Winning matters. Validation motivates me to write more, take risks with my prose, and reach for higher goals as an author. So, thank God...

A Friday the 13th Mystery in 13 days of plotting with 70 non-writer friends, followed by 13 days of drafting all by myself…my strategy...

Writers use comparisons to help readers revisit or understand unique life experiences. Here are eleven comparative devices we know best,...

A novel is preternaturally neutral. It has no feelings though it is full of emotions; it does not judge the person who decides to open...

Wishes and Dreams: If Only You Had Known… I attended a gigantic conference back in 2014 after I’d published a couple of books through...

I’m developing a conference proposal centered on being a writer/marketer of a ‘certain age.’ Now, I’ve been writing for twenty years, but...

She’s all alone. She’s on her own. Do these phrases frighten you or energize you? Those of us who write mystery/suspense novels often...

Every time a writer finishes a new novel and sends it out to readers, she holds her breath, hoping readers enjoy the story as much as she...

Lie Catchers: Welcome Home! Writing any novel is a story in itself. Why am I writing this book? Where did the characters and plot come...

Last Resort is Reborn! I learn something new every day, sometimes to the degree of epiphany! Listen to this story: First: A neighbor...