Another week, more opportunities to inject some awesome into the world. Let’s take a look at the highlights. My husband gave me spa gift certificates for Valentine’s Day. He is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Basically, I spent many hours relaxing, which is what it means when you have to lie very very still […]
A few months ago, I stumbled across an article questioning a historical fiction author’s responsibility to write stories that are factually accurate. (I give no opinion on this particular issue, other than to note that, when I was 12, virtually all of my knowledge of the Civil War came from historical romance. In high school, […]
Well, it’s March, and it’s still effing snowing every day, so I can definitely use a weekly reminder of all the awesome in my life. Here’s a look at the past seven days: Friday: A networking-type event that included free dinner with most of our good friends. Bonus trivia as the entertainment portion of the […]
With a few pitch contests coming up in the next couple of months, I thought I’d share what it is I’m looking for when I read the slush. I can hear the collective groan now. “We know, we know: You like women’s fiction. Dogs like bones. Fish like water. We get it.” And okay, yes, […]
In an on-going effort to infuse more awesomeness into my life, here’s what I’m doing this week: Laundry. I know it doesn’t sound awesome, but when you’ve been sick and unable to walk around for a couple of weeks, clean clothes are the most amazing thing in the world. Washing your hair is a close […]
Earlier this week, I vowed that I would stop having an awful year and start being awesome. So, here’s what I did week 1 to be more awesome. Very careful exercise on Saturday made me feel better all over (and gave me the idea to do this). Monday, I harnessed the power of the internet […]
I’ve had a rough start to 2015. In fact, I’d call it the worst start I’ve had to a year since an awful break-up at the end of 2009. Professional problems are stuck in a weird downward spiral, and I can’t see the exit. I threw my back out and have been basically confined to […]
Today is the agent round for Sun vs. Snow. I’m taking a break from my normal blog to cheer on all the writers, especially my incredibly talented mentees. They put in a lot of hard work to get their entries polished on time, and I’m so, so proud of them. Team Snow My Amazing Mentees […]
Today marks the announcement of which entries were chosen for Sun vs. Snow (see them on http://michelle4laughs.blogspot.com/ and https://chasingthecrazies.wordpress.com/). I’m grateful to have been given the opportunity to mentor three amazing entries for #TeamSnow. With several great contests coming up in March – May, there’s something I though I should address. One thing that comes up a […]
One thing writers tend to hear a lot these days is, “You have to have a platform.” While that’s more true of non-fiction writers than fiction, many agents want their clients to have some internet presence: whether it’s a blog, a Twitter account, Google +, a Facebook author page, or whatever. Most people agree that […]
In addition to books (reading and writing), Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and a really good cheese, one of the things I really enjoy is baking. Cooking is fine – I can cook, if you tell me what you want to eat and hand me a recipe. It’s theoretically possible that I could find a recipe […]
Happy Martin Luther King Day, everyone! With Sun vs. Snow rapidly approaching, I thought I’d put some of my prior contest advice posts in one handy place for you. (Side note: This is the contest where I met Michelle Hauck, and I got amazing feedback on my first page as an alternate, which lead to […]