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Book Broker – an interview with Anne Hawkins
February 04, 2021
The number one warning sign for me is sloppy prose, whether in a query letter or in the sample chapters.
- Agent interviews
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The Short Story as a Sprint
January 29, 2021
The short story is a race car, it’s a snapshot, it’s a bird.
- On the craft
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Book Broker – an interview with Meg Davis
January 26, 2021
Personalisation is a good sign the author is taking themselves seriously, and asking me to as well.
- Agent interviews
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Book Broker – an interview with Kimberley Cameron
January 25, 2021
I’m always looking to be drawn into a story by voice.
- Agent interviews
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An interview with Darling Axe editor David G. Brown
January 14, 2021
David recently appeared on PenPodcast.com to discuss writing, editing, and hitchhiking on sailboats.
- On the craft
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Book Broker – an interview with Rachel Mann
January 14, 2021
Often there’s a jolt of excitement I get upon reading something great, and it’s hard to say why and when that comes.
- Agent interviews
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Narrative Coaching—what is it and who needs it
January 10, 2021
Narrative coaching can take many forms, and what exactly it involves depends on the author's needs and goals.
- On the craft
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Situation Versus Plot
January 04, 2021
Ask yourself: what’s the worst thing that could happen to my protagonist in this situation, short of complete failure or death?
- On the craft
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This Happened... and Then This Happened: The Dangers of Anecdotal Writing
January 04, 2021
The moment you supply resolution, you stop the plot from moving forward.
- On the craft
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Book Broker – an interview with Dara Hyde
January 01, 2021
2020 has been a huge year of change for publishing, much of it for good even in these scary times.
- Agent interviews
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Book Broker – an interview with Melissa Flashman
December 17, 2020

I am hopeful that we may witness the dawn of a new era of independent presses and the continuation of independent bookstores.
- Agent interviews
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Backstory: Handle with Care
December 12, 2020
Backstory can be an effective tool for developing character and adding tension, but it often gets mishandled. In simplest terms, backstory becomes a problem when there’s too much of it, and when it comes too soon.
- On the craft
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