All Blog Posts (5,808)

I recommend "Story Engineering" by Larry Brooks. I am learning a lot from his chapter, "The Second Core Competency - Character" and have come up with fifty questions from that section that is helping me to develop and make Prince Jasper more dynamic. This book is very astute and gives an in depth approach the main fictional elements of a story. It is worth the time to read. It is also helping me to write my character arc for Prince Jasper and is bringing him closer to my heart. Reading…

I am a married man for the past 21 years, yet I can’t say I know a lot about women. My wife gets angry with me sometimes, when I know I’m right and she is wrong. But since I don’t want to lean upon my understanding, which may be wrong, I quickly apologize to her to create a happy atmosphere once again.

I work at a place with over forty female teachers. I ‘m always scared to smile, paranoid may be, because I don’t want any of the…

Just as homes have straight forward stories to tell about people’s behavior and the sort of environment they grew up, the same way our personal appearance says much about us. In the first place, why is it necessary to be clean, neat and be modest in clothing? Being naturally clean person and hygienic conscious conclude that you have self-respect.

There…

One morning, I awoke with a message from my Muse:

You need to write a Celtic series. Go!

Feel free to check out my updated website at www.tjweeks.vpweb.com. I want to thank all of my fans, I have had thousands of visitors in the last couple of days!!! I am so excited about 'Unfleshed' being released and I have put all of the other links to my other books up for everyone!!! Seeing as how it won't let me upload a profile…

I am excited about expanding my fan base further than I have and would like to let everyone know that I have the new release 'Unfleshed' up for .99 on kindle for the rest of the month. …

If you love to read, then the job of acquisitions editor for a small press is a dream come true. If you hate to dash dreams, are easily swayed or thin-skinned, find another occupation.

I am the gatekeeper who stands between you and the publisher. The publisher concentrates on production and relies on me to take queries and make decisions based on the needs of the publishing house. We share a vision and it's my job is to find manuscripts for that vision.

So, read the guidelines…

“We found the sand was not like the sand in the brochure. Your brochure shows the sand as white but it was more yellow.”

Yellow sand? Who peed on the beach?

***

Because the complaint mentioned a supposed mistake in a brochure, this brings up the topic of making sure you're as correct as you can be before writing down anything. I've discussed before about authors needing to be…

So, this morning, I pick up this week's feisty guest author and we're off to sunny Ochos Rios, Jamaica. We're lounging on the beach with a plate of fried breadfruit between us. Sun, sand, surf...ouch! What? Well, isn't that wonderful? She slapped my hand when I tried to take a piece of breadfruit. Now she threatens to do more bodily harm. What? Open a can of Whoop-Ass if I don't get my own plate?

Whew! Better get to the…

The Roads Dead End by Jennifer Robins

Clark and his wife Ginger head out from their apartment in a suburb in Arizona for a week’s vacation to a resort in the desert. They expect to find…

I am new here and was cruising the forum when I ran into a post asking about others book covers,  I was going to reply with a similar post as I am making here until I noticed that the original poster made the forum request four years ago.....Oh well...but here's my story anyway....I am showing the cover of my first novel.."The Leaning Tower of Eiffel"..This is my daughter when she was about 13 years old overlaid on a vintage photo of a neglected, but historical water tower in my town.  The…

I’d like to believe I’m a smart author in that I want to learn from my mistakes. That being said, I’m finding that my most important “teacher" is you, the reader. What you say about what you read matters—a lot. That’s where book reviews come in.

By leaving feedback as to how you feel about what you just read on a book’s page at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads, wherever, you help your fellow readers discover new authors to love, but you also let authors know what we did…

Book Goodies Interview

Although I do astrology, I no longer ask people “What's your sign?” As an acquisitions editor for Oak Tree Press, I now ask authors, “What's your genre?”

The worst thing a writer can do is give me a blank stare. “Genre” is an essential part of the lingo in publishing lexicon. It's how we classify a book and decide if it fits our line.

Labeling books has practical reasons. Bookstores (when they existed) found it useful to put books…

Each of us sees, and understands by our own light.

“I see a dark light.” - VICTOR HUGO [Last Words]

“Doubt everything. Find your own light.” - LAST WORDS of BUDDHA

The global village, our modern world, now has 195 countries. Out of these, homosexuality is illegal in 81…

Have been soaking up the Florida sunshine today and shopping in the coolest plaza! I feel so privileged to be in The USA's sunshine state!

I am so lucky that America has embraced my success, and I look forward to a round of book signings for my debut novel, "Johari's Window", beginning with Deltona, Florida. Watch this space!

“The beach was too sandy. We had to clean everything when we returned to our room.”

What did you expect the beach to be? Covered in tile?

***

Some of these complaints are more inane than others. I think my snarky comment, while made in jest, brings up a valid point. What did these folks expect when they went to the beach? A beach, one for tourists, is mostly sand. There are rocky…

     Successful twenty-first century authors have three lifestyle components: Passion, Organization, and Uniqueness.

    Passion: Successful authors love their craft!

    They delve into the storyline with abandon. They make time to write and know their most creative time of the day. This is different for each author.

    I know of a writer who…

Read my interview