Blog
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THE CRAFT OF WRITING — MAY 2023
Dr. Steve Hooley talks about his Mad River Magic fantasy series.
THE CRAFT OF WRITING — APRIL 2023
Debbie Burke, award-winning author of the Tawny Lindholm thriller series.
THE CRAFT OF WRITING — MARCH 2023
Reavis Wortham, award-winning author of western mysteries and thrillers.
THE CRAFT OF WRITING — FEBRUARY 2023
P.J. Parrish discusses her Louis Kincaid series.
THE CRAFT OF WRITING – JANUARY 2023
James Scott Bell shares his wisdom on writing a series.
THE CRAFT OF WRITING — NOVEMBER 2022
Elaine Viets shares her writing journey and advises new mystery writers.
THE CRAFT OF WRITING — OCTOBER 2022
Andrew McClurg shares about his Emily Calby Thriller Series.
THE CRAFT OF WRITING — SEPTEMBER 2022
Sue Coletta shares her writing journey and her new novel, Haloed.
THE CRAFT OF WRITING – AUGUST 2022
Patricia Bradley shares her writing journey and talks about her new novel, Deception.
THE CRAFT OF WRITING – JULY 2022
Garry Rodgers shares his experience as a detective with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the crime novels he writes now.
THE CRAFT OF WRITING — JUNE 2022
Frank DiBianca shares his long and happy journey to publication of his debut novel, Laser Trap.
THE CRAFT OF WRITING – MAY 2022
Terry Odell, author of over 30 romantic mystery novels, discusses her writing journey.
THE CRAFT OF WRITING – APRIL 2022
Thriller author John Gilstrap discusses his novels.
THE CRAFT OF WRITING — MARCH 2022
Debbie Burke talks about her Tawny Lindholm Thrillers with Passion series.
THE CRAFT OF WRITING — FEBRUARY 2022
Dr. Steve Hooley discusses his Mad River Magic YA fantasy series.
THE CRAFT OF WRITING — JANUARY 2022
James Scott Bell talks about his popular Mike Romeo Series.
THE CRAFT OF WRITING — DECEMBER 2021
Social Media expert Edie Melson joins us for a conversation about the platforms that have enormous influence on our lives and writing.
THE CRAFT OF WRITING — NOVEMBER 2021
A conversation with Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi about their new thesaurus, The Conflict Thesaurus. And a fun and interactive game, The Conflict Challenge!
THE CRAFT OF WRITING — OCTOBER 2021
A conversation with Lisa Simonds, author of the award-winning novel, Stork Bite.
THE CRAFT OF WRITING — SEPTEMBER 2021
The Plot Whisperer, aka Martha Alderson, give insight into the Universal Story, scene trackers, and more.
THE CRAFT OF WRITING — AUGUST 2021
NOW and THEN and ALWAYS with Melissa Tagg
THE CRAFT OF WRITING — JULY 2021
VISION AND REVISION with Jodie Renner.
THE CRAFT OF WRITING — JUNE 2021
A fascinating interview with award-winning author and craft expert, Steven James.
THE CRAFT OF WRITING — MAY 2021
Join publishing industry expert Steve Laube for an interview about all things publishing.
THE CRAFT OF WRITING — APRIL 2021
Christy Award-winning author David Rawlings shares his writing journey and talks about the uses of writing contests.
THE CRAFT OF WRITING — MARCH 2021
Learn from an expert: Randy Ingermanson uses his famous Snowflake Method to tell us about writing dynamite scenes.
THE CRAFT OF WRITING — FEBRUARY 2021
James L. Rubart discusses several of his award-winning novels and the value of writing contests and awards.
THE CRAFT OF WRITING – JANUARY 2021
James Scott Bell discusses his craft book “Write Your Novel from the Middle.”
We receive many gifts in life. But how do we use them?
THE CRAFT OF WRITING – NOVEMBER 2020
Learn the craft of writing a Christian non-fiction book with Dave Fessenden.
THE CRAFT OF WRITING – OCTOBER 2020
Get inspiration and information from debut author Daniel Overdorf about his novel A Death Well Lived.
THE CRAFT OF WRITING — SEPTEMBER 2020
Join the conversation with author, editor, and mentor Kathy Ide and take the Punctuation Test!
THE CRAFT OF WRITING – AUGUST 2020
Join the conversation with Gale Sears and learn about her new YA novel, The Fifth Favorite.
THE CRAFT OF WRITING – JULY 2020
Play The Emotion Game and enjoy a conversation with Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi about their best-selling craft book The Emotion Thesaurus.
THE CRAFT OF WRITING – JUNE 2020
Join Gordon Castelnero to learn about his debut novel Staying on the Vine.
THE CRAFT OF WRITING – MAY 2020
Join Terry Whalin to learn all about publishing as he discusses his book 10 Publishing Myths.
THE CRAFT OF WRITING – APRIL 2020
Join the conversation as Lori Altebaumer talks about her debut novel, A Firm Place to Stand. What a wonderful opportunity to learn from a new author about her journey to publication.
THE CRAFT OF WRITING – MARCH 2020
Learn about the business of writing from one of the industry’s leading authorities, James Scott Bell. Click the image and become a more successful author!
THE CRAFT OF WRITING – FEBRUARY 2020: All In
L.K. (Lisa) Simonds talks about her debut novel, All In. Join Lisa and learn about her journey to publication.
THE CRAFT OF WRITING – JANUARY 2020: Story Stakes
What does the London Marathon have to do with Story Stakes? Join us to find out how to engage your readers. (And you don’t have to run a marathon to do it!)
Ready to take on the next level in your writing? Click the image of the mountain to get inspiration on accomplishing your goals in 2020. Happy New Year!
We’ve been fortunate to have had the opportunity to walk with so many accomplished guests this year to discuss the Craft of Writing. Click the image of the owl to see a summary of interviews with James Scott Bell, Kathy Ide, Steve Laube, Randy Ingermanson, Renni Browne, Dave King, and K.M. Weiland.
K.M. Weiland, author of Creating Character Arcs, shares her perspective on getting those characters from “Once upon a time” to “The End.” Join the conversation today!
Renni Browne and Dave King, co-authors of Self-editing for Fiction Writers, share their insights and expertise in this delightful interview. Join the conversation today!
THE CRAFT OF WRITING – PART 4: How to Write a Novel Using the Snowflake Method
Join us for a lesson in the Snowflake Method from award-winning author Randy Ingermanson.
THE CRAFT OF WRITING – PART 3: The Christian Writers Market Guide
The Christian Writers Market Guide is chock-full of information that is valuable to writers. Learn about it here!
THE CRAFT OF WRITING – PART 2: Proofreading Secrets of Best-Selling Authors
What does the Valley of Elah in Israel have to do with Kathy Ide’s book on Proofreading Secrets of Best-Selling Authors? Click here to find out!
THE CRAFT OF WRITING – PART 1: Plot & Structure
Have you ever wanted to learn to fly? I did. And my experience flying by instruments taught me a lot about the need to follow expert advice when you’re a novice. Read the article and the interview with James Scott Bell here.
I’m delighted to introduce Lori Altebaumer. Lori’s guest post entitled “Bring Me What You Do Have” will inspire and challenge us all.
The Watch on the Fencepost launches on February 22, 2019.
Our memories help define us. I recently commented on a blog post about hometown memories, and I’ve included that one here. What memories do you have to share?
Book clubs provide meaningful times of intellectual growth and relationship building. Vicki Fioranelli has written a delightful post on the Cherryhill Book Club. Read and enjoy!
“I was once in darkness, now my eyes can see.”
“Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” — Matthew 5:15-16
HOLIDAY TRADITIONSAt this time of year when we are remembering our multitude of blessings, I am honored that Judy Karge, author of A Light in the Dark: Reflections on Proverbs is my guest. Judy has provided a delightful look at holiday traditions. Read and enjoy!
I’m thrilled that Mel Hughes has written this guest post for my blog. Many of us were confused by all the different editorial functions, but Mel provides us with a clear and readable definition of each type.
(And, yes, that’s Mel on her motorcycle!)
What would you do if you had the power to legislate one simple rule to help the world take care of our language?
Is your plot ready for prime time? Rachel Hills offers her expert advice on this critical part of your writing craft.
After reading a blog post by Bob Hostetler entitled “A Literary Agent’s Prayer,” I was inspired to write my own prayer as an author.
Has God called you to write? Read Kathy Ide’s inspirational article on the power of God to direct our steps.
What does running a marathon have to do with writing a book? A lot. This post could have been titled “What I learned about writing through running.”
I’m honored that Beth Lottig has agreed to guest post on my blog. Beth is the co-founder of AuthorSource, a full-service self-publishing company, and has helped hundreds of authors bring their works to publication.
Whether you’re just beginning to think about writing or you’ve finished that manuscript, Beth’s words of wisdom will be a valuable resource.
It’s been said that everybody loves a mystery. But why? What mysteries do you love?
YOUR FAVORITE BOOK
Share your favorite reading matter with the rest of us. Whether it’s fiction or non-fiction. Romance, mystery, history, whatever.
YOUR FAVORITE WORD
“Words – so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them.” – Nathaniel Hawthorne