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Selling Out?
Should authors write for the market? Is catering to what readers want selling out, or a smart business decision? Opposing camps are more deeply entrenched than Republicans and Democrats. The conflict stems largely (but not entirely) from differences in opinion about whether writing is a business or a craft. Initially, I sided with the craft faction. I’m…
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Pantsing Magic
Plotters plan out everything about a story ahead of time. Pantsers make up the story as they go along. My writing process has been different for each of my novels, but I fall squarely on the pantsing side of the continuum. I drift toward plotting now and then, but no matter how hard I try, my books…
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Revisions: Now or Later?
Approaches to penning a novel fall somewhere along a continuum. Writers on one end — plotters — think through every detail ahead of time. Those on the other end — pantsers — make stuff up as they go along. Either approach can result in a high quality novel. I bounce back and forth as the mood strikes. The right…
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More Sadism!
A few months ago, an author friend said she thought most writers are inherently narcissistic, masochistic, and sadistic. I’m inclined to agree. You need to be at least a little self-absorbed to devote the time to writing a novel, and the source of the story is often something from the writer’s life. Self-inflicted pain and suffering is…
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Happy Independence Day Release Party & Blog Tour
Dreamspinner Press has officially released my third novel, Happy Independence Day. The story features the relationship between Terrence Bottom and Cameron McKenzie and is set in June 1969, a few years later than the prequel, After Christmas Eve, and about 225 miles farther north. Much of the action occurs in and around the infamous Stonewall…
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A Beary Good Read
Does a wild bear shift in the woods? To find out, read my first short story, The Bear King of Snowbird Mountain in A Taste of Honey, an anthology now available from Dreamspinner Press. All the stories revolve around bears — the gay subculture rather than the omnivorous, furry, clawed variety that hibernate over the winter.…
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And the Winners Are…
Thanks to everyone who participated in the month-long giveaway to celebrate my one year anniversary as a published author. I’m tickled pink so many people participated. In fact, my first giveaway was so successful, I’ve decided to mail an autographed copy of Until Thanksgiving to five lucky winners. I’m especially grateful to Lane Hayes, Z.…
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Writing Update
Things are finally settling into something I’m calling my new normal. My kitchen table is down to just three piles–a stack of clothes that need to go to the dry cleaner, a reminder from my realtor that I need to get downtown to file the homestead exemption for my new house, and the stack of…
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Happy New Year!
In the spirit of out with the old and in with the new, I changed the lay-out and design of my blog. The set-up is different. To see the rest of this post, you need to click on “read now” below and to the right of “Happy New Year!” Obviously, this is for folks who…