A funny consequence of having a book coming out is that friends and family (and the occasional stranger on the internet) now come to me for advice on writing and publishing. It’s weird to give advice because I feel like I’m still learning these things myself. I don’t have an MFA – I literally just learned about the concept of negative capability this summer! But when I’m asked…
“It’s a black fly in your chardonnay. It’s a death row pardon two minutes too late.” Alanis Morissette was kind enough to give us many definitions of irony in 1995, and to those I would like to add, “It’s a jackhammer in your basement when you’re trying to write a blog post about writing through distractions.” We’re getting our house earthquake-retrofitted — a project that was initially supposed to take…
Good morning! First, I’m writing this post at 5:30 AM. That’s about the time I rise this time of year…I’m a seasonal creature, so my sleep pattern shifts. I am an early riser in the fall and winter and am down for the count around eleven o’clock. But my sleep habits aren’t the topic today. The question before me is how do I deal with distractions and such. Well, here…
Thank you to Simone st. James for talking to us about her new novel, THE SUN DOWN MOTEL. If you missed Denny’s interview with Stacie Murphy about her forthcoming novel, A DEADLY FORTUNE, you can still watch it now at our Instagram page. Tune in to @thedebball tomorrow, 10/19, when J.S. Dewes, author of THE LAST WATCH, takes over our Instagram account for the day, finishing with an interview with…
It’s finally here! Lyn Liao Butler’s cover for THE TIGER MOM’S TALE was released this week and it’s gorgeous! And make sure you sign up for Lyn’s newsletter so you don’t miss any updates. Elizabeth Gonzalez James’ cover for MONA AT SEA was also revealed this week at Vol.1 Brooklyn. Way to go Lyn and Elizabeth! Denny S. Bryce is interviewing Stacie Murphy, author of A DEADLY FORTUNE…
When writers talk about “world building” they mean more than just setting. Setting is where a story takes place. But a fictional world is setting, history, the special rules of that particular place, the people who inhabit that world, as well as the general tone or atmosphere that sort of floats over every page. The setting of the Harry Potter books is England, but in order to build her fictional…
Location. Location. Location. (Oh, the song in the title is NOT from the 1920s, but the 1950s, but it’s so iconic:)! (Also, note photos were snagged from DuSable to Obama WTTW article: From Riots to Renaissance, The Black Metropolis) The story world for WILD WOMEN AND THE BLUES begins with a journey back in time. My debut novel is historical fiction, so as you might imagine, the past (and the…
Thank you so much to Diane Zinna for joining us to speak about her debut novel, THE ALL-NIGHT SUN. And thank you to Laya Vivian Smith for her interview about her new book, THE LUMBERMILL. So many good books to read, and so little time! Way to go Denny! Wild Women and the Blues was included in NetGalley’s list of 21 Highly-Anticipated Books Hitting Shelves in 2021. Ehsaneh Sadr…
Diane Zinna was our guest author this week, talking about her novel, THE ALL-NIGHT SUN, available now. Tune in to our Instagram account this Wednesday, September 30 at 2pm ET when Elizabeth Gonzalez James will interview Zinna about her novel, Ari Aster’s Midsommar, and her path to publication! Early reviews are coming in for Greta Kelly’s THE FROZEN CROWN and they are glowing: Ehsaneh Sadr has two great events…
It is my pleasure to introduce Elizabeth Gonzalez James, who will be taking on the the role of News Flash Organizer and Topic Whisperer which I have managed for the past Debutante season. Elizabeth is the author of the forthcoming MONA AT SEA, a sharp and witty debut launching in the Summer of 2021 that asks, When we find what gives our life meaning, will we be ready for it?…
