The Stakes
In every story, there must be something at stake. This is especially true for thrillers and suspense novels, but it actually applies to all in some way. For example, in…
There’s action and then there’s…action
Once upon a time, sex in fiction was rare. Nowadays, most Romance stories, and many others, contain at least a hint of sex, before and/or after the wedding. The quantity…
Book Covers Part Two
As Derek Murphy of creativindie.com tells all independent authors (and I highly recommend his books, courses, and articles), covers serve but one purpose: to draw the eye of the potential…
Emotion
Romance books specifically evoke emotion; that is part of their appeal for many and what repels others. In my experience, men in general and academics in particular often dismiss the…
May-December Romance
While for some time now younger generations have been encouraged by media to consider mature adults to be beyond sexual thoughts and relations, historically it was common for an older…
Reviews
Once upon a time, reviews were written by book-industry professionals and newspaper columnists, and many bought books based on such recommendations. Well-known authors' opinions still carry weight both in the…
Musical Inspiration
The muses can sing to me in many ways, triggering ideas for a new tale. One of the more unusual inspirations for me was a video by a music company…
Hope
In fiction as in life, a person needs hope―even if it is simply the unconscious assumption that he or she will live to see another day. Moreover, even a story…
Mistakes
It's frustrating to find mistakes after publishing. And somehow they get through. The most aggravating to me was discovering that I had inadvertently labelled chapters improperly, doubling Chapter 3, and…
Series of books
Book series are generally connected in some way. This is true for my Twin Tales, which follow the lives of members of two families. I have not written them in…