Dares for August 2016
When I was walking into Spooky’s (local pizza place) a week or so back with the fam, I was stopped by someone shouting, “Hey, you!” I turned to the sound of the “Hey, you.” (I tend to respond to them …) She, a girl about my age: *makes eye contact* “Do you remember me?” Me: […]
The Lady of the Vineyard, Blog Tour Sign-ups
A few quick updates before we begin … Giving away an autographed copy of The Dressmaker’s Secret on Goodreads. Actually making progress on Ivy Introspective! 😀 I’ve chosen some titles for The Chronicles of Alice and Ivy, Book 4. Vote here! Still looking for beta-readers for The Lady of the Vineyard. Well, guys, it’s time […]
How to Start a Novel
Now, I’ve never really had problems with starting novels. Finishing them, yes, definitely. Starting them … not so much. It’s actually one of my worst habits, novel-starting. But a friend of mine asked me to write a post on starting novels … so here I am. I talked about this a little in my post […]
July Character Studies ~ Beliefs, Ideals, and Morals
Well, it’s time for another Character Studies! This time we have “Beliefs, Ideals, and Morals” for the subject. It’s a fun one. I’ve noticed that most people are doing unfeeling pessimists. Or perhaps that’s just me. At any rate, I’m doing a character I don’t know much about, so … maybe she’s an unfeeling pessimist. […]
More on The Lady of the Vineyard
In a post last Monday, I told you that I’m going to publish The Lady of the Vineyard on September 10th of this year. Well, that’s still holds true, and today I’ll be sharing a brief excerpt plus me rambling about my novella a little … which will happen, knowing me. First, the excerpt! An […]
Introducing Reveries Reviews
As you may have noticed, there have been a lot of reviews on Reveries recently. As you may or may not know, this was not meant to be a reviewing blog! Sure, a review a week doesn’t hurt. I’m an author, and introducing you to the books of other authors is a lot of fun for […]
How to Avoid the Nightmares of Editing
If you think I’m about to tell you how NOT to edit, you’re wrong. I’m just going to tell you how to edit without pain. What? you say. That’s impossible! The definition of editing is ‘a painful process by which authors attempt to improve their books.’ That’s not true! Editing doesn’t have to be awful! Of […]
The Old River Road by Ivy Rose
The Old River Road by Ivy Rose Long Lake Legacy, #1 When seventeen-year-old Clara Boutwell married her dashing coworker, William McDonald, she was convinced her life was near perfect. The journey before them as newlyweds in the great city of Chicago was promising and exciting. But a frightening disease soon takes William in its grip, […]
Updates: The Lady of the Vineyard and Ivy Introspective
Hello friends (and … random people I don’t know … and … I just made your presence awkward … well, I guess you can stay anyway *sigh*)! Today I’m going to ramble on about my novels considerably, so … you’ve been warned. Let’s start with Ivy Introspective, because … well, I just want to. I have […]
Plot Construction 101: Falling Action (and Resolution)
We’ve come to the conclusion. Wait, I thought we just started this post! Indeed, we did, but this post is about conclusions. Oh, I understand now. Good. Then we can continue. The falling action is the wrapping-up of the novel; resolution is just another name for “conclusion.” It’s meant to be fairly short, as nothing […]
Plot Construction 101: Exposition
Last week we talked about the basic construction of a plot, The Great Pyramid. This week we’ll be talking about the exposition. To summarize, an exposition is the beginning – the introduction – of a novel. Here is where you hook your readers. Another word for it is “chapter one.” 😉 Note: exposition doesn’t always happen […]
Plot Construction 101: The Great Pyramid
I’m planning to give y’all a course on plot constructing. Today (Day 1), I’ll be introducing you to The Great Pyramid. No, not that Great Pyramid! This Great Pyramid! 😀 As you can see, it’s sort of more of a great triangle. But, as you don’t want a one-dimensional plot (and as “pyramid” sounds better […]
