On Writing
Why I Became an Indie Author
You can call us self-published. You can call us indie authors. You can call us rebels. I think I have had indie blood in me long before I watched Easy Rider and bought my first suede leather fringe jacket.
Why We Love Amateur Detectives
Not all detectives in fiction are cops. In a world of Hercule Poirot, there is room for wonderful amateur sleuths: yoga teachers, Egyptologists, ministers.
Maudie: A Romance with Art
Maudie is a quiet yet moving film about Canada’s most famous folk artist. Meet the inspiration for the artist in my book Maud’s House.
How Yoga and Patanjali Can Help Your Writing
The Yoga Sutras are guides for living a right life, but I have found they also offer new perspectives on writing.
5 Steps to a Great Book Cover
Book covers are marketing tools. They sell books. How do you create eye-catching covers? Here are a few tips.
Where Ideas Come From: A Lesson from O. Henry
Unlike O. Henry, most of us are not short story factories. But we can learn a lot from looking at how this famous writer approached storytelling.
Surviving Book Awards
There are many book award programs. Should you enter them? Here’s a behind-the-scenes peek at book awards.
Book Club #2: What Is Harry Potter Without Hogwarts?
Some settings infiltrate the heart of a book. Here are some atmospheric reads to add to your book list.
Book Club #1: Why We Love Precocious Child Characters
Every parent, I don’t care who you are, loves a brilliant kid. That’s why literature has provided us with some of the most annoying and yet endearing child characters.
The Mayas: Bloodthirsty Stargazers
Ever since I named the character in my cozy mystery series, Maya, I have been intrigued with the Mayan civilization. Here are some fun facts about the Mayas of long ago.
One Day at a Time: How to Break the Blocks
In Maud’s House, I write about lost-and-found creativity. What do you do when you have artist’s block?
Tips to Make You a Better Writer
Whether you are writing the Great American Novel or the company blog, you can always improve your writing. Here are a few tips to help you.