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...

At the start of every new year, most of us make resolutions. For us writers, we think about what projects we want to complete, want to submit to agents/editors, want to self-publish, and the list goes on and on. For 2014, I decided to do one thing that would be playful and might actually create some great stories: start an Idea Jar. On January 1, I started a Joy Jar. I keep a small pack of sticky notes with me throughout the day, and when anything arises that makes me smile or makes me happy (you know, those moments we typically experience at  the moment, but then promptly discard), I write that moment onto a sticky note and place the note in the jar. When I have a rainy "mind" day, I can dip into the jar and remember happy moments I've experienced thus far. Doing so may hopefully put me in a better frame of mind. My Joy Jar I received these years ago, and now have a perfect use for them! The Idea Jar works pretty much the same way. All throughout...

As many of you know by now, I have a special interest in children’s literature. As an artist and writer, the story of how a picture book comes alive with the addition of complementary illustration never ceases to fascinate. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words! Today Sarah Ackerley joins us to share how the newest book from Little Pickle Press came to her drawing board, and how she developed a seemingly dry subject matter – how your brain works – into a fantastically humorous and delightful book for children ages 4 and up. Dani: Sarah, first tell us a little about how you prepared for a career in picture book illustration. Sarah: I studied fine art at the University of Texas at Austin where I focused mainly on drawing and painting. UT doesn’t have an illustration department, but I always had it in my mind that I would like to some day pursue picture book illustration. After graduation I began to build an illustration portfolio, attend SCBWI meetings, and read everythin...

Whether you’re writing your first book or your tenth, whether you’re writing memoir or fiction or non-fiction, you will occasionally encounter roadblocks (which sometimes look a lot like brick walls). You might have trouble getting your character from one place to another, or from one year to another – a troublesome transition. Your character could be stuck in a situation with no practical and believable way to escape. Perhaps you discover a fatal flaw in your timeline, destroying the logical progression of events across six chapters. The end result? You’re stuck and you can’t find a way out. Before you delete big sections of prose or feed the whole manuscript to your shredder, one tortured, tear-soaked page at a time, try a brainstorming session with a couple of writer friends or members of your critique group. Even a session with non-writers who read a lot can be helpful. Invite the idea team to sit around your kitchen table, share tea and cookies, and focus on your writing...