Bev Pettersen's Blog, page 120
March 2, 2014
Winter Writing Festival Reflections
From participants’ comments during the Check-Ins and Closing Ceremonies, it seems the Festival gave many of us just what we needed: an inspiring lift (and sometimes a kick in the butt) to get through what might otherwise be the lowest-energy part of winter.
So what worked well? And what didn’t?
Lots of things worked well, I think: as usual, the sprints in the chat room have lots of die-hard fan...
February 27, 2014
Winter Writing Festival Closing Ceremonies
Greetings, Festival Goers! Once again, we’ve reached Day Fifty of the Winter Writing Festival!This is our Final Check-In Thursday and Closing Ceremonies rolled into one.
You still have ALL DAY today towork towards your goals–nothing ends until midnight your time. (As always, the Festival is always about YOU.)
After that, though,the great Writing Festival Torch (yup, it’s real, carved out of a gigantic ruby and guarded by handsome cabana boys…right here next to me as I write) will be extinguishe...
February 26, 2014
It’s Okay, She’s a Writer OR Why is She So Crazy?
It’s Okay, She’s a Writer
OR
Why is She so Crazy?
The WWF is almost over and I hope everyone has met their goals. One thing writers don’t talk much about iswhat happens after the book is turned into the editor. I thought I’d let you take a peek at what’s typical for the business.
I have great friends. Really, they’re very supportive and just plain awesome. BUT…
These sweet, loving friends are completely baffled by the publishing business as I’m sure, if you’re a fellow writer,most of yours are. Th...
The Thing About Series
The thing about series is they’re a two-edged weapon.
From the surface, it seems like a no-brainer. In romance, a popular series is what creates avid readers who become hooked into your world and your characters and look forward to each new book, allowing you to build momentum. Conventional wisdom is that the way to build your readership is to make it a long-running series and by book 4 or 5 or 6, your readers will treat those characters like long-lost pals and be eager to revisit them each ti...
February 24, 2014
Ruby Tuesday: Tina Beckett
Welcome to another edition of Ruby Tuesday, the day when we put one of our Rubies on the spot, force her to drink a truth serum, and meet the woman behind the ruby slippers. Today our brave volunteer is contemporary and romantic suspense scribe Tina Beckett! Take it away, Tina!
Name: Tina Beckett
2009 GH Category & Title: THE SURROGATE/ Romantic Suspense
What Happened to That Book: Published by Carina Press in 2012 and retitled IN HIS SIGHTS
Website: www.tinabeckett.com
What subgenre(s) do you wri...
February 23, 2014
What I Really Want to Say on Twitter
i
s buy my book.
Truly. I’ve tried being witty. I’ve tried joining conversations. I’ve tried book blurb tours, giveaways, blogging six ways to Sunday, and going to reader conferences. I’ve bought book marks, reader trading cards, given away books, giftcards, and a kidney (okay, not an actual kidney but lots of heart-shaped things). I’ve advertised, helped host Facebook parties, given away raffle baskets and done everything else but tap dance to sell books (and I’m willing to do that if I can fi...
February 20, 2014
Winter Writing Festival: Check-In #6
I really don’t want it to end!
Whether or not you’re on track with your points and goals, I hope the Festival has been a productive time for you, and that you’ve found some new inspiration (and lots of support in the chat room sprints) for fighting off the winter blahs (and snow-day madness) and writing you...
February 19, 2014
Share a Paragraph!
All those wonderful words are words that didn’t exist on paper before the Festival began, and now they’re HERE!!
I know I’ve been super-productive (at least some of the time), racking up several thousand new words on my best days.
We...
February 18, 2014
Killer Titles (A Ruby Reprise)
Full disclosure: This post is from a few years ago, but the comments were so much fun that I’m bringing it back. I hope you’ll share your favorite titles in the comments!
Women want killer shoes.
Men want killer abs. (Also, women want men with killer abs–but I digress.)
Writers want . . .killer titles.
Some titles just have it—that certain something that makes us smile, sigh, or gulp. It’s hard to explain what that something is, but I gavethe matter serious thought (meaning, I gazed at my bookshe...
February 17, 2014
How to Write in the Snow: Finding Productivity on Snow Days
How do you write in the snow? Bundle up and wrap your computer in plastic.
I am almost to the point of doing just that in order to get in my words for the day. You see – I have three kids and I live where we rarely have snow and ice. So a few inches without sand trucks and plows paralyzes my town, and we’ve just had four inches with more coming down.
The first snow day is a blast! Kids jump around like the dog chasing its tail, just for the sheer joy of seeing those fat, white flakes. Dreams of...
