Blog
My Writing Journey. My Future Plans.
Two of my book notebooks (CARRY ME HOME and JUST ONCE MORE.) So here I am, one week after release of NO KIND OF HERO, my twenty-third book, at loose ends. A little surreal, considering that I started this journey on a whim five years ago, and almost accidentally found a passion and a vocation. As always after finishing a…
Get Off the Churn Train! Writing Books That Stick
Note: what follows is NOT an assertion that good books can’t be written fast. It's about finding YOUR personal sweet spot where you do your best, most memorable work. I've read a lot of posts recently about the increase in "churn" with ebooks, particularly on Amazon. Conventional wisdom says that in order to have success selling on Amazon, particularly in…
How to Be Hooky
Hookiness. It's what a good book is all about, really. When I look at the books I really enjoy, that I burn through, they're (a) pulling me in and (b) pulling me on. But how do you do that? How do you grab a reader? How do you KEEP the reader? How do you entertain a reader enough that she…
Escape to NZ Cheat Sheet!
How about a cheat sheet for those of us who have trouble remembering the names? That's what a reader asked me yesterday. And I said: What a good idea! JUST FOR YOU (Prequel): Reka Harata & Hemi Ranapia (35), Takapuna (Auckland), and then Papamoa (Tauranga). Hemi: former No. 10 (first-five) for the Auckland Blues and All Blacks; after retirement,…
Four-year anniversary!
Four Years, Twenty Books! September 1, 2016 marks something special. It's my four-year anniversary in publishing. On September 1, 2012, I held my breath, pushed the big "Publish" button on Amazon's KDP, and launched my first three books into the world. I had no idea what would happen. I just prayed I wouldn't crash and burn, and in my wildest…