I’m a fan of true crime. I founded a writers' conference (Killer Nashville International Writers’ Conference) partly because of my desire to explore it, learn more about forensics and law enforcement, and hang out with writers who spend their lives looking through...
In the last essay, we discussed an overview of the Four Ps to create an effective sell-through plan for your books or services. In this essay, I’d like to apply those principles directly to writers and speakers. The last essay was an overview; this essay focuses on...
Marketing is a pivotal aspect of the journey for a successful author or entrepreneur. To grasp the fundamental marketing elements, we will delve into the Four Ps in this essay. These four pillars are crucial. Every writer should comprehend from the outset how each of...
As many of you know, I’ve written a collection of children’s books. One of the companies I worked for is a massive producer and distributor of board books, picture books, early readers, and chapter books. For those of you who, like me, write for different age groups,...
I’ve never written a graphic novel. “Why, then, are you writing about them?” you might ask. Because I love them. Sometimes, I think they get a short shake in the literary world. Because I’ve seen the smirks from my academic colleagues when I saw I love reading them....
I do a lot of public speaking, probably one event per week. I’ve been doing it for decades. I speak to a wide variety of groups, including presentations for Killer Nashville International Writers’ Conference, Bouchercon, the U.S. Department of Defense, the Chongqing...
I usually write about aspects of literature, but today, I will veer a bit. Several out there seem to be songwriters or budding songwriters and have asked for some songwriting tips, knowing I’ve had a little musical background, including writing, producing, and...
I often get asked to write guest blogs, and I’m sure you do, too. Or maybe writing a guest blog is something that you are thinking about but don’t know the best way to go about it. From my experience, understanding your goals is the best result for you when writing a...
My daughter showed me something yesterday that filled me with pride. It was a list of what she wanted to accomplish in 2025. She’s fourteen years old. It made me wonder how many adults put together such a list, how many adults want to live their life that...
Because of my background, much of my writing is centered around the southern Appalachians as a setting, a setting I often view as a dynamic character in my storytelling and certainly an equal participant in coaxing out the secrets of my characters. The areas close to...