There’s something going around on Facebook. Don’t worry, it’s not a virus. At least I don’t think it is. Though there’s a high likelihood you’ll come down with a severe case of forehead smacking, given this election cycle. What I’m referring to is summed up pretty well in this picture. These kinds of memes always…
This is a Thanksgiving post. There are others like it but this one is mine. Several readers of this blog live in other countries – Canada, England, and Australia, to name a few. I obviously don’t know what American Thanksgiving looks like from your perspective, but from here it looks something like one of…
There’s a bit of a misconception out there regarding authors. I know because I had this bright idea before I published that I would write something like “10% of all royalties will be donated to such and such organization” in the front or back matter of my book. Philanthropic, no? Another author told me it’s…
Readers choose a story because they think it will hold their interest, so why do they sometimes skim or stop reading the story? There’s probably a variety of reasons, but I’ve noticed a few trends in comments in my critique group and from my own reading habits that may offer some insight. 1. Long, elegant…
I’m writing on this topic because it’s a real question of mine, and I feel like I’ve been running in circles with it. Maybe thinking about it in type will bring me to some kind of conclusion. There are a few rules about novel openings that seem standard: don’t open with a character waking up/with…
This week is Banned Books Week, a week to contemplate the various works of literature that for whatever reason have historically been deemed too dangerous for public consumption. Where the Wild Things Are, The Diary of a Young Girl, and The Old Man and The Sea are among them. The one that surprised me the…
Think about a fiction book you’re reading. Tell me: what do you think about the main character? And how much information about that person did you have before forming that opinion? What qualities did you use? Gender? Age? Race? Appearance? Stereotyping occurs when we make assumptions about people based on the groups to which they belong. We…
I read a book review the other day, and it’s been irritating the crap out of me. The story that accompanied the review is set during the Napoleonic Wars, except the fighting countries have air forces comprised of talking dragons. I read the book, and I loved it (find it here). The dragons spoke eloquently in the…
I was tagged in a post on Facebook a couple days ago. I was supposed to list the top ten books that have stuck with me the most and tag other people. I don’t do that stuff on Facebook, but it did get me thinking about my favorite reads. So I’ll write about it here, and if you…
It’s a widely debated issue, I’ve learned. How much are readers willing to pay for a book? There doesn’t seem to be a solid answer, though there are trends. Popular books or books by popular authors generally cost more. Ebooks tend to be cheaper than the physical thing. The Bible is the most stolen book on…
Allison Maruska 