Patricia Stoltey

Author

Saturday Soliloquy

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Talking to myself (but never aloud, of course) is a very satisfying way to deal with the annoying things in life. Things like people on Facebook who endlessly harp on political or social issues by parroting news headlines or the latest propaganda without actually reading and understanding the issues. Like people on Twitter who throw …Read More

Parental Inspiration by Natasha Wing

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I am pleased to welcome back children’s author Natasha Wing, creator of the “Night Before” series, to talk about ways authors can use their family members, especially their parents, to inspire story and character ideas. Natasha’s newest book, released today, is The Night Before Father’s Day. And since Sunday is Mother’s Day, I added the …Read More

The Writing Life: Raising the Bar

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My critique group is experimenting with a new schedule. We previously had six members and met every two weeks. With three members submitting per meeting, each member waited four weeks before his next chance at feedback. Now we’re down to five members, and the majority voted to try submitting work for every meeting. Submissions can …Read More

I’m a Survivor: Reflections on the A to Z April Challenge 2012

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As you can see, I’ve added the A to Z April Challenge 2012 Survivor badge to my sidebar. I learned three powerful lessons during my 2010 and 2011 challenge experience: 1.  Have a theme, even if loosely defined. 2.  Keep posts short…very short. 3.  Make sure there’s a link in your comment or on your …Read More

Saturday Stuff

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The most helpful blog post on writing I read this week was by Kathryn Craft at The Blood-Red Pencil. It’s called Busted! – Edward Stewart Caught Telescoping POV. I’m reading Duma Key by Stephen King. Makes me want to get off the computer and just read all weekend. Today will be the day I get …Read More

Thank you, Miss Valley by David Freed

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According to David Freed’s website, “As an investigative journalist, most notably with the Los Angeles Times, he counted among his acquaintances con men, commandos, spies, people who get paid to solve homicides, and people who commit them. He chronicled affairs of state, all manner of catastrophes, and the activities of the US military, including one …Read More

The Writing Life…or lack thereof

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What do I mean by that? Well, it’s like this. During the month of April while I was doing the Blogging from A to Z Challenge, I used the theme of “My A to Z Wish List.” As the month went on, I realized there were a lot of things on my list I could …Read More

Chiseled in Rock Tuesday: A writing book review for YA authors

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I’m at Chiseled in Rock blog today with a review of Victoria Hanley’s newly released edition of Wild Ink: Success Secrets to Writing and Publishing in the Young Adult Market. This new release (today as a matter of fact) contains additional material plus updated quotes and interviews with current best-selling YA authors. If you’re even …Read More

I’m featured at Scene of the Crime today

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You can scroll down a little bit for my final A to Z post, but this short announcement is to let everyone know Cathy Cole interviewed me for her Scene of the Crime feature on her Kittling: Books blog — the interview is up today and it’s fun, beautifully illustrated…and you even find out who …Read More