Blog Spotlights #27: Anne R. Allen's Blog ...with Ruth Harris

Today I'd like to steer you towards another great blog (for those of you who aren't devoted followers already.) Head over to Anne R. Allen's Blog ...with Ruth Harris today and comb through the archives. I can't even begin to say how much helpful information and great insight I've found through reading this blog. Ms. Allen is a writer of comic mysteries and Ms. Harris is used to be an editor for one of the major publishing houses. Their blog has won numerous online awards. Ms. Allen is great to follow on Twitter, as well.

Some recent posts:
Is Your Author Website Working Against You? Top 10 Things to Avoid on your Author Site or Blog
7 Ways Authors Waste Time "Building Platform" on Social Media
10 Things Your Opening Chapter Should Do: A Check-List for Self-Editing
Writer Power: The Rebirth of the American Author
How NOT to Self-Publish: 12 Things for New Indies to Avoid
Top 10 Questions from New Writers: Answers to Your Most Burning Questions

And there's more. A lot more. Go check it out.

Blog Spotlights #26: Dragons, Aliens, and Wraiths, Oh My!

It's been a fantastic month for guest posts. I thank everyone who contributed to my blog and who gave me an opportunity to share on theirs. To wrap up the month, I'd like to spotlight the official blog of the Speculative Fiction Group from Agent Query Connect. If you've enjoyed the guest posts on Yesternight's Voyage this month, you'll want to bookmark Dragons, Aliens, and Wraiths, Oh My! for more great post by this remarkable group of writers. The blog is speculative fiction bent. You can sign up for their handy newsletter to get new blogposts in your email feed.

What I think I've enjoyed most about this blog is the range of experience and advice from people who come from all different walks of life and who write in different speculative genres. Some of the most recent posts include:

Murder for Fun and Profit (self-editing)
Writer's Troubles for the Holidays
Antagonists: Who, Why, and When
Action Sequences As Seen by T.J.

Plus more. Check it out.

 

Blog Spotlights #25: Everything Speculative Fiction

Technically, Everything Speculative Fiction, is more of an online newsletter than a blog. But it links to blogposts, articles, and other current updates from many sources, all in one convenient location. Edited by Kimiko, aka @kimidreams on Twitter.

Topics include: Stories, Education, Art & Entertainment, Leisure, Society, Technology, #kidlitcares. There are also videos of interviews, book signings, and links to book related news articles.

You can subscribe to the newsletter and follow updates on Twitter.

Pop on over and check it out.
 

Blog Spotlights #23: It's in the Details

It's in the Details in the blog home of writer Michelle Hauck. This is a newer blog which has really taken off in recent months, particularly with her Getting the Call series. Michelle interviews writers who have received an offer of representation from agents and publishers. These interviews are insightful and good for people about to enter the query trenches. She is seeking interviews right now, too. She also blogs about writing and her interests. She's an approachable, smart person, and she deserves more followers. So pop on over, check out her blogposts, follow her, and leave a comment or two.

Blog Spotlights #21: The Book Deal

Today I'd like to steer you all to another great blog to follow, The Book Deal by Alan Rinzler. A veteran of the industry in both editing and publishing, he takes the time to continue to help writers achieve their dream through his blog. He says: "The Book Deal is my blog for writers and book people, about the strange and inscrutable way books are published and the big changes going on in the business today. Look here for my perspectives on the challenges and opportunities writers face in the world of digital and print book publishing, the mysterious process of acquisition, development, sales, and marketing, and how agents and publishers conspire and compete behind the scenes to find the best new authors."

Some of his most recent posts include:

Launching a successful blog tour
Book marketing & publicity: Advice from three experts
The Viagra Diaries: A self-publishing mega success story
Creating a compelling narrative voice
Growing a short story into a novel
Why writers need agents: 4 pros weigh in
As the editor: Is it OK to cross genres?
The new author pitch: Show, don't sell
Grand finales: Tips for writing great endings
Fear of editors
When do you need an editor?
Great book jackets: Tips from 4 design pros

And so many more. If you have some time today, have industry questions, or need some inspiration might I suggest you pop over and comb through his posts.

Blog Spotlight #20: The Book Publicity Blog

It's been awhile since I did one of these. I'd like to direct your attention to The Book Publicity Blog, a publishing insider's input on publicity and marketing.

To quote directly: "The purpose of this blog is provide tips, primarily, but also information about publishing / marketing trends that will help book publicists — and hopefully others in media and publishing — do our jobs with greater ease and efficiency."

Some of the recent posts on the blog:
Working With Book Bloggers
How to make sending e-mail more efficient
DIY Book Promotion and Publicity
What authors (and venues) need to know about scheduling book talks/signings
When you're setting up a website, what booksellers do you list?
What you need to include in your email signature

Browse around and take some time out to read, especially if you are at the stage of publishing and marketing. There are good things on this blog for beginning and intermediate-staged writers as well.

Blog Spotlight #19: The Writer’s Resource

Today I’d like to point you in the direction of another blog, The Writer’s Resource created by Charissa Weaks.

To directly quote from the blog: “The Writer's Resource is a site that lists helpful blog posts and web articles by topic in an effort to make the writing process a little easier. The goal of this site is to lessen the amount of time aspiring authors spend searching for information therefore increasing the amount of time they have to actually write.”

This blog is a fantastic resource if you’re trying to surf the internet for a specific writing topic or are new to the publishing game and are trying to make sense of it all. It takes time to track down and share good resource links and I’d like to tell Ms. Weaks “thank you” for all her hard work.

Take some time to check her blog out and search around. She also has a nifty submissions page if you’ve written an informative post and would like to share. Another page has a listing of conferences and another direct links to other informative and good blogs that serve as a writing resource.

Blog Spotlight #18: Questions and Archetypes

Time to direct your attention to another blog. I like to follow blogs for awhile before recommending them as a good resource. Today, please pop over and visit J.W. Troemner’s blog and be sure to check out the archives. She’s got some fantastic posts on writing. What validates her advice is her great writing skills. I’ve had the privilege of reading some of her work so I know she knows what she’s talking about. Oh, and check out her "About Me" page, for a dose of her personality.

You can find the blog here.

You can follow her on Twitter here.

And if you’re already on Agent Query Connect, look for Moonshade.

I'm happy to have gotten to know her a bit and have every expectation of seeing her published soon.

Blog Spotlight #17: Miss Snark’s First Victim

Not to be confused with the notorious Miss Snark herself, this writer was the first person up for analysis on Miss Snark’s blog. Going by the nom de plum Authoress, if you aren’t aware of this blog and are on the prowl for an agent, you need to add this one to your regularly read blog list.

Authoress opens the door between aspiring authors and agents with contests and critiquing opportunities. She also blogs about writing and has a fun blog voice. There are even success stories to be found by writers who found their agents directly or indirectly through Authoress’s blog. She also won the Writer’s Digest 101 Best Websites for Writers award.

Secret Agent contests are almost every month with different genres represented. Details can be found here. The list of agents who have participated in the past is quite impressive. She’s gearing up for another Baker’s Dozen critique-a-thon. But really, you should just pop on over to her blog to explore and find out all the delicious details from the source.

Highly recommended blog.

Blog Spotlights #16: Patricia C. Wrede

Patricia C. Wrede is the author of many fantasy and historical fantasy novels among which are:
The Chronicles of the Enchanted Forest Series
The Lyra Series
The Kate and Cecy books
The Mairelon books
several short stories and standalone novels in both the fantasy and science-fiction genres

In short, she's a pro and she knows what she is talking about. And she blogs about writing!! How great is that? I seldom find an established author blogging about more than their book tours or latest release. Ms. Wrede's blogposts are insightful and so good. She blogs on Sundays and Wednesdays usually. Her blog also has pages referencing her bibliography, about her, favorite links, and a FAQ page. Hope on over and take a look and definitely spend some time combing through her blog archive. Here is the link.

More Bloggerly Love

Last week I was tagged for the Liebster Award:







Thank you Dean, from The Write Time, for thinking of me.

The goal of the award is to spotlight up and coming bloggers who currently have less than 200 followers. The rules are as follows:

"1. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you.
2. Reveal your top 5 picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
3. Copy and paste the award on your blog.
4. Have faith that your followers will spread the love to other bloggers.
5. And most of all--have bloggity-blog fun!"

I love to pass on blogging love, I follow so many great people. Combing through my blog lists I find a slight problem:
a) The blogger's already been awarded or tagged.
b) Most blogs have too many followers to qualify--which is awesome, they're getting blog reader love already.
c) I have no way of knowing how many follwers they have.

So based on educated guessing and how often they blog, I have five blogs to mention and I hope they forgive me if they do have more followers than the requirement.

1. Questions and Archtypes. A great writer, great critiquer, and she has some straight-to-the-point things to say on her blog. I expect to see her published soon.

2. Darke Conteur. This is an amazing woman. She knows a lot about the industry and while I can't see how many actual followers she has, the comment numbers are surprisingly low. I have to draw attention to her blog. Darke has blog-day themes and is one of the warmest, most helpful writers it's been my privilege to know.

3. Write Away. Again, I have no way to tell how many followers she has but I think she deserves some extra attention. Her blog holds interviews, talks about writing from a useful point of view, and this writer has an amazing imagination when it comes to actual writing.

4. In the Jungle. I love this blog! It may be purely subjective on my part and the tendency to not want to let go of my teen years completely but the YA perspective is fresh and fun. She blogs about being a teen and about writing, often from angles I have never considered before. This is another talented writer I expect to see published soon.

5. Belief Suspenders. I love what she's doing with her blog, especially the vlogs on writing and breaking down the myths behind much-loved trophes and cliches. She also provides links to online contests for writers. She has a powerful imagination as a writer.

Congratulations! Thank you for making the time I spend reading blogs fun and enriching and I hope my followers jump on board and follow you as well.

Blog Spotlight #11 Beach Reads With Bite

This week I'm happy to share/introduce you to Jami Gold, Paranormal Author and her blog. Jami's blog hits the nerve center of writing and she puts a lot of thought into her blogposts regarding craft and publishing. She also shares great links, has a newsletter sign-up, and a simple, easy-to-use blog format. She's not cluttered. Her achives are easily accessible and worth going through. I enjoy the professional and personable voice of her blog. If you've been thinking about diving into blog waters and want some ideas on what a great blog looks and sounds like, jump on over and see what Jami has done.

Some gems from Jami Gold's blog:
http://jamigold.com/2011/05/do-stories-need-a-theme/
http://jamigold.com/2011/05/make-your-antagonist-a-force-for-good/
http://jamigold.com/2010/10/strong-characters-with-goals/
http://jamigold.com/2010/11/how-to-create-a-strong-character-give-them-flaws/

There's a lot more. I love it when I find great author blogs like this one.

Why are you still here? Go look at Jami's blog!

Blog Spotlight #9: Ready. Write. Go.

This week’s spotlight goes to Ready. Write. Go. It’s run by one of my fellow AQCers, Cherie. I have to say I’m very impressed with Cherie’s blog. She hit the ground running and has produced a blog worth reading every week. She hits the hard topics dealing with writing, the lighter topics of life and more writing, networks like crazy, and even puts up fun games and writing tidbits. So if you are in need of some new blog fare, check her out. And be sure to check out all of the other blogs she’s linked up to. I’ve found a handful to add to my own reading list.

Some gems from Cherie’s blog:

http://readywritego.blogspot.com/2011/05/on-dialogue-mechanics-and-said-debate.html

http://readywritego.blogspot.com/2011/05/what-not-to-write-part-2-passive-vs.html

http://readywritego.blogspot.com/2011/04/on-dialogue-and-comma-splices.html

There are many more. Pay her a visit and browse around. Don’t be afraid to comment either. Cherie’s friendly and helpful.

Blog Spotlight #8: Dave Farland

Okay, well this week's recommended site isn't exactly a blog. For writers of Science Fiction and Fantasy especially, if you haven't discovered Dave Farland's newsletters, you're missing out. You can find Dave's website here and from there you can sign up to receive his newsletter straight to your inbox. Create a member account and opt in to receive the newsletter. He posts almost daily. He also has a writing forum, conference calls with big authors, and teaches at workshops and conferences. He's experienced in movie rights and even making films from stories, marketing, traditional and self-publishing, and has a no-nonsense approach to writing and publishing. He taught creative writing for years at the university level and rubs shoulders with a lot of big names in the business. He's a big name, himself.

Not that you have to take every word as strict rule or writing doctrine. Dave certainly has his own opinions about some things. But I've found his newsletters extremely helpful. The best part is they're free. You don't have to flesh out hundreds of dollars for this kind of advice, advice usually found in the classroom, a workshop, or a conference.

So if you're looking for some tips on craft, and a good dose on the publishing world, you should give Dave Farland a try.

Blog Spotlight #4: Writer Unboxed

Today I'd like to share one of my favorite blogs of all time, Writer Unboxed. It's a collaborative blog made up of several contributors whose experience encompasses unpublished and published writers, an agent, a professor, screenwriters, industry professionals, and editors. And those are just the regulars. The blog also features interviews with industry movers and shakers, guests posts from the published and unpublished alike. The blog has been in existence since 2006 and the archives are well worth perusal. Blogposts come up Mon. through Fri. giving readers a steady diet.

They hold special theme months, contests, news posts, and heavily promote the work of others. I think what makes them stand out the most from other blogs is their positive attitude toward everyone and the inclusion factor. They actively invite conversation through the comments section and contributors do take the time to respond to the people who interact with the blog. Writer Unboxed is warm, welcoming, and helpful. They continue to add to their number of contributors too as time goes on.

So a huge shout-out to them. If you haven't discovered them yet, you're in for a treat.