Detective Parrott When I wrote Murder in the One Percent, released in 2018, I wanted to tell the story of a group of insanely wealthy financial wizards who find themselves at an opulent party, but one of them wakes up dead. Because it was a murder…
“Write what you know” is an axiom frequently tossed at new writers. Conversely, “write what you don’t know” is prescribed by such greats as Toni Morrison. Both ideas limit an author’s potential. In fact, infinite shades of storytelling…
Nearly twenty years ago, upon the release of my first novella (“Miracle on Beale Street,” contained in an anthology entitled Dream Vacation published by Tyndale House Publishers), part of my celebration was to call the circulation desk of the…
Want to know what most people don’t know about indie authors? We don’t get books free. We have to order them from the publisher, though sometimes we can buy wholesale. Those are the ones we sell when we speak or teach a workshop. From that…
Every author should love book bloggers, because they truly love books and authors. Snagging reviews in newspapers, magazines and major sites takes work, connections and a lot of luck. Book bloggers can be much more accessible and, because they write…
Marketing seems like a big scary world to a lot of us authors. Writing is the easy part. Once we get published the real hard work starts. Where does one even begin? My publisher provided lots of ideas, but I still had to be creative. The world of…
As an Indie author, marketing is a hot topic for me. I am always trying to keep on top of trends and and learn as much as possible. There are so many options to market books out there. It can be overwhelming (and expensive) if you’ve never done it…
I presume that we all, as writers, have at least one rejection we will always remember. Mine came from an agent to whom I’d sent a non-fiction book proposal. The rejection went like this: I like the concept. I enjoy your writing. If you were Wayne…
You wrote a book, or maybe your fourth. Got it published, either on your own or through an independent publisher, or (ooh-wee) one of the big houses. That makes you an author. You tell your mom, your dad, all your friends (a little sheepishly—the…
As a writer and design consultant, I often focus on color. A favorite question for clients seeking branding advice is, “Have you had your color today?” This seems like a simple question, perhaps referencing a scarf or sales banner. However, my…
