Why it’s so difficult to pitch perfect
Think of your favorite movie. Perhaps it is hard for you to narrow down the list. But chances are when you try to think of the best film you’ve ever seen in your life, a few things happen. You remember…
Category: Books
Homegrown Books: Reading from my Local Literature Shed
My high school best friend, Jen, and I were discussing books recently. She started telling me, with great enthusiasm, about a novel she had just read that she thought I would like. But she stopped mid-sentence and said, “Oh, never…
It’s Okay to Not Write Sometimes, or How I Spent the Last Two Weeks
It is a fact that this author, upon completing a book, faced with the challenge of writing another book in short order, will stare into the abyss and say, “Not today, Satan.” There are always these moments of resistance, of…
Good Times, Bad Times
An inauspicious anniversary recently passed; it’s been a full year since I signed a contract with a literary agent to represent my novel. The day marked twelve months of suspense, frustration, and heartbreak at rejection emails worded with such tact…
It’s Not the End of the World: Rethinking How We Tell Stories About Climate Change
Apocalyptic stories of rising sea levels and choking dust storms come to mind when most people think about climate fiction, the emerging genre often referred to as cli-fi. Dystopian anarchy where nations battle over water resources appear in books and…
My Novel is a Snowflake
Once again I’m wrestling with figuring out the genre of my novel. Anyone else who’s run into this particular problem, raise your hand. Yes, I see you all. Seriously, do we really care which category each book falls into, so…