Tag: books

Surviving 700 Rejections

Last week, I hit another significant submission milestone. I received my 700th rejection since I started tracking them on Duotrope back in 2012. If you’ve been following my blog for any length of time, you know that when I hit a big round number… Continue Reading “Surviving 700 Rejections”

Submission Statement: February 2025

February has come and gone, and it was a pretty solid month for submissions. I’m still on pace to hit all my goals for the year, from the number of submissions sent to the number of new stories written. Let’s dive in and take… Continue Reading “Submission Statement: February 2025”

Writerly Wonderings: What’s My Brand?

  I think it is important for a writer to have a brand to some extent, so they can more effectively and precisely market to potential readers. This doesn’t mean an author can’t stray from that brand a bit, but if it gets too… Continue Reading “Writerly Wonderings: What’s My Brand?”

Effectively Wild Launch Day & Other Weird Baseball Stuff

Today, my baseball horror novella Effectively Wild launches in print and e-book. Be a friend, and head on over to Amazon or your online book retailer of choice and grab a copy. Okay, now let’s have a little fun. While you don’t need to be a… Continue Reading “Effectively Wild Launch Day & Other Weird Baseball Stuff”

First Draft Finish Line: What’s Your Speed?

How long should it take you to write the first draft of a novel? There’s no right answer, really, but as both a writer of novels and a former editor of authors who write novels, I’ve identified three categories that most writers fall into… Continue Reading “First Draft Finish Line: What’s Your Speed?”

A Week of Writing: 1/13/20 to 1/19/20

One more week of writing in the books. Let’s see how I did. Words to Write By This week’s quote comes from novelist Hallie Ephron. “Outlining is like putting on training wheels. It gives me the courage to write, but we always go off… Continue Reading “A Week of Writing: 1/13/20 to 1/19/20”

Proofing Checklist: Just Nod & Smile

I recently finished the latest revision of my novel, and after all the heavy lifting was done–you know, adding new scenes, tweaking character motivations, all that–it was time for one more proof before it goes back to my agent. Now I have a pretty… Continue Reading “Proofing Checklist: Just Nod & Smile”

Ranks of the Rejected: Andrew Bourelle

This time on Ranks of the Rejected I spoke with an author who directly inspired me to get off my ass and start submitting stories on a regular basis. I met Andrew Bourelle through his brother Ed Bourelle, a friend and colleague, and we… Continue Reading “Ranks of the Rejected: Andrew Bourelle”

First Shots Fired: An Author Interview at Privateer Press

My first Iron Kingdoms novel, Acts of War: Flashpoint, drops in June, and the fine folks over at Privateer Press have gone and plastered my smiling mug on their website along with an interview about the book. If you have a sec, hop on… Continue Reading “First Shots Fired: An Author Interview at Privateer Press”

Take a Quiz, Get a Free Story from Privateer Press

Some of you might recall that I’m writing a series of novels for my former employer, Privateer Press, set in their Iron Kingdoms universe. Why am I reminding you? Well, Privateer Press has announced new editions of their award-winning tabletop miniature games WARMACHINE and… Continue Reading “Take a Quiz, Get a Free Story from Privateer Press”