Writing Resources
I get questions from aspiring writers and those just interested in the publishing process. Here are some who have inspired, educated, and guided me along my path. Clicking on the person or company’s name will take you to their site and clicking on the image will take you to their book or set of books.
An immense thank you to all.
King of the Thrillers and my inspiration. I’m a huge fan of his thrillers. What I love about his novels is that they are contemporary adventures that reveal gold nuggets of history. He and his wife Elizabeth are founders of History Matters, which helps cities worldwide with historic restoration and preservation. It was his books that inspired me to pursue writing historical novels on little known events and intriguing theories. A special thank you. I bow to your expertise.
Editors
Thou shalt have an editor. Let me repeat that: thou shalt have an editor. You need someone to analyze your work. Tell you what you’re doing wrong. Tell you what you’re doing right. Here are two terrific women who can help you on that path to terrific writing.
Book Cover
You’ve heard the old saying “You don’t judge a book by its cover.” That’s a crock. People do judge a book by its cover. So, go get a good one that knocks their socks off. Here’s an excellent company that can design you one.
Experts in the field of formatting and layouts. The go-to place for getting your manuscript and cover in tip-top shape.
Authors
Queens of the Deep. These two women, the co-founders of Writers Helping Writers, joined forces to create a series of books and articles which reveal how to define and describe the inner lives of your characters. Some major tools for your tool belt when sitting down in front of that blank sheet.
Queen of Structure. Unconsciously, your readers want a structure, especially depending on your genre. Blake Snyder originally wrote the “Save The Cat!” for screenplays. Jessica took those concepts and adapted them for writing novels. And what a revelation it is.
Queen of the Romance Structure. Struggling with constructing that romance due to all those details? Through her analysis of Korean romantic dramas (Kdrama), she developed an outline approach which will help you write that next Hallmark movie or that epic romantic novel.
Queen of Historical Fiction. Being a historical fiction writer, I entered the profession with a lot of misconceptions. Let’s break some of these, shall we? Here Ms. Darwin exposes the genre and reveals the do’s and don’ts.
Queen of the Craft. Ms. Hall’s Writer’s Craft series of books is the no-nonsense way of how to write as a professional. I lost count of the number of books I’ve read of hers and each one gets down to the nitty-gritty. Want to cut through a lot of the murkiness out there, here’s the way.
Queen of Publishing. Although the book is entitled “Self-Publishing Book Camp Guide,” it’s more than just that. It gives you a soup to nuts understanding of the entire publishing process.
Queen of the Edit. A book really gets written during the editing process where the slap on the side of the head is not only expected but desired. Ms. Martin’s book is an incisive look into the process, which leads to your writing packing a punch.
King of the Craft Podcast. Like Rayne Hall, Brandon McNulty jumps into the details of the craft with a series of podcasts that gives the needed knowledge in storytelling and a host of other topics. Click on his picture to go to his YouTube channel.
Queen of the Outline. At the top of every outline, I put this quote from the great Yogi Berra: “You’ve got to be very careful. If you don’t know where you are going, because you might not get there.” A great book coach, Ms. Nash provides a blueprint which distills the basics of your story and guides you through the process of developing your ideas into something with depth and meaning.
No financial remuneration has been received for these recommendations.