The Crotchety Old Man

Category: Writing

  • My Next Project

    As a university employee, I’ve been off the week between Christmas and New Year’s since the mid-1980s. Depending on where the holidays fall, I usually add a few days to one end or the other to extend the break even longer. It’s never enough time off, and it always goes by too fast. In the…

  • In My Wildest Dreams

    Getting my first novel published was a huge accomplishment. That Dreamspinner Press would publish paperbacks in a genre dominated by e-publishers was an added bonus. I’d never become a household name, but at least I’d have a book to autograph for my friends. To temper my expectations as the release date drew near, I kept…

  • Joining a Writers Group

    The start of another year is like Christmas for the resolution industry. The gym will be crowded and meetings at Weight Watchers will be standing room only. January is also when we see a big influx of new members in our local writers group. Seems there are lots of aspiring writers out there. Some have…

  • The Next Big Thing

    I’ve been tagged in the Next Big Thing—a blog hop that started back in October and has gone viral. To participate, I need to answer questions about the novel I’m currently in the process of writing. Thanks to Charlie Cochet for inviting me. What is the working title of your book? After Christmas Eve. Yes, another…

  • Totally Cool

    The big day has finally arrived. At midnight tonight, Dreamspinner Press will release my first novel, Until Thanksgiving, as a paperback and in multiple digital formats. I’m walking on air. That the editors at Dreamspinner Press liked my first novel enough to offer me an advance blew me away. But four months ago, I had…

  • The Devil is in the Details

    Over the weekend, I finally finished writing After Christmas Eve. Finding time to write had been the biggest obstacle–never mind that I had loose ends all over the place and no earthly idea how to tie them all together. I had time to write this weekend and along the way, figured out how to end the…

  • Channeling My Inner Romance Novelist

    Yesterday I wrote the first draft of what may be the last chapter of After Christmas Eve. The ending has always been a little hazy in my mind. Because the story continues, part of the challenge is deciding where to stop. I decided when I sat down to write it that the last chapter would…

  • How to Write a Novel

    If you ask me, there are two basic ways to write a novel. You can either make it up as you go along–a style known as pantsing, as in flying by the seat of one’s pants. Or you can plan the story out from start to finish and then start writing. No doubt there are endless…

  • The Unveiling

    We all know not to judge a book by it’s cover, right? But whether you’re browsing online or in the bookstore for an ebook or a paperback, the cover is the first thing you see. And it’s often the reason you decide to buy (or not buy) the book. A good cover tells the reader…

  • Another Step Closer

    It’s been two months, one week, and two days since I signed on with Dreamspinner Press. The initial email message from them explained all the steps leading up to a December or January release for Until Thanksgiving. The long list was intimidating and a little frightening. The message from the editor said to be patient.…