Tweaked, poked, and polished, the second book in my mystery series now rests in the hands of an editor. She will evaluate the plot and characters, offering insight into the book’s overall readability. If any loose ends, plot holes, or other issues arise, she’ll point them out. Her suggestions aim to ensure that readers will […]
The Blood and Guts of Crime Investigation
I’m back from the Writers’ Police Academy’s (WPA’s) 2019 MurderCon, a conference so packed full of forensic and investigative information I haven’t even begun to unpack everything I stuffed into my brain while there. I don’t go to a lot of writing conferences, but this one offered so much valuable information for a suspense and […]
Playing Town
Harriet The Spy. That’s who I’m thinking about this week. It’s because I credit Harriet, the petulant lead character in a 1964 book by Louise Fitzhugh, with fueling my desire to become a novelist. If you haven’t read it, you must. But the reason I felt like Harriet this week is because she, an 11-year-old, […]
Procrastinating, er, Plotting
With For Sissy now available for readers, I’m now plotting my next book. I should say “books,” because my next work will be a series — a mystery series. I’m a planner, not a pantser, so I outline. My outlines are never proscriptive, but I do rely on them to get me to the last […]
Cover Struggles of an Indy
After leaning that my video advertisement for For Sissy was too violent for Facebook, I made some quick changes so that the ad showed only the book cover, and not my embellishments of a bloody knife, et al. In hindsight, I could see why FB wouldn’t want to show the implied violence of my original […]
So Close I Can Almost Touch It!
This is a virtual copy of For Sissy, my next novel! It’s so exciting to see it becoming real! Review Team members gets a free, digital copy of For Sissy, and it’s not too late to join! Just send me a note at A.H.Gilbert@outlook.com and let me know you want to be part of the […]
So, You Want to Be a Beta Reader?
Beta readers are crucial to me as an independent writer. When I decide my book is DONE, they are the first people to read it – and I count on them to tell me why it’s NOT done. They are critical readers who know when a novel isn’t living up to its potential, and they […]
Happy Holidays!
Here’s wishing you all a peaceful holiday and happy new year! My second novel will soon be in the hands of my great beta readers, so it will be out in February. Thanks for following my blog and I’ll see you between the pages in the coming year! Merry Christmas!
Nice Ad. Could Use Some Toenail Polish.
I decided an ad in the Horror Writers Association newsletter might get some fresh eyeballs on The Crandall Haunting (not literally, unless you happen to have some eyeballs hanging around). So, I pulled out a couple copies of the paperback, piled them up this way and that and took a bunch of photos. From there, […]
That Covers It
A book’s cover is hugely important. It helps establish the book’s identity at a glance, and then becomes the face of a familiar friend as a reader dives in the pages and gets to know its characters and secrets. I went through many looks and feels before striking just the right design with the scary […]
Recent Comments