The Island Child is out today, but why do I have publication day blues?This is my 14th fiction title and you'd think thatI'd be used to the whole publication routine. The writing, editing, deciding on the cover and making plans for the launch. But you'd be wrong. The publication process is alwys … [Read more...]
Writing and Rewriting
You may not realize that much of what writers do is really rewriting and editing. We give our first drafts several edits before we show it to anyone. A finished novel may have had trillions of different versions before it's published. OK, perhaps not that many, but you get my point. (And that's how … [Read more...]
Writing About Death
I’ve come to learn that bereavement is a strange emotion. I’ve also come to realize that the way I cope with death is by writing about it. Coffee and Vodka Many of my books include the death of an important character. A surprising amount for someone who writes stories about family and love, … [Read more...]
How Ruth Ellis inspired my latest novel by Jane Davis
Jane Davis, a prize-winning author, is about to publish her ninth title, At the Stroke of Nine O'Clock. The novel is inspired by Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in the UK. Jane is a writer friend, but she's also one of my favourite authors, so I'm delighted that she agreed to tell you … [Read more...]
How to Turn Your Life into Fiction Step 3: Plot
When you want to turn your life into fiction, one of the most important steps is to decide on the plot. "But I know my own life story," you say. That's true, but don't forget that you are writing a novel. Telling a story in a novel form requires you to follow some of the rules of storytelling. The … [Read more...]
How to Turn Your Life into Fiction Step 1: Research
This is first in a series of blog posts about how to turn your life into fiction. Today I'm going to be talking about research. Why Me? I've talked extensively about how to turn your life into fiction in blog posts and seminars. I've even written a book about it! This coming Tuesday, I'm going to … [Read more...]
Advice for New Writers: Five Stages of Writing a Novel
Are you struggling to complete the novel you started? Or want to write one but don't know where to start? Writing a novel is a complicated and sometimes a long drawn-out process. However, it can be divided into five steps. These five stages of writing a novel can vary a little from author to author, … [Read more...]
How to Write in Another Language
Would you like to know how to write a regular blog, novel or a nonfiction title in another language? When I tell people I’m a writer, the first thing they ask me apart from what I write (Nordic contemporary fiction), is what language I use. I graduated from a Finnish College with a Baccalaureat and … [Read more...]
5 Tips on How to prepare for the 20 Books to 50K Conference
If you are an author and particularly a self-published writer, you've most probably heard of the 20 Books to 50K movement. The idea of 20 Books to 50K came to Michael Anderle after he made $10k in 90 days writing a few books. He realized pretty early on that if he could publish twenty books, he was … [Read more...]
Five Reasons Why Authors Should Attend Live Conferences and Seminars
Authors spend most of their time at a desk be it in a coffee house, an office (oh, the luxury!) or at home. It's quite a solitary profession, something which I've had real difficulty to come to terms with since I turned full-time author two years ago. Attending author events has helped me a lot with … [Read more...]
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