10 Tips for: Landing Local Media Appearances
In today’s interconnected world, authors have many opportunities to promote their reading and autograph events. Leveraging local radio, event listings, newspapers, and social media can enhance your visibility and attract a larger audience. By utilizing these media outlets, authors can transform their in-person events into anticipated gatherings, ensuring their stories reach a broader, more engaged […]
From Waves to Words
Tools for Writing by the Sea Wendy Van Camp Welcome to Newport Beach, a coastal gem nestled in Southern California. Its allure is undeniable, beckoning travelers with its glistening shores and cerulean waves. Spanning over ten miles along the public park system, the Balboa Peninsula showcases the beauty of the California coast. It’s a place […]
Unlocking the Power of Podcast Appearances for Authors
Wendy Van Camp I did not go out to find podcasts as an author. Strangely enough, podcasts found me. During the early months of the 2020 pandemic, I was facing the loss of many in-person appearances and book fairs. Out of the blue, some of my writer friends invited me to join their podcast since […]
How Fanfiction Can Reignite an Author’s Passion
Many years ago, I developed a desire to read more classics, so I thought about trying Jane Austen’s works. I had never read her books, but I’d seen a movie or two and enjoyed the stories. The only book available from the library without a month’s waitlist was Persuasion. After I read the book, I […]
Hone Your Home Writing Setup with these Easy Ergonomic Techniques
Ergonomic Workspaces Protect Your Health and Your Career’s Longevity Wendy Van Camp As authors, we navigate the landscape of our imagination, but at the helm of our adventures is an often-unacknowledged force: the ergonomics of our writing space. Even if it doesn’t seem to matter much in the short-term, the setup we choose can shape […]
10 Tips for: Author Events on Discord
Wendy Van Camp Ever wanted to find a single virtual space where readers could chat, you could give presentations, and you could hold online book launches or other events? Welcome to Discord! Discord is a place of many “servers,” or communities. Each one offers threaded text conversation and the ability to talk in real time […]
Time for Show and Tell
Re-examining the Golden Rule of Fiction As authors, the adage to “show, not tell” has been etched into our minds by well-meaning teachers from grade school to university. It’s for good reason. Showing detail rather than explaining things outright invites the reader to step into your story world and experience a character’s actions and emotions […]
Goggles and Gadgets: Analyzing the Elements of Steampunk
Personally, I think Victorian fantasies are going to be the next big thing, as long as we can come up with a fitting collective term for Powers, Blaylock and myself. Something based on the appropriate technology of the era; like “steampunks,” perhaps. —K. W. Jeter, in a 1987 letter to the science fiction magazine Locus […]
Ten Tips: Google Workspace
Unlock a world of creativity and communication with the integrated tools of Google Workspace. Once a free platform for writers on a budget and not thought to be useful, Google’s ecosystem has matured. More and more writers are turning to it as their platform of choice. Anywhere you need to go, Google is there with […]
Exploring Flights of Foundry, A Virtual Sci-Fi Convention
On April 14, I moved my favorite houseplant to the edge of my desk and clamped my backdrop behind my office chair, adjusting my lights and setting up my webcam. I was not the only one. Writers, podcasters, and artists across the world were doing the same, preparing to appear at the annual online Science-Fiction […]