Patricia Stoltey

Author

Writing from Experience … by Bill Lamperes

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I stepped into the Pink Flamingo and spotted the bartender preparing for the day. I approached and said, “Hi, my name is Bill Kerouac, Jack’s cousin,” and extended my hand. The gruff old guy snarled at me and said, “Bull shit. I know all the Kerouacs and you ain’t one of ’em.” I smiled and …Read More

Self-Editing One Step at a Time: How to Identify Dragging Narrative

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I’m focused on novel revisions and self-editing for a mystery manuscript, so I decided to publish a few posts based on segments of my Self-Editing One Step at a Time presentation/handout. Today I’m presenting a few clues to find spots in your novel that sag (as in that “sagging middle”) or drag (as in “boring …Read More

The Mysterious Conversation … by Delia James (aka Sarah Zettel)

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Hello. My name is Delia James, and I write cozy mysteries. (Hi, Delia!) I did not start out writing cozies. I’ve been lucky enough to write in most of the major popular genres. I started out in science fiction and fantasy. Since then, I’ve written young adult books and romance as well as cozy mysteries. …Read More

A Few Things I Remember About High School

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I don’t know why this popped into my mind as a blog topic on a writerly, bookish blog, but it did, so I’m going with it. Here are the memories that surfaced first (and remember, these memories are close to 60 years old):  The student who brought peach Schnapps to school and got caught. I’m …Read More

Using Personal Experience When Creating Plot and Character … by Betta Ferrendelli

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I started my first job as a reporter July 10, 1989 in a small town in northern New Mexico. I had only been on the job for a week when I covered my first murder story of a man who had shot and killed a convenience store clerk as he robbed the store. He was …Read More

6 Secrets of Successful Critique Groups … by Laurence MacNaughton

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Some of the worst critique groups on Earth can seem wonderful, at first. They’re friendly. They’re supportive. They make you feel good about your writing. But there may be danger signs. Do they rehash the same tired old stories at every meeting? Do members routinely show up empty-handed? Are they really helping you become a …Read More

Taking the Bitter with the Sweet

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I have bad news and good news.   Bad: My publisher, Five Star/Cengage, is ending its mystery line and going forward only with westerns and Frontier Fiction. Those writers who had mysteries in the queue but no contract yet must start the search again….or self-publish. Good: The novel I submitted to Five Star in October …Read More