Uniting readers, writers, and authors to build better books.
It's not just an autograph It's your name, and with it is usually some well wishes. But what do you write, if you choose to write the reader a message? Do you add a little message at all? Why does this even matter? Well, your readers come to your signing because they want to meet... Continue Reading →
When did you realize you were born to write? At 9 years old! My fourth grade teacher liked reading my stories and was a great encouragement to a girl who was usually rather shy. What got you into historical reads? I first started reading the old Gothics from the 60’s and 70’s in high school... Continue Reading →
Here are your must reads for July! Celebrate with indie authors and the USA! “This is what we’re here for, this is what Fate made us to be – a force to stand between the enemy and the innocent.” The first battle is over and the people of the realms grieve for the fallen. Meanwhile,... Continue Reading →
The power of words. Our pen- our sword. What life to breathe into an empty space, and what love to feel through the magic of black symbols spread over the white sheets. Our power. The glorious, beautiful, infinite power of words... Light in a darkened room and the air to breathe. I’ve been in the... Continue Reading →
LGBTQA Characters: Tips for doing it well. LGBTQA books are a big right now, so writing you character correctly is a must! Getting it wrong could not only insult someone, but poor research make an author look extremely unprofessional. So know your stuff when writing, especially in the LGBTQA community. As authors we tell stories,... Continue Reading →
What got you into writing? I’m not really sure where it all began, but as a kid I remember writing out all these crazy little stories for my little sister and I to laugh at. Even though they weren’t great by any means, I just enjoyed putting my thoughts onto paper. I guess over time,... Continue Reading →
Kevin Wolf is on a road trip back to his hometown. Wolf decides to drive through the night when he spots a teenage girl hitchhiking on the side of a lonely highway. With the intent of driving her to safety, Wolf offers her a ride. The mysterious girl at first doesn't speak a word.... Continue Reading →
The odds WERE formidable. A US Air Corps fighter pilot who found himself in a German prisoner of war camp after his plane was shot down. He survived that disaster but wasn’t too sure about his current ‘home’. Despite this, he refused to let the probabilities stop him from making the best he could of... Continue Reading →
Today we dabble in the prep work that needs to go into your submission for Pitch Wars, and jumping right in, let's talk manuscript. You need it to be on the top of its game! How do we get there? Well here's a few things you can try Beta Readers. While there is a debate... Continue Reading →
Velvet Davis When did you know you had the writing bug? Since I was a child I've known I wanted to be an author. I'd ask for blank notebooks as Christmas or birthday presents and I’d fill them with stories. For anyone who may not know you, what genre do you write? I... Continue Reading →
This epic first installment of the de Valais Chronicles will cast a spell you’ll never forget. Kemina and Gabrielle aren’t just cousins, they are members of the illustrious De Valais family of witches. On Midsummers Eve the cousins experience the sudden death of a classmate. An event unleashed by the wrath of an obscure enemy.... Continue Reading →
Writer's block is debilitating. Crippling a writers soul purpose on this earth, the mental dam can take months to get over. Luck for you, I have some tips that just might help you overcome that feeling of being stuck. Look at books- I find a trip to the library helps sometimes. I just look at... Continue Reading →
The dates have yet to be set for the 2019 Pitch Wars, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't be getting ready. Pitch Wars is a program helping writers make careers out of their fiction novels. They mentor fresh, polished, unpublished manuscripts into something agents and publishers can't resist. They've been at this since 2012 and... Continue Reading →
My name is Cassandra Albee and I author under my maiden name Cassandra DenHartog. I got started writing as a young child, but also liked to eat too much to be a starving artist. So, I became a Physical Therapy Assistant and a Massage Therapist. I traditionally published first with a small publisher, then began to... Continue Reading →
When did you know you were meant to be a writer? I’ve always loved to write, inspired by my mom, who loved to write. I wrote letters, diaries (that were more like books), and loved research projects. I always dreamed of writing “that book someday”, but in high school I took my first creative writing... Continue Reading →
Here are April's MUST read books JUDGEMENT OF SOULS is a Gothic horror in which a naïve pure-blood Vampire is tossed into the mortal world. Rachel meets Daniel, a nightclub owner and his group of friends and after Daniel’s best friend is murdered by Max, becomes embroiled in the search. Rachel tries to fight off... Continue Reading →
It's a question I get asked a lot. And my answer may vary based in the situation, but some factors will always remain the same. Newer, eye catching, book promos are coming out from major publishers everyday. This buries us indies in the hoards, making it even more difficult to stand out. Today, I want... Continue Reading →
Its truly a challenge to edit your own work, let alone, hunt down all the repeat offenders in your work (That's what I call overused words). Today we'll look at ways to spot those little buggers. I always recommend getting a professional editor, who will spot things like that, and hopefully give a few suggestions.... Continue Reading →
When did you know you had a story you needed to tell? When I first started figuring out this whole language thing (maybe two, three years old), I immediately started narrating my life as if it were a storybook. I have no memory of this, but that was when my parents looked at each other... Continue Reading →
A not guilty verdict. A kidnapping. A midnight trial. Six sitting in judgment and one empty chair. Revenge- is it sweet or just a bitter seed? Coach Terrence Jackson is the man who has divided the town of Marston. There are those who believe in the coach and his innocence and then there are the... Continue Reading →
Amazing is a commonly overused word, and finding replacements can be tricky work. But you can always count on the IABE to have a solution to that issue. Check out all these ways to say amazing, without actually saying it. Astounding- surprisingly impressive or notable. Bonny- attractive; beautiful. Captivating- capable of attracting and holding interest;... Continue Reading →
In the last decade, self-publishing has become more acceptable. However that started a major catch 22 of who is better, traditional publishers or the good ol' DIY. And while I LOVE the indie book world, rare gems can be found amongst the traditionally published books too. Now, I'll set out some facts and you can... Continue Reading →
At what point in your life did you decide to start writing? I started writing at a very young age. It really took off when my Dad bought me a typewriter.... Continue Reading →
Walker Callaghan doesn't know what happened to her. One minute she was living her teenage life in suburban Chicago...and the next minute, she was in a strange place and in a brand new school with absolutely no homework, no rules, and no consequences. Walker Callaghan, 17, is dead. She doesn't go to heaven or hell.... Continue Reading →
As a reader, I get turned off by repeat offenders! Now you're probably thinking "Repeat Offenders?" Yes, in writing we have words that are completely over used. So, we're countering that with replacement words that might make your work read more natural. Check it out. Very Careful, try: Cautious, Heedful, Watchful, Alert, Prudent, Circumspect, Cagey,... Continue Reading →
So, writer's will swear those little b@stards will move over night. Others, just ignore the rules and use them sparingly. But are you really saying what you need to say, correctly? Are you painting the right story, including the right punctuation? Well, let's get over the comma drama, and learn the rules of a comma.... Continue Reading →
When did you decide to start writing? About 6 or 7 years ago. I had this elaborate “bedtime” story in my head I had been developing for several years. A couple of my friends told me I should write it down. It took me a while to take them seriously, but eventually I gave in,... Continue Reading →
Even authors need a vaca! Enjoy your celebrations!
First, let us learn, what are sensitivity readers? They read through manuscripts for bais instances and representation issues. Let's not forget, they look out for the naughty words. Basically they point out all the "sensitive" areas of a manuscript. Now this isn't something you need to worry about unless you are marketing to a group... Continue Reading →
After years of abuse and eventual abandonment, Janie wants to forget her parents ever existed. Moving to her mom’s hometown of Everod doesn't make that easy. Then she meets Tristan. The emotions he ignites within her are almost enough to make her ignore all of the weird things he says. Almost enough to ignore the... Continue Reading →
You’ve taken the time to create an amazing character. You’ve crafted a brilliant setting, and plotted your stories path. But how do you get that character to speak? You can hear the character talk to you in you’re head, but when you type it out, there is no sense to any of it. Well, you’re... Continue Reading →
As it turns out Word isn't the word anymore. More authors are branching out to other writing tools, and I'm here to show you the best. Plus I'll tell you what types of writers benefit from these apps/software. You'll find everything from free to paid, and for all skill levels! Writing's hard enough, so make... Continue Reading →
Alex Bolton is a police detective on the verge of losing his family and his job due to his aggressive nature. He is given one last chance to regain both, although it does not look as though he will succeed. Diana Pearce was once a rising teen superstar. Now she is nearly broke in every... Continue Reading →
Here's all the fun you missed out on!!
If you haven't caught on by now, we're focusing on repeat offender..... this means you commonly overused words!! I'm coming for you with substitute words to kick those offending words out! Bonus: you'll look like a professional when readers dive into your work! So, without further adieu... Mirrors Reflect Echos Emulates Survey Leer Inspects Trolls... Continue Reading →
We've all heard the testaments before. All great books started as a sketch on a napkin, or an all-night writing spree, after a heavy dose of boozing. Writer's had an idea, they wrote it down, expanded that idea, and crafted a novel. Though I am all for writing when the mood hits, there has to... Continue Reading →
What got you into writing? I inherently gravitated towards writing. It was just something I love. I was writing stories as soon as I learned my alphabet. I had a lot of encouragement from my mom and my teachers. From there, I went to as many conferences, lectures and online websites that I could to... Continue Reading →
Just over a year has passed since the zombie virus rapidly spread across the United States ravaging the population. Damon Marshall’s Dream of creating a safe haven for survivors of the apocalypse has come to fruition. The Compound, as it came to be known, is considered a success by many. But Damon and his crew... Continue Reading →
It’s hard not to repeat a word used a lot in a novel. And a word so vital is really hard not to use repeatedly. Said is one of those words that just reused to the point that I could miss it being misspelled in just about anything I read. So to help keep your... Continue Reading →
Thanks for reading today! We're going to devel in plot structure and how to use them properly! We should start this off with the definition of we're talking about today. Plot: Also called storyline. the plan, scheme, or main story of a literary or dramatic work, as a play, novel, or short story.There, don't we feel clear on the subject now? So let's make your plot structured to fit your readers needs! There are 4... Continue Reading →
1) What compelled you to start writing? I’ve always enjoyed reading. Mysteries, horror, some sci-fi. I’ve been an avid reader since childhood. I’ve collected mystery series and as many books as I can by my favorite authors. Somewhere during my early days, I thought it would be neat to write the kinds of stories I’ve... Continue Reading →
She’s an unstoppable human. He’s an immovable beast... Through her research, University of Washington student Chloe Etain accidentally stumbled into an ancient war between the Light and Dark Fae that has culminated in the human world being thrown into pre-industrial chaos. The earth’s sky has been scorched, thrusting it into unending darkness and the humans... Continue Reading →
Know how to act can be hard when you're an author and at a signing. You love the readers for coming out, but you aren't about to be bullied either! So, what is author appropriate behavior? What is reader appropriate behavior? Well, we will learn from the best today. Let's start with a few tales... Continue Reading →
Where did your love of writing begin? I think it started around middle school when I read Dragon’s Milk by Susan Fletcher. I, of course, immediately fell in love with dragons and the author. I’d scribble out my dragon story on notebook paper in a Lisa Frank folder, which I still have I... Continue Reading →
