Have you ever tried to get your book into a bookstore—chain or independent—but was turned down cold?

Here you are, a local author with a novel. Your book may be fiction or nonfiction, it may have local significance or not, but it would be nice if at least your area bookstores would…

Hi everybody!

This week on [REALITY CHECK], author Gynger Fyer shares her experience with something I'm sure everyone here can relate to. 

Gynger Fyer, also known as the “Romance Arsonist,” started her…

Those of you who have read my post about Publishing & Professional Courtesy will know that when it comes to having a professional attitude, it goes both ways. We are…

A few weeks ago there was a considerable stink raised in some literary circles about what makes a “real author.” Some of the blog posts were downright insulting and vitriolic whereas others presented a more calm and measured argument. I’m sure many of you out there know what I’m talking about— and the…

Would you dig in junior high lunch slop for an expensive lost item?

Dumpster Diving? Yes, I did!

This week on [REALITY CHECK], my friends Jeanie Johnson and Jayha Leigh of Beautiful Trouble Publishing are here to share insight into something you may have experienced--or…

You don’t have to be a genius to love reading, but that doesn’t mean a genius won’t read your work. Bill Gates dropped out of college and Albert Einstein dropped out of high school. Both of these men went on to affect life on this planet today.

Ever wonder what books they…

As writers, we are very prone to the latest social networking craze that comes our way. How many times do we rush out to learn about a new tool someone has recommended to us? Do you know how many social networks you are on? If the answer is more than four, has it ever occured to you that perhaps you’re on too…

Happy New Year, She Writers!

Since some of y'all may be starting the New Year off with various writing resolutions, I want to start 2013 by sharing an article I wrote in 2010 that has been published in a few places but is still valid today.

We tell children to be courteous and respectful all the time. Well, we're all adults here, and we should practice what we preach.

Unfortunately, there are plenty of…

Stephanie Kelsey, owner/publisher of Mojocastle Press LLC is my guest today and she talks about some of her successes and battle scars of this thing called epublishing.…

Howdy, folks!

This week on [REALITY CHECK] I have Jolie du Pré, author, editor, and power promoter. Jolie is a successful freelance writer and writes for several major outlets including Yahoo! and omg! She is also our marketing coordinator for us at …

The saying “You can’t tell a book by its cover, but the cover helps to sell a lot of copies of the book” is true.

I am attracted to books by their covers. In fact, in addition to buying books I want to read, I collect print books by my favorite authors from a certain period and by certain…

This week my guest on [REALITY CHECK] is Margaret Riley of Changeling Press. Margaret gives you a good insight as to what she's looking for and how/where they can be found. If you ever bump into her or one of her reps at a conference,…

This week on [REALITY CHECK], my guests are authors Jeanie Johnson and Jayha Leigh, who are…

Consider this a public service announcement and warning about this disease! You could have it and not even know it, like me.

You're Kidding Me? What the...? I Have What?

Over the next several weeks on [REALITY CHECK] until the end of the year, I'm going to share interviews and guest blog posts from various publishers and authors to add more perspectives to the realities of publishing today. If nothing else, you may be introduced to various publishers whom you may consider…

Language is not static. Language evolves over time. Words come en vogue (or are invented) and some words become passé or archaic. As language changes, so do the “rules” of its use.



For example: someone says to you that “every sentence ends with a period and that rule will…

You have just finished writing your manuscript and you are determined to see it published.

You immediately start submitting it to publishers, editors, and literary agents only to get rejection after rejection after rejection.

You decide that these “literary gatekeepers” are complete…

Self-proclaimed nerd, BrookLyn Scott, is an eighteen-year-old high school senior in upstate New York who has never held a boy’s hand let alone one’s interest. She has some friends at school and church but is never far from the watchful eye of her abusive parents. BrookLyn’s plan is to escape the abuse by excelling in high school and running safely to college just as her older siblings did. Her plan is derailed after she’s invited and attends her first party. By the end of the night, BrookLyn…

Warwick Valley High School junior, Graye Moon, strolled innocently through the hallways at school in the shadows of her older sister, Sylver, and had never been interested in dating. Her parents strictly enforced their no dating before eighteen rule discouraging her from seeking more than friendships. Graye was focused on hanging with her best friends, doing her homework, playing sports, and staying away from the pranks her sisters Sylver and Blu conjured up.

Out of nowhere a…