From the 30+ books I’ve read in 2024, I share my Top 10 across four categories. With direct links to the books, my list makes a great place to shop for the readers in your life—including yourself!

One of my favorite aspects of reading and editing is exemplary character development. Bjorn Leesson, author of the “Outside the Thalsparr” series, masterfully creates characters with quirks, speech impediments, and traits that stick. So I asked Bjorn if he would share with us some of the angles he takes when crafting compelling characters.

This summer I did something I’ve never done before, and it changed my perspective in a life-altering way.

An adventure-turned-spiritual-encounter for me is an insightful model for story-telling and character development, a reminder to pull back on the stick and increase your altitude.

Meet Bjorn Leesson, an author who has blown my socks off this year with his riveting historical fiction fantasy series that is anything but typical. Come see what I mean when you jump in on the conversation I had with Bjorn recently about his Norse series: Outside the Thalsparr.

Drawing from personal experiences of love lost, love rekindled, and love released, romance novelist, B. E. Brecht, mixes real life romance with flourished fiction. Over the past couple of years, I’ve had the pleasure of editing Brian’s three books, and I'd like to introduce you to the man behind the fiction . . . and nonfiction.

Let's be generous, shall we? Generous with our time, open with our knowledge, and free with our encouragement. In an industry that is overwhelming and sometimes unwelcoming, let us extend generosity in business. It's just good practice.

One should carefully consider whether they really want to pull back the curtain and see inside the mind of a fiction writer. When I asked one of my favorite authors about his process, he startled me with this phrase: “Select All, Delete.” Bjorn Leesson, for the love of words, tell me you did not actually do this. Find out how he hammered out his creative process in this exclusive guest post from Bjorn Leesson.

I am so over the hustle. There is nothing inspiring about the daily grind, the inundation of news and noise and information I don’t really want yet keep consuming like a spoon fed baby in a high chair. I want my peace back, my propensity toward rest and creativity. And I’ve been looking for it . . .

Could you use a chilling breeze to cool down your hot July? A wisp of swirling snow on the sidewalk? An unseasonal boost of hope and Christmas wonder? Dr. Roger Leslie treats us to this and much more in his new release, No Stranger Christmas. Today on the blog, it’s Christmas in July as I highlight his latest novel—his 20th book in fact—in this special interview with my friend and colleague, Dr. Roger Leslie.

One of the special privileges my job affords me is the honor to read people's stories, both true to life and fiction. This week, in honor of US Independence Day and the men and women who defend our freedom, I would like to introduce you to one of my authors, Les Stevenson, retired US Marine Radio Operator for an infantry battalion.

With so many options available for social media marketing and public relations (PR), the owner of Socially Abundant breaks down the pros and cons of DIY versus professional PR.

How do professional writers get the juices flowing when the well seems dry? Here are five techniques to put words to paper, or screen as it were, when it's the last thing you want to do.

“Don’t get it right, get it written.” This and more practical advice from my friend and colleague, the brilliant and kind, Dr. Roger Leslie. Roger has been my writing coach for 12 years, as well as my editor, proofreader, publishing cohort, and mentor. As a special treat for my readers, I invited Roger to share his insights on developing your first draft.

The editing process is expensive. Authors are looking for reasonable ways to shave off costs—and time. In the final stages of the publishing process, you are so close to the finish line you can see it, so you are highly motivated to push through so you can finally hold your printed book in your hot little hands. So, may I share three reasons why you really do need a final proof?

So, how do you get the most from your editor? Exactly what do you communicate with them? Here are five questions to ask and five thoughts to relay when you begin a relationship with an editor or submit new work to them.

For me personally, writer’s doubt—like any doubt—stems from perfectionism. It grips you. It stops you in your tracks in that kind of paralysis that heightens every other sense you have, but immobilizes you from taking action. So you stand there, fully alive, but too numb to move.

This is an especially meaningful post for me.  It is marking an anniversary of sorts – kind of a geeky one – but nonetheless a significant milestone in my life. 

I will never forget the moment I held my daughter in my arms for the first time. A love was birthed on the inside of me like I had never known.

I was completely overtaken with LOVE. It was tender, and it was fierce.

Type A’s — We like to think we have life all mapped out.  We find comfort in creating plans.  We take personal pride in thinking things through and being prepared for any variable.

So when life rocks the boat, we are more likely to be the ones who fall out because we rarely leave room in all our plans for a few unexpected waves.

We’ve all felt judged and misunderstood. Certainly, we have all passed judgment and failed to understand. Judgment can become such an instinctive voice of reasoning in our heads that we become desensitized to the fact we are even doing it. Type As can be especially critical—either of themselves or of others.