility of "redemption" by the use of kindness. We have small geckos here, they are so cute. Also, recently I went to Namibia, and was amazed at how much life there is in the desert.

WOW: What was your revision process like for this piece?

Marilyn: I try to read something through and think if anything seems "ugly" or doesn't make sense. I found I had a habit of not explaining enough background; I try to make sure it's clear what's happening - but not TOO clear.

WOW: I read you won first place in Reedsy's short story contest with your story, "Come in Spinner." Congratulations! Your bio says you entered four times. What do you like most about their contests? 

Marilyn: I love the fact that there is a lot of peer feedback in the Reedsy short story contest - but of course that's a two edged sword, if it's not very flattering. However, since starting to try to write, I've learnt to listen to negative feedback, something which is very hard to do. Generally, though, the feedback given with Reedsy is really kind and helpful.

WOW: You recently completed a novel, which took you two years. That is a huge feat! Please tell us a little about your book.

Marilyn: My book is a legal thriller. The protagonist, a children's rights lawyer, finds her life spirals out of control when some of her young clients go missing, and she tries to find them. After writing it I've realised it's very hard to give a summary of the plot without giving all away.

WOW: Summaries are hard to write, but yours sounds intriguing, and your experience as a lawyer will certainly add authenticity to your protagonist. You mentioned the process of writing your novel as "tortuous" - great description! What did you learn about yourself or your writing throughout the process?

Marilyn: At first, I was concerned I didn't have enough to constitute a plot, especially for a thriller. I did a Novel writing course, and the best thing I learnt was to throw everything you possibly can at your character, have things really go awry, and let them sort it out. It works! The best thing was, my character would get into trouble, and then in sorting things out, she inevitably got herself into more trouble. 

WOW: That’s a terrific tip! Besides that gem, what is your favorite piece of writing advice?

Marilyn: Let yourself write rubbish. Don't worry if you have no idea what to write, just start putting anything down. If you try to start with something which is perfectly formed, nothing will ever get written.

WOW: Great advice, Marilyn! Thank you for chatting with me today, and I wish you the continued writing success in 2025!

To learn more about WOW's Flash Fiction Contest, open now, visit this page:
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The Language of Love by Nancy Christie: Blog Tour and GIVEAWAY

Monday, January 13, 2025
The Language of Love by Nancy Christie
I'm excited to announce the blog tour for The Language of Love by Nancy Christie. This book is perfect for readers who enjoy stories about love and relationships—some sweet, some poignant, and some heartbreaking in their depiction of the fragility of love.

Today, we're sharing an interview with author and giving you a chance to win a copy of the novel.

Before we interview the author, here's a bit more about the book:

The Language of Love and Other Stories is about all types of love relationships: the ones that exist between parent and child as well as between generations, the bonds that grow between new lovers as well as those that exist between long-settled couples. The 20-story collection explores all the stages of love: the tenuous yet exciting beginning, the calmer, more mundane phases, the uncertain periods, and finally the ending—sometimes anticipated, other times devastatingly unexpected. It’s about whom one loves, how one loves, and what one does when the love is reciprocated, rejected or over.
 
PUBLISHER: Unsolicited Press
ASIN:  B0DG333HWN
ISBN-13  978-1-963115-28-4
Print Length: 208 pages

You can purchase a copy of the book on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Bookshop. Don't forget to add it to your GoodReads reading list.


About the Author, Nancy Christie

Nancy Christie is the award-winning author of two novels, Reinventing Rita and Finding Fran—the first two books in her Midlife Moxie Novel Series; four short story collections: The Language of Love and Other Stories, Mistletoe Magic and Other Holiday Tales, Traveling Left of Center and Other Stories and Peripheral Visions and Other Stories (all from Unsolicited Press); two books for writers: Rut-Busting Book for Authors and Rut-Busting Book for Writers, and the inspirational book, The Gifts of Change (Atria/Beyond Words). Forthcoming books include Moving Maggie, the third in her Midlife Moxie Novel Series that is scheduled for release in 2025.

Her short stories and essays have appeared in numerous print and online publications, with several earning contest placement. 

The host of the Living the Writing Life podcast and the founder of the annual “Midlife Moxie” Day and “Celebrate Short Fiction” Day, Nancy teaches writing workshops at conferences, libraries, and schools. She is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA), the Florida Writers Association (FWA) and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA).

Visit her website to follow her updates. You can also follow her on X, Facebook, and Instagram.

- Interview by Nicole Pyles

WOW: I'm so glad to have you with us again for another blog tour! Congrats on your short story collection. Tell us about what inspired this collection of stories.

Nancy: I had already completed a holiday collection, Mistletoe Magic and Other Holiday Tales, that was released in December 2023 by Unsolicited Press, and I liked the idea of having a collection tied to a specific season or holiday. And given that Valentine’s Day falls in February, which is not only my birth month but also kind of a dead month in terms of book events, I decided to treat myself to developing a new collection as a birthday present from me to me! That’s how The Language of Love and Other Stories came about.

WOW: What a wonderful gift! For some reason the song that comes to me is, "What the World Needs Now" and love is definitely it! What kind of love is depicted in this collection?

Nancy: While love is the overarching theme, I wanted to move beyond romantic love and explore all the other forms of love that exist. So there is the love between a parent and young child, between an adult son and his older mother, between couples who have been together for years as well as between two people who have reunited and may possibly be rekindling their romance.

The collection captures every stage of love, from the exhilarating beginnings to the quiet, routine phases, the uncertain times, and the heartbreaking endings—whether anticipated or shockingly sudden. It’s a journey through whom we love, how we love, and how we cope when love is returned, unrequited, or lost.

WOW: That's a wonderful combination of love found in this collection! What was your technique in compiling these stories? 

Nancy: I started by identifying the categories I wanted to explore, then looked in my ever-growing collection of published and unpublished work to see what might fit. Then I started writing additional stories to round out the collection.

One of the stories, “With Any Luck,” features a secondary character who is also in Moving Maggie, my next Midlife Moxie novel. And “Charley and the Cupid Caper” brings back the duo from Adams Investigative Service who first appeared in Mistletoe Magic in “Charley Catches the Christmas Spirit.”
And while “Henry, Hortense and the Halloween Party” is set in October, it is still a love story, featuring both human and otherworldly couples!

There were times when I wondered if I’d be able to develop enough stories in time to meet the deadline—I usually build a collection around already written stories—but I pulled it off!

WOW: You really did! Were these stories written at different times in your life? What was your process in getting them ready for publication?

Nancy: A few of the stories were written quite some time ago but never published. But most of them are relatively recent—written in the past decade or so. As for my process, the first thing I had to do was any minor updates on the older stories to make them fit the current timeframe. Then, I shared some of them with my writing group and a few beta readers to get their feedback. But on the whole, it was the same as any of my fiction: write, edit, revise, re-read, edit, revise—an ongoing process until I am pretty sure they are ready to go.

WOW: Sounds like a smooth process! Who is this collection of stories ideal for?

Nancy: Because the characters run the gamut in terms of ages and generations, the readership would be anyone from young adult to Boomers. The ideal reader for this collection would be someone who wants to explore heartfelt emotion, who seeks to gain an understanding of what love is or could be, and how love impacts both the giver and the recipient, who is perhaps struggling with a love relationship of their own and is looking for a new perspective.

Or someone who just enjoys love stories!

WOW: That should appeal to all of our readers! What do you hope people walk away with feeling after reading your stories?

Nancy: A sense that each love relationship has stages of ebb and flow, an understanding that not all love relationships end with “happily ever after” and yet, despite the heartache, are still worth experiencing, and that the memories of real love can sustain you, remaining even after the person you loved so dearly is gone.

WOW: What a beautiful message. What are you working on now that you can tell us about?

Nancy: I am getting ready to release my third Midlife Moxie novel, Moving Maggie, while in the early stages of writing my fourth, Transforming Tessa. And of course, scheduling book tours and book club visits and doing interviews such as this one and all the other tasks that go along with marketing yourself as an author!

I love meeting people, talking about my books as well as listening to their life experiences so I am definitely eager to get back out on the road in May! If anyone would like me to visit their book club or be part of an event (virtual or in real life), they can contact me through my website, www.nancychristie.com. I’m always up for a chat about writing!

WOW: I hope readers do reach out to you! Thank you for your time and I hope you enjoy your tour.
 
The Language of Love by Nancy Christie Blog Tour

---- Blog Tour Calendar

January 13 @ The Muffin
Join WOW as we celebrate the launch of Nancy Christie's blog tour of The Language of Love. Read an interview with the author and enter to win a copy of the book

January 14 @ Rosh's Reviews
Learn more about The Language of Love in today's review.

January 15 @ Frugal Freelancer
Join Sara's blog for a spotlight of The Language of Love.

January 20 @ The Book Mistress
Check out Nancy Christie's interview at Tracey's blog.

January 21 @ Words by Webb
Visit Jodi's blog for a review of The Language of Love by Nancy Christie.

January 22 @ Mari's Journaling Power Blog
Find today's spotlight of The Language of Love at Mari's Journaling Power Blog. 

January 23 @ What is That Book About 
Learn more about The Language of Love in today's spotlight at What is that Book About.

January 28 @ Life According to Jamie
Visit Life According to Jamie for their review of The Language of Love.

January 30 @ Beverly A Baird
Find out more about The Language of Love in today's review at Beverly A Baird.

February 1 @ A Wonderful World of Words
Read today's spotlight of The Language of Love at A Wonderful World of Words.

February 3 @ Lisa Haselton's Reviews and Interviews
Join Lisa for an interview with author Nancy Christie.

February 5 @ Just Katherine 
Check out today's review of The Language of Love at Just Katherine.

February 6 @ Deirdra Eden
Find the latest spotlight of The Language of Love at Deirdra Eden.

February 8 @ Boots Shoes and Fashion
Visit Boots Shoes and Fashion to read an interview with Nancy Christie, author of The Language of Love.

February 10 @ Just Katherine 
Read an excerpt from The Language of Love at Just Katherine.

February 12 @ Kaecey McCormick's blog
Join Kaecey to read an excerpt of The Language of Love.

February 13 @ Caitrin C. King's blog
Visit Caitrin's blog for a review of The Language of Love.

February 15 @ Jill Sheets' blog
Visit Jill's blog for an interview with author Nancy Christie about her book The Language of Love.

***** BOOK GIVEAWAY *****

Enter to win a print copy of The Language of Love and Other Stories by Nancy Christie! Fill out the Rafflecopter form below for a chance to win. The giveaway ends January 26th at 11:59 pm CT. We will randomly draw a winner the next day via Rafflecopter and follow up via email. Good luck!

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