This is why we’re all here.
By Karyn Langhorne “Karyn?” She sounded young. Really young. I took a deep breath, and answered, hoping I didn’t sound old. Really old. “I’m Selina . . . and I’m going to be your editor on this project. First let me tell how much I loved your book.’ She might be young, but she was … Read more
By Magdalena Ball “You can write a novel in 14 days or less!” Sound familiar? I’ve seen a number of advertisements recently selling “how-to” guides on speedwriting. They offer some tempting promises, including that you will be able to (guaranteed!) write a fabulous book, either fiction or nonfiction, within a very short space of time, … Read more
By Susan Harrow Top literary agents get about 400–1,000 unsolicited queries every month from hopeful book authors. Publishing houses sometimes juggle 5,000. Most of my private clients and participants in my seminar “How to Get a Six-Figure Book Advance” ask me, “How is a non-fiction author supposed to get an agent’s attention when there is … Read more
By Magdalena Ball You’ve got writer’s block? So did I, for more than five years. I had plenty of grand ideas about what I wanted to write —the literary masterpieces which would stun the critics, the lofty poetry. With idols and role models like Joyce, Woolf, Yeats and Faulker, it isn’t surprising that my meager … Read more
By Uma Girish I often feel like a motor car, for I have starting trouble. Pen poised over paper, I wait for the words to trickle. Rarely do they gush from the word “go.” When my brain does the freeze-mode act, I flick the computer on and run through my “Favorites” list. I look for … Read more
By Linda Alice Dewey “Congratulations! Your poem has been selected for our next anthology.” Every year, these words bring tears to the eyes of thousands of poets, first from joy— then from anger. Why the anger? Because in many cases, they’ve been swindled. Submitting work to a legitimate writing contest can be a rewarding experience, … Read more
Interview by RoseEtta Stone Lois Duncan is a multiple award-winning author of more than forty books, most of which are YA (young adult) metaphysical/ paranormal-themed suspense novels. She’s received fifteen international young readers’ awards. There are so many questions to ask you; why don’t we begin with your banned books? You knew that Killing Mr. … Read more
