Writing and Placing Opinion Pieces
Ten years ago today, on the 40th anniversary of Sandra ...
On Agent Queries
Finding a good literary agent – which is generally the ...
Paddling your Bathtub into London: How Great Stories End
I am working through plotting issues myself and returned to ...
No Social Distancing Required for Fictional Friends
No Social Distancing Required for Fictional Friends Like many now, ...
Bookseller Raves for The Last Train to London (now in 18 Languages) — and a prepublication copy for you!
So much great news to share on my forthcoming novel, ...
A new book by Madeleine l’Engle: Stories found in her “Tower”
The two books that made me dream of becoming a ...
Writing in Paris!
I’m in Paris, working on a new novel, and just ...
On the 75th Anniversary of D-Day
It’s a rainy evening in Paris, just minutes before the ...
One More Day for a Prepublication Copy of The Last Train to London!
Just one more day for a prepublication copy of my ...
Karen Joy Fowler: First Words
In celebration of Nanowrimo, I’m rerunning some of my favorite ...
Julia Glass: The Not Quite Yes
For NanoWriMo month, I’m going to repost some of my ...
The Lowly Pencil
Pencil, from the Latin penicillus, meaning “little tail.” Little tail? ...
Video Wikis
I know — and use — Wikipedia on a pretty ...
A Hemingway Story that Started 100 Years Ago Today
On this day 100 years ago, 18-year-old Ernest Hemingway (yes, ...
5 Quotes from Philip Roth on Reading, Writing, and Life
I was saddened to hear the news last night that ...
Words of Wisdom from Martha Gellhorn
Last year I started an effort to share a quote ...
STOP Writing — Without Giving Up
I’m delighted to have as my guest this week Jennifer ...
Steinbeck on Struggling with a Scene
Another bit of great writing advice from John Steinbeck: ...
John Steinbeck Support for NANOWRIMO
John Steinbeck Supports for #NANOWRIMO ...
Advice from Steinbeck to Kick Off NANOWRIMO
Advice from Steinbeck to kick off #Nanowrimo ...
Writing Advice from Ernest Hemingway on the Anniversary of For Whom the Bell Tolls
Today marks the anniversary of the publication in 1940 of ...
5 Quotes from Toni Morrison
Nobel- and Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Toni Morrison‘s novels include The ...
Caution: Writing While Parenting
My guest today, Anne Michaud, is a veteran political journalist ...
365 Great Quotes from Women
For the first day of fall, from Nora Ephron: Don’t ...
25 Great Quotes on Writing and Life
25 Quotes on Writing and Life from a few Amazing ...
Nora Ephron on Reading
"Reading is bliss." - Nora Ephron ...
A Brief Guide to Theft
Today's guest author, Ethel Rohan, has just released her third ...
Nora Ephron on Craziness and Sanity
If you’ve heard me speak, you might know this is ...
25 Quotes by Women Writers
Well, it’s been a tough couple months and I’ve fallen ...
Remembering Harper Lee, on Her Birthday
Harper Lee would have been 91 today. Seems a good ...
365 Great Quotes for Women
Again, the amazing Nora Ephron, this one from “When Harry ...
The Loft in Mineappolis, avec Devis
A bit of love for @loftliterary ...
Isabel Allende on Writing
Today’s quote, just because I like it: Writing is a ...
Joyce Maynard on Believing
Last but not least at the luncheon table last week ...
23 Tips from Aaron Sorkin’s Screenwriting Master Class
I recently participated in Aaron Sorkin’s online screenwriting master class, ...
Lalita Tademy on Having Plans
I was blown away when Lalita Tademy, author of the ...
Sylvia Brownrigg on … Well, Just Read It!
Well if today’s quote, from the third side of my ...
Women Who Lunch
Since I started this series, which I might call “Ladies ...
Peggy Orenstein On Women
Today’s quote, from Peggy Orenstein, will complete the first side ...
No Accidents
Another quote from a lunch companion: In the great design ...
7 Bits of Irish Wisdom
7 bits of Irish wisdom for St. Patrick's Day ...
Christina Baker Kline on Persevering
I had the loveliest lunch yesterday, a gathering of nine ...
Ayelet Waldman on Talented Women
I’m looking forward to lunch today with some terrific authors ...
A Little Paris Bookstore
Horton Foote, American author, playwright and screenwriter, was born 101 ...
Anna Quindlen on Books
Today’s quote, from the amazing Anna Quindlen: Books are the ...
Harper Lee on Expecting Success
I love this quote from Harper Lee: I never ...
Harper Lee on Reading
One of my all-time favorite books is To Kill a ...
Jane Austen on Reading
Today’s quote, on reading, from Jane Austen: I declare after ...
Jane Smiley on Reading
Today’s quote, from Jane Smiley’s Thirteen Ways of Looking at ...
Nora Ephron on Writing Parts for Women, on Women's Day
"I try to write parts for women that are as ...
More Wisdom from Judy Blume
My only advice is to stay aware, listen carefully, and ...
Wisdom from Judy Blume
Our finger prints don’t fade from the lives we touch.”- ...
A Last Quote in Celebration of Suffrage
My last post in celebration of the Supreme Court upholding ...
Right and Left Hands
Celebrating the 95th anniversary of the Supreme Court declaring the ...
Suffrage Week Continues
Celebrating the 95th anniversary of the Supreme Court declaring the ...
Suffrage Week Continued!
Celebrating the 95th anniversary of the Supreme Court declaring the ...
In Praise of Stubbornness
Harriet Scott Chessman, whose new novel, The Lost Sketchbook of ...
More Suffrage Wisdom
Celebrating the 95th anniversary of the Supreme Court declaring the ...
Wisdom from Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Celebrating the 95th anniversary of the Supreme Court declaring the ...
95 Years Ago Today…
Ninety-five years ago today, the Supreme Court unanimously declared the ...
An Oscar Night Quote
Offering this one today, with an alternative: You have to ...
A Hidden Figures Quote
I so loved the movie Hidden Figures that I am ...
The Most We Can Hope For
Today’s quote, from Elizabeth Strout’s lovely Abide with Me. I ...
A Quote from Christina Baker Kline, on the Occasion of Her New Book
I’ve just started reading Christina Baker Kline‘s brand new novel, ...
Ann Patchett on Writing
Today’s quote: Writing is a job, a talent, but it’s ...
Happy Birthday Anäis Nin
Celebrating Anäis Nin’s birthday with one of my favorite quotes ...
Ann Packer on Broken Hearts
Today’s quote comes from my friend Ann Packer‘s latest novel, ...
Cold-Body Reading
Not sure what started me on this Emily Dickinson kick, ...
Happy Birthday, Toni Morrison
Today is Toni Morrison’s birthday. In presenting her the Medal ...
Forever
Closing out the work week with great writing and life ...
Variations on a Theme from Dickinson
Certainly the most poetic writing advice I know of, from ...
Hope, from Emily Dickinson
Did you know Emily Dickinson wrote her poetry on scraps ...
A Bit of Early Love, from Nicole Krauss
If you haven’t read Nicole Krauss’s The History of Love, ...
A Love Quote from Louise Erdrich
More on the love theme for Valentine’s Day, this time ...
A Love Quote from Jane Austen
Looking forward to Valentine’s Day Tuesday, how about a love ...
Sylvia Plath, Remembered
I expect I could fill a whole year of quotes ...
Yet More Writing Wisdom from Plath
More writing wisdom from Sylvia Plath today: “Some things are ...
Sylvia Plath on Rejection Slips
For many years, I kept my rejection slips, although I ...
Writing Wisdom from Sylvia Plath
“I write only because There is a voice within ...
More Wisdom from Sylvia Plath
“Perhaps some day I’ll crawl back home, beaten, defeated. But ...
The Wisdom of Sylvia Plath
Fair warning: I’m a Sylvia Plath fan and have been ...
Lock Up Your Libraries
From Virginia Woolf: Lock up your libraries if you like; ...
Alice McDermott on the Perils of Publishing
I’m offering today’s quote, from one of the contemporary writers ...
Gertrude Stein on Who to Write For
As it’s Gertrude Stein’s birthday today — her 143rd — ...
Margaret Atwood on Words
Today’s quote, from Margaret Atwood, seems as important these days ...
It’s Not Rejection; It’s Feedback
My guest today is debut novelist Abby Fabiaschi, author of ...
365 Great Quotes from Women
More Wisdom from Nora Ephron, from her commencement address to ...
Anne Frank on Patience and Paper
Closing out January with a last quote from Anne Frank: ...
More Important Words from Anne Frank
Today’s quote, again from Anne Frank: Again, if you haven’t ...
A Little More Anne Frank
Staying with the Anne Frank theme today, an important voice ...
Remembering Anne Frank
"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single ...
365 Great Quotes from Women
Day #5 of writing in earnest, and a little humor ...
365 Great Quotes from Women
Day #4 of writing in earnest, and here is a ...
365 Great Quotes from Women
Day #3 of writing in earnest, and I’m offering a ...
365 Great Quotes from Women
Day #2 of writing in earnest: Make up a story… ...
365 Great Quotes from Women
I’m buckling down to write in earnest this week, so ...
Great Quotes from Women
Love this quote and what it says about the term ...
Great Quotes from Women
I thought a quote from a literary great about women’s ...
365 Great Quotes from Women
Another from my fave, Eleanor Roosevelt, whose “My Day” column ...
365 Great Quotes from Women
Today’s, from Toni Morrison, for those of who, like me, ...
365 Great Quotes from Women
I do hope that as you enjoy this quote you ...
365 Great Quotes from Women
Staying on the dream theme for another day here: The ...
365 Great Quotes from Women
"Lift up your eyes upon / The day breaking for ...
365 Great Quotes from Women
For the second post of this Maya Angelou weekend … ...
365 Great Quotes from Women
You can only become truly accomplished at something you love... ...
365 Great Quotes from Women
Call this a J.K. Rowling 3-fer, which yes, may have ...
What I learned at PixarHow to Write a Good Beginning
This video featuring Pixar screenwriter Michael Arndt is a terrific ...
365 Great Quotes from Women
And on a J.K. Rowling streak to match my Jane ...
365 Great Quotes from Women
It is our choices ... that show what we truly ...
365 Great Quotes from Women
Keeping with the reading theme here for a few days, ...
365 Great Quotes from Women
On this day when I know it is snowy and ...
365 Great Quotes by Women
"The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not ...
365 Great Quotes from Women
But for my own part, if a book is well ...
365 Great Quotes from Women
Today, wisdom from French writer Simone de Beauvoir: Change your ...
365 Great Quotes from Women
Today’s quote — with an image! — from American novelist ...
365 Great Quotes from Women
“Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the ...
365 Great Quotes from Women
“If you don’t risk anything, you risk even more.” - ...
365 Great Quotes from Women
“When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes ...
365 Great Quotes from Women
“It is never too late to be what you might ...
6 Writing Tips from Crazy Fabulous Female Journalists
6 informative writing tips -- and a few extra funny ...
The Art of Quitting
Lucy Jane Bledsoe is the author of the just-released A ...
Wobbly Spelling
“My spelling is Wobbly. It’s good spelling but it Wobbles, ...
The Power of Sharing Your Story
Ann Douglas is the author of numerous books about parenting, ...
New Novel Contest with Publication for Winner
I thought those of you writing crime fiction might like ...
1 Crazy Strange Writing Tip for #1ThTH
Be strange. It's the secret of great writing. No one ...
Here's to Mad Persistence!
Micah Perks won an NEA grant and The New Guard ...
#1ThTH – Reputable Fiction and Novel Contests
This week’s 1 Thing Thursday: Consider entering a contest! I ...
Writing while parenting
Ruth Whippman is a British journalist, author and documentary film-maker ...
3-Minute Interview with New York Times Bestseller Caroline Leavitt
I’m delighted to kick off a new 1st Books feature–3 ...
How Many Words Long Should a Novel Be?
This week’s 1 Thing Thursday asks the question: How Long ...
Best-seller Constance Hale on New Ideas in Publishing
Constance Hale is a San Francisco–based journalist probably best known ...
Kurt Vonnegut on Story Structure
For today’s 1 Thing Thursday, I offer you a charmingly ...
The Truth about Publishing a 1st Book
I love this post by this week’s guest author, Aya ...
#1ThTh – Find Where Your Readers Gather on Social Media
I decided when I was traveling to add what I ...
15 Quotes on War from Journalists and Others
Since today is the 71st anniversary of the End of ...
Structure. Story and life. Rough Framing.
My guest today, Marian Palaia, is a San Francisco (and ...
17 Social Media Tips for Authors and Others
What makes people follow, favorite, click, and retweet? This post ...
Peek Behind the Amazon Publishing Curtain: an interview with Marybeth Mayhew Whalen
For her latest novel, The Things We Wish Were True, ...
In Praise of Writing Friends
When I first started this blog, I wrote a post (run ...
The Inspiration of Competition, with Ave Maria Notes from the Vienna Boys' Choir and the Vienna Philharmonic
Did you know that Sunday mornings from mid-September through June, ...
5 Tips on Writing (War) from the Masters, for Memorial Day
For Memorial Day, five quotes from great writers about the ...
Low-Price Promotion and the Value of Books
Harper Books, which published my latest novel, has had ...
When a Novel is a Long Time in Coming
I’ve been crazy busy lately, and sadly remiss about hosting ...
5 Irish-leaning Quotes (and 2 Songs) to Celebrate St. Patrick's Day
I’ve collected a few nice Irish quotes — and two ...
Remembering Pat Conroy through his Own Words: 6 quotes
I woke this morning to the news that Pat Conroy ...
8 Great Valentine's Day Quotes of a Literary Sort, and 2 Charming Links
To put you in a literary Valentine’s Day Mood, 8 ...
The Loveliest Way to Connect with Readers
I’m pushing two projects forward now, and my heart is ...
10 Terrific Quotes from Elizabeth Strout's Fresh Air Interview
May I recommend this interview -- Elizabeth Strout with Terry ...
A Bit About Elizabeth Strout
Elizabeth Strout's first novel was published in 2000 which, if ...
1 great way to celebrate the holidays with your book group
The best way I know of the celebrate the holidays ...
3 Writing Programs Worth a Look
3 Writing programs worth a look ...
Dear Mrs. Wharton, Dear Mr. James – a literary Friendship
On this day in 1900, Henry James first wrote to ...
In case you want to be jealous…
“A word after a word after a word is power.” ...
Write it Down, Make it Real
Karma Brown is an award-winning journalist and freelance writer whose first ...
Friendship on Friendship: Writing with a Partner
I’m so delighted today to be back at the 1st ...
Signed Copies of Nightingale, Circling the Sun, and The Race for Paris for the asking!
I’m still touring — in Minneapolis and Chicago this coming ...
5 Tips for Any Writing Career
Lisa Brackmann is the critically acclaimed author of the Ellie ...
From Academic to Technical Writer to Debut Novel
Amy Reichert‘s debut novel, The Coincidence of Coconut Cake, was ...
Ain't Nothing Like Him Nowhere
Writer Wins Love Lottery Because this is a writing blog, ...
Wishful Thinking: Memoir vs. Fiction
This is how a literary friendship begins: on a train ...
Booker Prize Finalist and PEN/Faulkner winner Karen Joy Fowler on Beginning to Write
Lucky all of us who love great fiction: a new ...
5 Fabulous Literary Fathers, in Their Own Words
a few literary fathers and Fathers Day Quotes that illustrate ...
What Makes a Great Book Review, in 18 Words
(Or, how I spent my Sunday night on a virtual ...
Writing high concept novels
Lori Nelson Spielman”s debut, The Life List, became a #1 ...
A 6-Book Quiz: Match the Amazon 1 Star Reviews to the Classic Books they Describe
For a little literary fun, Match the Amazon 1-Star Review ...
Starting with a journal…
Debut novelist Laura Nicole Diamond started with a legal career ...
So you want to write a novel with another person?
Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke write novels. Together. And they ...
10 Writing Tips from the Masters
10 Writing Tips from the Writing Masters for Writing this ...
7 Fabulous Writing Tips (and Publishing Tips too!) from my 1st Books Guest Authors
I’m celebrating the 7th anniversary of 1st Books this week ...
An Outline Changed My Life
Bestseller Meg Donohue has a new novel, Dog Crazy, just out, ...
19 Twitter Tips for Authors + Others
What makes people follow, favorite, click, and retweet? ...
Beginning in the Middle
I’m so delighted today to host fellow Marly Rusoff author ...
Andrea Lochen on Writing
As a young adolescent, I fell hard for Stephen King ...
13 Writing Prompts To Get the Ink Flowing
One of these 13 writing prompts were my way into ...
Christine Breen: a first novel … at age 60!
My guest this week, Christine Breen hails from Kiltumper, Ireland, ...
8 Great Writing Tips from F. Scott Fitzgerald
Fitzgerald never lived to see The Great Gatsby acknowledged as ...
Barbara Stark-Nemon: fictionalizing the real
Barbara Stark-Nemon‘s debut novel, Even in Darkness, has been called ...
BookWorks, Pacific Grove CA
When Mac and I first explored Pacific Grove almost two ...
6 Writing Tips from Kazuo Ishiguro
The truth is the combination of dazzling on the page ...
6 sexy ways to celebrate National Poetry Month
Did you know April is National Poetry Month? The Academy of ...
Anita Hughes: writing as a child
Anita Hughes's story of how her first novel, Monarch Beach, ...
M.J. Rose: steal my script
I’m so delighted today to host one of the most ...
5 Funny Irish Writers on How to Write
Funny advice from Irish writers for St. Patrick's Day, including ...
Madeleine Mysko: a 1st novel in … a mere 20 years
I am so incredibly delighted to host my dear dear ...
Elizabeth Collison: writing while holding a day job
I have a two guests this week, so I’m doing ...
5 Women journalists' words to inspire you on International Women's Day
The theme this year is "Make it happen." For me, ...
Cara Black: Let’s Talk Research
It’s about weaving the rich history of the place into ...
Lynn Carthage: on persistence
...A week later I had a rough draft, very short ...
Greer Macallister: on writing historical fiction
Choosing the right details and working them into the text ...
Tatjana Soli: on silencing the voices of no
Tatjana Soli guest posted here when her first novel, The ...
Jan Ellison: on novels in drawers
My novel was on my mind every single day for ...
Amanda Eyre Ward: on writing nights and weekends
One of the dearest and most generous writers I know, ...
The Little Moments a Writer Lives For!
Heavens to Betsy! I don’t often like to talk about ...
Sandra Gulland: on getting around to writing
The Shadow Queen author Sandra Gulland shares her story of ...
10 Great Gifts for Writers (and Readers Who Want to Write!)
Unless you're an editor willing to wrap up a book ...
Ann Mah: mastering the art of french writing
I had the great fortune to read a galley for Ann ...
Elizabeth Enslin: writing for readers
Elizabeth Enslin is a Stanford Ph.D who has done research in ...
Patience, Iago – for screenwriting as well as novel writing
Diane Drake, my teacher for an online screenwriting course I’m ...
Linda Gray Sexton: on following in her poet mother's footsteps
My guest author today is my friend and fellow Bay ...
Sundog Books, Seaside FL
the books aren’t shelved alphabetically, but the booksellers can find ...
Switchbacks: Writing a First Novel
Désirée Zamorano‘s novel The Amado Women is just out from ...
Two Resurrections in One
Liz Rosner has not one but two books coming out now ...
Elena Mauli Shapiro: nothing but a desk and a typewriter
Delighted to host Elena Mauli Shapiro, who first appeared here ...
Julie Lawson Timmer: draft the acknowledgments, write the dedication
I always love hosting debut novelists here, and ones who ...
Shelly King: getting to a published novel the nanowrimo way
Debut novelist Shelly King is a Silicon Valley social media strategist ...
Jean Kwok: From Factory to Bestselling Author
If you think you have an excuse not to write, ...
Renee Swindle: Every Writer's Nightmare
A Pinch of Ooh La La by Renee Swindle just released ...
Write Like a Girl
It’s not just about the running. I’ve been a runner ...
Writing … Now or Never
I am SO delighted to host my SheWrites.com pal, Cassandra ...
Robin Black: There Was Only Moving Forward
By the time Robin Black applied to the MFA program ...
Ellen Sussman: My Summer of Love
We writers do write what we know, even if we’re ...
Meg Waite Clayton: In Praise of Writing Friends … and Publishing and Bookselling Ones, Too
It took me ten years to get my first novel ...
Tracy Guzeman: Writing to please myself, no slippers involved
Tracy Guzeman guest posted here when her debut novel, The Gravity ...
Julia Fierro: Success in publishing means being able to publish a next book
Julia Fierro is the author of Cutting Teeth, which was ...
Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke: An out of body experience that will keep us grounded
This week’s guest authors, Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke, have ...
Award Winner took a Decade to Find a Publisher
The 2014 Bailey Prize winner (formerly the Orange Prize) for ...
Happy Poem in Your Pocket Day!
April is National Poetry Month, and today — the one ...
Kelly O'Connor McNees: First I Was a Quitter
Kelly O’Connor McNees guest posted here when her first novel, ...
8-Quote Bouquet in Celebration of Earth Day
Can you identify what is different about this list of ...
Katie Hafner: On Writing, Publishing, and Tea
Harpers calls Katie Hafner’s sixth book, Mother Daughter Me, “an ...
Sandra Gulland: Getting Around to It
Sandra Gulland’s fifth novel, The Shadow Queen, “will remind readers ...
Eva Stachniak: Writing is a Gamble
Winter Palace author Eva Stachniak blogs about how she started ...
M.J. Rose: An Amazing Self Publishing Success Story
My very dear friend M.J. Rose has a new novel, ...
Jenny Bowen: My Memoir – What I Forgot
Amy Tan calls the just-released memoir of today’s guest, Jenny ...
Cara Black: An Author-Publisher Interview
Cara Black, the New York Times bestselling author of the ...
Cathy Marie Buchanan: Finding the Writing Life
When Cathy Marie Buchanan asked if I’d read her new novel, The Painted ...
Elizabeth Scarboro: Writing, The Ultimate Double Life
My guest author this week, Elizabeth Scarboro, is the author ...
Ariel Lawhon: Art is the Gift
I’m just delighted to host Ariel Lawhon, whose debut novel, ...
Melanie Benjamin: The Novelist Formerly Known As… (on book publishing under a pen name)
Happy New Year, everyone! I’m kicking off 2014 with a ...
Bethany Beach Books, Bethany Beach DE
When my husband and I first got married and his ...
Happy Holidays!
1st Books will be back in 2014! Enjoy the ...
A Statistical Analysis of the New York Times Notable Books in Fiction for 2013
I’m ever curious how the New York Times editors’ book taste ...
Tattered Cover, Denver CO
an amazing Colorado indie now at the airport, in case ...
8 Great Gifts for Writers
Unless you’re an editor willing to wrap up a book ...
Allison Winn Scotch: Moving the Other Way, from Traditional Publishing to Indie Author
I first hosted New York Times bestselling author Allison Winn Scotch’s on 1st ...
11 Bits of Wisdom from Doris Lessing, On Reading, Writing, and Life
After I read in the New York Times that The ...
Harriet Scott Chessman: The Beauty of Ordinary Things
I am so delighted to host Harriet Scott Chessman on the occasion ...
Sara J. Henry: Learning to …
Today’s guest author, Sara J. Henry, is a LONGtime friend. We were ...
Ellen Kirschman: Delusional, Perhaps with a Touch of Grandiosity
I’m delighted to be hosting my friend Ellen Kirschman, a ...
Tara Conklin: Keep Writing, Keep Writing, Keep Writing
The House Girl author Tara Conklin did a wonderful post here about the ...
Tatjana Soli: Silencing the Voices of No
Tatjana Soli guest posted here when her first novel, The Lotus Eaters released. ...
Dan Chaon: The Continually Humbling Process of Writing
To celebrate the paperback publication of Dan Chaon‘s story collection Stay ...
Kathleen McCleary: Self-promotion makes me queasy
My guest this week, Kathleen McCleary, is a journalist and ...
Ann Mah: Mastering the Art of French Writing
Ann Mah shares her story of writing her gorgeous new ...
6 Literary Quotes & a Bouquet of Newly-Sharpened Pencils on this 1st Day of Autumn
On this autumnal equinox – the perfect balance of day ...
Three Things I Learned from Alice McDermott
Early in my writing career, I had the incredible good ...
5 Fun Tips on Writing and on Life – from Agatha Christie on the Occasion of her Birthday
Agatha Christie was born 123 years ago today–an old bird ...
Jamie Ford: Call in Sick More Often, a Biography in Reverse
Just in case you haven’t heard, Jamie Ford has a ...
Nick Taylor: How to Put Women Where There Were None
I’m delighted to welcome Nick Taylor back to 1st Books. ...
Constance Hale: Sin, Syntax, and Persistence
My guest this week, Constance Hale, wrote “probably the hippest ...
Writing Advice and Inspiration from Elmore Leonard (1925 – 2013): #10. Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip.
I heard on NPR this morning that Elmore Leonard passed ...
Melodie Johnson Howe: I am crazy. I'm a writer.
My guest this week is the wonderful mystery writer and ...
Tracy Guzeman: Writing to please myself, no slippers involved
I had the absolute delight of introducing the absolutely delightful ...
Mostly Books, Tucson AZ
A cool bookstore–in so many ways! I was just on ...
Poisoned Pen, Scottsdale AZ
I grew up reading Agatha Christie, and mysteries remain my ...
One true story I perhaps shouldn't admit…
One true story I perhaps shouldn’t admit: The original title ...
Warwick's, La Jolla CA
Warwick’s knows books, and luncheon menus, too! When I was ...
Meg Waite Clayton: In Praise of Writing Friends … and Publishing and Bookselling Ones, Too
No guest today. Just me, since it’s my publication week! ...
6 Weeks in the English Lakes #5: At Opposite Ends of the Coffin Route
Wordsworth and his brother were walking in the English Lakes ...
Lori Nelson Spielman: One Door is Closed…It Might Never Open
It’s always a pleasure to host debut authors on 1st ...
6 Weeks in the English Lakes #4: Beatrix Potter on England's Fells
“The fells are never twice alike.” – Beatrix Potter, from ...
Nina Schuyler: The Translator
Nina Schuyler’s first novel, The Painting, was nominated for the ...
Leslie Lehr: You Can't Fail Until You Quit
Today’s guest author, Leslie Lehr, is the author of the ...
6 Weeks in the English Lakes #3: Beatrix Potter's Hill Top Farm
“Some of the walls were four feet thick, and there ...
Sally Koslow: Magazine Editor Turns Novelist
I first connected with Sally Koslow when I was asked to read ...
A Literary Father's Day: 5 fabulous quotes about fathers
Just a few of my favorite literary quotes about fathers, ...
6 Weeks in the English Lakes #2: A Literary Map
If you don’t know where the English Lakes are, pull ...
Marybeth Whalen: The Work of the Story
This week’s 1st Books guest, Marybeth Whalen, is the author of ...
Sarah Jio: Career Life Balance … and Silencing the Naysayers
When I first met Sarah Jio – at the Pulpwood Queens ...
Jane Austen Drinking a Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino
I know, I know. Caramel. Crunch. Or maybe it’s the ...
Amy Sue Nathan: Closing My Eyes Opened Me Up To Writing Again
I first “met” today’s guest author, Amy Sue Nathan, when ...
Chaucer's Books, Santa Barbara CA
Chaucer's Books - a terrific independent bookstore Santa Barbara CA ...
Joan Steinau Lester: A journal full of poetry and frustration, in equal measure
Joan Steinau Lester’s second novel, Mama’s Child released yesterday. Alice ...
Good News for Mother's Day, Good News for Goodread-ers, and Other Good News!
So much good news to smush in to one post, ...
Caroline Leavitt Throws Stones at Her Own Characters – a 1st Books Interview
The New York Times Modern Love column had already turned ...
Your One Wild and Precious Life
On this last day of National Poetry Month, I’m keeping ...
Book Passage in Corte Madera, and at the Ferry Building, too
If you’re in the San Francisco Bay area and don’t ...
Five Facebook Tips for Authors and Others (or "Being Generous Always Feels Better than Being Jealous")
Having only recently learned to size my Timeline photos 403×403 ...
Allie Larkin: Fake-Out (or, How Not to Write a Novel)
Allie Larkin is the internationally bestselling author of the novel ...
Practical Poetry
Poet Joan Gelfand is chipping in for the 1st Books ...
At the Intersection of Earth Day and National Poetry Month
Can I resist the excuse of the intersection of Earth ...
Poem in Your Pocket Day x 2
Of the many wonderful moments in National Poetry month, my ...
Elizabeth Benedict: Writing about the Gifts Our Mothers Give Us
Elizabeth Benedict is the author of five novels, including the bestseller ...
Mary Mackey: on poetry
Mary Mackey and I belong to a San Francisco Bay ...
Caroline Paul: Writing It Down
I’m delighted today to host Caroline Paul, whose Lost Cat ...
Poetry Tuesday: Elizabeth Block
Elizabeth Block is a poets who has also received national ...
Shannon Huffman Polson: The Waiting
My fellow 85 Broad, Shannon Huffman Polson, has a first ...
Elizabeth Rosner: on poetry
It’s April, National poetry month, and I’m delighted to have ...
What are You Doing to Celebrate National Poetry Month?
In a small moment, I’m left steeped in some feeling ...
Perils of Social Media Interface Software for Twitter and Facebook
I’ve been using social media interfacing software for some time ...
8 Great Quotes from the Ever-Spunky Barbara Walters
Barbara Walters broke the glass so many times in her ...
Ellen Sussman: This One’s For You, Mr. G.
I could not be more delighted to be hosting Ellen ...
Nichole Bernier: Does Publishing a Novel Change Your Life?
Nichole Bernier’s fabulous The Unfinished Work of Elizabeth D – ...
Towne Center Books, Pleasanton CA
great fiction at the front of the store, and terrific ...
8 Great Tips for Successful Writing Groups
8 Great Tips for Successful Writing Groups, from The Company ...
Monica Wesolowska: The Secret of Writing for Others
Monica Wesolowska's first book, Holding Silvan, was decades in the ...
Neil Gaiman on Making Good Art
If you want to be a writer, or any kind ...
11 Twitter Tips for Authors + Others
What makes people follow, favorite, click, and retweet? And does ...
For most of history, Anonymous was a woman – But not anymore
For most of history, Anonymous was a (feminist) woman - ...
50 Drafts: The SheWrites Novelist Group Chat with Cathy Marie Buchanan
Since there is no way that I know of to ...
Copperfield's, Santa Rosa CA
Have you been to Copperfield's Books lately? These fabulous stores ...
What Do You Get at a Writers Conference?
What's in a writers conference for the writers-panelists? Gets me ...
Randy Susan Meyers: How Long Does it Take (to write books? find an agent? get published?)
Recently, a thread in an online writer's community popped up, ...
Look what showed up on my doorstep!
A box of the early reader copies of The Wednesday ...
If My Story is Paper
I read a poem last night that was both lovely ...
Writing Love Stories: The Missing Handout
“I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, ...
Julie Kibler: Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic
This week’s guest author, Julie Kibler, began writing Calling Me ...
Vroman's, Pasadena CA
my bookstore the summer I became a fanatic reader I ...
10 Suggestions for Writing Dialogue
I did a panel on writing dialogue at the San ...
Tara Conklin: Keep Writing, Keep Writing, Keep Writing
There are so many reasons I am absolutely delighted to ...
Modern Love
I sent a tweet to my friend Caroline Leavitt yesterday ...
Can you imagine a nicer way to start a morning?
The Wednesday Daughters galley pages have arrived! Is there a ...
Another 1st Books 2 for 1: Sara J. Henry and Alex George on How They Started Writing
Two wonderful authors who’ve posted in the past for me, ...
How to Cut a Digital Heart out of Your Book Jacket
This little heart I was so proud of Friday garnered ...
A Survival Guide to Writers Conferences: 1. Eat Chocolate for Breakfast
A Survival Guide to Writers' Conferences: 1. Eat Chocolate for ...
Two Author Posts for the Price of One!
This week, I’m rerunning two previous posts, one to celebrate ...
2013 Caldecott Winner Announced … And Newbery Winner, Too
In case you haven’t been watching, the ALA awarded the ...
Cathy Marie Buchanan: Finding the Writing Life
I’m often asked if I always wanted to be a ...
Leah Stewart: Making Good the Lie
I went to graduate school right after college, in part ...
A Facebook Tip for Writers and Others With Fan Pages
An easy to-do for anyone with a personal facebook page ...
Twitterature Quiz: a Literary Match Game with Hashtags
I recently posted on my Huffington Post blog a Twitterature ...
Melanie Benjamin: The Novelist Formerly Known As…
That has been my saving grace, I firmly believe; my ...
What Book Editors Want in 2013
The answers run the gammut, including "quirky books," "popular subjects ...
Elizabeth Percer: A Reverse Coming-of-Age Story
Last year, when I read Courtney Sullivan‘s take on An ...
Kathy Leonard Czepiel: This Way to the Back Door
A novel is a big, floppy thing with sleeves and ...
Isabel Allende on Passion, Writing, and Character
A funny, engaging, moving, and insightful 17-minute talk by author ...
Writing Resolutions for 2013
he essential impulse in working is to allow what ...
A Little Robert Frost End-of-the-Word Poetry
Fire and Ice by Robert Frost Some say the world ...
Good Grammar is Sexy
Good grammar is sexy. ...
The Comma Lottery!
Want to enter the comma lottery? I just got exactly ...
Books=Gifts
Where is human nature so weak as in the bookstore?” ...
Streetcars and Desire, Tennessee Williams and Writing
“What is straight? A line can be straight, or a ...
Random House Announces Digital-Only Imprints
The Random House Publishing Group (my happy literary home!) just ...
Bank Square Books, Mystic CT
the true story of the flood If you’re looking for ...
Bookshelf as Painting
How sad that this wonderful book image, which I found ...
Books on the Cape: Where the Sidewalk Ends, the Brewster Book Store, and More
Who knew Cape Cod had so many great bookstores and ...
Page's Post-It Dressing
Growing up, I was never a big fan of dressing, ...
Tara Ison: How Alcatraz Became an Ebook
Tara Ison is the author of the novels A Child ...
Ann Patchett, Richard Russo, John Grisham, Garth Stein and Others Give A Shout-Out to Indie Bookstores!
Today (horray!) is the publication date for My Bookstore: Writers ...
When Comforting a Grammar Nazi…
Maybe it’s just that I’m waiting for copyedits on The ...
Linda Herman: From Buckets to Books
Today’s guest author, Linda Herman, is the author of Parents ...
We'll Return to Our Usual Literary Programming after This Brief Message
"here never will be complete equality until women themselves help ...
I Could Not Be More THRILLED…
I could not be more thrilled to be sharing the ...
Juliette Fay: I Never Wanted to Be a Writer
I was desperate for something that was mine, that ... ...
On Reviews
I’m in that wonderful place for a writer: between reviews. ...
Alison Owings: Fast Faster Fastest Slow Slow Slow
The San Jose Mercury News calls Indian Voices: Listening to ...
Litquake's Lit Camp Writers Conference
Just got an email about Lit Camp, the Bay Area’s ...
E.B. White and Friedrich Nietzsche on Writing and Friends … and Please Share Links to Your Writer-Pals
I was just about to tweet the E.B. White quote ...
The Wordle.net Edit
I pasted a late-process draft of The Wednesday Daughters into ...
Lake Forest Book Store, Lake Forest IL
Charming suburban Chicago bookstore with smart booksellers and great events ...
Kelly O'Connor McNees: First I Was a Quitter
Kelly O’Connor McNees guest posted here when her first novel, ...
I like to have a Martini…
I like to have a Martini, two at the very ...
Why Save Big Bird, Oscar, and the Rest of PBS?
You’re still here? Hey, why don’t you go read a ...
The Book Bin, Northbrook IL
My teenaged bookstore I have a sentimental attachment to The ...
Debra Dean: Taking the Long Way
Debra Dean’s bestselling debut novel, The Madonnas of Leningrad was ...
Think Pink Books?
Today kicks off National Breast Cancer Awareness month, and as ...
What Favorite Books of Yours Have Been Banned?
Today is the first day of Banned Books Week, and ...
Book Labyrinth
I’d love to get lost in this very cool book ...
Victoria Brown: Who's Your Mentor?
I met Victoria Brown at the fabulous Christamore House Guild ...
Parnassus Books, Nashville TN
Brenda Rickman Vantrease and I stopped in to see Parnassus ...
Literary Yum!!!
Does it get tastier than this? Well, maybe if there ...
Harper Voyager: Accepting Unsolicited Manuscripts
From the Harper Voyager Website: For the first time in ...
Karen Brown: Waiting
Karen Brown’s Pins and Needles received AWP’s Grace Paley Prize for Short ...
How to Chat Up a Writer
I came across the very funny “How to Chat Up ...
David Abrams: The Birth of Fobbit, and Other Happy Accidents in a War Zone
David Abrams’ debut novel, Fobbit, is one of the most ...
Tatjana Soli: Silencing the Voices of No
Tatjana Soli guest posted here when her first novel, The ...
Book Exchange
Today’s friday fun comes from Seòras’ photostream on Fickr, which ...
Beach Books, Seaside OR
a book store with exceptional warmth and charm Kristina McMorris, ...
Rayme Waters: A Strong Voice and a Happy Ending
My long-time friend Rayme Waters has just published her debut ...
Graham Swift on Writing and Claustrophobia
“If you can’t stand your own company alone in a ...
Harvard Books, Cambridge MA
an indie store on Harvard Square We’re headed to the ...
Kim Fay: Imagine the Impossible
A former indie bookseller, The Map of Lost Memories author ...
Do You Read While Watching the Olympics?
And if so, what? I’m glad to see I’m not ...
The Coop, Cambridge MA
my son’s favorite hangout When I visited Cambridge, Massachusettes this ...
Reading in Bed!
This wonderful sheet is a collaborative art project done by ...
Capitola Book Cafe, Capitola CA – now sadly closed
My baby brother, who lives in Berlin, Germany most of ...
Heather Barbieri: Not According to Plan
This week’s guest, Seattle novelist Heather Barbieri, has published Snow ...
1 Question: Do You Have a Favorite Bookstore? Here are some of mine…
Four years ago this month and just a couple weeks ...
Oh the Places You'll Go (To Write!)
To borrow from the good Dr. S: Congratulations! Today is ...
Tayari Jones: Writing in the Wilderness
To celebrate the paperback publication of Silver Sparrow by my ...
Nancy Pearl on Judging a Book by its Cover
I came across this lovely bit in Nancy Pearl’s Book ...
Thaisa Frank: Yellow Pencils
I’ve known Thaisa Frank since about the time my first ...
Longfellow Books, Portland ME
warm and cozy, with walls and tables filled with books, ...
How to Use Images in Email Footers
Because so many people have asked me how to do ...
Chaucer (and others) on Friday the 13th
How unlucky can a day be when it inspires words ...
Katharine Britton: Lucky in Literature
Katharine Britton was by one measure fifty years to getting ...
Readers' Books, Sonoma CA
better than a winery tour, and at author events you ...
Mark Twain on Separating Characters from Corpses
An email from a reader this morning reminded me of ...
A Great Good Place for Books, Oakland CA
a little bookstore with an amazing selection, and even more ...
Literary Tights
These tights singlehandedly inspired me to start a new occasional ...
Catherine Brady: All of My Stories Are Feminist, and No, I’m Not Apologizing
My dear friend and guest author this week, Catherine Brady, ...
Pages, Manhattan Beach CA
“Grocery Stories” Perhaps the only place more special than a ...
Inside Random House: Bringing Books to Life
Do you want to hear how it works from the ...
Claire McMillan: The Gal with the Non-Flammable Manuscript
I met Claire McMillan through Twitter, in part because we ...
A Writing Contest Worth Considering
I’m not generally a big fan of writing contests with ...
Sally Koslow: Magazine Editor Turns Novelist
I first connected with Sally Koslow when I was asked ...
Joshua Henkin: Risking Failure
Joshua Henkin wanted to be a fiction writer when he ...
Richard Russo on Those Who Fill the Chairs
One really stressful prospect for authors is that we will ...
Toni Morrison on Making Time to Write, among Other Things
President Obama, in presenting the Medal of Freedom to Toni ...
Camille Noe Pagán: Would I Steal these Scenes?
Last year I had the pleasure of hosting debut novelist ...
Kathi Kamen Goldmark & Sam Barry: The “Neener Neener” Factor
I just heard that fellow WOMBAtista, Rock Bottom Remainderer, writer, ...
Sandra Feder: "Champagne?"
Today’s guest author, Sandra Feder, has just published the chapter ...
What kind of Bookworm belongs at the Cannes Film Festival?
Because I’m a book person who loves film (even though ...
Deborah Michel: A Book Deal after Two Decades
Before writing her debut novel, Prosper in Love, Deborah Michel ...
Poem in Your Pocket Day
Of the many wonderful moments in National Poetry month, my ...
Lynda Rutledge: The Time I Broke Up with Fiction
Lynda Rutledge’s path to publishing Faith Bass Darling’s Last Garage Sale – ...
Andrea Buchanan: Captivating Your Inner Night-Time Critic
Writing is a little bit like that. There's a lot ...
Shakespeare & Company, Paris France
where Anais Nin, Henry Miller, James Baldwin, and Ernest Hemingway ...
Poetry Tuesday: Mark Doty on Knowing What Want is
Since April is National Poetry Month, I’ve been looking around ...
10 Don't-Miss Sites for Marketing Your Writing (Without Breaking the Bank)
How friendly are you, really? Do you have enough followers ...
Carolina De Robertis: How I Avoided Second Novel Syndrome
I met Carolina De Robertis at a book club mixer ...
M.J. Rose: From Self-Publishing to a Starbucks and Indie Next Pick
M.J. Rose – whom I’ve known since before my first novel ...
Cara Black: 1 Book + 1 Lie
Cara Black’s twelfth Aimée Leduc mystery, Murder at the Lanterne ...
Garrison Keillor on Humor and Rejection
I came across a delightful interview of Garrison Keillor today. ...
Maria Espinosa: In Translation
This week’s guest author, Maria Espinosa, is the author of ...
The Page Davidson Clayton Poetry Prize
I read the most extraordinary poem yesterday, "what you'd find ...
Randy Susan Meyers: How Long Does it Take (to find an agent? sell the book? get published?)
Randy Sue Meyers is an online writer-pal, and author of ...
Literary Envy
t's the dirty little secret none of us likes to ...
Alex George: Starting Over
Sara Gruen calls this week’s guest author, Alex George “a ...
Eleanor Brown: When Your First Book Is Not Your First
Have you read Eleanor Brown’s The Weird Sisters yet? She’s ...
Dickens Quotes for Writers, on the Occasion of his 200th Birthday
Dickens Quotes for Writers, on the Occasion of his 200th ...
How to Be an Indie Bookseller's Dream
I came across a great Wall Street Journal piece on ...
Sarah Pinneo: Sometimes Things Don't Pan Out
Sarah Pinneo celebrates the publication of her debut novel, Julia’s ...
Meredith Maran: Starting
Terry McMillan calls this week’s guest author, Meredith Maran, “a ...
Get Your Manuscripts Ready!
The Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest is open for submissions through ...
Happy 150th, Edith Wharton!
Edith Wharton, the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize ...
10 Words to Shape Your Writing Life By
“A word after a word after a word is power.” ...
Does This Sound Familiar?
If you are properly modest, you will never write at ...
Unpublished Writers: Just a Few Days Left and It's Only Offered Every Two Years
Years ago I was a finalist for the Barbara Kingsolver-founded ...
Meg Waite Clayton: A Super Sweet True Love Story
Before I started writing, I imagined published writers were folks ...
The Twelve Books of Christmas
On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave ...
Julia Flynn Siler: Girl Reporter Turned Bestselling Author
My dear friend Julia Flynn Siler was my second guest ...
Will You Share a Favorite Poem?
Was it Baudelaire who said, “Always be a poet, even ...
Which Writing Friends are You Thankful For?
Which writing friends are you particularly thankful for this Thanksgiving? ...
Tamar Cohen: It Just Got Personal…
Todays guest author, Tamar Cohen, comes from London, and is ...
Never Mind a Room, We Need a Newspaper of Our Own
Uh-oh. The year’s “great books” lists have begun. Female authors ...
Never Pity Your Manuscript
“The main rule of the writer is never to pity ...
A Few Choice Words on Book Reviews
Without meaning to disparage the great work some book reviewers ...
Inside This Place Not of It
“Good writing takes place at intersections, at what you might ...
Anaïs Nin on the role of a writer
“The role of the writer is not to say what ...
Margaret Leary: Owning My Obsession
Margaret Leary – recently retired as the director of the ...
Jamie Ford: Call in Sick More Often
I’ve been immersed in writing and remiss about organizing 1st ...
The Future of Book Publishing?
Several years ago now, my friend Margie McKinley from the ...
Tracy Seeley: Sailing this Book into the Wind
Tracy Seeley is a bay area writer-pal, whose memoir, My ...
The Dreaded Author Photo, Version 2.0
I’ve written before about how much I hate photos of ...
Downton Abbey: An Inspirational Writing Story
Downton Abbey is one of my three television weaknesses (along ...
Alma Katsu: From Writer to Spy to Writer
I’m delighted to be hosting Alma Katsu, whose debut novel, ...
Sentencing a Book: The Tough Task of Writing the Pitch Sentence/Paragraph
The writing of a book and the writing of a ...
Kristina Riggle: Crazy Finally Worked
“Since I wasn’t getting published, I reasoned, and this outcome ...
Cavanaugh Lee: What is the Question???
I met today’s guest author, Cavanaugh Lee, when we were ...
Reputable Novel Contests You Might Apply To
Following up on a conversation we had in the Novelist ...
Maddie Dawson: A First Novel, Take Two
I met today’s guest author, Maddie Dawson, on my favorite ...
Anne Tyler on 1st Drafts
“I would advise any beginning writer to write the first ...
Ellen Baker: Getting Started … Again and Again
I loved Keeping the House, by this weeks guest author, ...
How to Build a Book Group Audience for Your Book
The biggest market of readers these days seems to be ...
Writing a Novel is Like Making a Jigsaw Puzzle
I’ve often said writing a novel is like running a ...
Sandra Beasley: The Accidental Memoirist
Every time I froze up in writing Don’t Kill the ...
Now All I Need is a Sand-Repellent Laptop
I would pay a small fortune for a sand-repellent laptop. ...
How to Prettify Your Google+ URL
For anyone who, like me, is loving the new Google+ ...
Samuel Park: Writing by the Tropic of Equator
Samuel Park’s This Burns My Heart is being called “astonishing,” ...
First Draft!
Just finished a first draft of my new novel, and ...
Ellen Sussman: Breaking the Rules
I’m absolutely delighted to day to be hosting my friend ...
Meg Waite Clayton: A Paperback Eight Years after the Hardcover
My first novel, The Language of Light was the first thing ...
Profoundly Shaken
It’s a close call to say which was the more ...
Feminine Tosh
I spent an inspiring and entirely too short weekend gathering ...
Just the Bookstore, Glen Ellyn, IL
I spent a few days in Chicago last week for ...
Treasures of the Mind
Like everyone else lately, I’ve been glued to the news ...
Camille Noe Pagán: Would I Steal these Scenes?
This week I get to do one of the things ...
A Gaggle of Writers at the End of the World
As an author, I think I enjoy book festivals and ...
Tayari Jones: Writing in the Wilderness
I could not be more delighted: today I am hosting ...
An itunes Bestseller! (And a giveaway to celebrate)
A little flurry of excitement over the weekend: the just-released ...
8-Step Recipe for Author Readings
Help Wanted, one Novelist… The more detailed want ad: Help ...
Kelly O'Connor McNees: First I Was a Quitter
With National Poetry Month now over, it’s back to our ...
Tobey Hiller: on poetry
Poet Tobey Hiller writes about how a poet starts writing. ...
The Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction
Heads up, short story writers: The 2011 Flannery O’Connor Award ...
Connie Post: Advice on Submitting Poetry
You have to find a writing submission system that works ...
On the Amazon and Elsewhere Star Thing
I’m posting this in response to a first-time author post ...
Books and Co, Dayton OH
Books & Co. in Dayton, Ohio One of the nicest ...
Dispatches from the (Book Tour) Front
“I never minded reading to three people. I had plenty ...
David Huddle: How I Found My Way to the Place Where They Give Out Those Poetic Licenses
For this week’s Poetry Tuesday, I have some truly lovely ...
J. Ruth Gendler: on poetry
I’m just absolutely thrilled to be kicking off National Poetry ...
Page Davidson Clayton Poetry Prize, and 1st Books Paperback Row
Since this month is National Poetry Month, I’ll be running ...
Meg Waite Clayton: In Praise of Writing Friends … and Publishing and Bookselling Ones, Too
No guest today. Just me, since it’s my publication week! ...
Look at this Cover!!!
Holy Moly!!! The Four Ms. Bradwells goes on sale today, ...
The Lowly Pencil
I’m not exactly monogamous in my writing tool relationships, but ...
Words of Wisdom from Confucius, Austen, and Tuchman
“Life seems but a quick succession of busy nothings.” — ...
Zoe FitzGerald Carter: Imperfect Endings
Zoe FitzGerald Carter’s first memoir, Imperfect Endings, is out in ...
How a Novel Gets Published: 2nd Printing! (Before publication!)
The Four Ms. Bradwells is going into a second printing ...
How a Novel Gets Published: 10 Days Left!
Just a quick post that will not begin to cover ...
Pretty URL for Facebook Fan Pages
I just learned how to change the URL for my ...
Writing a Novel is Like Paddling a Bathtub
“Look, writing a novel is like paddling from Boston to ...
She Writer Blogger Ball Redux
Welcome to the SheWrites.com Blogger Ball Redux. This time we’ve ...
Edna St. Vincent Millay on Publishing
“A person who publishes a book willfully appears before the ...
Sarah Pekkanen: A Glass of Wine and a Little Courage
I’m having a nice little Gaithersburg Book Festival run lately, ...
How a Novel Gets Published: Books in Hand!
Thanks to my lovely editor, Caitlin Alexander, the fed ex ...
Sara J. Henry: Learning to …
I first read pages of Sara J. Henry’s debut novel ...
All True Story: Finished Books!
finished book, novel, the four ms. bradwells, publishing ...
The Kama Sutra of Kindness, and the Importance of Sharing Our Words
Mary Mackey, a writer-pal of mine from a Bay Area ...
Hemingway on First Drafts
At the risk of using a four letter word here, ...
An Offering to the Literary Gods: A Deep Orange Scarf
One of the things I did this week on my ...
SheWrites B&W Blogger Ball
The entry portal for the SheWrites.com Blogging about Books and ...
Eleanor Brown: When Your First Book Is Not Your First
I’m just thrilled this week to welcome Eleanor Brown, author ...
All-True Story of How a Novel Gets Published # … Sadly, I've Lost Count
What is happening is week six of pre-pub for The ...
Katherine Ellison: Writing about my Son
Katherine Ellison is a friend and fellow Wombatista – a ...
How a Novel Gets Published: Book Tours, Websites, and Press Releases
This week’s pre-publication taks: finalize press release materials and tour ...
Elena Mauli Shapiro: A Dead Woman's Box
I e-met this week’s guest author, Elena Mauli Shapiro, on ...
Caroline Leavitt: The Story of My Start
I’ve been a big fan of Caroline Leavitt‘s novels since ...
Tick, Tick, Tick … Two Months till The Four Ms. Bradwells!
It’s two months – or two months less a day ...
Facebook Fan Pages: How Authors, Bloggers, and other Writers Can Set Up a Page
Someone messaged me on facebook this morning to ask how ...
Jumping (Late) into Bloggiesta
I just learned last night, as I was coming up ...
Tatjana Soli: Silencing the Voices of No
To celebrate the release of Tatjana Soli’s The Lotus Eaters ...
How Authors Can Get Bookscan Numbers
In case any authors out there don't already know it, ...
Linda Schlossberg: Isn't it Unromantic?
Publisher’s Weekly compares Linda Schlossberg’s Life in Miniature to Mona ...
Heather Havrilesky: Sitting beside Teddy Roosevelt
Heather Havrilesky co-created the cartoon Filler for Suck.com, was tv ...
A New Years Greeting-Quote
“May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams ...
New Year's Blogolutions
The torn wrapping paper is thrown away, the cookies are ...
Happy Holidays from My Gang to You and Yours
From top left, clockwise: The gang at a wedding near ...
Literary Santa and One Lucky Chimney
Literary Santa and One Lucky Chimney: A holiday thank you. ...
Poetry Tuesday: an Eclipse, a Solstice, and a Post and Poem by Leslie Lytle
The confluence of winter solstice and lunar eclipse tonight, for ...
A Long Scroll of Ink
Words of writing wisdom from Margaret Atwood ...
Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award
Winning a writing contest always seems like a long shot, ...
Happy Birthday, Jane Austen
December 16: Jane Austen’s birthday. She would have been 235 ...
A Date which will Live in Infamy, and the Value of a Word
President Franklin D. Roosevelt began his speech asking Congress to ...
The Story Was Completely Untrue
“The story was completely untrue, but the untruth of untrue ...
All-True Story of How a Novel Gets Published: Poker Losses and Writing Wins
There is some connection between losing at poker and getting ...
Daphne Kalotay: The Hastily Jotted Letter R
Daphne Kalotay’s first novel, Russian Winter, sold at auction, is being ...
The Worst Enemy to Creativity
“And by the way, everything in life is writable about ...
ATSHNGP: Do I Look Like Mark Twain?!
Every All-True Story of How a Novel Gets Published must ...
And the Winners of the National Book Awards Are …
The National Book Award ceremonies were last night. Did you ...
Chandra Hoffman: Dawn Chorus
This week’s guest author, Chandra Hoffman, published Chosen – her ...
Beatrix Potter on Writing First Lines – Sort Of
I’ve been rooting around in the life of Beatrix Potter, ...
Jillian Cantor: A Third Book that is also a First
Jillian Cantor’s first novel, The September Sisters, was called “memorable” and ...
Walking in Oscar Wilde's Diary-Steps
What city can claim more writers per square mile than ...
Catherine Brady: Book Geek
Catherine Brady teaches in the MFA in Writing Program at ...
Is NaNoWriMo for MyNewNovel?
I was a lawyer before I started writing, and when ...
The All-True Story of How a Novel Gets Published: The Cover, Take Two
Several months ago, I delightedly shared the new cover for ...
Susan Straight: People Who Stay
I’m delighted this week to host Susan Straight, whose new ...
The All-True Story of How a Novel Gets Published #17: TI-CATs, Galley Letters, and Staying Drunk
I’ve just passed the six-month point: less than six months ...
Allison Hoover Bartlett: Literary Obsessions
To celebrate the paperback release of Allison Hoover Bartlett’s The ...
Meredith Maran: Starting
“Only a writer as fierce and incisive as Meredith Maran ...
The All-True Story of How a Novel Gets Published #16: A Little Book Blogger Love
Since this week is Book Blogger Appreciation Week, and book ...
Elizabeth Rosner: Two Resurrections in One
Liz Rosner’s post today first appeared on her Redroom Blog, ...
The All-True Story of How a Novel Gets Published #15: Wordle-ing the Time Away
It’s labor day weekend, a time when even the hardworking ...
On Gathering with Other Writers
Starting today, I’ll be doing a weekly blog post on ...
Writing Contests to Help You Break Out – from Real Simple and Iowa Review – and AWWP Writing Prompt #4
For my fourth week mentoring in the Afghan Women’s Writing ...
The Scent of a Woman's Ink, Still
On the whole, the past year was a pretty good ...
The All-True Story of How a Novel Gets Published #14: Very Superstitious, Writing's on the Wall…
Seven months till publication of The Four Ms. Bradwells! Seven ...
AWWP Writing Prompt: Using Place
A writing prompt I've given to my Afghan Women's Writing ...
If You AREN'T Being Rejected, Perhaps You Aren't Creative Enough
I just came across a rejection letter from the Museum ...
AWWP Writing Prompt: I Am…
I’ve just given my second writing prompt to the workshop ...
Two Days Left to Win Four Terrific Novels
I’m reposting this because I just finished Elizabeth Brundage’s A ...
A Friday the 13th Writing Tip – on Writing and Luck
“Writing is like getting married. One should never commit oneself ...
Rosemary Graham: Taking the Scholarly Route
I first met Rosemary Graham on the chat at the ...
AWWP Writing Prompt: Creating Character
This month, I have the privilege of teaching in the ...
The All-True Story of How a Novel Gets Published #12: The Importance of Kind Words … and Book Giveaway Thanks for Same!
Yes, you’re in the right place for the 1st Books ...
Ilie Ruby: Life Happens While You’re Making Other Plans
Publishers Weekly calls Ilie Ruby’s debut novel, The Language of ...
Submissions Tips
I’ve been updating the WRITERS PAGE on my website, and ...
Tanya Egan Gibson: It Wouldn't Have Happened Without My Writing Group
You’ll perhaps not be surprised, after you read Tanya Egan ...
The All-True Story of How a Novel Gets Published, Part 11: We Need Permission! And a Latin Expert!
In Part 6 of this “All-True” series, I blogged about ...
Kim Wright: Bagging that 1st Novel – in a Hefty Bag!
Kim Wright has been writing about travel, food, and wine ...
Diane Lockward: on poetry
I had such fun hosting poets here on 1st Books ...
Kafka on Books as Axes
“A book must be the axe for the frozen sea ...
The All-True Story of How a Novel Gets Published, Part 10: The Dreaded Author Photo
To be honest, I’m not sure why I’m not skipping ...
A Brief History of the Slush Pile
Did you know the first time the New York Times ...
Irene Zutell: People Magazine Writer Tells All
Irene Zutell’s most recent novel is Pieces of Happily Ever ...
The All-True Story of How a Novel Gets Published, Part 9: Titles and DESCRIPTIONS and Author Photos – Oh My! (the "Description" part)
One funny thing about writing a book is how hard ...
Julie Buxbaum: Wrong Turns
Julie Buxbaum’s first novel, The Opposite of Love, has been ...
The All-True Story of How a Novel Gets Published, Part 8: TITLES and Descriptions and Author Photos – Oh My!
The working title for The Four Ms. Bradwells was “The ...
Michelle Hoover: The Years Passed
This weeks guest author, Michelle Hoover, tells a terrific story ...
The All-True Story of How a Novel Gets Published, Part 7: It's a … Well, Not a Book, Exactly, but an ARC. Or an ARE?
I’ve just arrive home from ten days in Berlin and ...
Julie Compton: When Luck Strikes, You Need to be Ready for It
Julie Compton’s second novel, Rescuing Olivia, has been called “a ...
The All-True Story of How a Novel Gets Published, Part 6: It Starts to Look Like a Book!!! (a.k.a. in Praise of Beth Pearson)
My tweet for May 15 reads “Page proofs for THE ...
Allison Winn Scotch: Stubbornness has Always Been My Strong Suit
New York Times bestselling author Allison Winn Scotch has a ...
The All-True Story of How a Novel Gets Published, Part 5: Hunting the Elusive Agent
I’ve gotten a few requests from readers of this series ...
The All-True Story of How a Novel Gets Published, Part 4: What's in a Cover?
I’ve got my final cover for The Four Ms. Bradwells, ...
The All-True Story of How a Novel Gets Published, Part 3: Why I LOVE my Editor
You may recall that when last you saw our fearless ...
The All-True Story of How a Novel Gets Published, Part 2: Brainstorm, and Revise, Revise, Revise!
In Part 1 of this little series, “Manuscript Puberty,” I ...
The All-True Story of How a Novel Gets Published, Part 1: Manuscript Puberty
I just got my first peek at the likely cover ...
Leah Stewart: Making Good the Lie
I met Leah Stewart at the Sewanee Writers Conference years ...
Poetry Tuesdays: Lynne Knight on First Books and Luck
Poet Lynne Knight came to my attention through a mutual ...
Richard Bausch on Showing Up for Work
I had the great pleasure of paneling with Richard Bausch ...
Poetry Tuesday: The Page Davidson Clayton Prize for Emerging Poets
One of the many things I had in common with ...
Professional Writer or Amateur?
I had the great pleasure of paneling with Richard Bausch ...
Kirsten Jones Neff: on poetry
For my second Poetry Tuesday, I’m delighted to host Kirsten ...
Christina Sunley: Persevering With That Tricky First Novel, An 8-Year Saga
Christina Sunley‘s first novel, The Tricking of Freya – just ...
Tatjana Soli: Silencing the Voices of No
Can I gush about a book here for a moment? ...
Tim O'Brien on Tenacity and Stubbornness
I read Tim O’Brien’s amazing short story, “The Things They ...
Mark Twain on "Damn"
Think how much easier this writing advice is to execute ...
Zoe Carter: Imperfect Endings
Zoe Carter’s first memoir, Imperfect Endings, won first place in ...
Rules for Writers (from Some Amazing Ones)
I just came across the most wonderful “Rules for Writing” ...
J.K. Rowling: The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination
This video, though a couple years old, came to me ...
"The Ghost within Every Experience"
From Mark Strand’s “On Becoming a Poet” in The Making ...
If You Tell the Truth
Stumbled across this Mark Twain quote as I’m going through ...
Ink on the Rejection Slip
A passage that ought to give all struggling writers hope, ...
Calling loudly, "J.D. Salinger"
In 1941, J.D. Salinger had seven stories rejected by The ...
Dolen Perkins-Valdez: Connecting
I’m absolutely delighted to have Dolen Perkins-Valdez, the author of ...
Unrecognized Talent (or the Lessons of Rodin)
I was drawn to a documentary about the sculptor, Auguste ...
The All-True Confessions of a Serious Book Group-aholic
I think of January as Book Club month, I suppose ...
You Must Write It
Thought I’d start the new year with a very hopeful ...
2,000 Words or 2:00, and Writing Friends
The history of my writing starts with a little brown ...
Holiday Giving: Free Copies of The Language of Light, and Personally Inscribed Copies of The Wednesday Sisters
Holiday Greetings! I’ve been casting about for a way to ...
Dropping the Turkey
For Thanksgiving week, I did a guest post on Debutante ...
Do Real Mom Writers Bake Cookies?
I wrote the post below as a guest post for ...
She Writes Day of Action
Like many writers unhappy about the recent underrepresentation of women ...
Nabokov on Reading Poetry
In part because a character in my new novel is ...
Breakfast for Breast Cancer!
Is there a more fun place to raise awareness for ...
The Inner Book Geek in Me
Just before The Wednesday Sisters released in paperback, I was ...
Allison Hoover Bartlett: Whatever You Do, Find Interesting Character
Allison Hoover Bartlett’s first book, The Man Who Loved Books ...
Janet Skeslien Charles: Open to Experiences
My guest this week, Janet Skeslien Charles, is a novelist ...
Natural Writers
I’m reading Graham Swift’s Making an Elephant: Writing from Within ...
Kathryn Ma: All That Work
My guest author this week, Kathryn Ma, is the author ...
The Single Best Piece of Advice I've Gotten as a Writer
Several years ago, I had the great (okay, and somewhat ...
A Room of My Own
Thought I’d share this morning a post I did for ...
Dan Chaon: Hungry Heart
With apologies for this long introduction but … well, this ...
Firoozeh Dumas: Writing with a Kid Velcroed to my Hip
This week’s guest, Firoozeh Dumas, is the bestselling author of ...
Sheila Himmel: Hungry
I have a wonderful guest post today by James Beard ...
Carleen Brice: The Road More Frequently Traveled
I was lucky enough to read the sophomore novel from ...
George Eliot on Reaching for your Dreams
“It is never too late to be what you might ...
Maud Carol Markson: Leaving the Elephant Behind
Today’s guest author is my good friend Maud Carol Markson, ...
The Secret to Getting Published
I get so many questions at events and in emails ...
Books Inc., Palo Alto CA
and other locations in the bay area–this is where I ...
Cara Black: A Library Kid
I’m delighted to host Cara Black, about whom the New ...
Mrs. Dalloway’s, Berkeley CA
Literary & Garden Arts Mrs. Dalloway’s is a store that ...
Just in Case You're Thinking It's Time to Give Up
How long should you stick to writing if you’re not ...
Erma Bombeck on Snow-Blindness
“To say, ‘Well, I write when I really get into ...
W.H. Auden on Work Habits
Get up very early and get going at once, in ...
Linda Himelstein: From Journalist to Author
I’m delighted today to host Linda Himelstein, author of The ...
Kepler's Books, Menlo Park CA
a great store for author events and reading advice I ...
"For most of history, Anonymous was a woman."
As I was tidying the yard with my husband this ...
Jane Austen: Fourteen Years of Rejection
I just read a wonderful piece in The Literary Review ...
Do You Book Blog? or The Book Blog Roundup
Do you blog about books? Or have a favorite book ...
Chekhov on Failure and Persistence
“…you must at once and for all give up being ...
On Slush Piles and Finding Agents
This photo of the decidedly undaunting St. Martin’s slush pile ...
A Self-Publishing Success Story or Three, with a Caveat
At the risk of encouraging folks to head for self-publishing, ...
A Twitter Book Club?
How does one discuss a book in 140 characters or ...
Book Sales
I came across an article this morning about Borders financial ...
Open Veins
Are personal essays inherently solipsistic? I’d like to take credit ...
My Two Minutes on Radio: Writing for Sound
There’s nothing like reading on radio to make you focus ...
The Secret: You sit down and you start and that's it.
I came across this interview with Elmore Leonard today. It’s ...
The 46th Time is the Charm
Yet another story of persistence paying: Kathryn Stockett, author of ...
Even Jack Kerouac Struggled
I recently stumbled upon this NPR story about Jack Kerouac’s ...
Summerset Maugham Rules for Writing
I saw this quote the other day, and couldn’t resist ...
Jamie Ford: Call in Sick More Often
I’m absolutely delighted to host fellow Ballantine author Jamie Ford ...
From On Becoming a Novelist, by John Gardner
Some words of wisdom from John Gardner, whose The Art ...
Hemingway's Advice to Writers
For a new slant in the new year right, I’ve ...
If You Think Continuing to Rewrite is Wasted Time…
…take a look at the winner of this year’s National ...
Frances Dinkelspiel: Not So Instant Gratification
Frances Dinkelspiel is a fifth-generation Californian who spent more than ...
Eleven Years to a Pulitzer
I was listening to NPR on the way to the ...
Breast Cancer Awareness Month
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so I’m using my ...
The Thirty-Year Novel!
I found this story about Selden Edwards The Little Book ...
Editor Dan Smetanka and Novelist Liz Rosner
I’m so delighted this week to welcome an author-editor duo: ...
Fingers Crossed!
This video comes compliments of Judy Merril Larsen, and though ...
Leslie Lytle: Confession: I am a Write-Aholic
Since my dear, dear friend Leslie Lytle and I shared ...
Harriet Scott Chessman: Walking Through the Hedge
I’m delighted to have one of my own favorite authors, ...
Danielle Younge-Ullman: Waiting for Godot…or Publishing House X
This week’s guest, Toronto-based novelist Danielle Younge-Ullman, is also a ...
On Book Tours
I just read Ann Patchett’s “My Life in Sales” in ...
Sheryl Cohen Solomon: If At First You Do Succeed
My guest this week is Sheryl Cohen Solomon, a writer ...
A Little Something I Just Have to Share
This one is a non-literary story, but it sure is ...
Meg Waite Clayton: In Praise of Writing Friends
No guest today. Just me, since it’s my publication week! ...
Brenda Rickman Vantrease: A 136-Rejection Overnight Success
My guest blogger today, Brenda Rickman Vantrease, is the author ...
Julia Flynn Siler: “Girl Reporter” Turned Bestselling Author
My guest blogger this Wednesday is Julia Flynn Siler, whose ...
Christina Meldrum: The Slanted Journey
I’m so pleased to kick off the guest posts on ...
On Your Way to the Incinerator
If you think writers are born rather than made and ...