Take a Break with an Adult Coloring Book or Guided Journal! Interview and Giveaway with Shai Coggins

Adult coloring books are trending and Shai Coggins is always a trendsetter! So this summer she released Colour Bliss: Kaleidoscopes: Colouring Journal for Fun and Relaxation, a book full of beautiful pictures and designs just waiting for a few colored pencils and markers. But why release one book when you can release two? Coggins also released Today: Life: A Guided Journal on Everyday Moments to...

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11 comments adult coloring book, author interview, giveaway, journaling, Shai Coggins

Meet First Place Flash Fiction Winner, K.C.Lowe

Born in Canada, Kathryn Lowe was bitten by the travel bug at an early age and has been lucky enough to live in places like the Middle East and England. As of right now, she’s living and working in South Korea as an ESL teacher, and acting as the volunteer coordinator for The Lotus Centre for Children with Autism. Kathryn currently spends her free time writing flash fiction, updating her travel...

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1 comment contest interview, Contestant interview, first place winner, flash fiction winner, K.C. Lowe, Kathryn Lowe, Spring 2015 Flash Fiction Contest Winner

Jadie Jones launches her tour for the Moonlit Trilogy

& giveaway contest! Things are rarely what they seem. And nowhere more than in the Moonlit Trilogy. Just when you’re convinced you understand the emotions, motives, strengths and relationships of the characters populating this YA fantasy trilogy, they will face a new obstacle that makes you question everything you thought you already knew. The fluidity of life is brought to life as the line...

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6 comments blog tour, fantasy, Jadie Jones, Moonlit, trilogy, Wildwood, windswept, YA

Deadlines vs Taking a Break

This was “The Week of Deadlines.” Educational activities with photos. A sample chapter. A book outline. It made for some really long days. I’ve learned this week how to tell when I need a break. The first sign came when I told my son that I didn’t appreciate his subtext. He’s sixteen so he shot me “a look” for that one. The second sign came when I read an article on how not to be too...

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Leave a Comment deadlines, giving yourself a break, meeting deadlines, taking a break

Writing as Therapy

© Herspiralnotebook | Dreamstime Stock Photos We all have stories deep within us that are too painful to write about. It can sometimes take years, but memoirists tap into these stories as a way of healing. I’ve always been hesitant to do this, mostly because I’m a private person who is afraid of coming across as weak or damaged. But a few years ago I realized these hidden stories...

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2 comments authenticity in writing, stalking, writing as therapy, young adult fiction

Friday Speak Out!: On My Knees... In Front of the Toilet

by Sioux Roslawski Oh, I'm not talkin' 'bout hurling after a night of too many margaritas. I'm such a lightweight, one glass of wine and I'm dancing on top of a table. (Of course, my friends think alcohol—when it comes to me—is not necessary. I'm combustible when I'm totally sober.) No, I'm talking about how cleaning the toilet is just like the writing process. I was reading Cathy Hall's post....

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15 comments Friday Speak Out, Sioux Roslawski, writer inspiration, writing humor, writing process

The How I Got My Agent Post

Yay, I got an agent! Back in…let’s see. I think it was June. And now it’s September and I thought it was high time I shared that story. But here’s the thing. I’m afraid you’re going to think it’s not much of a story: An agent critiqued the first ten pages of my middle grade novel in March, at an SCBWI conference. She asked to see the manuscript when I finished it, and so I sent the whole book....

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22 comments Agent Query, agent query tip, Cathy C. Hall, Paul Harvey, Red Fox Literary, SCBWI, The Rest of the Story

Don't Get Stuck in the Rules

by AMagill (Flickr) I love working with authors through the classes I teach for WOW! and my editing business. But one thing I find when working with new writers or even someone who hasn't published yet is this great anxiety over RULES. I had it once--heck, I might even still have it. (Remember, to do as I say, not as I do.) But if you are too stuck in rules, then you might lose the passion, soul...

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3 comments Margo L. Dill, writing anxiety, writing rules, writing stress

Interview with Roberta Godar, Runner Up in WOW's 2015 Winter Flash Fiction Contest

Roberta Godar's fascination with history led her to pen "Signal of the Firefly," which placed in the top 10 in the WOW! 2015 Winter Flash Fiction Contest. Check out her winning entry here and then come back to learn more about Roberta. Roberta Godar lives with her husband, their dog, Penney, and several, snooty cats on a small farm in Southern Illinois not far from the confluence of the Mississippi...

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Leave a Comment 2015 winter flash fiction contest, Contestant interview, Renee Roberson, Roberta Godar, the writing process, tracing ancestry

You Got This!

As I was contemplating what I would write, I realized instead of writing something intentionally profound, I would just share with you a little story and then we can talk about how this can be applied in your writing life. Here goes… cheddar herb bread cooling We live on this great farm in rural Wisconsin. We are a family of six. I hate shopping (yes, even grocery shopping). Now that we have...

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2 comments being kind, confidence, learning curve, making bread, profound, self talk, you got this

Friday Speak Out!: Writing Tip: Add Body Parts

by Kay Rae Chomic We all know writing is rewriting, right? Do you utilize the boredom test, which is simply reading your work out loud with naked honesty? This test helps me face up to a dull paragraph, a dull sentence, or a dull chapter ending—none of which a publisher wants to see. Highlight the dullness to fix later. We don’t want to encourage yawns. What’s the fix? One fun way to jazz the slow...

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5 comments body parts, Friday Speak Out, Kay Rae Chomic, writing examples, writing tips

Want to Increase Your Subscriber List? 4 Power Strategies to Get You There

by Karen Cioffi Everyone marketing, including writers and authors, is looking for ways to get ‘more bang’ out of their blogging efforts. In other words, getting more visitors to click on their subscriber opt-in box. Well, while the most important factor is to create great content, there are other strategies you can use to boost your conversions (clicks to subscribe). 4 Power Tips to Increase Your...

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3 comments author marketing, blogging, email marketing, getting subscribers, Karen Cioffi, online class, subscriber list, WOW class, WOW instructor