Friday was National Book Lovers’ Day. Have you ever wondered who determines all these “national” days? Who decides what’s worthy and what isn’t? How do they pick the date? Not that I’m dissing National Book Lovers’ Day. Any book celebration is a going to get my vote. But I always thought it was an act […]
Blue Dragon Publishing, LLC is very thankful to the Williamsburg Boat Club for the kind words and plug as they christened the Blue Dragon into its fleet. It means a lot that they appreciate me and what I have brought to the club, and that they have enough faith to put Blue Dragon on their […]
What is a back story and why is it important? Many authors are excited to get into the nuts and bolts of the story and often skip this very important step. I would argue it’s more important sometimes than others. If you are writing a nonfiction, back story doesn’t really come into play. If you […]
Marketing is hard, especially if it isn’t your specialty or passion. But here are eight things you can do to promote your book that you don’t need a marketing expert to pull off. 1. Social Media Reviews If you are on Instagram or Facebook, try to find reviewers who enjoy your genre. Follow them for […]
I was at a book signing with Blue Dragon author Amy Voltaire where she was signing her book, My Name is Erin, and My Mom’s an Addict. A parent stopped by the booth and made a face upon seeing the title. “Do you really think you need to bring that subject into the schools?” she […]
After your book has gone through the editing process but before final printing, you should receive a printed copy of your book. This proof copy may or may not be bound. This is a great time to read your book yet another time and look for any typos or words that aren’t quite right. Hopefully […]
I love libraries. And I love people who read books. So it would go to reason that I would love librarians. I am at the American Library Association Conference in Washington DC this weekend. This is the third one I have attended, and I learn something new each time. Not only do I get to […]
Picture books are tougher to write than you think. The words have to be simple enough to fit the age group, but interesting enough to catch the parents’ eye. Rhyming is good for children because of the sing-song tone which is comforting to them. But it can’t be annoying because the parents need to keep […]
You may have heard me tell my story before. I was in the Air Force for 28 years. During my first duty station I had a stalker. At the time it was scary and difficult to live through. After a number of years, it became the basis for my first book, The Obsession. Many people […]
Are you looking forward to summer? I do, even though I am working just as many hours as during the other seasons. Maybe it’s the extra daylight, leaving more time to sit on the back deck and get in a few reading chapters. I have a stack of books I’m still working on from last […]
When eBooks first came out, like all things tech, the sales shot up. There was talk that the print book was going out like the vinyl record (and you see records are coming back…). With the excitement of having light-weight, portable bookcases available at a reader’s fingertips, many people jumped on the bandwagon to experiment […]
It’s cookie season. For some people that means extra pounds to work off later in the year. For others, it is a time to prepare their gracious “no thank you” speeches for when they have to walk past yet another Girl Scout cookie booth outside a store front. I was a Girl Scout leader for […]