All I Want for Christmas

This post is by M. K. Waller. I heard them talking. Daddy said, She wants a pogo stick. Mama said, She has enough presents. Santa brought a pogo stick. Daddy smiled. Sturdy. We went outside. Mama frowned. Don’t fall. She’s fine. Daddy lifted me on. I bounced. The pogo stick didn’t. Daddy frowned. Spring’s tight. You’re not heavy enough. Daddy tried.

Bad Men, Lawless, and BSP

 Posted by M. K. Waller I turned on my Kindle today to find Laura Oles’ Daughters of Bad Men, had appeared in its library, overnight, as if by magic. That’s a perk of pre-ordering. Laura is one of my critique partners in Austin Mystery Writers, and Daughters of Bad Men is her first novel. I’ve been in

Writing as Business: An Epiphany

Posted by M. K. Waller ***** Writing is a business. That’s what experienced writers tell the wannabes. For a long time, I thought business applied to action alone: Write every day, attend classes, network, become familiar with various routes to publication, learn the market, read submission guidelines, stay in good physical shape, and on and

Aloha Me!

It’s that time of year again. Time to prepare for Left Coast Crime. This year it’s in Hawaii. It’s called Honolulu Havoc – March 16-19. Having the conference in Hawaii is great and it’s not. One of the down sides is that it’s expensive. It’s a 6 hour flight from Los Angeles and even longer

Resolution/Revolution

Post (c) Doris McCraw We will soon be celebrating Christmas, a time of year of good will, food, fun, family and for some a time of deep connection to all that is. This is followed by New Years, and a time of new beginnings, resolutions and longer days. The New Year comes at a time

A Fast 400

This post by Kathy Waller I admit it: I forgot. I wrote it on my calendar: “2/1/2016: Post on Writing Wranglers and Warriors.” Yesterday I remembered. Then I forgot. So I’m late. [Sigh.] Anyway, just under the wire–Here are four stories I wrote and published on my personal blog as part of Rochelle Wisoff-Fields’ Friday Fictioneers. Each

Fiction That Hurts

by Travis Richardson When writing a short story, besides telling a compelling plot, it is often good to have a character change, differentiating who they were at the beginning to who they became by the end of the story. In crime fiction, this could mean a breathing character on page one ends of up dead

Unexpected Consequences by Erin Farwell

When my first book came out (I am working on the sequel) several experienced authors advised me to start a blog. Over and over I heard how it would help readers find my book and get to know my writing style, which would increase sales and establish myself as an author. Despite these truths I

In Praise of Short Shorts

This post is by Doris McCraw. I confess I love writing short shorts.  For those who are wondering, a short short is a story of 6 to 500 words.  It is a great exercise in writing. I have always loved short stories and this shorter form is such a wonderful challenge. Can you write your

Interruptions, Decisions & Direction

By Doris McCraw I used to write a short story a month that I placed on my http://angelarainesshorts.blogspot.com. That was a former writing practice that I let lapse after the death of my mother in February of 2011.  She had collected and printed all the stories, and that meant a great deal to me. The