Hi friends! Welcome to another WIP Wednesday—the first Wednesday of the month, when I share an excerpt of a work in progress and invite you to do the same in the comments. It’s fine if it’s rough. That’s the “in progress” part! We don’t critique anything, though a kind word is always welcome. Please keep your excerpt under 500 words

In my day job in publishing, whenever we’re discussing a new story, one thing we’re often asking is, “What’s the character arc?” (It’s also a reason we pass on a lot of stories: “I don’t understand his arc.”) Without a strong character arc, the reader (or the editor) may be left thinking, “So what? Why should I care?” Simply put, the

On the morning of June 25, 2014, I had an early morning surgery at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. The surgeon took out my left kidney and put it in a container that looked like a beer cooler. It was sent to the greater San Diego area and put in a man who was suffering from late-stage kidney disease.

My novel The Equinox Stone features a hero who suffers from retrograde amnesia. Because I wanted to do a good job writing about amnesia, I did a lot of research on types of amnesia, symptoms, treatment, and causes (even though in my character’s case, the cause is not something that could ever happen in real life. I hope.) I hope

I always like sharing journal ideas when I come up with ones that work for me. More people than ever are journaling, and it’s no wonder: it’s good for both mental health and creativity. It can give us ways to deal with low-self esteem, fears, and negative thinking, and open up the door to new ideas. I even found these

Hi, everyone! WIP Wednesday is the first Wednesday of every month, when I share an excerpt of a work in progress and anyone else who’s writing something is invited to do the same in the comments. It’s fine if what you’re sharing is rough! My excerpts often are. There are a few guidelines: about 500 words maximum (otherwise I’ll trim

Around this time of year, a lot of people are looking for good graduation gifts. A book is an ideal gift for an educational milestone. If you want to be a little more generous, but you’re still looking for graduation gifts under $100 or under $50, you can give a book and add a $20 bill or two. Maybe write