Blog

Why I Built a Platform

I stopped renting my readers Last spring I clicked the most important button on my own website and hit a locked door. The button said "Read Free Stories." I'd put it front and center, the thing I most wanted a new reader to press. I pressed it myself, pretending to be a stranger.…

The Writing Resources Page

I keep my working craft notes on one page of this site. It's called Writing Resources, and reaching it costs nothing but a free account. I mean the actual notes. The template I fill in before I name a character. The ten-part slog I went through to build a believable world for my …

Writing update – March 2026

I’ve been busy writing, editing, and working on my marketing via social media lately. Here’s a brief update on what’s been happening in my world of writing. Technomancer Book 2 Beta reading has begun on Technomancer: The Awakened Mage. Advanced Reader Copies (ARC) should be sent …

Finn and Elara: Exploring Boundaries in a New Realm

Editing, Editing, Editing…when do I get back to writing? I am happy to say I’ve finished my editing and re-write of sections of A New Past to create a less explicit version of the story. I’m not getting the final formatting sorted out and posted on Amazon for publishing. It’s bee…

Secrets, Surveillance, and Survival in Technomancer

An excerpt from Technomancer. “Elara!” Finn called out sharply as he watched one of the feeds from the neighborhood spy-cams he had set up. The three-person team in cheap business suits were too well organized to be random pollsters. He watched as they stopped people on the stree…

Overcoming Writing Blocks: Tips to Reignite Your Muse

I’ve hit a little block on my two works-in-progress. Neither is fully blocked, in so far that I know where I want the story to go, but both are feeling more like work to write at the moment. Since the first 25k words in each came almost effortlessly, it gives a pause when it star…

Crafting a Compelling Book Summary

Summarizing a novel always feels tough for me. Maybe I'm too close to the content and want too many details in the summary. Maybe I don't know what really engages potential readers to attract their interest. Now that I've finished polishing my first draft of Technomancer, I need …

Editor Tips: Build a Strong Author Platform

The final tip I received from an Editor was to build a strong author platform.  It strikes me that it is an easy phrase to say, but a hard task to accomplish.  I look at some of my favorite authors who are still actively publishing, and I see them blogging on GoodReads, updating …

Editor Tips: Understanding the market

Following up on my conversation with an editor acquaintance, I wanted to dig a little deeper on what they meant by understanding the market, especially from a self-publishing perspective. Here are three tips specifically for self-publishing authors. Conduct Market Research: Befor…