Somebody please get my son a job writing installation and repair manuals. This is how they should all be written.
Day: October 25, 2011
Meet the Author: Maranda Russell
Author Maranda Russell says her book “Ode to Icky,” is a picture book about a disgusting cat and his owner, Candy, a little girl who finds a way to make her pet’s hygiene problems work for her. Hmmm. . . I don’t own any cats, but my wife owns three, so this idea intrigues me.
Maranda says that one of the things that sets her writing apart is that she feels she really does still think like a child sometimes. “I still enjoy childhood activities, and find it easy to slip back into that pattern of thinking (even if that isn’t always good). I also tend to think outside the box, sometimes a little too far, but I’ve learned to rein myself in a bit to better my stories. ” Continue reading “Meet the Author: Maranda Russell”
Writing Exercise #2
We had a lot of fun with yesterday’s writing exercise. I saw a lot of creativity on display. Ready for more? Here is exercise #2. (Don’t get spoiled, I probably won’t do these every day.) Write a paragraph that tells me something about this woman and what she’s thinking and post it as a comment. Make me want to know more.
My Strange New World by Special Guest, Author K.S. Brooks
It is a strange new world. Self-published authors are ganging up on me, even picking on me because I’m with a publisher. It’s a small, independent publisher, one which actually cares about its authors. But still — if you knew where I came from, you’d know why this leaves me feeling like someone tasered me and left me in an alley.
I started writing Lust for Danger in 1986. I tried for years to get it published, following the traditional route – as that was all there was at the time (vanity publishing was never a consideration). I received plenty of rejection letters that were kind and regretful, stating that they couldn’t take a chance on me because I was a first-time author. Some of these letters were so good that I saved them so I could quote them once the book would finally be published – some day, some how. “Lively and entertaining,” “fine and creative storyteller,” “I liked the pace of the story and the strong female heroine,” and “great plot, well written” were just some of the comments made to me while being told “no thank you.” That was what kept me going. Continue reading “My Strange New World by Special Guest, Author K.S. Brooks”