“It’s the economy.”

“It’s the economy.”

Financial performance of vendor participation at events this year (2024) compared to last year (2023) yields disappointment. I and my best friend, Cindra, have gone to some new events this year as well as returned to previously attended events in the constant...

Let’s be reasonable

I found the above solicitation on freelancer.com. This is, unfortunately, not an unusual solicitation for ghostwriting services. To those who may be new to my blog or to ghostwriting, let’s do the math and break this project down. The rate is $1 per 2,000 words...
Tropes, cliches, and crutches for lame literary devices

Tropes, cliches, and crutches for lame literary devices

On LinkedIn, a colleague who edits mysteries mentioned the usefulness of a false confessions to serve as red herrings in mystery novels. They’re clever devices that distract the reader (and the sleuth) from solving the case too soon. I commented on her post...

Tom Hock, Artist & Author

When I started writing my stories, I didn’t have a lot of confidence. People enjoyed my stories, but my English skills are not the best. A lot of people gave me encouragement and I self-published my first book. While starting my second novel, Iron Embrace, I met Karen...