Thrillers or mysteries typically don't interest me, and I admit I was initially squeamish about reading this novel, especially with the ominous title, The Four Stages of Cruelty. Debut author Keith … Continue reading >>
Here’s a totally different take on outlines from Elmore Leonard, from an interview for The Detroit Free Press.
He never uses them
If you aren’t familiar with Leonard, he is “The … Continue reading >>
If you like dark stories with flawed narrators who go to frightening extremes, Bad Marie, by Marcy Dermansky is for you. As a writer, I learned much from studying the main character, Marie.
After … Continue reading >>
A Fabulous Plastic Hoopla:
In my novel, the narrator’s mother has a “fabulous plastic hoopla" where the saleslady extols the virtues of Tupperware to fawning women drinking vodka-spiked punch with a … Continue reading >>
What You Need Upfront:
A typical query letter starts out with a hook, which is followed by the most important information an agent wants to know upfront: genre and word count.
The Pitch:
The next … Continue reading >>
Yes, I made a pact to query 100 agents before I would quit! In fact, I probably would have kept on going had I not gotten two offers of representation by the time I hit 83 queries. (see Query 100 … Continue reading >>