Category: How To and Tips
Why is Book Marketing So Damn Hard?
Why is Book Marketing So Damn Hard? I offer a marketing mastermind for writers, called 12 weeks to Book Launch Success. In this group program, I guide novelists and memoir writers to develop a successful launch plan for their book. (If this sounds interesting, more details at the end!) Before developing my program, I interviewed […]
How to Write Outside Your Cultural Experience Without Harm
How to Write Outside Your Cultural Experience Without Harm By Paulette Stout As writers, we have great latitude when choosing what we create. And with diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging at the forefront for many in the creative community, our instinct should rightly be to answer the call in our work. But writing outside our […]
Thoughts and Tips for Aspiring and Debut Authors
Before publishing my novel, THERE ARE NO RULES FOR THIS in May, I had been either writing it, editing it, proofreading it, or getting it ready for prime time in some way for over 8 years. So, while I am only newly on the other side of publication, I have some thoughts and tips for […]
Striving for Imperfection, Seeking Perseverance
Striving for Imperfection, Seeking Perseverance. I’ve posted before about the writing retreats in France I co-facilitate with agent extraordinaire, April Eberhardt. Since I was first asked to teach in France I’ve been trying to learn French via Duolingo. A little bit every day for the past 18 or so months. I may not be able […]
THE WRITER’S GARDEN by Heather Mateus Sappenfield
THE WRITER’S GARDEN by Heather Mateus Sappenfield What are the seeds of your narratives? Are they concepts? Problems? Themes? With three novels and one short story collection under my belt, I’ve learned that my narratives usually arise from things I witness. Things about our humanity that leave a deep impression. After that initial impression, they […]
On Writing The Narcissist and the Awakening
In my book The Narcissist and the Awakening, I explore the psychological and spiritual sides of what’s happening during these forms of contact, as well as offer healing methods and ways of living to support continued growth and love. In between chapters, a different meditation technique or practice is included, serving as a guidepost and […]
Confessions of a Rock ‘n’ Roll Name-Dropper: My Life Leading Up to John Lennon’s Last Interview
Confessions of a Rock ‘n’ Roll Name-Dropper: My Life Leading Up to John Lennon’s Last Interview is more than just a typical Beatle bio – it’s my memoir, the story of my early rock radio-related life and career wrapped around what tragically turned out to be John Lennon’s last day on the planet. On that […]
Navigating The Fact-Fiction Divide
The professor walked through the rows of desks, returning our latest assignments. Mine was a feature piece on a kids’ program in Chicago’s western suburbs. I had been doing well in grad school, finding my voice and feeling confident that I was in the right place. No longer an extracurricular pursuit, journalism would be my […]
On Writing Sweet Freedom Whispered in My Ear
“Sweet Freedom Whispered in My Ear” is a memoir that delves into the depths of my life, a testament to the resilience of the human spirit overcoming the severe trauma and abuse. Over the years, many have urged me to write this book, finding inspiration in my story and believing in its power to provide […]
Second Careers and my Supposed Retirement
SECOND CAREERS AND MY SUPPOSED RETIREMENT “Retirement” is not something I ever aspired to, even when I took a buyout after more than two decades as the theater critic of The Baltimore Sun. I’m not particularly good at semi-retirement, either. I am an expert on second careers, however. I’ve had at least five. The most important of […]
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