Who, as a writer, hasn't stumbled on something interesting and thought these words? I can use this... That was certainly the case when I wrote my current Kindle Vella novel back in 2017, on the heels of the U.S. presidential election. The country was so divided, and I wondered if anything could ever bring us together again. Friendships were broken, marriages cracked, and communities were torn apart. I was quite distressed about it all. What about romance? What could possibly bring two people who were polar opposites politically and in other ways... together in that kind of toxic environment? And, thus, this book description for The Lonely Rancher   was born: Four conservative ranchers. Four feminist businesswomen. The most contentious, divisive presidential election in modern history. When a lonely rancher and a successful businesswoman literally run into each other... sparks fly...   From there, the story evolved into an exploration of what elements could overcome huge philos...

There are so many ways to begin a New Year. We can look back on the previous year and make a list of all the things we are grateful for. We can look forward and make a list of resolutions of all the positive ways we are planning to change ourselves and our lives. What are we doing at the Blood-Red Pencil? The editors are giving you a month of (insert drumroll), their PET PEEVES! Let me dive right in with the one that has been plaguing me for most of 2022. But first some background. If you're reading this blog, you'll know I jumped into the Amazon Kindle Vella publishing platform early in the year. I love it more than ever, so that's not my peeve.  But my pet peeve is related to it. You see, I had to get a new laptop and new MSWord software. And I HATE the newest version of MSWord. In Word 365, the grammar and punctuation errors are relentless. I started making copies of some of the errors in Editor and here are just a handful: I see a capital, don't you? I returned it,...

The Blood-Red Pencil Editors are also published authors. Check out some of our latest and most popular releases! Genres include Mystery, Thriller, Fantasy, Romance, Memoir, and books to help you with your writing craft.   Linda Lane Tormented Tango Family must be protected at all costs. Even if it means killing them. Former prosecutor Aidan Wolf runs a small legal aid office. Defense lawyer Jenna Jacobs rarely loses a case, but she lost Aidan Wolf. District Attorney Wilson Howell, wife Becca, and their two teenagers live in what he believes is near-perfect bliss. And then…  Buy Here Linda Lane The Accounting What if the person who should love you the most hurts you the worst?  A powerful story of families that you won’t soon forget. Woven through its pages, The Accounting shares within its carefully crafted plot and well-defined characters events that will forever change the lives of four Kohler households. Family dynamics expose their weaknesses and reveal their ...

I keep telling myself that as I frantically prepare for NaNoWriMo , which is suddenly only a week away. I am nowhere close to having a tale to tell, so any bit of help is a blessing. I'm not talking about maid service or a private chef, though both would be nice. I just need something to help me focus and simplify what seems like a huge challenge this year.   Available on Amazon To that end, I was enormously pleased to dig into a gorgeous and tightly written eBook called The 30-Day Novel by Merrie Destefano .  It's a short book, hitting all the usual highlights of planning a novel, but in a brisk and concise way. Under 100 pages, some of which are clever MidJourney AI steampunk images and pages for notes, the book covers these topics: Chapter One: Make A Commitment  Chapter Two: Make A Plan  Chapter Three: Plotting Versus Discovery  Chapter Four: Story Building  Chapter Five: Character Building.  Chapter Six: World Building  Chapter Seven: Ma...

I began my journey writing for Kindle Vella in January, and I'll write an update soon. But first let me share with you yet another #Free promotion from the Amazon powers.  From October 5-11, you can read all Kindle Vella episodes for free, up to 100 episodes per day. Go here to explore and read on your smartphone or using a Kindle app for Vella.  BSP: Click on the left sidebar book image or here to read mine!  I have been super-impressed with the bonuses and promotions that Amazon has offered to stoke the Kindle Vella fires. Even though gaining reader traction is something of a challenge given the format of the platform (episodic reads on gadgets), it's still a fun way to write and publish, and I highly recommend every author give it a go. With National Novel Writing Month  coming up, why not experiment? Have you heard of Kindle Vella? Thought about publishing with them? Already a KV author? Leave us a comment! Dani Greer is founding member of the Blood-Red Penci...

I have been a Kindle Vella author for over four months now and am still loving it! One of the best things is the intensely supportive Kindle Vella author community on Facebook and other social media venues. When Benjamin X. Wretland, a fellow member of Colorado Writers and Publishers, announced he was putting together a blog hop, I couldn't resist joining in.  Here's your opportunity to meet a few other members of this new Amazon platform and read the first three chapters of their books for free on your smartphone! Genre: Action & Adventure / Teen & Young Adult  Click to Read Alexandros Iraklidis, a timid farm boy on the Greek island of Anafi, yearns for adventure and a new life away from his family farm and the routine in which he feels trapped. At the prompting of his friend and the gift of a stranger, the boy flees to discover a new life in Crete. When a storm at sea robs him of the chance, Alexandros finds himself stranded on a neighboring island with no way to re...

Let me crow about my successes with Kindle Vella so far this year! First, Amazon just gave me a bonus that was FOUR TIMES more than the previous month. Wow. To say I was delighted is an understatement.  Second, I now have one completed middle grade reader published. Princess Willy Be is still #26 in Top Children's Stories. Read Here I will complete a 28-chapter romance novella this week. It's the prequel to the Morristown Murder Mystery series that will publish next, and I plan to repackage it as a regular eBook to give as a free promotion when the mystery title releases. Read Here I have also started revising and publishing, episode (chapter) by episode, my 2017 NaNoWriMo novel, which is mostly just being tweaked by chapter to make shorter, more readable episodes.  Read Here I am once again a published author. Yay, me! And, apparently, I write in very short paragraphs now. 😁 At this point in my life, it all seems like a miracle. So... money + publication = a Kindle Vella ...

A few days ago, Polly Iyer wrote about an ugly world that started for her in 2015. Those comments resonated on so many levels for me. I don't remember what I was doing in 2015, but, by 2016 and that dreadful presidential election, my creativity had waned to almost nothing. By the first quarter of 2017, I simply crawled under a rock with 43 J.D. Robb In Death books and read them all consecutively until I was caught up. That took until early April. Then I gardened. A lot.  And tried to paint again. The creative muse didn't like that. My work was simply dreadful. Finally I cooked for a few months. And gained a lot of weight! But I didn't write. Not until I started really thinking about how the country could heal some of its divisiveness. First I wrote some letters to the editor. Then some blog posts.  And then I started thinking about fiction and stories that might help me cope... and maybe also others. I thought about all those JD Robb books, and how they saved my soul and...

I’ve been a writer and editor for decades. In fact, I’ve done so many jobs in the publishing industry, one wonders why I haven’t published more of my own work by now. Seems like that would be a logical step for any writer. So, what always stopped me? Well, the rewards were just never strong enough, I guess. The actual process of writing, too often unenjoyable. Sometimes I loathed sitting down and struggling with the words. I had the ideas and loved brainstorming and researching but pounding away on a keyboard was just too tiresome and time-consuming. I didn't have the passion for the work. I enjoyed editing books for other authors, though, a lot more than editing my own writing. I even enjoyed marketing books for them. Certainly, I loved brainstorming when I worked for publishers who were looking for creative ideas. And, mercy, I love reading more than anything. I could sit and read all day long! Even after 15 years of participating in National Novel Writing Month and Book-in...