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Powerless by S.A. McAuley (The Borders War #3)

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I don’t know if any of this group is familiar with S.A. McAuley’s Borders War series.  It has become one of my favorites with wonderful world building, a dystopian society made worse by the manner in which their  guns function.  Plus two main characters whose loyalties  will keep you guessing.Here is my review of the latest in the series. Melanie Rating: 5 stars out of 5 He was built to be invincible. Merq Grayson and Armise Darcan return to the States, their mission to assassinate the remaining Committee members unfinished. Why? The President of the Revolution is in need of … Read more

Writing Transgender Characters

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I’m getting ready to start another story, my first with a transgender character. The character’s gender identity as a man will be central to the storyline. I am excited to write it, and also a bit nervous – any time you write something you don’t know intimately yourself, you run the risk of either doing it poorly, or of offending the group you are writing about. Still, I think it’s worth the risk. We should always challenge ourselves in our writing, And sure, I may not (probably won’t) write this character as well as someone who is actually transgender, I … Read more

Writing for Myself

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When I was a young writer, I had that big dream – to become the next Anne McCaffrey, or Piers Anthony, or Isaac Asimov – this was well before the days of Harry Potter. I was sure of my writing brilliance.

Writing The Perfect First Scene

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Let’s face it. The first scene of your story is like the front door of your house. If it’s dingy, dusty, falling off the hinges, and covered with bric-a-brac and dead ivy, no one’s gonna want to come inside. But it it’s well lit, clean, and organized, folks are more likely to take a step inside. I’ve written a number of stories, and have gotten a lot of advice on how to start a new story in the most appealing way. And quite often, the way I choose to start it initially and the final beginning are very different. Some … Read more

Writing Short vs. Writing Long

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So I was thrilled to have a couple more sales this week (details to be announced at a later date) for two of my short stories. But it made me wonder, once again, about writing short stories vs. writing novels. Short stories take less time, and can get you out there in many places. But the pay for shorts is not huge, and ultimately they offer only a taste of your potential to the reader. I still think the long game is in writing long – in getting novels put together and out there for folks to enjoy and talk … Read more

Writing in the Zone

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Every now and then, the stars align. I’ve got a concept, a chunk of time and my writing brain is charged and ready to go, and I enter the zone – that place where the writing flows from my fingers like milk in the land of milk and honey. If you’re a writer, you’ve been there – that place in your head where you feel like you could just write and write and write – as if you had tapped into another world, and your characters were just writing themselves. As if you were just the scribe, recounting events that … Read more

Procrastination – the Writer’s Friend?

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Every day, I try to write for at least an hour. I’ve set aside for myself (which my hubby Mark’s wonderful understanding) the hour from 5-6 PM to sit down and actually write (or rewrite). Not to network, not to blog, not to research, but to actually work on the writing. Of course, life sometimes interferes, like when we are going out to meet friends for dinner – those times I try to reschedule my time for earlier (or later) in the day. But sometimes I sit down to write, and I just can’t get into it. I’m not sure … Read more

Writing Wolves

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I’m in the midst of a new/old story – spacemen come back to a depopulated earth only to find out there are werewolves there. I’m writing the wolf POV in present tense to give a sense of immediacy, but got called on my lack of pack dynamics in the story (thanks, Beth!), and I realize I’m basing them on nature specials I saw as a kid and on some half-remembered episodes of True Blood. LOL… With wolves in particular, I know there’s a pack hierarchy, usually with an alpha male, but that female wolves also have high status in the … Read more

Review: Voodoo ‘n’ Vice (Galactic Alliance #3) by K.C. Burn

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Rating: 4 stars out of 5 In his anger and obedience to fleet rules and regulations, fleet captain Gideon Arcturus makes a serious error in judgement regarding the Ankyros Ambassador and his lover. The repercussions from that disastrous event finds Gideon banished to Elora Ki, the compost heap of the galaxy. Disgraced and demoted, Gideon is now a subordinate to a man he viewed as an inferior and considered an embarrassment to his wealthy and influential father. Gideon’s last romantic entanglement was a nasty set up by a rival officer that almost cost him everything. But during a visit to … Read more