A Bouquet of Comics

My first deep impression of anthologies was as texts in poetry school. I still have a shelf dedicated to these early intros to poetry: The Norton Anthology of Modern Poetry, Imagist Poetry: An Anthology, Great Poems by American Women: An Anthology. In the literary arts, collections like these register a kind of arrival to such… Read more »

Creating Discussion Questions Using Your Book’s Themes

Do you love talking about the books you read with friends, classmates, or your book club? (I know. All of us word nerds love to do this, right?) So maybe you’ve noticed, either online or in the back matter of some of the books you own, that authors or publishers sometimes share discussion questions for… Read more »

#5onFri: Five Steps to Starting Your Food Writing Career

So, you want to be a food writer, but don’t know where to start? You’re not alone! Scan the internet, and you’ll find everything from recipe blogs to featured magazine articles on a single ingredient. You may think: I love food, but I’m not “qualified” to write about it. Good news. You don’t need a… Read more »

Writing Outside of Your Comfort Zone

The world is a mess right now. The United States is a mess right now. And we cannot pretend like what has been happening and what’s continuing to happen isn’t happening. And I just wanted to name that here before going any further. Everyone has the right to engage in social justice in different ways,… Read more »

#5onFri: Five Ways You Can Beat Writer’s Block

Beating writer’s block can seem impossible when you’re lost in the weeds. It’s frustrating to feel like you’re completely stuck and all the good ideas you had have just checked out. In fact, some authors even feel anxious when they sit down in front of their computers to write.  But getting past the writer’s block… Read more »

Pandemic Potpourri

It’s probably fair to say that the number of us actually living our 2020 plan is vanishingly small.  It was to have been my year of geographical expansion – a self-organized book tour to signings and festivals around the country. What’s happened instead is a geographical contraction to the four walls of my house and… Read more »

The Four Elements Of A Compelling Book Blurb

Hi, writers! In my last post, I wrote about how to create a book cover that not only accurately reflects your brand but also attracts your ideal readers.  While an amazing cover can persuade readers to click on your book (or to pull it off the shelf in a physical book store), it’s your book’s… Read more »