As authors we all face rejection of our manuscripts at one time or another. Yes, we can be disappointed and disheartened, but the truth is a rejection doesn’t always mean the quality of our work is below par. There are numerous reasons it could be rejected by a...
As writers and authors, we not only write stories, but also enjoy reading them. It is part of the writing life to immerse ourselves in our own characters and their journeys, but also those of other authors - whether in the same genre or not. Reading books is a vital...
One of the requests authors get from publishers is to find similar books to the one they are publishing and promoting. This helps readers decide on their choices. Sometimes this is an easy task, other times not! When I wrote Life in Slake Patch, this task gave me a...
A new month is upon us, the year is rushing by and we have so much to accomplish. It is interesting that this month has several literary celebrations - Get Caught Reading Month, Mystery Month, National Share a Story Month and Latino Book Month. The first one is easily...
This week we celebrate those marvelous people - librarians! From 6th-12th it is National Library Week, with the 8th as National Library Workers Day and the 9th National Library Outreach Day (formerly National Bookmobile Day). Librarians facilitate access to...
My guest today is author Simon Rose, who has published nineteen novels for children and young adults, eight guides for writers, more than a hundred nonfiction books, and many articles on a wide variety of topics. Today, we’re looking at his latest novel for young...
I don't know about you, but writing villain's can be much more fun than 'normal' characters. We are able to dig deep into the dark places in our imaginations, trawling through the many movie and novel villains we have encountered in our lives. And also maybe some...
18th-24th October We all know that libraries are special places for readers of all ages. Most libraries receive some form of government subsidy, but unfortunately, this often falls short. This is where a Friends of the Library organization comes in. Through their...
I was pleased in chat with Cindy DeJager of Opal Publishing about one of my articles in the Opal Writers Magazine. https://anchor.fm/opal-magazine/episodes/COFFEE-and-CONVERSATION-with-Mandy-Eve-Barnett-on-INVEST-IN-YOUR-WRITING-e1k3fdl As I relay in the article, as...