by Maggie Wallem Rowe “Write from your scars, not your wounds.” You may have heard this advice at writing conferences, and perhaps even offered it yourself. I have. Sometimes we are simply too close to loss or a traumatic situation in our past to have the perspective needed to share…

by Rhonda Rhea @RhondaRhea I’m a die-hard gift card gal. I love to get them. I love to give them. Try not to dis the almost unreasonable joy I find in the card. If you hate giving and receiving gift cards and feel they’re impersonal, I hope you’ll still be my…

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills The holiday season means new ways to market and promote you and your book while seeking to meet reader needs. We look around us and the excitement for the upcoming events can be overwhelming, but let it not be so! The following tips to launch your…

by Maureen Miller Creds—(n.) an abbreviation meaning credibility; also referring to authenticity. I’m a collector. There. I said it. Whether seashells that hold special meaning or unique stones I find and set in my garden, I enjoy collecting. But unlike the accumulation of this-or-that, much for one’s own pleasure, for…

By Darlene L. Turner @darlenelturner Voice and style can make or break an author’s novel, so how can we make it stand out from all the rest? Style is the technical aspect of the story while voice relies on character, point of view, and attitude (can be referred to as tone).…

by Edie Melson @EdieMelson I began writing like most of you did—as a creative outlet—a way to process the world around me. I kept diaries, started stories and books, played around with articles. But all of these efforts had one thing in common. They were written out of my own…