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Michael Dalton

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http://michaeldaltonbooks.com/

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MikeDaltonBooks

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September 2014

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Michael Dalton is a professional journalist and editor.

Michael wrote his first piece of fiction in third grade, for which he was immediately accused of plagiarism by his teacher. Since then, he has been writing more or less steadily, interrupted only by occasional demands of work and family.

Michael lives with his family and multiple pets in Southern California.

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What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

Michael Dalton One quality writers need that you don't often see mentioned is patience. It takes time to hone your craft. It takes time for ideas to germinate into a…moreOne quality writers need that you don't often see mentioned is patience. It takes time to hone your craft. It takes time for ideas to germinate into a story or book. It takes time to write (obviously). It takes time to polish a draft into something readable. And, it takes time to build an audience.

I often see novice writers getting discouraged because things aren't happening as fast as they would like. Just keep plugging away. Successful writers are the ones who didn't give up. (less)

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Hello! I'm 17 and just published my first book. I've been receiving a lot of praise but sometimes there are some negative comments. How do you harden yourself to not take offense to anything? Perhaps it's because I'm younger and am pretty soft. I was wondering if you had any advice? Or if there was any way to contact you for more tips? Thank you

Michael Dalton There are few things tougher than putting your work as an artist out there for the world to pick over. After all, you're pouring your soul into what y…moreThere are few things tougher than putting your work as an artist out there for the world to pick over. After all, you're pouring your soul into what you create, and it's hard not to take comments of all sorts personally. But one thing you absolutely must develop as a writer is a thick skin. Rejection and negative feedback are simply part of the landscape, and you will get nowhere if you let them tie you in knots.

Stephen King, of all people, was the epitome of a failed writer. He wrote ten novels and dozens of short stories before selling anything. He was living in abject poverty, papering his walls with rejection letters, when he finally sold Carrie. He's a success today because he never gave up.

People are different in what they like, and not everyone is polite in how they express this. You have to remind yourself that comments are just opinions, and you're not required to pay attention to every opinion in the world, no matter the subject.

But negative comments are also a source of growth as a writer. Rather than take offense, try to look at the comment objectively and ask yourself if there is anything constructive you can use to improve your writing—very often there is. I've gained much more from negative feedback in my career than from the positive.

Of course, some people are just jerks and thrive on negativity, and enjoy hurling abuse at writers and artists because of the sense of power it gives them. You have to do your best to ignore small people like that.

Finally, be careful about positive comments too. Praise can become a drug that you start chasing, and that can lead to stagnation as a writer. When your fans are constantly telling you how wonderful you are, you can start to think your growth as an artist is complete. Don't ever lose the self-doubt and insecurity that drives you keep improving your writing.

As for other tips, I post regularly about writing to my blog, and I'm happy to discuss my posts there as well. (less)

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Michael Dalton’s books

Average rating: 4.08 · 1,649 ratings · 172 reviews · 19 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Wizard's Daughters 3.71 avg rating — 519 ratings — published 2014 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Scarlet Cavern (The Makalang 1) 4.34 avg rating — 403 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Black Sky 4.31 avg rating — 238 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Witches' Covenant 3.90 avg rating — 198 ratings — published 2015	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Golden Staff 4.45 avg rating — 128 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The eGirl 4.29 avg rating — 59 ratings — published 2014 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Vector 4.29 avg rating — 24 ratings — published 2014 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Spider 4.38 avg rating — 13 ratings — published 2016 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Hunt 4.27 avg rating — 11 ratings — published 2014 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Teaser 3.64 avg rating — 11 ratings — published 2014 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Michael Dalton's Blog

Lets Hunt Some Demons

So, late last year, I realized I needed to start planning for what I would throw up when the Makalang series was done. It’s not done, not by a long-shot, but I started bouncing around ideas about something that remained within the harem genre but was still a different sort of book. For a really […]

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Published on April 15, 2021 07:22

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Series by Michael Dalton

Twin Magic (2 books)
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Michael Dalton (Goodreads Author)

3.76 avg rating — 717 ratings

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Michael Dalton wrote a new blog post Lets Hunt Some Demons So, late last year, I realized I needed to start planning for what I would throw up when the Makalang series was done. It’s not done, not by a long-sh Read more of this blog post »
Apr 16, 2021 03:20AM · like
Michael Dalton rated a book it was amazing The Intern's New Rules by Shay Sands	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 30, 2021 08:00PM · like
Michael Dalton rated a book it was amazing Power Mage 6 by Hondo Jinx	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 09, 2021 08:36PM · like
Michael Dalton rated a book it was amazing Power Mage 5 by Hondo Jinx	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 09, 2021 01:13PM · like
Michael Dalton rated a book it was amazing Power Mage 4 by Hondo Jinx	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 08, 2021 08:21PM · 1 like · like
Michael Dalton rated a book it was amazing Power Mage 3 by Hondo Jinx	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 07, 2021 08:22PM · 1 like · like
Michael Dalton rated a book it was amazing Power Mage 2 by Hondo Jinx	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 06, 2021 09:04PM · 1 like · like
Michael Dalton rated a book it was amazing Power Mage by Hondo Jinx	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
A+ writing and great story Lots of fun from beginning to end, and considerably better writing than most haremlit. Worth the read. On to the next one.
Mar 04, 2021 10:46PM · 1 like · like · see review
Michael Dalton rated a book it was amazing Sin and Soil 10 by Anya Merchant	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 03, 2021 08:37PM · 1 like · like
Michael Dalton made a comment in the group Goodreads Librarians Group — Please add these two books to my profile topic " These two books in my series are not showing up in my profile. The first one is there but subsequent books are showing as generic Michael Dalton. https ...more "
Mar 01, 2021 12:59PM

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Quotes by Michael Dalton

“There is no rule of writing so sacrosanct that a talented writer can't break it with impunity if he knows what he's doing. If you never cross lines or break conventions in your writing, you're not doing your job as an artist.”
― Michael Dalton

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