Bev Pettersen's Blog, page 63

HOT READS Edition of Fan Girl Friday

Well, it’s Friday again. How did that happen? Rolls around quite regularly, doesn’t it? And since that means the weekend is here, we’ve got some recommendations for you for some RUBY RED HOT READS!

First Elizabeth Langston has a recommendation our first FROM THE TBR STACK:

I’ve always been fascinated by Thomas Jefferson. So smart, eloquent, and flawed. When I saw America’s First Daughter on sale recently, I grabbed it. I’m loving it; the research and detail is amazing.

America’s First Daught...

Get Organized with a Bullet Journal

Are you a list maker? Do you get a little giddy when you find a calendar with stickers in the back to mark the dates with things like “doctor’s appointment,” “Don’t forget!” and “Birthday”? Or on the other hand, do you desperately need a way to organize your schedule but can’t find a planner that works for you? Either side of the coin, this post is for you. Behold the BULLET JOURNAL…

My very first Bullet Journal!

“TheBullet Journalis a customizable and forgiving organization system. It can be...

Wise Words from Beverly Jenkins at RWA

At RWA Nationals, I had the great pleasure of meeting the amazing Beverly Jenkins.

I got to sit at her table at the Golden Network retreat (where she gave an awesome talk about developing well-rounded and surprising characters), and saw her in the Love Between the Covers documentary and the post-screening discussion. (Bonus: the cover of her first romance for Avon was emblazoned on the elevator I took up and down from my room!)

Beverly Jenkins is hilariously frank and brilliant and generous o...

HOT Reads Edition of Fan Girl Friday

Happy “Good Lord It’s Hot” Friday!

Or at least it’s hot in my neck of the woods. Kids are gearing up for back to school, the pool is too hot for a dip (temp of bathwater? No thanks) and fall isn’t even flirting with me yet.

BUT, good news – we have some hot reads you can nab. Then put your feet up, grabbed that chilled wine spritzer (or just a cold Sprite) and lose yourself in a whole new world. Yay!

HOT OFF THE PRESSES:

I’ve always liked Susan Wiggs and I put this one on my TBR stack mostly...

How Writing is Like the Olympics

I love the Olympics. It isn’t just watching the greatest of each sport do what they do (though that’s definitely fun too) – it’s seeing the athletes who don’t necessarily expect to come home with the gold (or even the bronze, or even necessarily make it to the finals) put everything they have into an effort for a personal best.

Personal best.

I’ve been thinking about those words a lot since the opening ceremonies and they keep reminding me of the ways that being an elite athlete can be like b...

Hot Reads Edition of Fangirl Friday

Hello, friends and welcome to a new take on our Fangirl Friday. Instead of merely mentioning the Ruby books releasing or on sale (yes, they’re terrific) we want to make this Friday spot a place we can talk about all kinds of books. New releases, hot sales, and books that have finally made their way to the top of the TBR stack. We know we all have towering stacks, right? And we want more interaction. We want you to tell us what you’re reading and loving. It’s a place to not only promo, but to...

Business Plans for Writers

(The bulk of this post was first published on the Not Your Usual Suspects blog on August 1, 2016.)

Most writers long to spend their time writing, not thinking about the business side of, well, the business. But in this day and age, spending all of our time dreaming up worlds and characters isn’t an option. There are a plethora of other things to wrangle, manage, and deal with, from marketing to social media to creating an indie book to finding agents or editors to shop in a traditional market...

What’s the Oldest Book on Your Keeper Shelf?

I got into an online chat with a writer friend the other day about keeper shelves, and an interesting question arose: what was the oldest book we had on our keeper shelves? Which old favorites did we keep coming back to, over and over again?

And why?

After some discussion, we determined the word “old” in context with keeper shelves had several definitions. For the remainder of our chat, we focused on two: our oldest book by first copyright date, and our oldest book by physical age.

My oldest...

Fangirl Friday!

This is the last Fangirl Friday that I’m hosting. So sad to be leaving you…

Is anyone actually reading this? The last two weeks with no comments makes me feel like I’m preaching to a choir that didn’t show up for practice.

Anyway, this week I’m binge watching The Real Housewives of New Jersey.

Good news, Teresa Giudice is out of jail. Bad news, she’s still as dumb as a box of rocks.

Book News!

FREE/DISCOUNTED BOOKS—

A Heart Decision by Laure Kellogg is FREE today.

On her wedding night, S...

RWA Nationals Recap – workshop highlights

We’ve been back from RWA Nationals for a week now. As always, the advice is beginning to sift into I can use that or Not for me.

NIGHT SONG cover on elevator door

I’d like to recap some of my favorite (or most memorable) bits of advice from conference workshops. If you attended, please share your favorite advice in the comments.

SHANNA cover on elevator door

On being a prolific writer: The panelists were asked what was the fastest they’d ever written a full-length novel. The winner? Seven da...