The Brain Tickle That Became the Latest Sydney Brennan Novel, Braving the Boneyard
It’s alive! Sometimes the darkest secrets just won’t stay hidden, no matter how deeply they’re buried. Tallahassee PI Sydney Brennan is torn between loyalty to her mentor and duty to her client—facing life in prison—when her investigation uncovers a long-buried secret that someone is willing to kill for. How far will Sydney go to protect her friend’s past, and his life? You’ll find links to retailers (ebook and paperback) here, along with the first two chapters. How about bonus materials, like deleted scenes? You’ll find extras for Braving the Boneyard, and the rest of the Sydney Brennan books, here. (Note: this is Read more…
Writer’s Bronchitis: The Dangers of Straining Your Voice
You may have noticed, in my various ramblings, that I’m a fan of the TV show Castle. Some of the long-term story arcs are wearing, and some seasons are inconsistent (see The Challenges of the Wayback Machine for a mini-rant). But at its best, the cast has great chemistry, and at its worst, you’ve still got Nathan Fillion. My husband and I recently watched an episode that looked like a nice, goofy one. (We were taking a break from Broadchurch; I wrote about Season 1 in Stories I Love, but Season 2, still impeccably performed and filmed, is even darker). Castle Read more…
The Joys and Hardships of Rewrites, and Survey Results So Far…
When does a draft become a rewrite? Is anything after the rough draft a “rewrite,” or does your story have to be farther along (i.e., less crappy)? Sorry—that’s probably a little too esoteric for a Friday morning. Maybe I’ll look it up when I’m not so busy second drafting/rewriting. Overall, I’d have to say I’ve enjoyed my first week of Book Five rewrites (gotta call it something), but it’s a contradictory process. There are entirely new scenes to be added (two in particular are going to be so much fun!), descriptions to flesh out and motivations to clarify. But I’ve Read more…
Holiday, Schmoliday–Finish That Draft! You Can Sleep Next Year
Hope everyone is having a pleasant holiday! We opted not to travel and to generally be low-key this year, so mine should be relaxing. Unfortunately, I keep watching the clock and calendar, feeling the pinch of approaching deadlines. I have a draft of the fifth Sydney Brennan book due to my developmental editor on January 1st. (My husband and I were brainstorming titles at breakfast this morning.) When we first set the due date a couple of weeks ago, I have to admit that I was a little disappointed, realizing I probably wouldn’t be able to release the book as Read more…
Seriously? You’re Playing the Amnesia Card?
This week’s blog post is a quick (or at least somewhat scattered) combination rave and rant. The rave is me sharing a show I’ve been enjoying lately. As for the rant, you may remember a post a while back on things that can jolt you out of a story (How Factual Do You Want Your Fiction?). This week I stumbled upon another very specific story jolter, and I thought I’d share. A lot of people claim we’re in a Golden Age of TV, and there do seem to be a lot of quality shows on television now. I don’t have Read more…
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