The creative side of writing is a joy, but, as we all know, the business of getting your novel into the world can be daunting. As I’ve learned, it takes a village and a support network along with a healthy dose of determination to birth a book. I started my publication journey by joining Sisters […]
My sister-in-law is a dynamo in a tiny package — an opera singer, actress, clown, energy healer, and animal lover. Lately, she’s been concerned that my elderly dog Teagan is overdoing therapy dog work. True, together Teagan and I have done more than 200 visits to hospitals, courts, police departments, and even the King Soopers […]
A high-pitched tone sounded over the crackle of the radio inside the cabin of the pickup truck. The driver’s eyes snapped to the computer screen mounted on the dash between us, then immediately returned focus to the road. “Did you hear that? There’s been an accident. Backup requested.” He pointed to the screen displaying all […]
Our stories are our children. We nurture them, worry about them, and entrust them to others on their journey into the world. As writers, we trust our beta readers, critique partners, agents, and most of all, our publishers to care for and not share our work inappropriately. Imagine, after years of working with an agent […]
As authors, the written word is our trade. We strive for authenticity in the way characters talk, the language they use, and the methods used to communicate. Dialog differentiates the speakers, but how to make a teenager sound like, well, a teenager rather than their grandparents? A judicious use of slang can establish a character’s […]
Of the many reasons I love living in Colorado, the Jaipur Literature Festival is one of them. Wait a minute. Jaipur? Isn’t that in India? And they have a literature festival? Yes, they do. Known simply as JLF, it’s the world’s largest, un-ticketed event free to all, no matter how rich or poor. The […]
I adore mysteries. As a reader, I carefully scour the page for clues and try to figure out “who done it.” Part of the fun is deciphering which are red herrings. If the ending has a surprising twist, I search out the breadcrumbs leading to the solution. If those tiny hints don’t lead me to […]
Enough about Artificial Intelligence already. I promised myself I wouldn’t write about AI again. Then a friend shared a recent experience. She planned to drive her granddaughter from Denver, Colorado to Buffalo, New York and wanted to take in some of the sights along the way. After learning about ChatGPT at the local library, she […]
Hi everyone. My name is Brooke and I’m an unabashed pantster. Whew. I’ve finally come out of my panster closet and told the world. Actually, my process is more like that of a quilter. When I envision a scene, I jump in and write it. My characters take control of the story and go in […]
I was saddened to hear of the passing of Janet Reid, a.k.a., the Query Shark. As an aspiring author, I followed her blog posts on query letters and was fortunate to get a private critique by the Query Shark herself. Her comments and suggestions were spot on, but more than that, she appeared to care […]