Sally Cronin is an ardent supporter of other authors and bloggers. She rarely promotes her own work, so it was wonderful to see her give back to herself today. She is the author of 9 books and has plans to publish a few more in the new year. Visit her blog and you just might spot that holiday gift you’ve been trying so hard to find … 💖
Category Archives: Authors
Why Authors Need A Business Card – Guest Post…
Toni Pike is a guest on The Story Reading Ape discussing why authors need a business card. Aside from making us appear more professional, they are an easy way to advertise our books as well as a convenient way to share information about ourselves. Hop over to Chris’ blog for the details …
If you’re a published author and don’t already have some business cards, it might be worth considering. They are one of the cheapest and easiest ways to advertise your books, and a convenient way to give anyone you meet the information they need to find them. Having a business card also makes you appear more professional.
People will often express interest in your writing, but can easily forget the details after they finish the conversation. With your business card in their hand, they are much more likely to proceed to the next step and perhaps to a sale. It also gives you an easy and convenient way to provide people with your contact details and a place to find your buyer links. Quickly handing over a card is far preferable to searching for a pen and scribbling the information on a scrap of paper.
Various online sales outlets allow you…
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PLEASE RE-BLOG, PLEASE.
Lucinda E Clark will begin a new monthly newsletter in January 2017. Aside from promoting her own work, she will feature and promote books by other authors. Hop over to her blog for details. Thank you, Lucinda!
Please will you re-blog this post for me? Yes, I know you’ve not read it yet, but I really, really want to get the word out.
In January I plan to start a new monthly newsletter which will contain the back story to Amie before she went to Africa and the lives of other characters in the trilogy. The first one recounts a major event in Ben’s life which I think you will find both fascinating and interesting. This will only ever appear in my newsletter and never be posted anywhere else.
There will also be early notice of price drops and promos and I will feature and promote books by other authors – so, if you’d like to be included, please contact me.
Most important of all, I will be giving you updates on the full story of the court case as Amie sues me with the intention of…
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Smorgasbord Christmas Party Guest Phillip T. Stephens – Comfort and Hair Balls? You Better Think Twice.
Adopting a companion animal shouldn’t be done on a whim. Many times parents think a kitten or puppy would make a lovely gift for their children, especially on birthdays and holidays. Author Phillip T. Stephens is a guest on Smorgasbord – Variety is the Spice of Life, where he discusses the pros and cons of adopting a kitten. Hop over to Sally’s blog for the details …
Food in Fiction – Part 4 – Guest Post…
Christine Campbell brings us Part 4 of Food in Fiction as a guest on The Story Reading Ape. Christine’s novels tend to feature food. Yet even if our novels don’t, she suggests at least deciding what and where our characters like to eat, in order to enhance their reader appeal. Good advice! Hop over to Chris’ blog for the full story …
In this, the fourth and last article on the topic of Food in Fiction, I thought I’d let you into a badly kept secret.
Having been married since forever and having brought up a family of five, I can cook – but I wouldn’t say I was good at it. Perhaps that’s why none of the main characters in my novels have been great cooks. I’ve had my share of disasters too, though not ever on the scale of Hugh’s in my WIP, For What it’s Worth.
By the time she turned into the communal stair of the flats, Sandra had built up a fair head of steam in her boiler, fuelled by the indignity she suffered at work set against the memory of Hugh lying warm and sleepy in their bed when she left him this morning and sitting with his feet on the coffee table all day…
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Writing on the Edge – A World of Dark Fantasy – Guest Post…
As a guest on The Story Reading Ape, Jaq D Hawkins discusses the inherent challenges of writing dark fantasy. The characters don’t normally eat, drink, dress, or toilet like normal folk; so fleshing out a story demands considerable imagination . . .
I never set out to write Dark Fantasy. As a lifelong Fantasy genre reader, all I had in mind when I started my goblin series was to create my own Fantasy world. The darker aspects came of their own accord.
This is what happens when a writer gets fully in tune with their muse. Stories go in unexpected directions and worlds form, the details working themselves out as the plot moves along. The experience of creating a world is very similar to that of reading about one, yet that little bit more exciting because the writer has godlike power to form it in whatever direction flows naturally from their own subconscious.
Horror writers and Dark Fantasy writers share some common ground. Both delve into the deeper motivations of human or non-human characters. Both explore the darker aspects of the subconscious and the fears that lurk in its deeper realms.
One…
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EDITING 101: 14 – Self-Editing Part 2…
In Part 14 of her Editing 101 series on The Story Reading Ape, Susan Uttendorfsky brings us Part 2 of Self-Editing. She discusses proper and improper usage of semi-colons and commas. Consider these examples: Woman without her man is nothing; Woman, without her man, is nothing; Woman, without her, man is nothing. Hop over to Chris’ blog and enjoy the fascination of punctuation 🙂
Originally posted as the Dun Writin’—Now Whut? series on this blog, EDITING 101 is a weekly refresher series for some of you and brand new for others.
Courtesy of Adirondack Editing
Self-Editing Part 2
Last week in Self-Editing Part 1 we talked about some specific tasks that can be done while self-editing.
Today we’re going to talk about tasks involving grammar.
Grammar was developed to make writing understandable since you’re not there to correct any misunderstandings.
Your writing needs to stand on its own two feet!
Using commas properly. The first use of the comma is to replace the word “and.”
I went to the store and bought apples and pears and bread and milk.
I went to the store, buying apples, pears, bread, and milk.
The first example is not wrong, but the excessive use of the word “and” makes it hard to read. A comma is generally not used…
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Learning as You Write – Guest Post…
Mary Clark is a guest on The Story Reading Ape, discussing Learning as You Write: “it’s okay to write what you don’t know, as long as you make every effort to come to know it.” When I began writing my latest novel, I thought no research would be involved. Was I taken by surprise? You bet. And I thoroughly researched everything for the sake of authenticity. Hop over to Chris’ blog to read about Mary’s personal experience . . .
Writers are advised by editors, agents, academic and self-appointed experts to write about what they know. Some people have pointed out that would be boring. As writers we live in a world of imagination. Some tend to exaggerate, or have a quirky point of view, but many of us simply wonder what’s beyond the known world. We daydream, pay close attention to and analyze our sensory experience, and experiment with ideas. In other words, we go beyond the bounds of ordinary existence. In a way our characters are avatars for ourselves as we explore a made-up world, one created from what we know and what we are curious to know.
When I wrote Miami Morning, I broke the rule on writing what you know. Instead, I was fascinated by what I could learn about topics that were new to me. As I wrote, for instance, I was challenged, just…
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5 Basic Tips on Staying Focused When Writing a Book – Guest Post…
The Story Reading Ape features guest Audrey Throne discussing ways authors can remain focused while writing. And much to my disappointment, her list doesn’t include eating chocolate 🙂 Hop over to Chris’ blog for these common-sense tips . . .
To be able to work with sheer dedication, a writer needs the ability to fully concentrate and stay focused at all times. Maintaining your focus for sustained periods can be a difficult task to do. Psychologists suggest a powerful form of concentration for writers called ‘flow’. This refers to an individual fully engaging in the task they are doing. For a writer, ‘flowing’ concentration is essential to write pieces with utmost fluency.
Inability to concentrate can be fruitless, especially for a writer. In order to make each day productive, writers must employ these 5 basic tips to stay focused on work and exercise their minds for better concentration:
Stick to the Schedule
The type of schedule you keep doesn’t matter as long as it caters to your needs and helps dedicate time to your book on a regular basis. If you’re not experienced in writing projects, avoid scheduling as you…
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Meet Guest Author Jeremy Breitenbach…
Author Jeremy Breitenbach is a guest on The Story Reading Ape today. Jeremy is legally blind with cerebral palsy and uses Braille. He is also the author of 6 books, loves watching TV and movies as well as playing video games, and wishes to donate a portion of the sale of his books to charity. The next time I think something is just too hard or beyond my capabilities, I’ll remember Jeremy. He is an inspiration and a bright light in the world …
My name is Jeremy Breitenbach. I am legally blind with cerebral palsy and use Braille.
The cerebral palsy limits me to the use of one hand, my left. I have limited vision in my left eye and none in my right, but I can watch TV, watch movies, and play video games if I sit close to the TV screen.
Some of my favorite TV shows are: the Dragon Ball franchise (which is comprised of: Dragon Ball, the Dragon Ball movies, Dragon Ball Z, the 15 DBZ movies and 2 specials, Dragon Ball Z Kai (the revised Dragon Ball Z), Dragon Ball GT, and the Dragon Ball GT special), Ghost Adventures, Ghost Adventures: Aftershocks, The Middle, The Simpsons, Robot Chicken, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, the entire Star Trek franchise, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (the one from 1983), Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, The Legend of Zelda (1989…
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TINA FRISCO 
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