Category Archives: Author, Author

A Book Meme

By Richard | Published March 11, 2011

The book I am reading: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. To be honest, I simply don’t love the series like most readers. I don’t find the writing is compelling enough to make me believe in this future (unlike Ship Breakers by Paolo Bacigalupi, which is also about a broken world, and which felt frighteningly real). My [...]

Also posted in Books | 1 Comment

Authors and Websites

By Richard | Published March 10, 2011

Last December, I was desperate for good news, so I sent my manuscript out to literary agents before it was ready. It was a rookie mistake, and I’m still kicking myself because I knew better. I had done my homework. I should have sat on it for a month, to allow my critical eye one [...]

Also posted in Authors and Promotion, Publishing Industry | 2 Comments

Authors, Promotion, Branding, and Websites

By Richard | Published February 28, 2011

As a writer, I’m lucky because I’ve also spent time in the web design community, so I know just how important a website is in creating a brand, an identity. Writers who have agents, and writers who expect they’ll be able to land an agent, need to start thinking about it now. I’ve been running [...]

Also posted in Authors and Promotion, Books, Publishing Industry, Writing | 1 Comment

The Starving Artist

By Richard | Published February 21, 2011

I had a busy weekend, and finished the sixth revision of my work-in-progress, The Secrets of the Hotel Maisonneuve. With good reason. This morning, I submitted my complete manuscript to three literary agents, bringing the number of agents who have read — or are reading — the middle-grade adventures of Jacob Jollimore to six. I [...]

Also posted in Authors and Promotion, Nova Scotia, Politics, Writing | 2 Comments

The Slings and Arrows of Outrageous Fortune

By Richard | Published February 16, 2011

Would we be friends in the real world? It’s an interesting question. I value my online friendship with author Tracy Clark because she’s warm, witty and vivacious. If you spend even a few minutes enjoying her online company, you’ll be be smitten. But I expect we see the world differently. As a climate change activist, [...]

Also posted in Publishing Industry, Writing | Leave a comment

Dark and Stormy Night — A First Line Contest

By Richard | Published February 7, 2011

Brenda Drake is running a best first line contest that features some pretty cool prizes. What you ask? Weronika Janczuk (pronouned Veronica) from D4EO Literary Agency will be offering critiques in the following denominations. Prizes from Weronika: 1st place — a critique of the first 50 pages + query 2nd place — a critique of [...]

Also posted in Authors and Promotion, Writing | 25 Comments

Author Silver Donald Cameron — 25 Questions

By Richard | Published January 27, 2011

I remember the first time I met Silver Donald Cameron because I was scared to death. I had no good reason to be, really. Canadian authors, as a group, have always impressed me with their warmth and kindness. But as a novice feature writer at The Daily News, I felt pressure when writing about such [...]

Also posted in 25 Questions, Books, Canada, Sustainability | 1 Comment

By The Numbers: Literary Agent Query Stats

By Richard | Published January 23, 2011

Tell someone that you’re an aspiring author, and that you’ve written a book, and they immediately want to know when they can buy it. When you explain that it’s not quite that simple, and then chronicle the convoluted steps that take one from creation to hardcover, they’re shocked. Their look suggests you’d have a better [...]

Also posted in Authors and Promotion, Books, Publishing Industry, Writing | 9 Comments

The Query

By Richard | Published January 16, 2011

How could I not be thrilled? Four years ago, I was in the fourteenth year of daily migraines, knowing that my ability to endure was slowing slipping away. I was hanging from a cliff, fingers raw and bloody, strength in my arms failing. Now I’m trying to finish something that excites me beyond belief. In [...]

Also posted in Books, Writing | 5 Comments

One More River to Cross

By Richard | Published January 13, 2011

I wonder if it’s true, or just wishful thinking. I think martial arts give you a deep awareness of your body, so I’ve known for some time how this puzzle would fit together. But I still wasn’t ready. I’ve written about my health problems at length. Fortunately, I have a new endocrinologist who takes my [...]

Also posted in Life, Writing | 10 Comments