Library Book Sale Spoils

Twice a year, our local library holds a book sale.  Quite a large one–for weeks before, I could see the area over the parking lot looking like it was about to bust.  Lots and lots of books.  I usually troll the sale for reference books, since it’s easy to check out the novels at the [...]

Organizing the Books

When I was growing up, I used to visit my grandparents in San Francisco.  They’d remodeled their house at one point and expanded the living room, which included a floor to ceiling bookcase.  And it was filled with books!  This was the coolest thing to me because I loved books. 
Because I’m a writer, I always end [...]

Where Old Library Books Go

We have a library sale coming up in October–actually two.  At the last one, I used the opportunity to pick up about half a dozen cookbooks.  In the past, I’ve found some research material for my book.   The rest of the year, the library sells the better books or puts them out to pasture in [...]

Strange Things in Library Books

I get a lot of books at the library, and sometimes I find odd things in them.   The librarians filter out a lot of it–check out Librarians Find the Weirdist Things. 
The other day I found a photo card of John F. Kennedy and Jackie Onasis that was copyrighted 1998.  Inexplicably, on the inside cover, someone [...]

The Cost of Books

When I grocery shop each week, I usually shop at 3-4 different stores to get everything I need at a good price.  I look through the ads for sales, plan my list accordingly, and shop.  If I can’t find an item on sale,  I buy the generic store brand to get the lowest price.  And [...]

Learning to Be a Better Writer by Reading

When I was in a critique group, there were two writers who were working on a novel but didn’t do much reading.  One stated, “I don’t have time to read!”  and the other wouldn’t read anything unless it was recommended to him.  They both had a very hard time understanding plot and premise–both difficult concepts [...]

Free Books From Harlequin

Harlequin is celebrating their 60th anniversary by giving away 16 books in eBook format.  The book range from Suspense to Historical. 
The link is courtesy of Hey, It’s Free!

Writing Books for the New Year

Happy New Year!
I thought I’d make a list of writing books that I find particularly helpful. If you asked me for a list in another couple of months, I’d probably have something different on it.  The books always change.
Write Better, Write Faster, by David Fryxell: Okay, it’s mostly for freelancers, but his discussion of organizing your [...]

Swallowing Darkness by Laurell K. Hamilton

I remember when I saw my first LKH book.  The title caught my eye, and I took it off the shelf. Looked at the back.  Whoa!  It was about a woman protagonist. There just weren’t a lot of books around like that at the time. 
Her book Swallowing Darkness is the seventh in the Merry Gentry [...]

Reading Outside the Genre

Though I’m writing an urban fantasy novel, I read all kinds of books.  You’ve probably seen some reviews for Christian books.  The CEO of the company, whose blog I read, introduced a program to promote his company’s books.  I thought, “Sure, why not?”  It’s not what I would normally read, but it does get me [...]