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With so much buildup to release day, if a book doesn’t take off right away it can feel like a failure. Do you see your releases as a marathon or a sprint for readership? A marathon. On my first release day, I put my baby in the pram and went for a long walk, I bought a chocolate bar and sat in the sunshine eating it. It was summertime, it felt surreal, I had no idea what to expect. I bought myself…
With so much buildup to release day, if a book doesn’t take off right away it can feel like a failure. Do you see your releases as a marathon or a sprint, for readership? I'm writing this at the WWW - the Wednesday Writing Women, or are we the Women Who Write in this Winery? Not enough Ws - and present tonight are an always-indie writer of romance and mystery, an always-indie writer of educational…
With so much buildup to release day, if a book doesn’t take off right away it can feel like a failure. Do you see your releases as a marathon or a sprint for readership? You’ve heard the cliché about the best-laid plans. It comes from a Robert Burns poem — “The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry”— which later inspired Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men . I mention this because I began with…
With so much buildup to release day, if a book doesn’t take off right away it can feel like a failure. Do you see your releases as a marathon or a sprint for readership? Ah, release day. I remember it like it was yesterday, but it’s been two years. Two years! Where has the time gone? And yet, my debut novel is still chugging along doing its best to be great. Who would’ve thought? To be honest, I…
Question of the Week: Not every book can be a stone-cold classic. Do you seek out only the 5-star reads or is a book just as enjoyable if it is a 3-star read? Not an all-timer, but enjoyable, nonetheless. Where’s the line for recommending a book to someone else? I had the best plan for this post! It was going to be beautiful, perfect, and most of all, useful. It was going to be, as I tell my…
Not every book can be a stone cold classic. Do you seek out only the 5-star reads or is a book just as enjoyable if it is a 3-star read? Not an all-timer, but enjoyable nonetheless. Where’s the line for recommending a book to someone else? I have a great friend. Let’s call him Tim (since that’s his name) . Whenever a restaurant meal disappoints him, he shrugs and offers, “Eh, I’ll eat again.” I…
Not every book can be a stone cold classic. Do you seek out only the 5-star reads or is a book just as enjoyable if it is a 3-star read? Not an all-timer, but enjoyable nonetheless. Where's the line for recommending a book to someone else? By Dietrich In the previous piece I talked about why chasing only five-star books can turn reading into a status project, and why a solid three-star read can…
Terry here with our question of the week: Not every book can be a stone cold classic. Do you seek out only the 5-star reads or is a book just as enjoyable if it is a 3-star read? Not an all-timer, but enjoyable nonetheless. Where’s the line for recommending a book to someone else? There are authors whose books I always buy. Mick Herron. Rhys Bowen. Eric Beetner. Anne Moose. Lou Berney. Thomas…
Not every book can be a stone cold classic. Do you seek out only the 5-star reads or is a book just as enjoyable if it is a 3-star read? Not an all-timer, but enjoyable nonetheless. Where’s the line for recommending a book to someone else? I hesitate to call anything a "guilty pleasure." The term is a sly bit of linguistic trickery, a sneaky way of connecting with others over a shared interest…
Childhood trauma seems to inform a lot of literary novels. Do you pull from any fears, anxiety or trauma from your early life into your work? Seems like mining our own uncomfortable pasts is perfect for crime fiction. Childhood trauma seems to inform a lot of novels... yes, it does. And i t's one of the biggest ethical dilemmas every writer must reckon with. It's understandable that a writer might…
Childhood trauma seems to inform a lot of literary novels. Do you pull from any fears, anxiety or trauma from your early life into your work? Seems like mining our own uncomfortable pasts is perfect for crime fiction. Well, well, well. This little gem of a question has been sitting here like a troll under a bridge, hasn't it? But how real to get? Here on a blog where I most often go for funny.…
Childhood trauma seems to inform a lot of literary novels. Do you pull from any fears, anxiety or trauma from your early life into your work? Seems like mining our own uncomfortable pasts is perfect for crime fiction. I often feel like I’m not doing this writing thing correctly. I’m not addressing hidden daddy issues. I’m not working out some near-death experience through my fiction. I’m just…
Childhood trauma seems to inform a lot of literary novels. Do you pull from any fears, anxiety or trauma from your early life into your work? Seems like mining our own uncomfortable pasts is perfect for crime fiction This week’s prompt makes me uneasy because I’m not inclined toward the autobiographical, or, more to the point, self-revelation in life or my fiction. The truth is, I’m uncomfortable…
Childhood trauma seems to inform a lot of literary novels. Do you pull from any fears, anxiety or trauma from your early life into your work? I grew up in the inner city of Cleveland, Ohio, where traumatic experiences happen so often to children, that they don’t even recognize it as trauma, just a way of life. Gun violence, loss, fear and grief was often more prevalent than joy in my childhood. I…
How do you avoid repeating yourself? Do you reinvent your approach to storytelling, or do you lean into what already worked and risk creative stagnation? Interesting question this week, especially the part about reinventing the approach to storytelling. I hadn’t thought of that side of repetition before, but it got me thinking about my first seven books, my last two, and my next one. I prefer to…
