Since it's the fourth of July, I thought it fitting that I write something about freedom. No, I'm not going to wax poetic about the men and women who've served their country and lost their lives or about the soldiers, who are still out there serving today. We each have to come to terms [...]...

Promotion: A subject that draws arguments over what is effective and what isn't. Bookmarks are always a hot topic. Some authors say they're a waste of money, others buy them for every book. As a published author, I've had the opportunity to try out marketing/promotional strategies for only the last couple of years, and [...]...

We've made up whole encyclopedias of terms for the various things you find in books and the creation thereof: character arcs and archetypes, structure and set pieces, black moments, tent poles, turning points, acts, alpha/beta/gamma heroes, "save the cat," "gun on the wall," "MacGuffin," plotters vs. "pantsters" – look on any writer's website and you'll [...]...

I love to read. Always have, always will. So does my significant other. We often swap books, read, and then talk about them. And yes, he even reads romance on occasion. So recently, when we were talking about our various hobbies, I proudly included reading in my list. To which my significant other replies, "Reading's [...]...

I'm in the business of writing romance novels, where the guy is pretty darn handsome, the woman's nice-looking, and everyone ends up happily ever after. A lot of times, there's a wedding, or at the very least, an engagement scene, in my book. That means I'll incorporate at least one wedding tradition, and leave the reader with that "awww…." at the end. Except, when I read about where wedding trad...