R.L. Herron's Blog, page 13

Storytelling is an Art

The Magic of Storytelling is Universal

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“The thing under my bed waiting to grab my ankle isn’t real. I know that, and I also know that if I’m careful to keep my foot under the covers, it will never be able to grab my ankle.”

~ Stephen King, Night Shift

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In the Beginning

This past weekend I was reminded of things that happened to me a long, long time ago. When I was a kid (back when dinosaurs still freely roamed the planet), my family would visit my grandparents in Tennesse...

How Do You Get Your Book Noticed?

As an Indie Author, Marketing Can Seem Daunting

Whatever you find yourself doing this Thanksgiving, I hope you have a chance to be with people you care about, even if it’s just for a little while. It’s a very family time of year and I’m extremely grateful to have good people with whom to share it. I hope you, Gentle Reader, are just as fortunate.

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Note: I’ve been invited to participate in “The Giving Season: Orion Township Public Library’s Author & Illustrator Fair.” The fair will take...

Author Interview – T.W. Dittmer

Today I’m interviewing Michigan writer, T.W. Dittmer, the author of the interesting novel, “The Valley Walker.”

T.W. Dittmer, Indie Author

John Walker Michaels, a man known to the Hmong of Laos as the Valley Walker, a man the army has classified as a deserter … an openly emotional man who draws her out of her shell and into the world of Hmong mysticism. At the end of this time … even after talking to him, learning his history and meeting his family … Special Investigator Teri Altro can only sha...

Author Interview – Laura Lee

Today I’m not posting about my own books, or talking about any of the ins-and-outs of indie publishing. I’m returning a favor by interviewing another Michigan author who was kind enough to tell her own blog followers about my writing adventures.

Today’s author, Laura Lee, not only plans to publish her next book as an indie, but already has quite a few traditionally published books to her credit.

Laura Lee, Traditional and Indie Author

Welcome to “Painting With Light,” Laura.

Thank you, Ron.

Laura...

What Should Writers Do With Rejections?

Dealing With the Burning of Your Dreams

Because I attend a lot of writers’ group meetings, I frequently meet other people who tell me they’ve also written a book.

It happened again recently. This particular man went on to say he had been disappointed in his search for an agent to represent him.

Obviously trying to go the traditional publishing route, he had queried a respectable agent, who told him his writing was actually quite sound … but he wouldn’t represent the book.

The agent said there...

My Television Interview

What it actually looked like in the studio

Earned Media

In an effort to develop some of the earned media I’ve talked about before, I was recently interviewed by Independence Television, one of the nearby local cable channels, for a program called “It’s a Good Day When…” hosted by Lavonne Upton.

The whole segment is about 24-minutes long (fair warning).

Although the first several minutes of it are introduction, Lavonne asked some very insightful questions for about twenty minutes that let me tal...

How Has Your Week Been?

Oakland University Campus, Rochester Michigan

Last week was certainly an interesting one for me.

On Saturday, October 4, 2014, I attended the Rochester Writers’ Conference at Oakland University. Well-organized as always, the break-out sessions offered something for everyone.

Discussions ranged from establishing theme, to writing poetry, to using social media, querying agents … and a great many other things related to the craft of writing. The organizer, local travel writer Michael Wylie, does a...

Why Pay It Forward?

I’m getting ready to go to the seventh annual Rochester Writers’ Conference at Oakland University tomorrow … an event I look forward to every year. Over the years I’ve found it a great way to bone up on the basics of the business, while I network with other writers and industry professionals.

Early Fall on the Oakland University Campus, Rochester, Michigan



The Seventh Annual

Rochester Writers’ Conference

Saturday, October 3, 2014

Oakland University

A good conference, which this one always proves t...