Monthly Archives: June 2014

Ghost Writer is born — Now Released!

Sometimes story ideas come at odd and inconvenient times, like right in the middle of writing another story. This is how Ghost Writer‘s idea was born. While working on Beisbol Libre, a novel that brings back Cynthia Spencer into the fray, I found her such a compelling character, I had to come up with another […]

Sign up to get a free copy of “Decisive Moment”

Sign up to our newsletter to download a free copy of Decisive Moment for your Kindle eReader. If you’re already signed up, you will automatically receive the free download link in a couple of days. Sign up to the newsletter (look to the right!) or do nothing if you’re already signed up. Simple, right? NOTE:This […]

Active Shooter, an ‘Our Cyber World’ novella coming soon

Now that Pink Ballerina has been out dancing for a while, would you like to learn a little more about Andre Esperanza’s past? Some of you may have read an excerpt for an early draft of Active Shooter. Within a few days, I will be releasing a revised and fuller version of this short story, […]

Who do I write for?

Who do I write for? We should always know our intended audience, I heard somewhere. But even if we intellectually know them, do we consistently and unequivocally write for their benefit? I’ll tell you my short answer and then expand. I write for my readers. I write for their enjoyment and, if I can manage […]

Why I love eBooks

Before you run away fearing this is some apologetic about how eBooks are better than print books, let me say the following. I recognize book signings don’t work very well with eBooks (working on that, though). I admit that eBooks make terrible flower drying devices, and they don’t hold baby’s locks of hair very well. […]

When Characters drive the story

Have you ever read a book or story description that claims it is “character-driven”? What exactly does it mean for a character to drive a story’s plot? Is the author sitting at the keyboard while a bunch of unruly characters make him write this and that? Well, yes. No. It’s complicated. Maybe an example will […]

Pink Ballerina ~ 3 free days at the Kindle store

I am pleased to announce that for the next three days, from June 11th to June 13th, Pink Ballerina will be available free of charge at Kindle store near you. Download a free copy while supplies last! Oh, wait. It’s an eBook, so scratch that supplies last thing.

Driven to Write ~ Purpose

Ah, the purpose thing. I’ve been dreading writing this one. For some reason I want to spend the next four paragraphs permutating through variations of Steve Martin’s “special purpose” discussion in The Jerk. But if as Daniel H. Pink claims in Drive, Purpose, along with Autonomy and Mastery motivate us to work harder and produce […]

Driven to Write ~ Mastery

Does a job where you will never get better at what you’re doing excite you? When you examine your ability to write, are you satisfied with what you produce, or rather are you motivated to get better? If the latter, to what extent does that motivation drive your writing? If as Daniel H. Pink claims […]

The Drive to Write ~ Autonomy

Which task would you rather do, one someone directs you to perform, or one you dreamed up on your own? Answer that question honestly, and you’ll understand why in his book Drive, author Daniel H. Pink argues Autonomy provides us with a powerful motivator for our work. As we previewed in our introduction, along with […]