Interview with Jeanine Manji, 2014 Winter Flash Fiction Runner Up

Welcome to our chat with Jeanine Manji who placed in our 2014 Winter Flash Fiction contest. Her touching short story, She Left Today, certainly hit the heartstrings of our judges. I’m happy to have her join us today and I know you’ll enjoy our talk as much as I did. If you haven’t had a chance to read her story yet, click on the link to check it out then come back and get to know this talented...

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Leave a Comment 2014 winter flash fiction contest, Chynna Laird, flash fiction runner up, Jeanine Manji, short stories

Tara Meissner Launches her WOW! Blog Tour for Stress Fracture: A Memoir of Psychosis

& giveaway contest! Stress Fracture: A Memoir of Psychosis is a moving and honest psychology memoir about the things that break us and how we heal. It offers a raw view of a 33-year-old wife and mother swallowed by psychosis. The psychotic episode includes meeting Jesus Christ, dancing with Ellen DeGeneres, and narrowly escaping eternity in the underworld. Casually called a nervous breakdown,...

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12 comments a memoir of psychosis, blog tour, book blog, book giveaway, book tour, giveaway, memoir, mental health, mental health memoir, stress fracture, Stress Fracture: A Memoir of Psychosis, tara meissner

High-Concepting Your Nano Novel with Agent Sally Apokedak

If you’re taking the NaNo plunge this year—that’s the National Novel Writing Month challenge where writers pen an entire novel of at least 50,000 words in the month of November—you’ll want to take literary agent, Sally Apokedak’s upcoming WOW! class. It’s called NaNo Prep: Planning the High Concept Novel and it’s the class that’s going to take your little gem of a premise and make it sparkle like...

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3 comments Cathy C. Hall, high concept novel, NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, Sally Apokedak, synopsis, writing instruction

Literary Heroes

We all have them—and if you’re like me, you have more than one. I’m talking about literary heroes. I’ve been thinking a lot about this since attending my regional SCBWI conference last weekend, where we talked a lot about all sorts of children’s books, which have really been the cornerstone of my writing career. Lois Duncan is an author I first discovered in middle school, when I was the “new kid”...

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3 comments Killing Mr. Griffin, Literary heroes, Lois Duncan, Renee Roberson, Stranger with My Face, Summer of Fear, YA novels

Friday Speak Out!: Cue Tips

by Carie Juettner Yesterday I was procrastinating on the revisions I was supposed to be working on by walking around my house looking for something else to do. You see, I'd been procrastinating for a while already, so it wasn't easy to find a distraction. The house was clean, the dog was brushed, the books were arranged on the bookcases by height and then by color and then by length of title......

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6 comments Carie Juettner, Friday Speak Out, procrastination, subliminal messages

Productivity and Goal Setting

I’m either a really productive writer or I’m not. It all depends. When I have a deadline, I can power through a project whether it is 30 crafts and activities, a week’s worth of blog posts or researching and writing a 14,000 word book in 5 weeks. That hard and fast goal moves me forward and I write hard and fast until I'm done. I don’t even need large periods of time. Over the summer, I focus...

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1 comment goal setting, problem solving, productivity

Third place winner, Brenda Watterson, in WOW's Winter 2014 Flash Fiction contest

Today we have Brenda Watterson joining us, our third place winner in the 2014 Winter Flash Fiction contest. Her winning story, Black Coffee, struck the hearts of our judges and we are so happy to have her here with us today. So, go read her amazing story, then come back and share our chat. You won’t be disappointed. Brenda's bio: For seventeen years, Brenda Watterson enjoyed a career in Human...

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2 comments 3rd Place Winner, balancing life as a writing mom, Black Coffee, Brenda Watterson, SAHM, Winter 2014 Flash Fiction contest

Shine! No Dimming Necessary

We've got our shades on - SO YOU CAN SHINE! Monday articles are stressful to write. I enjoy Monday posts with a touch of humor and a smudge of inspiration. I found myself in my yard pondering what to write. My youngest was playing in his sandbox as I jotting down ideas in my notebook. We live on a busy farm; it is common for people to come and go. On this particular morning a gentleman I know...

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4 comments accomplishments, energized, energizing, friendship, inspiring, no dimming necessary, share good news, shine on

5 Questions to Ask Your E-Book Designer

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2 comments book design, ebook, ebook formatting, Elizabeth King Humphrey

Why You Should Attend a Writer's Conference

© Ursula Graham | Dreamstime Stock Photos After the discouraging experience I had during my critique at my regional Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators conference last year, I was a little nervous about signing up again. But after returning from my first day at the conference this year, I'm very glad I did. Here are a few reasons I recommend you attend a writer's conference,...

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1 comment constructive criticism, critiques, industry intensives, Renee Roberson, Writing Conferences

Want to Guest Post for Us?

Fridays are "Speak Out!" days on the blog, and we love to hear from our readers.  Your post can be about: writing inspiration, balancing family life/parenting with writing, craft of writing fiction/nonfiction, how-tos, tips for author promotion/marketing/social media, book reviews, writing prompts, special opportunities (paying markets for writers), publishing industry news/gossip, and...

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Leave a Comment Friday Speak Out

Interview with D.A. Russell, Author of Lifting the Curtain: the Disgrace We Call Urban High School Education

School is a whole different experience these days. Some of the changes are good—no more paddle behind the principal’s desk—but some changes may not be so good. Today we’re talking to Don Russell, author of Lifting the Curtain: the disgrace we call urban high school education. About Don Russell: D.A. Russell has spent the last ten years as a math teacher in one of the urban high schools used as...

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3 comments author interview, education, Interview with D.A. Russell, Lifting the Curtain, Robyn Chausse, urban schools

Dear Readers...

Normally, I use my blog posts to give a little writing advice or introduce you to someone who can give you some writing advice. But today the tables are turned. I'm the one who needs a little advice and since Dear Abby doesn't field writing questions I'm relying on you, readers. Please tell me what you think. Dear Readers, I haven't worked on my WIP in one month and one day. It's not writer's block,...

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11 comments fiction writing, Jodi Webb, YA