With 2019 quickly unfolding, authors and artists face a multitude of challenges and opportunities. Beyond financial planning and tax preparation, this is the ideal time to strategize and sch… Read More

Every year brings a mix of high and low points. Hopefully, you have experienced positive outcomes in both your personal and professional lives. I’m delighted to say that that has be… Read More

In November 2018, Murder on Mokulua Drive [the second Natalie Seachrist Hawaiian mystery] won several awards. Notably, it won Second Place for Published Fiction in the 2018 Arizona Literary… Read More

This is the fourth blog in a series addressing an author’s travel and public speaking engagements [see Effective Materials for Public Speaking, All the World’s a Stage, and Publi… Read More

A shortened version of this blog first appeared on  https://hometownauthors.com, which offers a variety of articles from guest authors of who are members of Hometown Reads. This is the… Read More

I’m pleased to announce that on September 7, 2018, the third blog on the benefits of PUBLIC SPEAKING will be featured on the website of Hometown Reads, while I’m visiting my… Read More

All the World’s a StageThe success of any branding program rests on harmonizing the look, sound, and feel of all of its elements!  That includes the setting in which an author app… Read More

EFFECTIVE MATERIALS FOR PUBLIC SPEAKING Today, I am using the phrase “Public speaking” to cover several means of communicating orally. First there are traditional public addresse… Read More

Most of us think of the five physical senses as we are experiencing them. The toast looks and tastes all right, but it has a slightly burnt smell. I wish the kids would stop screaming, my ea… Read More

Your book series is doing well!  This truly is an accomplishment to cherish!  What must you do to ensure your writing career continues on an upward trajectory?  Regardless of… Read More

This blog first appeared on the Hometown Reads website [https://HometownReads.com], which I highly recommend to both readers and authors seeking to learn more about the art and business of p… Read More

In checking the date of my last blog, I realize how long it’s been since my last one. With all that’s taken place in the last couple of years, the conclusion of 2017 and the arri… Read More

Have you heard of lucid dreaming?  This is when a dreamer is fully cognizant of being in a dream state.  Some authors actually work at learning to control this form of dreaming as… Read More

AFTER THE INTERVIEW You’ve done it!  Regardless of whether an interview is your first or your hundredth, I hope you will feel a sense of accomplishment as you part company with wh… Read More

New Creations From Old Work  In past blogs I’ve talked about examining your previous work as a writer.  Not only does this allow you to measure your progress, it also provide… Read More

There have been many instances in my career as a professional writer when I’ve needed to alter text to maximize its appearance within the space allotted to it.  Sometimes this is… Read More

May 2017 bring you health, happiness & prosperity beyond your New Year visions!  As I examine the months since the launch of Prospect For Murder [the first book in the new Nata… Read More

In these blogs, I usually focus on a specific element of the writing experience.  However, today I’m writing a farewell letter to Mary B, a professional acquaintance who is embark… Read More

Sometimes when we think of the people who have advised us about a project—or regarding life in general—it’s difficult to remember them all.  And when we sit down to co… Read More

Conducting the Interview  Few people willingly give up control of their personhood to allow an acquaintance, let alone a stranger, to delve into their inner thoughts.  But that&rsq&hell…Read More

ou may have stumbled into this blog without an apparent need to address the topic.  You may not be part of a group planning to generate an anthology and you may not have thought you wou… Read More

  While many publishing houses restrict the amount of input an author may have in the printing process, you should be able to express concerns you may have about the production of a wor… Read More

Author Appearances & ReadingsYou’ve reached another milestone in your writing career: You’ve completed a large project and it’s being published.  If you thought th… Read More

Media OutletsYou’ve completed researching the interests and needs of appropriate media outlets.  You’ve established relationships with print, broadcast, and Internet journal… Read More

For Authors and Artists as well as Corporations While logos and slogans are usually associated with corporations, they can be key elements in the branding of any business, regardless of size… Read More

For Authors and Artists as well as Corporations While logos and slogans are usually associated with corporations, they can be key elements in the branding of any business, regardless of size… Read More

The most challenging part of your day as a writer may be facing a blank piece of paper or an empty page on your monitor’s screen.  It may seem surprising to you, but despite our e… Read More

Making Non-Fiction Text User Friendly During a recent project, I had the pleasure of receiving positive critical attention for my comprehensive index.  Nevertheless, some of my co-autho… Read More

Part 2, Research Today’s post is a recipe to help you prepare for any general or oral history interview you may conduct.  While the ingredients may prove dry for some of my r… Read More

Part 2, Research Today’s post is a recipe to help you prepare for any general or oral history interview you may conduct.  While the ingredients may prove dry for some of my r… Read More

A Never Ending Dilemma Are you old enough to remember life before computers? I actually know some people who have only discovered the wonderful world of electronics in the last five years. I… Read More

Thinking of beginning your own blog?  Recently I’ve received requests for tips on setting up a blog.  Before launching into how I created and maintain this blog, I must clari… Read More

Part 1:  Know Your Media With today’s changing media, it is nearly impossible to write a comprehensive and durable directive on the Dos and Don’ts of Media Relations. If you… Read More

The Anxieties of Conducting Interviews While many writers enter a new project by addressing its individual parts consecutively, I tend to begin by considering how it parallels other work I h… Read More