This post is arriving just as I'm making my way to Las Vegas.
According to the weather forecast, there won’t be much sun this week. That’s okay, though. It’ll still be warmer than Eastern Washington, which is expected to be 43°F today, which is about where the temperature will stay all week. Las Vegas is supposed to be 71° this afternoon. Quite a bump!
Read MoreTomorrow is the release day for Cutler’s Legacy, the sixth novel in the John Cutler Mysteries. It’s taken a while but I’m so excited for this book to be in the world. Cutler holds a special place in my heart. Not only was he the first novel-length character I created, but there are also a lot of elements of my personality in that guy (as embarrassing as that is to admit). Cutler’s a guy who seems to stub his toe whenever things go well for him.
Read MoreWhat happens when a publisher wants all author rights?
In February 2022, I submitted an essay for a Cozy anthology with a neat premise. The editor asked cozy authors to discuss their approach to the genre. As a guy who writes tough-guy cozies, I thought it was a fantastic opportunity to share how I created Beau Smith, the protagonist for my Cozy Up series.
Read MoreMy favorite movie is Rocky.
There are so many things I love about it. Rocky overcomes great odds to go fifteen rounds with the heavyweight champion of the world, something no one else has ever done. In doing so, he proves to himself and the world that he’s worth something. Also, the movie is a love story between Rocky and Adrian, the shy woman he meets in the local pet store.
Read MoreHappy New Year!
Well, the day after the new year. I figured you were busy yesterday and didn’t want to hear from me. Hopefully, you spent January 1st hangover free. I stopped drinking about a year and a half ago. I never drank a lot, but I was getting so many migraines that I was hoping to find a link.
Read MoreSammy Hagar is my favorite singer. I loved his work with Montrose and Van Halen, as well as his solo career. In fact, I paid homage to the Red Rocker by naming the Flip-Flop Detective after him.
Read MoreIt’s time that I look back on the previous quarter and review my successes and failures—what actions should I repeat, and which should I avoid. This is a good thing for anyone to do and I probably should apply such a thing to my personal life.
Read MoreWhen I was in junior high school (the early ’80s), an English teacher handed out a page of funny writing rules. It didn’t attribute any authorship, so I always thought it was hers. I loved these guidelines so much that I kept them for many years until the paper became severely worn.
Read MoreAs an author, the most frequent question I’m asked is, “How do you write so much?”
I consider that a huge compliment. It wasn’t that many years ago that I didn’t write at all. I had lost my confidence and looked for excuses not to put words onto paper.
Read MoreWhen was the last time you had a performance review?
I have had more than a few in my life. There was one that I’d like to forget, but the others have passed mainly by without a hitch. I believe that the goal is to acknowledge the things that have gone well and find an item or two that can be improved.
Read MoreThe Public Safety Writers Association held its annual conference in Las Vegas this past weekend (July 14-17, 2022). According to the PSWA website, the association was formed in 1997 as the Police Writers Club and “exists to support people involved in writing about public safety.”
Read MoreAre you writing a crucial fight scene for your novel that feels uninspiring?
Or perhaps you’ve never been in a donnybrook before, and you’re worried that the mechanics of a pivotal conflict won’t sound ‘right’ in your narrative.
Read MoreThere’s a saying that the days are long, but the years are short. Well, that means the months are pretty darn quick themselves. It’s amazing how fast three of them just went by. I feel that a couple of things cause this.
Read MoreIn An Unfinished Story, I shared a letter from my dad written twenty years ago. He mentioned that it was “nice to see something without a lot of swear words and cussing.”
Read MoreI’ve been wondering how you keep your series separate in your head. Do you find yourself writing and then saying, “Oops, wrong character/genre/storyline!” - Coleen
Thank you for the question, Coleen. It’s a great one!
Read MoreI’ve written several crime fiction novels which means I’ve had my works critiqued by some smart folks. One of those people was an author of national success. He once corrected my use of a certain phrase as it related to body motion.
Read MoreThe 2022 Left Coast Crime convention was held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, from April 7-10th. This was technically my third time attending LCC.
Read MoreI thought I would try something different this week—a quarterly update for all things related to the writing life. I’ve never done this before, and I hope it provides more insight into how things are progressing. I’m not going to delay further with chit-chat. Let’s get started.
Read MoreI recently saw a question posed to authors: “Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?” This immediately reminded me of a YouTube video.
Read MoreThere’s a well-established financial concept known as “pay yourself first. It can be applied to creative types as well.
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