This week, I’ll post suggestions to get you tech ready for the blitz of writing you’ll swear to accomplish in the New Year. I do this every year so some will look familiar, but many are updated to reflect changes in the internet and virtual world we all inhabit. Here’s what you’ll get (links won’t …
Join me in this three-volume fictional exploration of Neanderthals and their lives. Be ready for a world nothing like what you thought it would be, filled with clever minds, brilliant acts, and innovative solutions to life-ending problems, all based on real events. At the end of this trilogy, you’ll be proud to call Neanderthal family. …
During my blog hop to introduce my latest prehistoric fiction, Natural Selection, I received help from fellow author-blogger Jina Bazzar, author of the The Roxanne Fosch Files as well as a plethora of other thriller-fantasy fiction you can read more about on her Amazon page. Jina is vision challenged so hosted the story about one …
Here is a popular post from my Ask a Tech Teacher blog: You may have seen this on my education blog A friend asked about speech-to-text options for writing. There didn’t used to be many choices, but now, there are a plethora of tools available for this task. Make sure your microphone is enabled and …
Marcia Meara, author of the hugely entertaining Wake-Robin Ridge series (and more) and blogmaster over at The Write Stuff hosted me during the launch of my latest prehistoric fiction, Natural Selection as part of her fascinating #TenThings series, where she interviews authors to find out what readers might not know about them. I’m reposting the …
Here’s a quick rundown of my favorite tech tips for writers. I find myself using these most days, many times a week. Tell me in comments if that’s true for you, too: Track Your Stuff Windows has a Clipboard Stream! Get Rid of Spam Text Messages Find the Most Recent Blog Article Cover Your Webcam! …
I’m excited to welcome to WordDreams blogger, animal-lover, spiritualist, and acclaimed author of You Beneath My Skin and The Blue Bar, Damyanti Biswas. She is a spectacular writer whose words drop you right in the middle of the power and corruption that is New Delhi life and leave you wondering how the good guys can …
Today, Thomas Wikman, proud owner of a Leonberger named Bronco, author of the definitive book on this breed, The Life and Times of Le Bronco, and I, soulmate to my fictional Canis-dog Ump, sometimes star of the Dawn of Humanity trilogy, will compare stories about our massive dogs. Despite that Ump passed on about 2 …
Tech Tips for Writers is an occasional post on overcoming Tech Dread. I cover issues that friends, both real-time and virtual, have asked about. Feel free to post a comment about a question you have. I’ll cover it in a future tip. You may have seen this on my education blog When I promote my …
Years ago, I submitted my first novel to a list of agents who specialized in my genre, sure they’d love my quirky clever book. I’d edited, re-edited, and run it by people I trusted–it was dressed for success. At that time, I didn’t realize that finding an agent was like putting a hood on a …
It’s become popular to continue a beloved series after the death of the author. Some work like Anne Hillerman who continues the Navajo Mystery series started by her father, Tony Hillerman. He was iconic for his descriptions of life and culture through the adventures of a detective on an Indian reservation. She continues that nicely …
When I teach professional development classes, by far the topic that surprises attendees the most is the legal use of online images. And they’re not alone. On my blog, in educator forums, and in the virtual meetings I moderate, there is much confusion about what can be grabbed for free from online sites and what …
For the next few months, weekly writing tips will include word choice suggestions. That includes: colorful and original descriptions pithy words and phrases picture nouns and action verbs writing that draws a reader in and addicts them to your voice I keep a collection of descriptions that have pulled me into the books. I’m fascinated how …
This is inspired by Jennifer Cohen over at Forbes who wrote a wonderful article on “5 Things Super Successful People Do Before 8am” (few of which I did, though I can claim #5). She includes chores like exercise, eat a healthy breakfast, map out the day–all great ideas, but not pithy enough for the average …
Here are two more trad-published books from NetGalley–not Westerns, not about dogs, just great reads: –a note about my reviews: I only review books I enjoyed. I need to be inspired to write. That’s why so many of my reviews are 4/5 or 5/5 Continue reading
The A to Z Challenge asks bloggers to post 26 articles on a themed topic in the month of April. I find that too busy and decided to post mine ‘about’ once a month. Yes, it’ll take me a couple of years. Sigh. My topic, like the last time, is writing genres. Today: Time Travel Continue reading
In the Shadow of Giants is the fourth trilogy about primeval man in the series, Man vs. Nature Note: If you subscribe to my newsletter, you may already have received some of the information below. My last trilogy–Savage Land–dealt with a time 75,000 years ago when Neanderthals survived a natural disaster that should have wiped them … Continue reading
This post is for Alex Cavanaugh’s Insecure Writers Support Group (click the link for details on what that means and how to join. You will also find a list of bloggers signed up to the challenge that are worth checking out. The first Wednesday of every month, we all post our thoughts, fears or … Continue reading
Here are more of the trad-published books I’ve read lately from NetGalley, not Westerns, not about dogs–just generally great reads (for Part I of this group, click here): Obsidian Sky–another non-stop Dirk Pitt intelligent adventure The Dying Light–DI Matthew Venn catches another difficult case, this one two teenage girls killed for no apparent reason Deceptions–short … Continue reading
Today, I’m over at fellow writer Lauren Scott’s blog. Her book I remember best and that won’t let go of my thoughts is King Copper. Lauren proved her chops as a poet in this celebration of her dog, Copper, first during his life and then as she comes to terms with a world without him. … Continue reading
HAPPY FRONTIERADO! The day we devote to the myth of the old west. It happens the first Friday of every August, this year, August 7th, close to the National Day of the Cowboy, July 26th. Long-time blogging buddy, Balladeer, first alerted me to it knowing I consume a ridiculous number of Westerns each year. You … Continue reading
A lot of teacher-authors read both my education and my writer’s blog–WordDreams. In this monthly column, I share a popular post from the past month on my teacher blog, Ask a Tech Teacher: It’s easy to confuse ‘using technology’ with digital tools. Your school passed iPads out to all classes. Some of your colleagues think … Continue reading
The A to Z Challenge asks bloggers to post 26 articles on a themed topic in the month of April. I find that too busy and decided to post mine ‘about’ once a month. Yes, it’ll take me a couple of years. Sigh. My topic, like the last time, is writing genres. Today: SciFi Romance Continue reading
Back when I published Endangered Species, Book 1 of my prehistoric fiction trilogy, Savage Land, I shared a variety of posts on Neanderthals. If you missed this one, you’ll enjoy reading what your ancestors used to wear each day: Neanderthal wore hides. These were much more advanced than a Mammoth skin with a hole cut … Continue reading
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