I Can’t Use This for a Query Letter, But…

One of the first things you learn about query letters is that no agent or publisher is going to be impressed by your telling them that you’re sure they’ll want to take your manuscript on, since your mother and your husband absolutely love it. Not exactly unbiased readers! The same could be said for grandsons.…

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Writing Accidents

I once wrote a personal experience piece called “Confessions of an Accidental Novelist” in which I explained that I hadn’t intended to become a fiction writer. In fact, I was quite convinced I lacked the “fiction gene.” I’d spent most of my professional life as a dancer and dance educator. Even though I enjoyed writing…

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The Thing About Clichés

As writers, we’re regularly exhorted to avoid clichés as overused, hackneyed, and too predictable. I take that advice seriously, and I consciously look for fresher images in my work. The thing is, though, in our daily lives, the reason clichés are so overused is that they resonate with us by capturing some fundamental experience. Take…

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Adults Need That One “Trusted Adult,” Too

Years ago, I was interviewing a psychologist for an article about the challenges of adolescence when she said: “What a kid really needs to make it through the teen years is that one trusted adult who supports and encourages them.” Lately, I’ve been thinking that having a “trusted adult” matters long after our teenage years…

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A Successful Collaboration: AD Price and Elizabeth Schmidt Discuss Creating the Audiobook Version of AFTER THE BLUE, BLUE RAIN

As an author and avid listener of audio books, I’ve often wondered what goes into creating the audio versions of published works. Recently, I had the opportunity to interview both novelist AD Price and her audiobook narrator, actor Elizabeth Schmidt, about their highly successful collaboration. Before getting together with Elizabeth, I wanted to know what…

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