My most recent book, The Love Playbook, was lovingly planned out, plotted, outlined, and synopsized. I thought I was set, until my edits came in from my publisher. She was nice about it, but basically the number of “change this” comments was essentially leading to a complete and utter re-write. This would be my 13th… Read More
Long before dukes and earls rode in fancy carriages through London’s Hyde Park, and long before the Norman-French claimed victory at Hastings, Romans established the city of Londinium. Julius Caesar first visited Britain in 55 B.C., but it wasn’t until A.D. 43 that Emperor Claudius decided the Thames was a favorable shipping route from the… Read More
Trust yourself. You know more than you think you do. The late Dr. Benjamin Spock was, of course, speaking about child rearing. However, quiet reflection can serve to boost confidence and provide direction in writing, too. Inspired by a practice I learned about in a world religions course; I’ve adopted the habit of self-querying on… Read More
I’ve always loved a good plot. People ask me how I come up with ideas for my novels, but the truth is, I really don’t know. Sometimes the kernel of an idea grows out of a newspaper article or something I see on Facebook or just some old movie. Most of the time, it’s so… Read More
Hey guys! Thank you so much for having me! It’s officially release week for FIND ME THEIR BONES and I am vibrating into space with the excitement! You’d think after nine books released I’d get over the jitters, but nope! They’re here to stay, baby! And I wouldn’t have it any other way. Today I’m… Read More
I have never had the greatest memory. This becomes a problem when I’m writing two books at the same time and trying to keep each of the stories on track. In fact, no matter the genre you write in, keeping yourself organized can be difficult for a lot of people. It’s taken me a lot… Read More
After thirty years, and fifty books from historicals to mainstream women’s fiction, I got a call on the first day of 2019. Two friends called and asked me to write an anthology about an early hotel in Dallas called the St. Nicholas. I jumped, loving the idea. What fun, early Texas, a hotel that’s name… Read More
“I’m good at the naughty bits,” says my agent. It’s true. I love writing sex scenes. But initially I found talking about it publicly more difficult. Yesterday, I was sitting in a hotel hot tub and my sister mentioned to the couple sitting near us that I was an author. Which inevitably led to questions… Read More
The first full manuscript I ever wrote was a fantasy that I submitted to a writing contest sponsored by one of my favorite authors. I’d been reading fantasy and science fiction since I was 13 years old, and knew that’s what I wanted to write. I didn’t win the contest, but I received some very… Read More
By Tee O’Fallon An essential part of writing a new series is introducing exciting, intriguing characters in book one who will catch a reader’s attention and get them thinking: Hey, I gotta buy the next book in this series. And the next…and the next… You get the picture. So how is this done? There are… Read More
By Donnell Ann Bell One of the hardest things for me to do as a writer is to create characters. Some authors have told me, “Oh, my character came to me fully formed.” Others say, “Oh, I do character interviews to find out what makes him/her/them tick.” Me? I ask my characters, “Who are you?”… Read More
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