Monthly Archives: December 2015

HAPPY NEW YEAR?

Posted on December 31, 2015 by Laura Orsini

HAPPY NEW YEAR? by Patricia Grady Cox New Year’s Eve again. Already! Or is your reaction, “What took so long? I thought this year would never end!” I’ll bet many of you are glad 2015 is coming to a close. … Continue reading →

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Doubling down on your “what ifs”

Posted on December 30, 2015 by Laura Orsini

Doubling down on your “what ifs” by Joe Torres “What if…?” Dangerous words, right? (Queues up Jaws theme.) We often think about “what if” in terms of reasons why we shouldn’t do something, or as a justification for why we … Continue reading →

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When Two Crafts Collide . . .

Posted on December 29, 2015 by Laura Orsini

When Two Crafts Collide . . . by C. K. Thomas The six books of The Griffin & Sabine Trilogy and The Morning Star Trilogy represent one of the best examples of blending the crafts of writing and art to … Continue reading →

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My Favorite Day of the Year

Posted on December 26, 2015 by Laura Orsini

My Favorite Day of the Year by Sue Faris Raatjes© December 26th was my favorite day of the year when my four children were young. The frenzy of our holiday season looked like this: Holiday parties School events Shopping, wrapping, … Continue reading →

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My Night Before Christmas

Posted on December 25, 2015 by Laura Orsini

My Night Before Christmas by Mary Ellen Stepanich On my night before Christmas, I felt like a louse. No family in sight, alone in my house. No stockings were hung, no gifts anywhere, No hope for a Santa, nobody to … Continue reading →

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POWER OF THE GROUP: How to have a great group signing event

Posted on December 23, 2015 by Laura Orsini

POWER OF THE GROUP: How to have a great group signing event by Laura Orsini Members of the Phoenix Publishing & Book Promotion Meetup recently put the power of the group to work as we took a booth at the … Continue reading →

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Christmas Week for the Professional Writer

Posted on December 22, 2015 by Laura Orsini

Christmas Week for the Professional Writer by Amelia Painter You’ve got your home decorated inside and out, you’ve completed most of the Christmas gift list, and now the family phone calls are starting to come in. You still have a … Continue reading →

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Fact-checking “well known facts”

Posted on December 21, 2015 by Laura Orsini

Fact-checking “well known facts” by Jake Poinier While editing an article, I needed to research the author’s use of the old saying that the Chinese characters for “danger” and “opportunity” combine to form the ideogram “crisis.” (I initially thought the … Continue reading →

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Constructive Criticism – Yes, There Is Such a Thing!

Posted on December 16, 2015 by Laura Orsini

Constructive Criticism – Yes, There Is Such a Thing! by Patrick Hodges One of the best mindsets you can have as an author is self-confidence. After spending months, years, even decades slaving over your manuscript, producing a final product that … Continue reading →

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Happy Whatever

Posted on December 15, 2015 by Laura Orsini

Happy Whatever by Lesley Sudders There’s something in December that makes people pause. We love our rituals, but none so much as those that occur as the year winds down. Ages ago, sages of many cultures figured out the winter … Continue reading →

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