Deborah Adams's Blog, page 10

For writers who hate, hate, hate self-promotion

Full disclosure: I received an advance reading copy of this book, but was not asked to supply a review. What you read here is my honest opinion.

Building a Story Brand 2.0: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen by Donald Miller

When this book arrived in my mailbox, I almost sent it straight to the Donate pile. Marketing and/or promoting and/or advertising a product or service boils down to a few suggestions: get the word out to as many potential customers as possible in a way that makes th...

Zero degrees outside, and we're still climbing

Rereading Amanda Gorman’s fine poem on this day when the world seems frozen.

The Hill We Climb

A Matter of Pedigree: the Southern regional mystery as written by women

This essay originally appeared in DEADLY WOMEN, edited by Jan Grape and Dean James, 1997, and was reprinted in both MYSTERY SCENE MAGAZINE and THE OLD STATE OF FRANKLIN.

No story begins on page one. There is always a convoluted ancestry of greats, grands, and twice-removeds that have intertwined to create the germ of the tale, the way that bits and pieces of fabric come together to form a quilt. Likewise no writer comes to page one free of cultural and familial influences.

For Southerners in parti...

A Matter of Pedigree: the Southern regional mystery as written by women

by Deborah-Z Adams

This essay originally appeared in DEADLY WOMEN, edited by Jan Grape and Dean James, 1997, and was reprinted in both MYSTERY SCENE MAGAZINE and THE OLD STATE OF FRANKLIN.

No story begins on page one. There is always a convoluted ancestry of greats, grands, and twice-removeds that have intertwined to create the germ of the tale, the way that bits and pieces of fabric come together to form a quilt. Likewise no writer comes to page one free of cultural and familial influence...

Sally Bennett Boyington – 3 Questions & a Cover

Question 1

What’s your Go-To source when you need inspiration?

To gain inspiration, I binge-watch subtitled foreign movies and TV series in a variety of genres. Seeing how people of other cultures deal with universal human problems and emotions gives me a larger toolbox for developing characters, settings, plots, and themes.

Question 2

What was the greatest challenge you faced when writing the book?

For “Deep Roots in a Dry Place,” I went down the rabbithole of AI, learning how to phrase queries for ...

Sally Bennett Boyington – 3 Questions & a Cover

A short interview wherein one of my favorite authors answers three questions about the writing life.

Question 1

What’s your Go-To source when you need inspiration?

To gain inspiration, I binge-watch subtitled foreign movies and TV series in a variety of genres. Seeing how people of other cultures deal with universal human problems and emotions gives me a larger toolbox for developing characters, settings, plots, and themes.  

Question 2

What was the greatest challenge you faced w...

That time my Southern showed its underpants, or Stop Beating a Dead Asana

Yoga in India a thousand—or even fifty!—years ago looked nothing like the commercial venture that is now an integral part of mainstream America.

When I first heard the term ‘yoga’ it was reported as another one of those wacky activities the Beatles enjoyed. Classes were rare outside of L.A. and New England, and the women who participated wore leotards and tights–the standard costume for any athletic endeavor back then (except for Jack LaLanne’s jumpsuit).

There were no pricey yoga pants or crop to...

10 places to submit your writing in January 2025

I’m usually swimming in great places to submit—more places than I can write for, anyway. For 2025, I’m going to share a few of them every month.

WELL READ Magazine: “looking for submissions from writers and visual artists who have stories to tell.”

Basilisk Tree: “open to all styles of poetry that demonstrate originality and excellence in craft.”

Defenestration “is a humor magazine. We don’t worry about the particulars of genre, style, or form as long as the work is funny”

10x10: “all stories...

b.read.crumbs : Choosing

Broad generalization here: in Tarot, the Pentacles represent money and business while the Wands represent creativity or artistic endeavor.

I know writers who are very clear about their philosophy: “I write for money, just like doctors and plumbers and teachers work for money,” one of them told me. I know writers who wouldn’t accept pay for their writing if you stuff it in their G-strings. (These are mostly poets.)

My choice is the middle path. I recognize that money is a form of en...

b.read.crumbs : Choosing

Broad generalization here: in Tarot, the Pentacles represent money and business while the Wands represent creativity or artistic endeavor.

I know writers who are very clear about their philosophy: “I write for money, just like doctors and plumbers and teachers work for money,” one of them told me. I know writers who wouldn’t accept pay for their writing if you stuffed it in their G-strings. (These are mostly poets.)

My choice is the middle path. I recognize that money is a form of energy, and that...