Category: How To and Tips
BOOK PROMOTION: REINVENTION TIPS
When I found a publisher for my memoir in 2017, I knew that I would need to expand my online social media presence and find the courage to dive into ‘in person’ promotion. But how? While I consider myself a friendly enough sort of gal, I am not one to boast or talk about my […]
How Writers Can Stay Positive During Chronic Illness
“Writing is a way of processing our lives. And it can be a way of healing.” -Jan Karon I write this post as I sit in my wheelchair after recently fracturing my right femur. This rehabilitation visit is the third major hospitalization since November 2019 where I spent 53 days. I’ve become extremely deconditioned and […]
When a Mystery is More Than a Mystery By Saralyn Richard
I’ve read several articles lately about genre-blending. In fact, genre-blending seems to be the new trend in literature. I use the word “new” in its broadest sense, though, because genre-blending has actually been going on for a long time. I remember when Erik Larson’s Isaac’s Storm came out in 1999, everyone from my hometown, Galveston, […]
Inspiration and Options
The inspiration for my upcoming novel, SWEET JANE, came from two main sources. One Saturday morning at a writing group held at a café in Austin, Texas, the first seed was planted. That morning’s writing prompt—she didn’t get that far—sparked an idea. I closed my eyes and pictured a heartbroken teenage girl standing on the […]
Publishing With Audible: Birdie & Jay
For my third novel, Birdie & Jay, I chose Audible as my publisher. So, how is that different from other methods of “traditional” publication? What it means is that my book will be available exclusively (and only) as an audio book on Audible for nine months. Like Netflix (and other premium services) Audible wants to […]
Turning Doubt into Triumph
I spent twenty years collecting titles and trophies like they were trading cards, not because I wanted to fill up the empty spaces on my bookshelf, but because I needed to fill a hole inside of me. I was a card-carrying member of the overcompensation club; not feeling good enough most of the time pushed […]
If Not Now, When?
By Diane Byington Maybe you’ve longed to write a novel since you were ten, but you have no idea what to write. Or you’ve started several novels but given up after thirty or fifty pages, and you’re close to telling yourself that maybe this dream just wasn’t fated to be. That was my situation the […]
Why Do Some Characters Live On Beyond The Book?
Why is it that some characters just don’t disappear? The book is finished, the edits have been completed, the next work is in progress and yet… a particular character is still refusing to rest or retire or whatever it is that characters do when the writer has finished the book. I’ve been reflecting on this, […]
Who Are You To Write Two Memoirs?
I’ve had that question posed to me, most often from my editor. God love her for always asking the tough questions so that I can ensure both my writing and I are in the best shape for readers. Famous people typically have no more than one memoir. So who am I to write two? As […]
On Writing into Danger
My second novel, Pigs, came out this past October, sixteen and a half years after my first novel, City of Ghosts, was published. It follows the lives of four parentless children who live on an island that serves as the repository for the entire world’s trash. Ships pass by and drop garbage in the water. […]
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