by Maggie Wallem Rowe Have you ever been given a new opportunity to write or speak only to realize with dismay that you were not fully prepared to do your best?  It’s been several decades ago now, but I clearly recall how excited I was to be offered a position…

By Darlene L. Turner @darlenelturner What are the trademarks of a villain? Do they have dark, piercing eyes, a snarly grin, crooked-yellowed teeth, knobby fingers, an evil laugh? Or is there more to it than that? The antagonist can be the hardest character to write but also the most fun. How…

By Aaron Gansky @ADGansky You’d think deserts would have predictable weather patterns: Deathly hot, Hot, and Not as hot. But here in the High Desert of California, we enjoy (or suffer) unpredictable weather patterns. The desert, for us, is not so much a lack of weather. It’s weather at the…

by Cindy Sproles @CindyDevoted Book reviews are a necessary evil. Writers need them to spur readers, but at the same time, those reviews can become long, daunting, and sometimes hurtful. The truth of the matter is that if you have a published book, you're going to need those reviews. It's…

By Tammy Karasek @tickledpinktam I love handwriting letters and cards. I’ve enjoyed doing so for as long as I can remember. I watched my mom and grandmother faithfully write letters and cards and it’s a habit I acquired as well. Were you one for pen pals when you were younger?…

By Debb Hackett @debb_hackett Any Steven Curtis Chapman fans here? I’ve loved his music since my late teens. One of my many favorites is King of the Jungle. Are you familiar with it? There’s one line in there that is sort of the thinking behind my post today: “I’d be…