March madness! And I’m not even talking about basketball. The weather is changing here in New England, sorta, right now it’s overcast, cold, and windy but we can taste Spring. It’s in the air and I can’t wait for it. But it’s not the only thing I’m excited about right Read more
I think prologues get a bad wrap. I mean, some deserve it, but that’s because the writer used it incorrectly or didn’t pay off what was setup in the prologue. That happens all too often, which leaves readers skipping them because they aren’t useful. Some editors, writers, critics, will say Read more
2024 is over! My goal of reading 52 books? Not accomplished. 21! A new low. I’ve reset my expectations and my goal to 36 for 2025. We’ll see how it goes. These were the last books I read of 2024. A couple horror novels (old and new), a mediation on Read more
“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it.” – Ferris Bueller It’s January. A new year begins. We floss a bit more, we drink less (or not at all), and set goals to better ourselves. And bygone it! We’ll stick Read more
The months are falling of the calendar this year, and the seasons here in New England haven’t quite separated. One day it’s 40 degrees, the next it’s 70. What a wild time we live in. Enough about the weather, this is about books. The past few months I found myself Read more
There’s nothing better than a great chase scene. Whether it be by foot or in a car (or whatever mode of transportation you like), a good chase scene can do a lot for a story and even the characters. Actually, it should do both and the good ones usually do. Read more
You can call this a lazy post. It’s ok. It is. I’m working on a post about the research and writing of an action scene (as I’m in the middle of one right now for my second book). It’s a bit more involved than I expected so I didn’t want Read more
I’ve been very focused on pacing as of late. Not like doom pacing around the living room thinking about the state of the world, but story-telling pacing. How structure and word choice impact the pace of action and reader enjoyment. I have no issue with the slow-burn story if it Read more
Summer has come and gone, like it always does. I was hoping to have bumped up my reading count but alas life had different plans. I know I had a stretch of more action thrillers lined up. Given my next book is more of an action techno-thriller, I wanted to Read more
Some have said naming a character is like naming a kid. Seems extreme to me. If you screw up a kid’s name you don’t have to live with that. I don’t have kids so my characters are more important by default. Kids or no kids, naming characters that you’ll be Read more