Thoughts on Copy Editors

Every published author will tell you that a great copy editor is a gift from God, and have horror stories about those more in Satan’s camp.  I’ve had both.  Now that I’m busy with the editorial process, the importance of great copy editing has become even more apparent. There’s a big range of capabilities different copy editors bring to their […]

Doris Ex Machina, Part the Last

Adelina here. I am sorry. I look at this blog and realize I have not been keeping up. You would think, being dead, that I would have plenty of time to blog, but it is not so very simple. Just because you are dead doesn’t mean the beets don’t need to be planted, the butter doesn’t need to be churned,

Doris Ex Machina, Part the Third

It was my plan to post a new blog yesterday but Jeff was hogging the computer.  He was mumbling about line edits and cursing periodically, but mostly he seemed happy with his progress. Which is, I think, a good thing. Being dead, I am not such a good judge. Anyway, last week I introduced you to our synchronized swim coaches,

Doris Ex Machina, Part the Second

Where did I leave off? You will excuse me, but my memory is not so good any more now that I am dead. Anyway, if I am remembering, my cousin Iulia gathered us all in the kitchen to tell us of what she would daydream. We were very much surprised when she told us of her hope to become a

Doris Ex Machina, Part the First

Jeff assigned me the responsibility to blog for him while he’s busy dealing with chapter business. He assured me that people would be interested in my experience as a contestant on Romania’s Got Talent, and perhaps he is correct, but so far it seems that he is not. Don’t tell him I said this, but Jeff is not correct about

What’s in a Query? Everything and Nothing.

When I tell people that I’ve never written a query that didn’t result in a request for pages, they can’t believe it. When I tell them I only ever sent out three (or six if you count the random assignments I was given to pitch to at conferences) queries, they are shocked. But here’s the thing: I researched before I

Conference Tiffs and the Polite Lie

This month’s MWA meeting was about conferences. I personally think that if you can afford conferences, you should go, because nothing else works quite so well to get your name out there and allow you to meet people you might want to work with in the future. That said, I have a few thoughts on the topic of things that

Timelines and Series Bibles

When I got a two-book contract after having written only a single book in my romantic suspense series, I found myself presented with several problems. First: a deadline. After all, I’d taken forever to write the first book, and I couldn’t do that with the second. And second, I had to remember everything from the first book so that I

Pathways to Publication

We all know that in a mystery the most obvious suspect, the first “person of interest,” isn’t always the culprit. The same is true of pretty much every aspect of publishing. There’s a lot—and I mean a lot—of debate, acrimony, and bad information out there about what you can or should expect, or what you’ll be doing as an author

The Mystery of the Unsigned Pledge, Part II

(Didn’t catch Part I? Read it first!) From the city of Rome, New York, came a strongly worded letter from a citizens’ group that said it wasn’t Upham who wrote the Pledge, but a clergyman named Francis Bellamy (sometimes called Frank) who used to preach in that part of the country! Margarette threw up her hands. Here was the Bellamy

The Mystery of the Unsigned Pledge

I pledge allegiance to my Flag and to the Republic for which it stands – one Nation indivisible – with liberty and justice for all. That’s the original version – by whom? It was a mystery for half a century until a young woman in Portsmouth, Virginia, solved it. At this moment in time when our country’s basic principles are

Murdoch Mysteries

Tired of gritty, violent cop shows? Had enough of today’s most heinous crimes retold in thinly disguised fiction?  Need a show with wit and style? Want to escape back to a more genteel time?  If you haven’t discovered this polished gem, it’s not too late to get in on the action. At first glance, Murdoch Mysteries might appear British, but,

The Votes Are In

Every year a new board of directors for the chapter is voted in by Active members. The election ran from late November 19 to December 15, 2017, and the votes are in. The chapter president for 2018 is Jeff Markowitz (pictured), author of the award-winning black comedy Death and White Diamonds. In his ballot statement, Markowitz said, “Fifteen years ago, knowing

Mug Shot: Lucie Whitehouse

Lucie Whitehouse was born in Warwickshire, England, read Classics at Oxford University, and now lives in Brooklyn, New York. She writes full time and has contributed features to the Times, the Sunday Times, the Independent, Elle, and Red. She is author of The House at Midnight, The Bed I Made, and Before We Met. •     •     • In your

Are You MWAing the Right Way?

If you’re not checking your chapter website regularly, then you’re not MWAing the right way. But you’re here now, so that’s good. If you’re not also following your chapter on Facebook and Twitter and Yahoo, then you’re not MWAing the right way. If you’re not taking advantage of as many organization benefits as possible (see this list here), then you’re

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