one reason your submission gets rejected Julie and I are using fairy tales as our prompts this year, and I get to kick it off with “Prince Hyacinth and the Dear Little Princess.” In case you’re not familiar with that one, here’s the summary: A much-loved baby boy is born to the King and Queen….
Category: Writing and writers
A Matter of Pedigree: the Southern regional mystery as written by women
by Deborah-Z Adams This essay originally appeared in DEADLY WOMEN, edited by Jan Grape and Dean James, 1997, and was reprinted in both MYSTERY SCENE MAGAZINE and THE OLD STATE OF FRANKLIN. No story begins on page one. There is always a convoluted ancestry of greats, grands, and twice-removeds that have intertwined to create the…
Sally Bennett Boyington – 3 Questions & a Cover
A short interview wherein one of my favorite authors answers three questions about the writing life. Question 1 What’s your Go-To source when you need inspiration? To gain inspiration, I binge-watch subtitled foreign movies and TV series in a variety of genres. Seeing how people of other cultures deal with universal human problems and emotions gives…
b.read.crumbs : Choosing
Broad generalization here: in Tarot, the Pentacles represent money and business while the Wands represent creativity or artistic endeavor. I know writers who are very clear about their philosophy: “I write for money, just like doctors and plumbers and teachers work for money,” one of them told me. I know writers who wouldn’t accept pay…
Erika Krouse – 3 Questions & a Cover
A short interview wherein one of my favorite authors answers three questions about the writing life. Question 1 What books do you recommend for an aspiring writer? The best book on characterization that I know is actually an acting book, Respect for Acting by Uta Hagen. It’s an excellent resource for really investigating characters and…
Elizabeth Spann Craig – 3 Questions & a Cover
Question 1 Do you create elaborate outlines for your books? If so, can you explain the process (briefly)? I’ve found that the more I outline, the easier it is to draft a book. It’s also much easier to revise it. The outlines for my mysteries run anywhere from fifty to eighty-five pages and are fairly…
b.read.crumbs : Dancing
Key XXI The World “I want you to enjoy freedom from fears and falsehood….” Spiritual Tarot: Seventy-Eight Paths to Personal Development by Signe E. Echols, M.S., Robert Mueller, Ph.D., and Sandra A. Thomson We’ve come to the end of the Major Arcana. This journey is complete, and now the journey begins again. Sometimes we travel…
Claudia M. Stanek ~ 3 Questions & a Poem
3 Questions and a Poem–in which one of my favorite poets is interviewed and shares a poem. Question 1 What do you consider the three most important elements of a poem? What is the poem’s message? One could argue that a poem does not have to have a message in order to be a poem….
KB Ballentine ~ 3 Questions & a Poem
3 Questions and a Poem–in which one of my favorite poets is interviewed and shares a poem. Question 1 What do you consider the three most important elements of a poem? Three important elements of a poem are the musicality of language, verb choice, and imagery. One of the things that sets poetry apart from…
Maggie Gigandet – 3 Questions for a Freelance Writer & Blogger
A short interview wherein one of my favorite authors answers three questions about the writing life. Question: What’s your Go-To source when you need inspiration? My experiences in the Tennessee State Parks have been the inspiration for several articles. But I’ve found that the most important thing is to just get out there, do something…