When I was young, my father and both my grandfathers loved to watch westerns, particularly on the weekends. I was subjected to the genre more than I care to remember.

Now I think back to those days fondly, but I still have no real love for the genre. Which is why I swore I’d never write westerns.

Funny that I’ve written four western shorts now, two of which have been published. You can find my short story, “Warrior of Blanca Peak” in the Unshod anthology. It’s a contemporary western romance, but that’s not what I want to discuss today.

Book three of the Medici Protectorate series, Body Armor, is set to release in August. To ramp up interest in the series, my publisher has released this short western prequel, Valuable Treasures, before the novel’s release.

I never thought I’d write one western, let alone four, but I…

Hello SEers! Welcome to another Monday Blog. Today, I thought I’d write about how to harvest the crop of your writing, and to that end, I am re-using the fertile soil of an old article I wrote for an online writing mag that has now, sadly, closed its doors. I make no apologies for my … ahem … artwork 🙂

To write a book is to become intimate with change. And, if we do it right, we’ll have something to harvest at the end of the process. As with any process, while each individual step is important, timing is everything. We need to know when to interfere, and when to leave well alone. Whether the problem be over-watering, or under, the end result will be the same: The seed of imagination will never make it to a full grown, published and successful book.

So, how do we best harvest the…

Ciao, SEers. As promised, I’m continuing my exploration of the author media kit. (If you missed that post or want a refresher before continuing, click here.)

Today, we’re going to talk about the news release. (Press Release is an outdated term referring to the press that prints newspapers. That technology has modernized and we submit our release to more than just newspapers these days, so the name has been changed to News Release to reflect those changes.)

Authors can certainly submit their own news releases to the media, but I’ve found some elitist organizations still don’t accept indie authors as credible and talented artists, and therefore disregard announcements from them. Because of this bias, if at all possible, have your publisher or a professional organization submit the release on your behalf. However, if you have a kick-butt release and media kit, or if you find progressive organizations…

Hi, SE readers. Joan here. I thought we’d do something fun today and talk about words.

Over the years, our use of language has evolved. Thank goodness we no longer use seventeenth century English with words like thee, thou,  or shouldst. These days we’re much more casual in our conversations. For instance, how often do you order a vegetable burger? You order a veggie burger.

The last few years these words have sprung up: SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS. These are actually acronyms for Supreme Court of the United States, President of the United States, and First Lady of the United States.

I never used the entire term, but I still stay Supreme Court, President, and First Lady. Evidently, some people are too casual (or perhaps too lazy) to use these terms. It takes just as much effort to use the acronyms as it does to say the word.

Merriam-Webster recently…

Hello SEers! It’s great to see you here today 🙂

When we write, we create things twice—first, in the mind, and then in the real world. To make the best reality, we have to begin with the end in mind. If we want to tell a story, to sit and write a novel, then we need to know the end (or have a good idea of what we intend).

Even though things may change as we invent, we still need to begin with at least a rough outline of the beginning, the middle, and the end. We need to have an awareness of the point to the tale. Both our characters and plot need to show some development and change by the time it’s all finished and done with.

If you envisage the end clearly enough, you will find less trouble in writing your way there. I have no doubt…

Craig here again. It’s a challenge to write these tips and tricks every time, because so many of the items are debatable. I hate to take a hard line stance, but I do for the sake of the comments that trickle in during the week. The topic today is branding.

Not that kind of branding. The kind where authors promote products. As you appear across cyberspace, what kind of recognizable materials do you use so the masses will recognize you? Chances are, you’ll have a blog, the popular social media accounts, and possibly a newsletter. What kind of branding do you use to tell people this is some of your work?

You will also make guest appearances on blogs, maybe blog talk radio, the occasional video of some kind. While these post are all different, your branding is what sews them all together as you – the author.

My first…

Hello, bloggers!

As many of you know, I am very passionate about Relay For Life and the fight against cancer. Cancer has affected my family multiple times. Not only have I lost loved ones, but I know many people that have also suffered the pain of this horrible disease. Cancer is a scary thing and, let’s just be honest, it sucks.

For this reason, I created my own Relay For Life Team – FINDING HOPE. My hometown’s event is scheduled for May, so the planning has already began. The theme this year is “Once upon a cure.” Each Relay Team has to create their own theme from the main one.

Perhaps it’s the writer in me or the awesome book club I’m in, but the first thing I thought about when I heard this was reading. So, from the main theme, I came up with this:

“Fighting cancer, one story at…