30 Seconds To Grab ‘Em Or Die

By: Stacey Purcell

Easy reading is damn hard writing.  ~Nathaniel Hawthorne

“I don’t normally make a habit of hiring thieves as security specialists,” Lucy Sharpe met the cold blue gaze of a man she’d never imagined would return …after she discharged him under a cloud of suspicion. –Taken from Make Her Pay by Roxanne St. Claire

Did this get your attention? Does it make you want to know why he was fired under a cloud of suspicion? Does that suspicion have something to do with the fact that she just called him a thief? And why would he return looking for a job?

Whether you are getting ready to self-pub or send your story out to an agent, your first lines are crucial. Caroline Joy Adams states that the average person reads about 200 words per minute. You only have half that time to get their attention. This means you have 30 seconds to hook your reader to go beyond the first paragraph. Scary, no?

Writers don’t have time to warm up the audience, good fiction starts with something that grabs you and won’t let you go until the last page. Roxanne St. Claire is particularly good at creating first lines that make a million questions roll through your head. I had to read the next sentence because I wanted to know why that guy came looking for a job from a CEO that obviously thought he was a thief….or maybe he was a thief!

I had the opportunity to take a week long workshop called Writing The Breakout Novel led by Donald Maass and he had quite a lot to say. He explains that weak first lines are like a limp handshake- it creates less than stellar impressions and expectations. Unfortunately, we often squander that first opportunity and our lines don’t create a tone, make us ask questions, or yank at our emotions. Remember you only have thirty seconds and you’ve already wasted the first 10.

A great first line pulls us immediately into a story. Donald says that it opens a world in which things are already happening making us want to discover more about this world between the covers of the book. So, what makes first lines effective?

Well, I thought I knew. On the last day, he worked with us on this topic and then asked for volunteers to read their first lines. My hand shot up before my brain could scream loud enough to make it come back down. He called on me. I realized the rash stupidity of my actions as my trembling hand lifted the page sitting on the table. I read-

These people have no idea they’re about to die, he observed, as if looking at lab animals in an unthinkable experiment.

My embarrassment grew as he tilted his head back and forth contemplating the words. Obviously, it wasn’t up there with Hemingway, but it seemed better than Snoopy’s “It was a dark and stormy night.” I could feel the heat creeping up my neck as I waited for the verdict. Then the worst happened, he opened it up for everyone to throw in their opinion. Could I just die?

To make a long story short, the consensus was that it was an OK way to begin, but not so great. Donald thought it was a bit cartoonish, others thought it gave away too much, too soon etc. etc. etc. I survived that day and after I got home to savor many glasses of cabernet, I realized it wasn’t the first line for me. He was right. I revised and this is what I wrote-

The lie was complete.

Blood orange wings audibly flitted above his bed-roll as the Atlas moth made lazy eights, each beat bringing death closer. There was nothing left to do except wait. He marked time with the slow pulsing of the giant moth’s wings as it came to rest on the side of an ancient Banyan tree.

This opening has received a much stronger approval than my old one. What is the lie? Why is death getting closer? Why is he just waiting? My hope is that I’ve created a beginning intriguing enough to pull my readers in.

What are your first lines? Do they pull the reader in? Why don’t you share your strokes of brilliance with us? I’d love to read them!

Diving into E-Publishing

Song of the Day: Fly From the Inside by Shinedown

There is a great deal of excitement buzzing around lately about e-publishing. Authors across genres are casting a favorable eye toward this now viable form of publishing. More and more authors who have been making good money with traditional publishers are jumping ship in favor of more control and ultimately more income.

Add to that, many respectable authors are advocating digital books, hollering at you to pay attention to the shifting tides of the industry. Chief among them is Joe Konrath. If you haven’t already, check out his take on e-publishing. He puts it all in perspective in a series of eye-opening blogs.  Other authors at the bullhorn are Dean Wesley Smith, Barry Eisler, and even Bob Mayer.

There is no doubt e-books are the wave of the future. With Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Createspace, and Smashwords, it’s easier than ever to break into publishing.

The fever from reading blogs, writing communities, and pioneering friends is infectious. Many of us are weighing the idea of wading in the e-pub pool. I say – Great!

But, are you ready?

Don’t swim within 30 minutes of eating. In other words, just because you’ve finished a book doesn’t mean you are ready to smack that baby on Amazon. Hold up. Take a hard look at your work. Have you polished your masterpiece to the best of your abilities? Have you had a million eyes plus two look at your story? Not just friends and family, but people you trust will give their critical and constructive feedback.

Wear the appropriate swimming attire. Make sure you are marketable. By that I mean know who your audience is. Will you appeal to that market? How will you stand out among other authors in your market? You must also either hire someone to design an eye-catching book cover or learn to create your own. Either way, the key is to capture the attention of the reader as well as mimic the essence of the story. Build a web presence. In this digital arena, it is a must to have a website and/or a blog. Readers need to be able to find you, learn more about you, and connect with you. That’s one way to build a fan base. You can’t expect people to find you in an ocean of other storytellers without some kind of name recognition.

Put on your floaties. You’ll need staying power. Digital publishing moves faster than traditional publishing. Readers want instant gratification. If they like your book, they are going to want more. Will you be able to give it to them? Be prepared to offer readers more such as a blurb or excerpt from an upcoming release, even if you are still in the writing stage. Think outside the box!

Slather on the sunscreen. Because once you are out there, you will be subjected to the harsh reality not everyone will like your book.

And don’t pee in the water. Always be gracious when interacting with reviewers, readers, industry professional, and other authors. This is common sense.

Dip your toes in first. Do your research. Make sure e-publishing is right for you. It’s not just about making a book available for online purchase. You can’t expect the currents to guide you. You still need to man the oars, check wind directions, scrape off barnacles, and navigate. You are responsible for promoting yourself and your career. Participate in blogs, submit to review sites, scratch a few backs, and NETWORK.

Wait for the right wave. If you are unsure you are ready to cannonball into e-publishing then be patient. Remember, there will always be readers. But often, we only have one chance to impress.

Me? I’ve got my snorkel and fins and will be joining the tides of e-publishing soon. Stay tuned. I’ll be blogging all about my journey.

Plot Hole – Fix it or Cork it? – Candi Wall

Whether you’re a Pantser or a Plotter, or a little of both – like me, plot holes are inevitable.

The question is, do you Fix it or Cork it?

Let’s face it, we can use ever tool, trick, chart or graph to develop an amazingly intricate and mind-boggling plot with enough subplots and turns to keep a reader spinning until the end.

Well, we can, IF we make sure all those little odds and ends are useful, substantial, and of course, tied up neatly in the end.

I was reading a really great historical romance last week, written by an author I’ve read before and liked. I won’t mention the author or the title, because this isn’t a review. I actually found the novel very well written and thought the author did a great job in all things throughout the book, except when it came to the plot.

When it came to a pivotal point in the story, a moment when I was sure the author was going to throw in a switch-a-roo plot twist that I would find outstanding, I was super excited and…then…it…just…fizzled. I actually stopped at what should have been the ‘hook’ end of the chapter and went “Huh? Wait a minute. What just happened here?”

Leaving a reader confused is fine if you have a great way to bring them around quickly and blow their mind with your brilliance, but when a reader is left scratching their head because they can’t understand why the story took the turn that it did, and you don’t give them a damn good reason, you’re in trouble. Better yet, your story is in trouble.

But – I think most of us know that. As writer’s we know what it feels like to be let down by an author. We know what it means to read through hundreds of pages and come out on the other side feeling like we were cheated. But what happens when we, as aware authors, find that plot hole?

This is when the question of Fix it or Cork it comes into play.

Do you take the easy road? Cork that hole with a quickie, author-created issue/cure for the problem? You know what I’m talking about. Change two scenes, alter the plot ever so slightly so that the hole you originally created is chock full of just enough substance to keep it from leaking?

Or do you take the rougher, OMG am I really going to have to go back and rewrite this, this, this, and holy crap even THAT portion of the novel to fix the hole I left? Do you nail, hammer, sand, and re-adjust until not a grain of sand can slip through that sucker?

Boy, oh boy, doesn’t the cork cure sound tempting?

Folks, this is where you define yourself as a writer. This is when you decide if you’re going to put your heart and soul into your writing, or if your going to give just enough to make it passable.

Yep, cork will take less time and probably fix that hole in an acceptable fashion. It’ll hold up under most pressures. But is that how you want to define yourself as an author? Is that how you would want to be treated by an author. Unfortunately, we see this more often than we would like.

As authors, self-pubbed, e-pubbed or through a small/big house, we owe every reader as close to perfection as we can offer. We owe them a story that’s refined and clean and solid. Opinions can’t be changed. If someone doesn’t like our writing, so be it, but why give them any reason to find it lacking?

Sure, the Fix it cure will cost you hours, days, weeks of work and editing, but in the end, which product would you want for your money? The quick fix, or the streamlined cure?

 

Shout out!

What’s your take on fixing plot holes, big or small, and have you read something lately, like I did, that made you think the author decided on Cork it rather than Fix it?

Happy Easter

From all of us here at MuseTracks.

Simon Says…William Simon That Is

By: Stacey A. Purcell

If you get stuck writing your novel, bring in a man with a big gun! – William Simon

How many people do you shoot in your novels?

Since I write suspense, death and mayhem show up on my pages with great frequency. There’s nothing worse than watching a movie or reading a book when you come across something that you KNOW is wrong. It pulls you completely out of the story.  We need to avoid this at all cost! If the reader puts your book down, all bets are off as to whether they’ll pick it up again, especially if you just annoyed them.

I’d like to introduce William Simon who is the owner and lead investigator of a professional investigations firm specializing in computer forensics and computer evidence. He is asked to participate on cases across the country and has worked with multiple branches of the law. His fiction has been published in the anthology MURDER BY MAGIC, “Suspense Magazine”, and the forthcoming THRILLER 3 from International Thriller Writers.

Hi Everyone. Thanks for having me here at Muse Tracks.

A couple of months ago, Stacey and Jennifer put together a night trip to a local gun range.  Several of the members had never fired a gun before, and everyone had a great time.

Over the course of the evening, we all talked about guns and shooting as shown in the movies and television, and there was enough conversation about it that Stacey asked me to write a blog about it.

Starting off, my all time favorite is the Hero inching his way along a wall to the corner so he can shoot Bad Guys.  Almost without exception, he’s holding the gun pointed up, near his face with his finger on the trigger.  If he pulls that trigger by accident, here’s what will happen: he’ll get gunpowder and shrapnel in his face, possibly his eyes, he won’t be able to hear properly for a while, if ever again.  If it’s night, he’ll be night blind for a considerable amount of time, not to mention disoriented.  Bad move, all the way around.  Professional law enforcement officers know better, and hold a drawn weapon pointed downwards and way from themselves.

Snatching a pistol from someone’s hand is a wrong move.  Period.  It always makes me cringe to see that.  When a pistol is loaded and the hammer’s back, it takes very little force to move the trigger.  And once the trigger moves, we know what happens next.

Tucking a just fired weapon down the belt right above the crotch area…. YEOUCH!  First off, firing a full cylinder of six or a clip of eight or more, and the barrel of the gun is almost hot enough to light a cigarette.  Sure, people have done that, just jammed a gun down their waistband.  It’s happened often enough, there’s a name for it: “testicide”.  Use your imaginations, you can guess what happens!

Holding an automatic pistol sideways is a guarantee that hot cartridges are going to smack you in the face.  Just what you want in a serious situation.

Here’s the really big one:  Guns MUST be reloaded.  Revolvers usually hold six shots, although some of the newer models can hold seven or eight.  Okay, fair enough, but that’s nowhere near enough to cover some of the gunfights in the movies.  Automatic pistols can hold more, usually between ten to sixteen.  The famous Beretta 92F does have a specially made clip that can hold thirty-two rounds, but it sticks out from the butt a good inch or so, making impossible to conceal, and adds substantial weight.

A fully loaded pistol is heavy.  Specially made belts are needed for a comfortable concealed carry; clipping the holster to your beltless pants doesn’t work in real life.  Neither does shoving the gun into a back pocket.

Holsters are a different matter altogether.  Shoulder holsters look cool, but are awkward to draw from.  Simple physics:  in an emergency, using your strong hand, you have to reach across your body, pull the gun, then reverse the move to be on target.  It may not seem like a long time, but in a crisis, that half a second can make the difference.

If you’re writing a scene where there’s a gunfight, be sure and do your research!  Gun collectors can be fanatical about spotting errors, and they won’t hesitate to let you know you got it wrong!

Hump Day Kick Start

Song of the Day: Say You’ll Haunt Me by Stone Sour

Back by popular demand, I bring you another, um, inspiring, yes, that’s the word, photo of Theo.

So tell me about him. Who is he? A Greek God? Personally, I don’t think that is far from the mark. In fact, I bet he hears women screaming his name often. Maybe he’s a demi-god much like Hercules? Perhaps he’s a Cirque du Soleil performer. Tell me about the ropes. Is he a stunt man who somehow lost his clothes in a scene gone horribly wrong? Could he be a shape-shifting wild animal who had been snared by a hunter’s trap?

Oh, the possibilities.

Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler

By: Stacey Purcell

I am returning this otherwise good typing paper to you
because someone has printed gibberish all over it and put your name at the top.  ~English Professor (Name Unknown), Ohio University

It seems many of my blogs have to do with some form of research and how to breathe life into a manuscript in unusual ways. This past weekend I had the opportunity to take a group of writers from my chapter on a road trip! This was a hands on form of research, made sweeter by the presence of other writers and friends.

Louisiana elicits images of swamps, pirates, spicy food, mysticism, and tales of dark passion. Was it simply based on stories passed down from one generation to the next that grew in the storytelling? We were on a mission to discover for ourselves the allure of this intriguing state. A little research ahead of time and then we were off to New Iberia in the heart of Cajun country.

We rolled into town, got our stuff settled and headed for the Tabasco factory and Avery Gardens. Who knew it takes up to three years for Tabasco to age? They also use whiskey barrels the liquor companies are forced to throw away after one use. Recycling at its best! There are only a few ingredients in this world famous sauce- peppers, distilled vinegar, and salt mined from the island it sat upon. Appropriately, the word Tabasco comes from the Indians meaning “place where soil is humid”. They got that one right!

After visiting the factory, shop and museum, we explored Avery Gardens which sits on top of a salt dome reported to be taller than Mt. Everest. We entered a paradise steeped in breathtaking beauty only to discover dark secrets hiding under the verdant green. Our group consisted of writers representing many different genres so our brainstorming sessions produced story bites from all walks. Since I’m a suspense/thriller writer, I found unique ways to hide my heroine in swampy water while a crazed killer was after her. Goodstuff!

Does she survive? You’ll have to wait for the book to come
out.

Others spun paranormal tales, Ya stories, and I’ve heard a rumor that a new children’s book is in the works about a tree looking for a home. The ideas were endless with such an unearthly splendor coloring the background of our future best sellers. What a way to get the creative juices flowing.

Our weekend marched along far too quickly. The culminating sight we investigated was Jefferson Island and Rip Van Winkle Gardens. The day was perfect. Temperatures hovered around 80, a stiff breeze blew over the lake and the giant oaks stretched out weathered limbs to shade us. A more perfect day would be hard to find. We toured the magnificent old home owned by a famous actor in the 1800s. The only actor more famous, at that time, than Joseph Jefferson was a fellow named John Wilkes Booth…we all know what happened to him.

We did find swamps, pirates, LOTS of spicy food, mysticism and a darkness that craved to be explored by brave souls. We also found camaraderie, laughter and a ton of brainstorming. (I think they got tired of me trying to kill all of the characters that we dreamt up.)

I highly recommend a writing road trip for research. You will find so much more than what you bargained for-

Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler (Let The
Good Times Roll!)

Please Remain Seated Until the Ride Stops

Song of the Day: The Kill by 30 Seconds to Mars

Do you spend a little extra time writing the ending of your book, or do you breeze through it with ease? You would think that because it is the end, it would be a snap to wrap that puppy up and call it a day, right? Wishful thinking.

This past week, I finished book #3 in my “Romancing the Pirate” series. But it didn’t come easy. Though I knew sort of what was going to happen – yes, I am a card-carrying pantster – I really had no idea how the story would get to ‘the end’. Guess you could say I’m just along for the ride, much like a reader. All I knew for sure was there would be a lot of nail biting, breath-holding action, and a happy ending. Pirates deserve to be loved, too, you know.

Completing this manuscript was, at times, tedious. I experienced moments of shear genius, my prose burning up the keyboard with g-force speed. This would be followed by the clackety-clack-clack of agonizing drags lasting days. Now, I am so exhausted, I have jet lag.

The scenes were drafted in my head barring any details or dialogue. The good guys, aka pirates, fought the bad guys, aka corrupt government (how’s that for irony). Yet, it took me much longer to write the scene than I would have liked.  Eventually, the hero bests the villain and wins his heroine. Great, only I didn’t feel the story was done. Ohhh no. I needed to make the hero and heroine suffer more. It only seemed right. Once I decided on how to put their lives in jeopardy again with a harrowing near death escape, I blazed right through it in just a couple of hours.

And still, I couldn’t write the words ‘the end’ just yet. An epilogue was in order to tie up all loose ends. This should be no problem. Okay, okay, I admit, keeping up with the Kardashians is easier than answering all the questions left in the wake of the prior 17 chapters.

Some writers make charts to help them keep track of all subplots, characters, and objects relevant to their stories. Others wallpaper their writing spaces with post-it notes. And still others have outlines, notebooks, dry erase boards, and files. I envy them. Though I do keep notes from time to time, I don’t do these things. I can’t. As I write, the tales evolve on their own, surprising even me on occasion. I’m free to let the characters tell the story through their eyes. Otherwise, I’m convinced, with my compulsive organizational skills, the narrative would come out stiff.

I somehow remember all those loose ends. Granted, it does take some serious staring out of the window and face scrunching, but I rarely forget any points that need to be revisited. I chalk it up to the way I do my first round edits. Once I’m finished with a chapter, I print it out for editing. I can’t move forward until I have read through, made changes, and strengthened the writing. Anal retentive? You bet! It certainly isn’t an easier method than plotting with charts or color-coding with sticky notes, but it works for me simply because I retain more of the story as I go along.

And then there’s the added stress of writing the killer last line, the sentence that signifies all is right in the world, the final words which make the reader go “Whew! That was awesome!”

Stop. Go. Stop. Go. That defines how I write the endings to my novels. What about you? Do you find that when you get close to the end it’s like a downhill ride and you write faster? Or are you more like me, where the roller coaster has its ups and downs and hair pin turns, but near the end, the ride slows down until that final jerk and the seat restraint lifts?

Let me hear from you!

On Contests – Candi Wall

I don’t consider myself a contest junkie.

I do however, consider myself a contest tactical planner.

I know writers who enter every contest that comes along. I wish, at times, that I could do this as well. But time and the money it takes to enter many of these contests can add up. And it can happen quickly. Before you know it, you’ve spent mega bucks!

It’s just not feasible for me. I’m sure many authors can say the same.

Until I can get that money tree to grow…

…here’s hoping….

PLAN!

There are many lists on the internet that you can search through to find writing contests.

I use Stephie Smith’s contest chart.

and

I belong to Romance Contests and Contest Alert

Then comes the research.

Here’s my list:

• Is the contest worth the money you’re putting into it?
• Who are the final judges?
• Does the contest have a good reputation?
• Is my submission ready?
• Do I have a chance to utilize my contest feedback and make changes if I final?

Then I narrow down the list to which ones I want to enter the most, trying to space them so that I’ll receive my feedback from one contest in time to use any helpful suggestions for the next contest.

Sometimes, you’ll have the opportunity to enter bigger, intense contests. Marie-Claude entered the American Title V (and Won!), Jenn Bray-Weber entered the Golden Heart (and finaled!), I entered the Next Best Celler (and finaled). These are huge contests. They require time and patience and TONS of nail-biting.

There’s a lot you can gain, and a lot that will frustrate you. The negative, unhelpful feedback that sometimes comes from contest judges is a definite downer. The judge that picks your submission apart but offers great suggestions is gold. The judge that loves your submission and gushes about how great it is, is a wonderful pick me up, but less helpful if they don’t specify what exactly you did so right. And then there’s the submission that comes back blank – nothing but a score, no comments, no explanation. I think maybe those are worse than any of the others. You’ll experience an odd range of emotions as you read the comments or lack of comments.

Public contests are the most time-consuming. Especially if the winners are determines by public voting systems. You could spend everyday promoting your work, begging others to take a look, praying they like it enough to vote for you. These are much harder work, so read the rules carefully in each contest to make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into.

Some contests require they retain rights to your submission until after the contest. Some require first refusal rights if your submission makes it to a certain point in the contest. Read carefully and ask around the writing community for opinions on the contests.

Some contests are free. This can make some people leery. Again, that’s when researching the contest becomes very important.

I entered a free contest back in November. I’m currently a quarter finalist in Amazon’s Breakthrough Novel Award. I’m happy to say this contest doesn’t suck up too much time. It’s a lot less promotion and vote-tarting than other contests I’ve participated in, thank goodness, and Amazon reviewers, Publishers Weekly and Penguin Group are the ones who decide who wins the whole lot. Great thing about this contest as well, is it’s free. The winners (1 from general fiction and 1 from young adult) will get a $15K advance and a contract with Penguin. This is a WIN situation all the way around. It’s free and all you’ll pay is some serious nervousness as each round slithers closer and passes.

You can take a peek at my excerpt here CERES WRATH if you’d like.

I’ll be biting my nails until April 26th when we’re knocked down from 500 to 100 Semi finalists. Ugh.

And while I’m waiting, I’ll definitely keep up with new contest opps.

Contests! Blessing or Curse?

Do you enter them? What’s your worst/best contest experience?

Writer Inspiration: Have Whip, Will Banish by Michelle Miles

Have Whip, Will Banish
By Michelle Miles

I bet you thought this was going to be about something kinky, didn’t you? That’s why you clicked on it. You dirty-minded thing, you.

Actually, today I’m writing about those ugly Doubt Demons. You know the ones. All writers suffer from them, whether we’re published or unpublished. (By the way, I wish I could take credit for the title of this post but it came from the most awesome Misty Evans.)

Mine looks like a big, hairy beast that stands six feet tall with a lot of sharp pointy teeth, horns coming out of his forehead, and an upturned nose. He’s ugly. Definitely ugly. And he smells like rotten eggs and sour milk. He stands behind me, drooling, telling me what an awful writer I am, how I’ll never be published again and that I should just give up because I’ll never be good enough or smart enough. He’s nasty and he snarls a lot.

“But I am smart enough,” I tell him.

And he laughs this ugly, guttural laugh and drools on my shoulder. It’s slimy and gross. I cringe.

“I am good enough!” I affirm.

He laughs again. “No, you’re not. You know that rejection you got the other day from your dream publisher? That’s what you’ll be getting from now on. You suck.”

Can you believe this guy?

This is when I turn around and give him a hard shove toward the door. I get my whip out and crack it over his head. I even kick him in the butt just to make my point. “Get out! Get out! Get out!”

Doubt Demons can destroy a writer. They do nothing good for us. They tear us down, tell us we suck, tell us we’re never going to be published, etc. You know the routine. So what do you do to combat them?

I have a few suggestions.

1. Get a whip. Whip it. And whip it good. Use it to get rid of those Doubt Demons before they eat away at your self-confidence. Imagine yourself, if you will, standing with your whip, your hat, and your gun. Only use the gun as a last resort. When that Doubt Demon advances on you, use the whip to scare him away. But be careful not to hurt yourself in the process.

2. Get a support group. Writers need other writers who understand the madness. Your loved ones can only help you so much. Try as they might, they don’t “get it” and that’s not their fault. They’re the non-writers in our lives (which we also need). When you start feeling those Doubt Demons hanging over your shoulder, grab your nearest writer pal and talk it out. You’ll find that your DDs start to dwindle away.

3. Get a drink. I don’t know about you, but martinis always help banish the demons for me.

4. Have a piece of chocolate. The doctors say it’s good for you, so you may as well. One piece won’t hurt.

5. Use that gun. When all else fails, get out the gun. Point it at the Doubt Demon, tell him to get out OR ELSE.

Okay most of these are silly suggestions but I think you get my point. There is no reason to feel like this because YOU, my friend, are a great writer and you WILL succeed and continue to succeed. The only person standing in your way is YOU. You can get out of your own way, write those words every single day. Even if they’re not the greatest words, you ARE writing and that’s what counts. Don’t listen to the voice in your head that says you suck. Instead, listen to the voice in your head that says it’s okay to suck. You can fix suckage. You can’t fix nothing.

I recently heard Candy Havens speak at one of my local chapters. I want to pass on what she taught us.

Repeat after me:

I am a great writer and I fear nothing.

Now say it three times. Look at yourself in the mirror and say it. Look at your Doubt Demon and say it.

Now I’ll say it for you: YOU are a GREAT writer and YOU fear nothing.

Not even Doubt.

Now go take on the page. I have all the confidence in you.

Michelle Miles writes contemporary, paranormal and fantasy romance and is published with Samhain Publishing, Cobblestone Press and DCL Publishing. You can follow her on Twitter at @MichelleMiles and “like” her Facebook page at Facebook.com/MichelleMilesRomance. To sign up for her newsletter and read her blog, visit her website at http://www.michellemiles.net .