Cathy Perkins's Blog, page 123
April 13, 2015
Birth of an Activist
by Janis Patterson
I can’t stand it any more. I have become an activist.
I cannot bear the unending mangling of our beautiful language, or the overwhelmingly blatant demonstrations of ignorance that surround us daily. Now I rarely go out without being armed with my trusty Marks-A-Lot with which I gleefully commit corrective acts of sabotage.
Nor am I alone. After starting a loosely knit organization called 5/A (also known as the American Association Against Apostrophe Abuse) I have discovered th...
I can’t stand it any more. I have become an activist.
I cannot bear the unending mangling of our beautiful language, or the overwhelmingly blatant demonstrations of ignorance that surround us daily. Now I rarely go out without being armed with my trusty Marks-A-Lot with which I gleefully commit corrective acts of sabotage.
Nor am I alone. After starting a loosely knit organization called 5/A (also known as the American Association Against Apostrophe Abuse) I have discovered th...
April 9, 2015
OUTLANDER
Yeah OUTLANDER.
I had another post written and ready to go but after all the stramash over episode 9 I’m sharing my thoughts and there will be spoilers. The day after the show aired I was surprised by facebook comments of several readers/watchers trashing the story line. I was even more surprised by several author’s comments trashing Diana Gabaldon’s writing. I know she doesn’t give a flying fig about F and G list authors bashing her because of a spanking scene as she cashes her gallizion doll...
I had another post written and ready to go but after all the stramash over episode 9 I’m sharing my thoughts and there will be spoilers. The day after the show aired I was surprised by facebook comments of several readers/watchers trashing the story line. I was even more surprised by several author’s comments trashing Diana Gabaldon’s writing. I know she doesn’t give a flying fig about F and G list authors bashing her because of a spanking scene as she cashes her gallizion doll...
April 8, 2015
April 6, 2015
THE PERILS AND PLEASURES OF WRITING SERIES - By Kathy Ivan
I've been doing a ton of writing recently. In fact, I released three books in March, all at the same time. (Insanity – trust me, doing marking and promotion for three releases at the same time is the definition of insanity.) But through it all I figured out I really like writing series.
There's a lot to be said for staying in the same world you've created. Then again, there are also a lot of headaches at the same time. I thought I'd share just a few of the things...
There's a lot to be said for staying in the same world you've created. Then again, there are also a lot of headaches at the same time. I thought I'd share just a few of the things...
April 3, 2015
Never Been to Morocco...
You know that Three Dog Night song, “Never Been to Spain”? From their 1971 album, Harmony? While I was working on my latest novel, Ghosts of Morocco, that’s the song that floated through my mind constantly.
I’ve never been to Morocco, but I set Ghosts of Morocco there. Or big chunks of it, anyway. Was I being presumptuous? Maybe. But that’s where the story had to be: partly in Morocco, in the past, and partly in the Yukon, a little more recently.
I didn’t want to insult anyone, or make a fool o...
I’ve never been to Morocco, but I set Ghosts of Morocco there. Or big chunks of it, anyway. Was I being presumptuous? Maybe. But that’s where the story had to be: partly in Morocco, in the past, and partly in the Yukon, a little more recently.
I didn’t want to insult anyone, or make a fool o...
April 1, 2015
TO NEWSLETTER OR NOT
Authors like to write. So, why is it that writing a newsletter often fills us with a sense of dread and panic? Perhaps it’s because we know we should be writing on our next book, but instead we’re writing a newsletter. Or maybe it’s because it’s just one more freaking thing we have to do for promotion and we are totally, utterly promotioned-out. Whatever the reason, do authors really need to have a newsletter?I wasn’t sure, but my publisher finally convinced me it was a good idea. My talented...
March 30, 2015
If the guy loves your kid...
If you're like me that's all it would take. Well, assuming he's a good person and there's some major chemistry happening. In every book I've written there's a child who's critical to the love relationship. In Trust No One my heroine is a single mother of a child with developmental delays. Sophie and Nathan meet under false pretenses: when he discovers she's using a fake identity to hide from someone, he decides not to reveal that he's a PI searching for her stepbrother—which leads to her kidn...
March 27, 2015
Building A Character
How long does it take to build a character? Joe Smith walked into the conference room of the law firm of Smith, Smith, and Smith. He would much rather be home playing acoustic guitar or walking his bulldog, Elmer.
Do we know Joe now?
Sometimes we can identify with a character in a few well-crafted sentences, particularly in novellas. On other occasions it can take half a novel to truly understand and relate with a character, if not longer.
I can remember reading The Donovan series by Elizabeth L...
Do we know Joe now?
Sometimes we can identify with a character in a few well-crafted sentences, particularly in novellas. On other occasions it can take half a novel to truly understand and relate with a character, if not longer.
I can remember reading The Donovan series by Elizabeth L...
March 25, 2015
Living the Dream!
As a published author, many people believe I’m living the dream. And they’re right, of course. I love my job. It’s the best in the world.
However, I still have dreams, dreams that have nothing whatsoever to do with writing (although I may incorporate them into a story one day, of course). For instance, for more than 40 years, I’ve longed to see these magnificent Lipizzaner stallions.
As I have a big (terrifyingly big) birthday coming up in June, I decided to treat myself. Yes, I’m flying to Vie...
However, I still have dreams, dreams that have nothing whatsoever to do with writing (although I may incorporate them into a story one day, of course). For instance, for more than 40 years, I’ve longed to see these magnificent Lipizzaner stallions.
As I have a big (terrifyingly big) birthday coming up in June, I decided to treat myself. Yes, I’m flying to Vie...
March 23, 2015
Why Yes, I Did Write That Book...
Most of what I write leans toward the erotic edge of the spectrum. Which is perfectly acceptable, especially in the community of romance authors where I hang out on the web and at writers' conferences. Out there in my conservative neighborhood and work-a-day world, however, it's a whole different kettle of fish!
A while back I wrote three connected stories about brothers who ran a detective agency that catered to the rich and famous, the sort of clients who needed discreet security and were wi...
A while back I wrote three connected stories about brothers who ran a detective agency that catered to the rich and famous, the sort of clients who needed discreet security and were wi...
