Minor Dramas & Other Catastrophes

Submit Your Application to Become a Member of the Class of 2021 Debutante Ball!

Monday, May 25, 2020
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Every year since 2007, five debut women authors have taken part in The Debutante Ball, a group blog for authors making their debut in the literary world. Former Debs include bestsellers in the genres of women’s fiction, mystery, literary fiction, nonfiction, young adult, and more. It’s time for the Class of 2020 to pass on our tiaras. We’re looking for female or non-binary writers who have not previously had a book…

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Getting to Wear the Pearls is Worth It

Monday, May 25, 2020
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One of the best decisions I made when I began my journey to publication for The Talking Drum was applying for a spot as a debutante. I had been following the Debutante Ball Blog for more than a year and marked my calendar so that I wouldn’t miss the application window. I was ecstatic when I got the email that I had been chosen as one of the five Debs….

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[News Flash] May 24, 2020

Sunday, May 24, 2020
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We hope you enjoyed yesterday’s interview with A.H. Kim. RETWEET or SHARE for a chance to win an advance reader copy of A GOOD FAMILY. . Interview and ARC Giveaway with A.H. Kim, Author of A Good Family @DebutanteBall #ClassOf2020 #guest #author   News from the Class of 2020 Debs: Lisa Braxton wants to invite you to her virtual book launch on Tuesday June 9th when she will be in conversation…

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All Hail the Independent Bookseller

Tuesday, April 21, 2020
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In this time, readers and writers everywhere are concerned with helping independent booksellers survive the pandemic. Indies matter for many reasons, and here are a few: Indies create community. The curate and promote events. They support local and debut authors. They take part in book festivals and literary soirees put on by other organizations. They’re generally good local citizens. Booksellers leverage their individual tastes to keep our reading diverse. It’s…

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Some Truth About Money and Writing

Tuesday, April 14, 2020
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This week, we’re tackling the financial realities of being a writer. As I thought about what to say, Karen’s post from January kept popping into my head. She wrote it during our “biggest challenge of being a writer” week, but it could be cut-and-pasted right here. I recommend you read that piece first. It’ll tell you that it’s almost impossible to make a living as a writer. That’s true for almost…

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Happy Pub Day to Amy Klein, Author of The Trying Game!

Tuesday, April 7, 2020
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Today’s the day for our own Amy Klein, Friday blogger on this very website and author of The Trying Game: Get Through Fertility Treatment and Get Pregnant Without Losing Your Mind. Amy’s book is the perfect blend of memoir and manual, and I know it’s going to be an invaluable resource for thousands of women as they traverse the sometimes rocky path to having a baby. Shot through with empathy and…

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The Creativity Club: What Inspires Kathleen

Tuesday, March 31, 2020
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What inspires me to write? Well, it’s not global pandemic, danger, distraction, and fear. But even in these bizarre and unsettling times, I have been inspired, and pretty much on the daily. I’ve been delighted by my friend Lee’s wry, understated, and often hilarious blog posts. She’s been writing on her site for sixteen years now, so there’s plenty of material to explore. I’m awed by the expert storytelling over…

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Researching Mundanity: The Details in Contemporary Fiction

Tuesday, March 24, 2020
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I wrote my first novel about a world I’d been living in forever: the large public school. As a teacher for nearly 20 years, I was intimately familiar with the settings, the procedures, the schedules, the conflicts, and the characters that typically populate an illustrious institution of learning.  In fact, at one stage in my revision, I was asked to make things less realistic. “What’s with all the armpits and…

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Kathleen’s Perfect Day (Turns Out, the Standards Have Changed)

Tuesday, March 17, 2020
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Well, it certainly seems strange to be writing about a perfect day in these new and eerie times. Is it cheating to say that my perfect day includes NOT reading scary news articles about the potential trajectory of the coronavirus? Not making a six am grocery store run to maintain social distancing? Not quietly monitoring my lockdowned kids’ snacking, calculating when I’ll have to procure more food? Not worrying about…

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“Favorite” Type of Scenes?! Is this a trick question?

Tuesday, March 10, 2020
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This week, our topic is, “What types of scenes do you like to write and why?”  This seems a bit like a trick question. I’m not sure I like or dislike any type of scene more than the others.  Here’s how I feel about it right now: sitting down to work almost always pains me. I usually have to trick or guilt myself into it, even though I desperately want…

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