28,000 subscribers

If you want to write, first find your niche, find the thing or things you are most interested in and knowledgeable about, be it motorcycles, plants, or backwoods camping and write. There is a need for writing on every topic under the sun. When I first started writing, I knew how to write essays and […]

Online recently, someone spoke of almost making it as a writer in Woman’s World Magazine. For those who do not know, WW has a layered process of acceptance. I, too, have made it to the final round and been rejected. On the other hand, I have a short story writer friend who has to have published […]

Just this week, someone asked if they could pick my brain about appearing at book clubs. She sent a list of questions for me, and I realized this was going to be a piece on telling debut authors how to latch ahold of book clubs to launch their books. In a nutshell, here’s a bulleted list […]

I became a book coach because helping people realize their writing dream lights me up inside. When I first started out, I accepted books across all genres, but over time, I limited my clients to children’s book authors, adult self-help authors, and non-fiction books about craft. Authors of most genres have a general sense of […]

All writers have hopes, dreams, and stories. Realistically speaking, professional authors and freelancers also have expenses to meet. In 2023, I realized the future of my writing business could look better (and earn more) once I analyzed what was going on inside all the loose ends. Here’s how to demystify writing expenses, ranging from accounting […]

A new writer in my area recently announced to various groups on Facebook that he had published a mystery. What caught me was the title, which I won’t list, for his sake and mine. It included wording I have in a work-in-progress title, so of course it caught my eye. I almost bought it. That […]

Cambridge Dictionary defines “celebrity” as someone famous. Celebrity interviews can make for an easy sell of articles, too. “Accessible” celebrities are anyone reasonably within the author’s reach without the complication of press junkets or bodyguards. What’s not “accessible” Could you reach George Clooney or Brad Pitt in minutes? Probably not. Restricted access means they only […]

Children’s television host, Mr. Rodgers, said that whenever he watched scary news as a child his mother would tell him to “Look for the helpers.” He said knowing people were helping was a great comfort. His words inspired me to write about my volunteer experiences. I’ve been a mentor to women in difficult marriages for […]

I hear this over and over, people asking me what is the magic potion that made people buy my books. 1) I made appearances. 2) I published a weekly newsletter. 3) I answered every email, text, and message. 4) I freelanced every chance I could. 5) I guest blogged. 6) I kept writing. That sounds […]

If you have a full-time writing job and want to write a book, you may wonder how you will accomplish both. You likely spend most of your time and energy on paid work. How do you complete a book AND maintain quality work for clients at the same time? I know this challenge well. I […]

As you might expect, I get deluged with books. From publishers, fans, wannabe writers, published-yet-still-struggling writers, my book club, and friends and family as gifts. My to-be-read stack is two columns of a dozen books each, and that doesn’t count my bookcase with books I still told myself I would read. Don’t even ask me […]

My first editor worked with me on five revisions of my debut story in a major magazine. Decades later, when I wrote about him, I understood what had inspired his stamina: my trying and failing and trying again to express what I wanted to say. The piece wasn’t spectacular, but it launched my career and […]