Patricia Stoltey

Author

NCW Personal Essay/Creative Nonfiction Contest

By:

This Personal Essay/Creative Nonfiction contest from Northern Colorado Writers closes on June 15th, so you still have time to submit your entry. The personal essay should be about a personal experience, told in your own words, with a great story and a great theme. Entries are limited to 5,000 words. The final judge for this …Read More

Your Public, Your Self: Writing to Trends by Joanne Kennedy

By:

I am very pleased to welcome Joanne Kennedy back to the blog as she announces the release of her newest book, Cowboy Crazy. Joanne celebrates Wyoming’s unique blend of past and present in contemporary Western novels with traditional ranch settings. Her books include Cowboy Crazy, Tall, Dark and Cowboy, Cowboy Fever, and the RITA nominated …Read More

Setting: Do We Really Need to Go There? By Gail Lukasik

By:

Today I am very pleased to introduce Gail Lukasik, a mystery author I met online through the Five Star author group. Raised in the working class city of Parma, Ohio, Gail spun stories to entertain her friends and family but at the time did not seriously consider pursuing a career as a writer. Although she …Read More

Killer First Sentences…The Kind I WIsh I’d Write

By:

You all know how much I love to talk about first sentences. I’m at it again, mostly because I’ve made the first pass through my WIP to change the point of view in about eight chapters, and now I’m doing the fine tuning on the first chapter. This is the deep, deep revision where I …Read More

Book Titles and Monkey Balls

By:

I don’t talk about food too often on this site…well, except for chocolate…but I ran across this restaurant menu item from The Drunken Monkey in Fort Collins, Colorado and couldn’t resist continuing the name theme started by Alan Orloff at A Million Blogging Monkeys: Ptomaine’s House of Beef. Monkey Balls (this restaurant version, anyway) are …Read More

A Little Blogging Holiday

By:

I’m taking a few blogging days off…but I’ll be back for Chiseled in Rock Tuesday, my guest blogger Gail Lukasik on Wednesday, and a second guest, Joanne Kennedy, on Thursday. Meanwhile, I’ll have a couple of rerun posts from 2010 up here for my newer followers and those with very short memories.  See you Tuesday.

Chiseled in Rock Tuesday: Just Do It!

By:

Another blog post about procrastination, the infinite revision loop, and irrational fears. I can’t help it, it’s just where I’m at. Join me at Chiseled in Rock and tell me how you’ve mastered the “but first I have to do this and this” syndrome.

What’s In a Name? by Bailey Cates

By:

Today I’m happy to host a Northern Colorado mystery writer on my blog. Bailey Cates writes the Magical Bakery Mysteries. They feature new witch and baker Katie Lightfoot and are set in Savannah, Georgia. The first in the series, Brownies and Broomsticks, released this month in paperback and ebook formats from NAL/Penguin. She also writes …Read More

Saturday Silliness

By:

I have my nose buried in my manuscript, making one more proofreading pass. After a few hours of this, I get a little bit goofy. Here’s what happens. 1.  At page 165, my rear end starts to hurt. I realize I should stand up and stretch. 2.  My neck and shoulders hurt too. I consider …Read More