Cathy’s Blog
Save the Cat Story Cards
I will just say it right now: I love index cards. For many years I have used index cards when planning and outlining my books and other projects. I love that they are easy to move around and rearrange. They can be pinned to a cork board or laid out on a table, and […]
Save the Cat! Cracking the Beat Sheet
“Save the Cat!” by Blake Snyder was originally written as a tool for screenwriters. Snyder presents a structure for successful storytelling that has been adapted for use by novelists as well as the original audience. Now his work has been reimagined as a video course. The idea behind STC is simple: There are elements that […]
Stop Procrastinating, Start Writing
Would-be authors claim they want to write a book, but in fact they want to have already written a book. Writing is hard! Author Joseph Heller once said, “Every writer I know has trouble writing.” And he’s not the only one who has alluded to the difficulty of writing. Stephen King’s quote, “Amateurs sit and […]
Creating a Villain Your Readers Will Love to Hate
Creating multi-dimensional characters will make your fiction impossible to put down! Your villains should be at least as interesting as your heroes, and this graphic suggests ways to create unforgettable villains for your stories.
Recent Articles
Summarize Your Book and Increase Your Book Sales
Have you heard about book summary apps like Blinkist, Instaread and GetAbstract? No? Then you might be surprised to see how large these apps has become over the course of the last 10 years, and how they are fueling book sales for non-fiction authors around the world. Today, the world is full of distractions. […]
Why Structure Is a Friend, Not a Formula
There are a hundred iterations of the quote “every story has been told before.” But more often than not, the quote isn’t used in the context of lamenting that there are no fresh ideas. Au contraire! It’s much more commonly used as a comment on how we humans—since our dawn—have enjoyed telling and retelling certain […]
FAQs About Children’s Book Illustrations
Many authors of children’s picture books have questions about how to get their books illustrated. Here are some common questions about illustrations for children’s books. I have written a children’s picture book, but I am not an artist. How do I find someone to illustrate the book before I submit it to publishers? Most […]
5 Posts Every Author Should Write on their Website
Did you know that your author website can help you generate additional income? Many authors underestimate the power of a good website. Your dedicated website can help you communicate with your current readers, help you gain new followers, and even serve as a platform for new releases. However, you can also monetize it directly through […]
Author Interviews
E.S.Danon – Moon in Bastet
What is your most recent book? Tell us a bit about it. Moon In Bastet is my debut novel. It’s a hyper-fiction memoir, written in a fantasy world but based off my true life. I was inspired by Martel’s The Life of Pi, which is very similar to how I wrote Moon In Bastet – […]
Nicole Higginbotham-Hogue – Complicated Heart
What is your most recent book? Tell us a bit about it. My latest book is called Complicated Heart. This is the fourth edition in the Avery Detective Agency Series, a series that was first inspired by my grandfather. I decided to write a fourth installment because several readers had contacted me requesting this addition, […]
OLUWAmuyiwa Omole – Re.Think CULTURE
What is your most recent book? Tell us a bit about it. Re.Think CULTURE is written to talk on the untold aspects of Culture and because of this, it is focused on three themes; Community, Conformity, and Continuity. The idea is that each community must serve as a solution to its problem but it must […]
Camille Cabrera – Catalina’s Tide
What is your most recent book? Tell us a bit about it. My most recent book is called Catalina’s Tide. It’s a steamy thriller that really plays upon the issue of groupthink and paranoia. The novel takes place in the late 1990s on Santa Catalina Island during the week of Fourth of July. Tell us […]
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