Tropes are literary themes that recur across a genre. Think of tropes as the ‘brilliant detective’ of murder mysteries or ‘the virginal heroine’ in Regency romances. Tropes are more than character descriptions, however. They can relate…
A gem — and charming too I got a sweet review: “This gem of a scifi book offers tips for scifi writers, and secrets for fans of Kayelle Allen’s Tarthian Empire series.” This is more…
In late 2013, I joined a local writer’s group. I was looking for a critique group, but figured any writer’s group would lead me to one. At the time, it was a weekly meeting and…
If you want to date a gay immortal, what should you consider? Here are ten tips. Go out with your gay immortal guy because you like him as a person, rather than to find The…
Like me, my friend Melissa Snark likes the TV Tropes website. What are tropes? They’re devices and conventions that a writer can reasonably rely on as being present in the audience members’ minds and expectations.…
A few years ago I saw a comment about the oddness of Christmas that has stuck with me. It said, “At what other time of year do you sit in front of a dead tree…
When I started writing Science Fiction Romance, I needed planets for my characters. Where were they born? What was it like there? This was my strong suit. After all, I’d been thinking about it all…
Danger Ahead… I occasionally share a list of amusing spam emails. Here are some of the latest. Use discretion when opening these kinds of messages — and a good antivirus program. For best results, don’t…
Stop Spam! Periodically, I do a blog post about funny spam. I get a kick out of reading the subjects in my email?s junk mail folder. Sometimes the wording clues you in right away that…
Best 4th of July Ever! It’s the Fourth of July and that calls for some good old American BBQ, hot dogs, hamburgers, ice cold watermelon, a parade, some fireworks, and of course, a great movie…