Blog
The Fine Line Between Forgiveness and Accountability
By Marcy Kennedy (@MarcyKennedy) I’m going to admit up front that I haven’t been a huge fan of the Transformers franchise. I loved Transformers as a child, but I felt the first of the more recent movies was okay, and then the second two went downhill from there. So I went into Transformers: Age of(…)
Have You Committed Word Crimes?
By Marcy Kennedy (@MarcyKennedy) My next Busy Writer’s Guide is now out, and to celebrate, here’s some Weird Al Yankovic! Now, if you’re wondering why I’m playing a song about word crimes to celebrate the release of my newest book, it’s because the book is Grammar for Fiction Writers. It’s not your same old boring grammar(…)
5 Guidelines for Approaching Book Review Bloggers
By Marcy Kennedy (@MarcyKennedy) Last month I talked about self-published book awards as one means to help build word of mouth and credibility for your book. Today I want to talk about another important method for letting readers know our book exists and (hopefully) that they’ll enjoy it—blog reviews. I know blog tours have(…)
Behind the Scenes: Elementals and Tricky Mother-Daughter Relationships
Today I’d like you to welcome special guest Melinda VanLone. Melinda writes fantasy and science fiction, freelances as a graphic designer, and dabbles in photography. She currently lives in Rockville, Maryland, with her husband and furbabies. When she’s not playing with her imaginary friends you can find her playing World of Warcraft, wandering aimlessly through(…)
Have You Orphaned Your Dialogue?
By Marcy Kennedy (@MarcyKennedy) Have you orphaned your dialogue? You might think the question is odd, but orphaned dialogue is dialogue where the reader isn’t sure whose speaking, and it happens more than you might think. As the writer, we know exactly who’s speaking. We forget the reader can read only our words, not our(…)
How a Good Relationship Is Like a Ropes Course
By Marcy Kennedy (@MarcyKennedy) I’ve always said I’m not afraid of heights. I’m afraid of falling from them. Or, more accurately, of the results of hitting the ground at the end of the fall. However you want to describe it, when I get any distance off the ground, I experience vertigo, accompanied by freezing and(…)
Self-Published Book Awards: Are They Right for You?
By Marcy Kennedy (@MarcyKennedy) Even though the stigma of self-publishing has decreased over the last few years, it can still be difficult for indie authors to find ways to gain recognition and respect for their books. Book awards are one way to help overcome that hurdle. Some of the best awards give the winners(…)
Ester Meets District 9 – Digging Into Ellie Ann’s The Silver Sickle
Today I have a special interview for you. As you might imagine, as an editor, I have a difficult time reading for pleasure. So when I find a book I do enjoy, I like to tell people about it. Recently, I read The Silver Sickle by Ellie Ann, and as soon as I finished, I(…)
Do You Believe in Fate or Free Will?
By Marcy Kennedy (@MarcyKennedy) I have a Bachelor’s degree in Social Psychology and a Master’s degree in Theological Studies. During the years I was in school, I listened to and participated in debates on wide-ranging hot-button topics like nature vs. nurture, the definition of deviance, and the ethical lines behind human experimentation. But no topic(…)