From the category archives:

writing

Ode to the Adverb

When it comes to grammar, the one thing that really aggravates me is the self-appointed grammarian, the person without a teaching certificate or appropriate PhD who can’t resist correcting other people’s use of words. Language is fluid. It lives and breathes. It changes and evolves. Anyone going through life with a rule-book in their pocket [...]

Read the full article →

Novel Writing

Thumbnail image for Novel Writing

Novel writing is certainly an adventure. It is an experience replete with highs and lows – excitement is followed by frustration, depression, and excitement again. In order to keep the lows to a minimum, while working on the early drafts, understanding the basic structure of a novel helps a lot. What’s that? Structure to a [...]

Read the full article →

How Deep Is Your Niche?

Thumbnail image for How Deep Is Your Niche?

I had an interesting discussion this week after I happened to mention my favourite novelist is Nobel Laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the author of Love in the Time of Cholera and One Hundred Years of Solitude. But you’re a mystery writer, she said. Am I? Am I really? Certainly there is no reason why a [...]

Read the full article →

Working with a Professional Editor

Thumbnail image for Working with a Professional Editor

Haven’t been online too much lately. The main reason is I’m about armpit deep in the last series of edits for The Tanglewood Murders. Working with a professional editor is a unique experience. If a publisher is taking on your book, you’re going to go through this experience too. If you’re self-publishing your book, you [...]

Read the full article →

Tanglewood Murders Trailer

Thumbnail image for Tanglewood Murders Trailer

Hi everyone, I just finished the first trailer for The Tanglewood Murders, which will be on the bookshelves in October. (But why wait? You can pre-order it now. Some links to your favourite bookstores are on the link at the bottom.) Click here for the larger version. It’s amazing what one writer can do in [...]

Read the full article →

The Write Time, Write Place for Writers

Thumbnail image for The Write Time, Write Place for Writers

If you are an emerging writer, congratulations!  There has never been a better time to be a writer than right here, right now. I have to say this because of all the doom and gloom that is being spread about the uncertain future of publishing, journalism, newspapers, magazines, poetry, fiction, and anything else that involves [...]

Read the full article →

The Future of Publishing

Thumbnail image for The Future of Publishing

If you think the future of publishing belongs to iPad, think again. This video was posted on YouTube by Dorling Kindersley (a UK publisher) , and I think it is absolutely brilliant. Wanted to share it with you. Enjoy!!

Read the full article →

Virtual Poetry Reading

100 poems reading

This is a video I made for a YouTube / Facebook project, 100 Poems in 100 Days, created by Mark Ruddick from the University of Exeter in the UK, and involving poets and spoken word artists from around the world. I thought it was a pretty cool project and was very happy to participate.

Read the full article →

The Art of Journal Writing

Thumbnail image for The Art of Journal Writing

Daily journal writing is a practice that is invaluable to creating a relationship with the open page, and for renewing your relationship with yourself. This is true whether you are a blogger, a novelist or screenwriter, poet, or someone who just has the need to write down her own thoughts once in a while. Growing [...]

Read the full article →

a few poems

poetry pencils

A few people have been asking about my poetry, and have asked why none of it seems to be online. Well, it used to be. Really it did. That was actually the main reason I created my first website so many years ago. But with some updates last year, those pages were taken down and [...]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries