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Posts by Amanda

Feb 12

35 Comments

Writer Beware

When I began reading Dave’s post yesterday, I smiled and nodded. I’m up to my eyeballs in the final edits for Nocturnal Revelations. My brain is focused on not only the edits but what needs to be done to promote the book between now and release date. So figuring out what to write for MGC is, well, challenging. Because of that, I did what I often do when I’m having a hard time coming up with a topic: I wandered over to The Passive Voice. BTW, if you aren’t following TPV, you should, especially if you are a writer. Anyway. . . . Read more

Feb 5

13 Comments

Nocturnal Revelations –snippet

Apologies for the lateness of the post. I’ll be honest, I couldn’t figure out what to write about today. I started and deleted three different times. The problem is I’m in the final stages of preparing a book for release and that has taken over my brain. So, instead of trying a fourth time to write something coherent, here’s a snippet from Nocturnal Revelations, the next installment in the Nocturnal Lives series. The release date is set for March 5th. Read more

Jan 29

18 Comments

Common Sense Needed

(I am in the final throes of getting Nocturnal Revelations prepped to go on sale Feb. 19th. Add to that I am re-releasing the other titles in the series with new covers and new print editions before then and that I am doing the conversion on a really great book by a friend–waves at J–and blogging is taking the backseat right now. Today’s post comes from Sept. 2014 and has additional comments included.–ASG)

Over the last few days, several things have come up that have left me scratching my head and wondering why. Why do I write? Why do other people write? Why is common sense so lacking in our industry and in people in general? Read more

Jan 22

18 Comments

Think like a pro and remember it’s a business

(This is a redux, mash-up, and an update of a couple of posts I did several years ago. I’m reviving them because of a trend I’ve been noticing–again–among writers. To be honest, it is also fueled by some recent current events. So, if it seems familiar, that’s why–ASG)

So treat it as one. Several years ago, I came across a FB post by someone I respect a great deal. He has one of the most unverifiable jobs there is in publishing. No, not reading the slush pile, although that is part of his job. He has taken it upon himself to do what so many publishers don’t do. He responds to those who send something in, letting them know whether or not their work has met the minimum threshold to be passed up the line for further consideration. Believe me, that is definitely more than a number of publishers–or agents– do. Too many simply never get back to you unless they are interested or unless you keep prodding until they finally tell you something. Read more

Jan 15

14 Comments

The Dangers of Critiques: A Blast from the Past

(I am hip deep in edits and my brain isn’t focusing on anything but those. So here’s a post from December 2016 about critiques. I’ll add a few additional comments at the end.– ASG)

As writers, we are going to see our work critiqued, whether we want to or not. Most of the time we don’t want to. Let’s be honest, no one likes hearing that their baby is ugly and that is what we risk when we read a critique. However, before we ever see our work in print, many of us workshop our work in critique groups or we have alpha and beta readers look it over. Then there are the editors. We trust them to tell us what is good about our work and what is bad about it.

But what do we do with that information once we get it? Read more

Jan 8

60 Comments

Writers, morality and the #MeToo fallout

I’ve been pondering whether to write this post for the better part of a week. I’d been hearing rumbling from traditionally published authors about a contract clause that is as evil–their words and I agree–as the rights grabbing clauses that have become common in publishing contracts. But then, several days ago, an op-ed piece appeared in the NYT and I knew what I needed to write. The clause? A morality clause. Yes, you read that right. More and more traditional publishers are now including a morality clause in their contracts. Read more

Jan 1

19 Comments

The New Year Brings. . .

I long ago gave up making New Year’s Resolutions. No matter how good my intentions, the resolutions were almost always so far out in left field they were unattainable. So, sooner rather than later, the resolutions were out the door. But that doesn’t mean I don’t still try to set realistic goals for the New Year and move toward reaching them and, judging by some of the posts I’ve seen on social media, I’m not the only one.

Looking at some of the “resolutions” by other writers, Read more

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