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A new book is born… sort of

An amazing thing happened last week, then another amazing thing happened this week. After months of silently working on my book, the news of its publication was announced. First, Publishers Marketplace posted this: I was on deadline for a revision, so I didn’t even notice until my wonderful friends started posting the news on Facebook…
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I’ve missed you

As you can see from the dates on these blog posts, it’s been a while since I’ve written. When I started my blog, sharing my experiences as a lowly writer in the trenches, I loved it. I felt energized by the comments and community, and loved the idea of getting out of my head for…
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Make writing worth your time, says Jennifer Nielsen

“Writing is such a diverse field with so many options and possibilities, it’s easy to choose the route with the immediate payoff, or the one that best strokes your ego, but if they don’t get you closer to what you want most, then it’s not worth your time.” — author Jennifer Nielsen I love this quote…
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Two free writing courses

There are loads of wonderful writing classes around, but if you’re strapped for cash, I’ve found two free multi-week writing courses from universities. How Writers Write Fiction from the University of Iowa started yesterday, so sign up quickly. It’s a 6-week course, running through Nov. 21, with video lessons, online discussion and writing assignments. It’s part of…
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Follow book people, enter to win Kindle

I love book bloggers. They have the most interesting stuff. And one of my favorites, I Am a Reader, is giving away a Kindle Fire HDX! Even better, if you already have a Kindle — lucky you — you can enter to win a $229 Amazon gift card or $229 in Paypal cash. But the…
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My first writing conference — organizing

I’ve said on this blog numerous times that I’m a HUGE fan of writing conferences. When I took on the Regional Advisor job for the Austin chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators, I wanted to honor the organizers of all the wonderful conferences I’ve been to over the years and put…
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Self-Publishing Pros and Cons with Dotti Enderle

The changing publishing industry is offering new opportunities to writers, but is self-publishing for you? My friend and great writer Dotti Enderle (aka Dax Varley) has been published traditionally and self-published. Her most recent release, SEVERED (A TALE OF SLEEPY HOLLOW), is a young adult novel that’s gives its own version of the Icabod/Katrina story.…
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Upcoming Book Alert: Hidden by Megg Jensen

While I’m still a huge fan of traditional publishing, I’m also all for the opportunities that are now available for those who want to go it alone. And as an editor, I’m impressed and admire those indie authors who go the extra mile to make their books professional. Megg Jensen is one such author, which is…
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Eight Ways to Keep Up Your Writing Momentum with Anna Staniszewski

Today I’m thrilled to have a guest post by Anna Staniszewski, author of My Very Unfairy Tale Life and its sequels, My Epic Fairy Tale Fail and the latest, My Sort of Fairy Tale Ending (check out the trailer below). Anna’s got another series starting in January, The Dirt Diary. With all those words in print,…
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