Years ago, when I was a dance teacher, I made a point of saving the notes and cards I’d received from appreciative students. Whenever I was having a bad day, I’d get them out and re-read them. They were a definite pick-me-up! I loved feeling that I’d made a difference in my students’ lives. I’ve…
I’ve always believed that writing is risk-taking behavior. We reveal so much of who we are and what we care about when we write. Approaching our daily work as writers with humor somehow makes it all less scary. Over the years, I’ve collected a few of my favorite fun quotes about writing. Here are…
We’ve all had those days and weeks as writers when nothing seems to go well. We get a slew of back-to-back rejections, our critique group is less than thrilled with our latest submission, and our work-in-progress is, well…stalling. Only that pesty compulsion to write keeps us going. Fortunately, there are other weeks when lots of…
Over the years, I’ve read essays by cancer survivors who’ve called their harrowing journeys through life-threatening illnesses a “gift.” Cancer, they report, afforded them a new appreciation of life and their loved ones. I do not have cancer. And yet, I think I finally get what these survivors were talking about. Last month, I had…
A few weeks ago, slickly written, effusive pitches from “book marketing experts” began appearing with astonishing regularity in my inbox. Here’s a sample opening of one: Hello Lynn, What struck me most in Missing Mom is how you turned your own experience of loss into a novel that doesn’t just entertain but speaks directly to the ache…
I’m so delighted to host bestselling, award-winning author Judy Penz Sheluk on my blog today. Her writing advice is spot on! One Author’s Advice on Writing by Judy Penz Sheluk One of the most common questions I get asked, both at events, and during author interviews, is if I have any writing advice. I always…
Guest Essay by Lindsey Williams, Music Educator and Author I’m so delighted to welcome Lindsey Williams to my blog today, whose story and journey are so inspiring. Stories: An Antidote to Burnout On Writing Where the Valley Widens: A Teacher’s Journey Through the Ages by Lindsey Williams When I was young, I would sit…
I always tell folks that I rarely write short fiction. For whatever reason, my ideas seem to come in novel length, like MISSING MOM, which I’m excited to share won the 2025 Readers’ Favorite Bronze Award in the YA mystery category. But last month, I was invited…
Having spent considerable time dealing with intrigue and warring faculty on college campuses, I’ve never been able to resist mysteries set in academia, like those penned by Kelly Brakenhoff. I loved learning about Kelly’s latest release, her career and children’s writing as an ASL interpreter, and her favorite writing advice. First off, congratulations on the…
As authors, we think about setting as a major aspect of our characters’ lived experience, but setting also matters for us as we do our writing. In her guest essay, Carol talks about the places she writes and where she created her new series, the Coyote Canyon Mysteries, which begins with her recent release, Exposure.…