Once, back in the dark ages, like about five years ago, if you wanted to be an author, you’d write a book, scour around for an agent, and, if the stars aligned, get one and sign with a big-time publisher. That’s how it worked – there was one path, one key to the literary castle. If you couldn’t follow the path, you didn’t get the key, and all you got to write were cranky letters home.

If you did land one, the agent would have to find a publisher. If not, that would be the…

B.R. Stateham is a talented and gifted author. His writing style is distinct yet he is able to write in many different genres. In “Hotel Beaumont” he decided to go the action/thriller route with yet another character that seems to be the perfect human weapon. There is a high body count in the digital short story, but he makes it all sound good, it flows, and has the right sense of judgment and execution. His narrative as usual seems to be right on…

11 reasons to enjoy Maynard Soloman

Now before you roll your eyes and say, "Another serialized PI? Puh-leez," I want to tell you why Maynard Soloman is different. I, too, had read a million incarnations of Sam Spade. Maynard Soloman might've worn a fedora, but that's where the similarities end.

Here are 11 reasons Maynard Soloman is worth a look.

1) He was forced into retirement from his career as an investigator for the Obscenities Division of a local…

Weekly videos, topic posts, links, photos, and more. Keep up with Janet's creativity, the progress of her novels, and glimpses of her scenic nature photography. Entertaining, informative, and fun for the whole family. All posts have been archived, and the two most current posts greet the visitors on the page. Thanks in advance for stopping by, and for your shared enthusiasm.  

JLB Creatives…

Q1: Thanks for participating in our Authors.com Spotlight Interview series, Borislava! Please introduce yourself and/or your book to help our readers get to know you.

A: I consider myself a writer by soul because, although I have been working as a recruiter in the field of Human Resources for years in my free time, history and writing are the important passions of my life. I love interesting stories and legends. I love adventures that take us through the ages and help…

What happens when you have a cranky old guy with intestinal issues, an RV, spray paint, Walmart and The ATF? Why you have the first, hopefully of many, adventures of Maynard Soloman. The thing about it is not the hijinks that Maynard gets into, but the prose. It is so rich and amazing that that is what makes it for me. The comedy of the situation, you fruit bat, is just a side bar to the whole thing. I defy you in today’s modern digital short story universe to find something like it, that…

I am pretty sure that I have title correct with the two g’s and the two d’s. Different title, different novel. I ran into Lee Pletzers over at Book Town, a nice place and a nice community. Go to my blog and press the button for it and join, give it a whirl and have some fun. Back to the novel at hand: threw me a curve amongst all the conspiracy theory, action novels I have been reading of late. This is a sci-fi, paranormal, horror, and few other categories. Just file it under good if you are…

When it comes to vampires, Laurie Bowler knows her stuff. She has numerous titles under her name, including: Moonrising, Serena Embracing Darkness, The Across The City Series, Vanquished, The Depths of Darkness to name a few. I am starting to work with her on an Author’s Lab/Collaboration called Fang’s Inc. which will be released in the coming weeks. Laurie has a very distinct style and there is a ton of heart and soul in her novels. I am not trying to be flip…

This is my first read on a Cynthia Vespia novel. She has a few other titles to her credit: The Crescent, Theater of Pain, Demon Hunter: The Chosen One, and Demon Hunter :Seek and Destroy. I am going to check out her other titles, I am now a fan of her writing since reading Life ,Death and Back. How did I happen to bump into the author: we are both Book Town member’s.  If you are not a member feel free to click on the badge on my blog and join, good…

I have been having a hard time trying to figure out how to start this post. I enjoyed the novel on so many different levels and for so many different reasons I think I would become boring rather quickly by listing them all. I am also amped over this novel because I get to talk to Joseph Finder June 14^th@11amEST on my blogtalk radio show The G-ZONE. Questions for the man, yeah I have a few. The marketing campaign has been fun, innovative and different and the novel was highly…

I have gotten to know Thomas White over a period of time; he is a really nice guy with a very sharp wit. If you read any of his writing, you come to realize that very quickly. He has been nice also to give me some pointers on the craft of writing as I have worked with him on “G.S.I. Gelati Scoop Investigations Psychotic Detectives”. His words were pointed but I expected no less; he meant well and they weren’t malicious, just trying to speak the truth, and set a beginner straight. Trust me,…

For the life of me, I cannot understand why I continue to pay the fees for Craft Shows when I barely make table.  (That's the cost you've got to pay just to be AT the show.)

The reason for wanting to work with my hands is because I believe my writing isn't 'good enough' for publication.  I've been writing my entire life, mostly in personal journals no one ever sees.  In those rare instances I've allowed a piece of me to escape, many are impressed.

A friend…

I am a fan of Tom’s work. I enjoy his take on things and his ability to present them. I think that when someone is trying to be funny, face to face or in a group setting where eye contact can be made or body language can be seen is one thing. The humor is then three dimensional, or if you subscribe to Big Daddy Abel’s thoughts four dimensions, go figure, but who am I to argue. Back to my point, Tom Sumner has a way with words and can execute the punch lines in writing. He hammers home his…

Welcome to the weekend everybody. Today I am popping in two posts on two totally different types of digital short stories. Later on I will drop one in on Humorist Tom Sumner and his series, “All I Wanted Was a Haircut” .  Lets get to Samantha Weiler’s digital short story. She is a Summer Submission Contest Winner with Trestle Press. Personally I enjoyed this story immensely; it has a nice edge to it that I think if you get to download it you will…

I wanted to end the week with a bang and I chose this novel to start it off.

Let’s get rolling on” Misery Bay”! Here is the synopsis:

“On a frozen January night, a young man loops one end of a long rope over the branch of a tree. The other end he ties around his neck. A snowmobiler will find him 36 hours later, his lifeless eyes staring out at the endless cold water of Lake Superior. It happens in a lonely corner of the Upper Peninsula, in a place they call…