I’ve mentioned that for my next book, Fallen, I’d be querying it for a while, at least six months. Why? Because two people I trust strongly encouraged me to do so. Thus, I’ve been sending out queries since late May. So far, I’ve gotten mostly rejections or a resounding silence. The one positive response I…
Category: On Writing
The Chronicles of Self-Publishing: 4th Part of My Journey
(or How I Did It, a “.doc”-umentary) Part 4/? In the last week or two of February, as well as all of March and April, I was far too absorbed with our move to even think about my manuscript. Instead, that time was spent searching for a new home, packing and sorting (our new home…
The Monster Under My Desk
Being a writer is scary. What? you say. All you do is sit in front of a computer and type out a story. What’s scary about that? It’s because of the Monster. Let me take you on a little trip behind the scenes. Let’s say I have an idea for a story. I make notes,…
Beans vs. Soup
It’s been almost a year since I last blogged. This may come as no surprise to many writers who’ve said they, too, felt as though their muse has been hiding under a blanket. In the closet. In that back corner that the light never seems to reach. Behind the boxes of clothes you always plan…
Lessons From a Late-Night E-mail
Last year during 2019’s NaNoWriMo (https://nanowrimo.org) I penned an entire medical sci-fi/ecofiction manuscript—Entheóphage—in thirty-seven days. In the months following, and with the help of many wonderful medical experts and beta readers, I honed the manuscript into a complete, focused tale. In mid-August of this year, I decided to submit the most recent draft to Pitch…
What’s That Mean?
On the night of my tenth-year high school reunion (many years ago), I was crossing a dark street with some classmates on our way to a local bar where we could catch up on each other’s lives. We glanced both ways and, seeing no immediate traffic, stepped out into the street at a leisurely pace….
In Search of “Normal”
{NOTE: I wrote this in mid-March, but never posted it. Even now, months later, I’m surrounded by people who refuse to wear masks or socially distance themselves. One man came into my office at work and, seeing me wearing a mask, made a disgusted face and said, shaking his head, “Really? A mask?” Some things…
Feeding the Beast
We’re well into 2020 now, and the writing scene is as frenetic as ever. Congratulations to my writing pals from Twitter and Facebook who have had debut novels come out in the last year, or who’ve been picked up for publication sometime in the coming months! All that hard work eventually pays off, doesn’t it?…
All Work And No Play
It only just dawned on me in the last couple of days that I hadn’t blogged in a couple of months. Holy Continuity, Batman! Where does the time go? In my defense, I’ll say that this has been the busiest few months I’ve had for quite some time! In early September I began a beta-read…
Just An Egg
NOTE: This post is about acknowledging the fact that I still have a lot to learn. In the first few paragraphs, I address a sensitive matter involving animal husbandry. Though I’ve tried not to go into great detail, and made every effort to maintain respect for the animals, if you think the topic will be…