by Fae Rowen This post isn't just for romance writers. As a genre fiction writer you know that to be drawn into your story, your readers have to care about your characters. This is true of all genres-women's fiction, historical, mystery, thriller, science fiction and all the rest, including the new "hybrid genres." As authors, we […]

By Shannon Donnelly Great dialogue can make or break a novel. This view may stem from growing up watching a lot of 1930’s screwball comedies. Zingers fly with rapid fire and everyone talks. A lot. But the importance of dialogue really sank in when I wrote A Proper Mistress. I went for a lot of dialogue […]

By Laura Drake I don’t know about you, but I can’t write a book without secondary characters. Yes, I’ve read books without them (or ones where they had tiny roles), but I can’t write that way. I mean, where would The Lion King be without the hyenas? Where would Westley be without Fezzik? (or Billy […]

by James Preston The general who wins the battle makes many calculations in his temple before the battle is fought. The general who loses makes but few calculations beforehand. -- Sun Tzu First, thanks for having me back.  I really enjoy these opportunities to talk about our work. About this entry -- If you have […]

The winner of Cynthia D'Alba's giveaway, determined by Random.org, is Mary. Congratulations! Cynthia is waiting for you to contact her with your information. by Tiffany Lawson Inman Welcome to Part Three of Crossing Physical Barriers. Surprise! I’ve decided to add an interview segment into this series. Who better to absorb knowledge from than the best […]