Business Cards That Work

I’ve been experimenting with several ideas for marketing my Yale Larsson Private Investigator series. I’ve independently published three books in the series: “The Myakka Murders”, “Sarasota Sour Grapes”, and “Overexposed on Bird Key.” I’m currently working on Book 4,...

Weaving New Threads into an Old Tapestry

A story is like a tapestry. The author weaves in characters, plot points, red herrings, intrigue, mystique and all the other elements that keep readers turning the pages ’til the end. But there comes a point when as an author, you realize you need to add more to...

Reading

Read lots of books. And read often. Read books from the genre you write. Think of this as eduction. When you read good books, you learn the craft of writing. From the wordsmiths who write the books you read, you learn how to string sentences together to flesh out...

Prototype for a PI’s Cat

When I created Yale Larsson Private Investigator, I thought he should have a pet. I’m a cat lover. Cats are perfect companions. They know when you need company, and they know when you want to be left alone. Many people think cats are aloof. They are actually...

Rituals

Most writers have rituals, something they do when they plant their butts in a chair and stair at a blank screen. The ritual is a reminder to the brain that it’s time to write, time to be creative. Sometimes the ritual works. Other times it fails dismally. Some...

Write What You Know

I learned a lot from Ernest Hemingway. One of his sage pieces of advice is: “Write what you know.” When I needed a location for my first mystery novel, The Myakka Murders, I chose Myakka River State Park. Why? Because I’ve spent hundreds of hours in...