Bev Pettersen's Blog, page 127

Building a Self-Published Multi-Author Anthology, with guest Trish Milburn

So I have this friend. And she writes good stuff.A lot of it. And I asked her to come talk to us today.

Yes, I’m clearly a writer, aren’t I? Such a way with words.

Okay. Enough screwing around. My friend (and super great author), Trish Milburn, recently self-published a multi-author anthology with a couple other friends of hers, and I wanted to know more about how they did it. So I asked her to come talk to us. Plus, the cover of the anthology is amazing! (If you don’t agree with me on this t...

What Are You Thankful For?

Thanksgiving is the time of year where the concept of thankfulness is visibly front and center.

By personality and profession, I’m a problem-solver, instinctively attuned to recognizing, and then correcting, problems, exceptions, deviations and anomalies. Sometimes I need a reminder to break out of problem-solving mode, and consciously acknowledge the things I’m thankful for. Thanksgiving gives me that reminder.

Things I’m Thankful For, in no particular order:

Good health: For those of us living...

Should We Dumb It Down

While revising my new release, A Heart Decision, my editors and proofreaders questioned the accuracy of several words and statements in my manuscript. For example: My hero’s heritage is Italian (his mother was born in Italy). In Italian, the affectionate address for mother is Mamma with two Ms, however, the average American reader believes it should be spelled Mama with one M. So now I’m torn. Which should I use for this hero?

As writers, we all run into the dilemma of deciding whether we shou...

Ruby Release: Last Chance Knit & Stitch by Hope Ramsay

In celebration of the release date of Last Chance Knit & Stitch, I asked Ricki Wilson, a long time resident of Last Chance, South Carolina, and the day shift waitress at the Kountry Kitchen Café, to join me on the blog today. Ricki knows more about what’s going on in Last Chance than just about anyone, except perhaps Ruby Rhodes, who as y’all know is the proprietor of the Cut ‘n’ Curl.

Me: Welcome Ricki.

Ricki: Hey, y’all. I can’t say I’m a regular reader of your blog, since I have no desire to...

Ruby Release: Whisper Falls by Elizabeth Langston

It’s a party!

Amanda Brice here. Today we’re celebrating Elizabeth Langston’s debut.Whisper Falls, a young adult time travel with a twist, is officially released today.

Before we chat with Beth, here is the blurb for your perusal:

While training for a mountain bike race, high-school senior Mark Lewis spots a mysterious girl dressed in odd clothing, standing behind a waterfall in the woods near his North Carolina home. When she comments on the strange machine that he rides, he suspects something...

From Superromance to Novella: Learning to write short

Ah, writing long…I’ve become most familiar with the idea (andin my head I’m accomplished at it).When I sold my first Superromance, the word count was a doable 65K. That particular length isperfectfor writing a tight single storyline romance. Secondary characters can make appearances and there can be plenty of internal and external conflict. I loved my first several Superomance books for this very reason. No need to weave a secondary plotline or allow prose to get too fanciful or wandering. Dr...

NaNo Mid-Point Check In

I’m going to keep this short ‘cause it’s been a long day (as I sit down to write this), and lots of us need to get right straight back to our NaNo writing for November 15.
I said I’d check in at the midpoint of November, so here I am (and THANK YOU for helping me stay motivated by giving me the specter of public shame if I failed to get any NaNo writing done!!! I can’t tell you how important that is to me).
So what’s the scoop?

Well, I’m not quite at NaNo par, which is 25,000 words—well, techni...