@LisaCarter27 So you’ve got this idea for a story . . . What do you do now? Do you sit down and pound out something? Then encounter bewilderment five chapters later? There are 3 stages in novel writing—pre-writing, writing, and re-writing.But the writing will stutter-step to a halt if first…

by Lisa Carter @LisaCarter27 My grandmother loved Christmas cacti. Her house was filled with a variety of pink, white and red cacti. A Christmas cactus is thus named because they usually bloom around the holidays.  My grandmother died over almost thirty years ago, but sprigs of her original cacti were…

by Lisa Carter @LisaCarter27 Readers often ask what kind of research I do for my novels. First, I read everything I can regarding factual topics and law enforcement issues before I ever speak with LE officials. Once I’ve done this and feel I'm ready to ask semi-intelligent questions, I turn…

@LisaCarter27 I’ve always been in love with words. Before I learned to read, I can remember rolling words around on my tongue, savoring the flavor of the sounds. Words are powerful. Words can be used for good or evil. As a writer, teacher and speaker, I search to capture just…

@LisaCarter27 Listed below you will find a list of great craft of writing titles through which I am working my way. Many of these books I have read and studied. Others I have in my “To Read” pile. Some I return to, time after time, to ponder and apply their…

@LisaCarter27 In this age of instant coffee, instant communication and instant everything, it is sometimes hard to come to grips with the reality that writing is a long, slow journey. Every writer’s path will be different, but for the sake of mental health, we must learn to embrace the individual…