And Stuff That Makes Me Crazy About Polls and Media Reporting of Polls (and More Dumbing Down Examples)

September 30, 2015 By: Patricia

I read an article in the USA Today section of our local newspaper that referred to new poll showing that Carly Fiorina had roared to the top of the GOP Presidential candidate lineup, Marco Rubio had jumped to second place, and Donald Trump was skidding down the slippery slope at a fast pace. As a …Read More

The Stuff That Makes Me Crazy on My Favorite TV Shows

September 27, 2015 By: Patricia

When the new season begins, I watch all my favorite series season premieres as well as all the series premieres that look promising. Already this year, I have some serious problems with the writing. An ex-wife who is trying to regain control of her husband’s music empire goes to visit him in prison (and frankly, …Read More

Finding a Voice … by Kathleen Ernst

September 24, 2015 By: Patricia

In the book world, “voice” is a difficult-to-define but prized element. “I can’t describe voice,” editors say, “but I know it when I see it.” When conceptualizing my latest Chloe Ellefson mystery, Death on the Prairie, I’ve thought a lot about finding a voice—and not just my own as a writer. Chloe is curator of …Read More

Random Thoughts About the Writing Life

September 20, 2015 By: Patricia

I have a lot going on at the moment, in my writing life and in real life. Yes, I do see a distinct separation between the two lives, even though one tends to muddy up the other from time to time. When I’m writing, I’m a writer. I put on my writerly cloak and think …Read More

Character Growth: Get Out of Your Comfort Zone

September 17, 2015 By: Patricia

By Jason P. Henry (Conference Director, 2016 Pikes Peak Writers Conference) I’d like to believe my writing abilities have come a long way since I first started. I could attribute my improvement to many things, but there’s one factor that I hold in highest regard. That is the multitude of amazing people I have met …Read More

Conferences for Writers — Colorado Has the Best of the Best

September 15, 2015 By: Patricia

I want to tell you more about the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Colorado Gold Conference I just attended in Westminster, Colorado, September 11-13, but I’m having trouble deciding where to start. So before I begin…. Please stop by on Thursday and meet my guest blogger, Jason P. Henry. Jason is the conference director for the …Read More

I’m Back from Conference!

September 14, 2015 By: Patricia

But when I got home yesterday afternoon, my brain was ready to explode from information overload and I was so exhausted and so energized and so excited that I couldn’t even take a nap. It didn’t help that some goofball had tried his room key in the wrong slot at 2: 00 a.m. Sunday morning, …Read More

One Writer’s Tools … by Bailey Cates

September 10, 2015 By: Patricia

Thanks for inviting me to guest, Patricia! It is a rare book event where some version of the question, “What is your process?” doesn’t come up. Heck, I want to know how other writers create stories out of nothing, too. Alas, I still haven’t discovered the magic formula. So instead I thought I’d share a …Read More

I’m Hobbling Off to Colorado Gold This Weekend

September 8, 2015 By: Patricia

Yep, my cane and I are going to give it a try. Some days this bad knee behaves and other days it balks. I’m keeping my fingers crossed the darned thing lets me attend all the Colorado Gold workshops and panels I want, enjoy the Friday night book signing, work my way through the buffet …Read More

The Winner of a Signed ARC of “Smart, But Dead”….

September 6, 2015 By: Patricia

Congratulations to Maryann Miller who won a signed ARC of Smart, But Dead by Nancy G. West Maryann is also an author and blogger and can be found at Maryann Writes.