When I first started out as a writer, I wanted to use everything I was told in a critique. The other writer obviously had a better perspective than me. They could see things I didn't ( Read more... )

Today I'm talking with Merrie Haskell, author of Handbook for Dragon Slayers, which comes out tomorrow from HarperCollins. Here's a little bit about Merrie:

Merrie Haskell grew up half in North Carolina, half in Michigan. She wrote her first story at age seven, and she walked dogs after school to save for her first typewriter. She attended the ( Read more... )

I present to you the coolest magazine cover ever! (Well, my rejection-scarred ego thinks so, anyway.)


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I have a guest blog over at the Penumbra eZine about speculative poetry and how the Poem A Day Challenge (coming in April!) can be a major asset.

On the subject of poetry, I took part in an amusing collaboration this month. I was at a Phoenix Coyotes hockey game a few weeks ago. My pal Kevin Hearne was there, too, on the opposite side of the rink ( Read more... )

I have a guest post over at the WOW! Muffin right now on defying stereotypes. It's about how some people assume that because I'm a mother, I must write for kids, and that I get some confused reactions when I say I write fantasy and science fiction.

What assumptions do people make about your writing?

My story behind the story of "Red Dust and Dancing Horses" has been re-published over at msstacy13's blog.

Dreams, Horses, and the Little Story That Could

If you're feeling down because of rejection and stubborn words, give it a read.

Today I welcome author Elaine Isaak to the blog. Her post made me nod and laugh because it's so true. The Writer is in, and here to stay.


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Are you in the thick of NaNo? Has your novel-in-progress stalled? Today I welcome author Bryan Thomas Schmidt with great tips on breaking through that mental block. Thanks, Bryan!

Write Tip: 10 Tips For Getting Past Writer’s Block

I did a Write Tip before on Fighting Off Writer’s Block in which a lot of published authors offered their advice. But ( Read more... )

Researching the Middle AgesIf there is one period of time most associated with fantasy fiction, it's the Medieval-from about 1100-castles, crusades, and courtly love-to the middle 1500's, at the cusp of the European transformation through its interactions with the plants, peoples and products of the New World. But many authors rely upon vague ( Read more... )

If you participate in NaNoWriMo and/or write year-round, you've learned it takes discipline to make that word count grow. This guest post from author Rick Novy explores his journey and how his process has changed. Rick has published numerous speculative works and has a fondness for fish, and combined the two elements for his new novel, Fishpunk.


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