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Hey there, blog readers.  You may have noticed I've missed my last couple of posts.  To be honest, I needed to take a step back and figure out how best to use my time.  It turns out that if I blog regularly, I don't take much time to actually write. So, because this blog is… Continue reading A Little Breather

Have you ever come back to a work in progress after a break and found it a stranger? This is something I’ve done many a time, especially after the Christmas rush and the flurry of New Year’s resolutions. Hello there, book-to-be. Who are you exactly? And where do we go from here? I’ve made plenty… Continue reading 5 Ways to Get Reaquainted with your Manuscript

In a few short days, Nanowrimo will begin. If you aren’t aware, National Novel Writing Month is an annual challenge where over 300,000 writers band together to write a 50,000 word novel in the 30 days of November. If it sounds a bit crazy, that’s because it is. But it’s not impossible. I can assure… Continue reading Tips for NaNoWriMo Success

The other day I was doing a written interview via email regarding my books. The questions were the usual: “How did you get into writing?”, “Where does your inspiration come from?”, etc. But there’s always that inevitable question (though this time it was “off the record”): “How do you find the time to write with FOUR KIDS??”… Continue reading 5 Writing Tips for Parents

John Mackilligen is a Covenanter, an illegal Scottish Presbyterian minister in a time when anti-Anglican sentiment is considered treason. Can he hold to his promise even if it means he could lose everything he has—including his freedom and his life? Over a century later, his kinsman, William McKillican, pastors a Congregational flock. But when his… Continue reading Across the Deep

   This is the time of year we start to think about spring cleaning: washing those windows to let in the sunshine, dusting away those cobwebs around the ceiling, scrubbing stubborn grime—taking care of those pesky little things that build up over time. What about that manuscript you’re working on, or the one that’s been… Continue reading Spring Cleaning Your Manuscript

  The internet is full of helpful lists of questions to ask a blind date so you can get to know them. But have you ever thought about using these questions to get to know your characters?After all, you’re about to embark on an intimate journey with this person, much like a dating relationship. You need… Continue reading A Blind Date with your Character 

Writing my latest novel, Across the Deep, was a unique experience. While most writing falls neatly under the categories of either non-fiction or fiction, I was turning true, historical records into a novel form.As you might imagine, this posed significant challenges. Here are a few things I kept in mind as I turned fact into fiction.… Continue reading Fact into Fiction