Author: Lynne Cantwell

Lynne Cantwell grew up on the shores of Lake Michigan. She worked as a broadcast journalist for many years; she has written for CNN, the late lamented Mutual/NBC Radio News, and a bunch of radio and TV news outlets you have probably never heard of, including a defunct wire service called Zapnews. But she began as a fantasy writer (in the second grade), and is back at it today. She currently lives near Washington, DC. Learn more about Lynne at her blog and at her Amazon author page.

Meeting Famous Authors

Efest dinner 2014 croppedI had a brush with famous authors during my vacation. Two of them, actually. And I am pretty sure they’re both still talking to me.

First, a bit of background: For the past fourteen years or so, I’ve been a member of kevinswatch.com, an internet discussion board dedicated to the works of bestselling fantasy author Stephen R. Donaldson. And when I say “bestselling,” I’m not kidding – each of his Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever books have made the New York Times list. Continue reading “Meeting Famous Authors”

Book Release Checklist

book launch checklist graphicIf the wedding planning industry (and make no mistake – it’s an industry) has given us one useful idea, it’s this: the idea of a checklist leading up to the Big Day. Say what you will about some of the more outrageous line-items (personalized matchbooks?), but it’s a useful thing to have as you work your way through a complex undertaking with a lot of moving parts, like a wedding. Or a book launch.

I just released a new book, so all of this is fresh in my mind. Inevitably, I forget to do something in the effort to remember to do the thing I forgot to do last time. This time, I completely forgot about the ARC, so I had no reviews ready for launch day. Dumb, right? So I am making myself a checklist. Here’s what I’ve got so far: Continue reading “Book Release Checklist”

Camp NaNoWriMo: Summer Camp for Writers

camp_nano_logoBy now, I trust you’ve heard of National Novel Writing Month, a.k.a. NaNoWriMo – that self-imposed challenge to write 50,000 words in the 30 days of November.

The folks at the Office of Letters and Light have come up with another way to drag you away from friends and family for a month. They call it Camp NaNoWriMo, and they run it twice a year, in April and July.

Like the regular NaNoWriMo, Camp NaNo gives you a framework to formally declare your intention to pound out a manuscript in a foreshortened period of time. And it gives you access to a network of writing friends to socialize with, lean on, and complain to.

But there are some differences to the Camp NaNo experience. If you’ve balked at doing the regular NaNo, you may find Camp NaNo is a better fit for you. Here’s why. Continue reading “Camp NaNoWriMo: Summer Camp for Writers”

Designing a Horse: Anthology Groups

Moose Photo by K.S. BrooksIt’s been said that a moose is a horse designed by a committee. Pulling together a group of indie authors to create a short-story anthology might seem like a similar exercise. But it doesn’t have to be.

Anthologies can be a great way to showcase your work to a wider audience. Fans of other authors participating in the project will also see your story, and maybe they’ll like it well enough to buy one (or more!) of your other books. You may even gain readers who aren’t familiar with the works of any of the authors involved, but who are willing to try a sampler of new talent.

Lin Robinson wrote posts here and here about the mechanics of creating an anthology. But how do you get involved in one? In my case, all I had to do was say, “I’m in.” Continue reading “Designing a Horse: Anthology Groups”