Have you heard of Beta Readers? According to Wikpedia, a beta reader is a non-professional reader who reads a written work, generally fiction, with the intent of looking over the material to find and improve elements such as grammar and spelling, as well as suggestions to improve the story, its characters, or its setting. Beta […]
by Sparkle Abbey If you follow us on Facebook, you know we just returned from our first NINC (Novelists, Inc.) conference in St. Petersburg, FL. We had an amazing time exploring beaches, enjoying local hangouts, and learning from our fellow authors. We returned to Iowa with dozens of seashells and major brain overload. We attended […]
Save the Water Save the People Here is my news: I’ve been selected as a finalist in the High Plains Book Award for Poetry in Billings, Montana. I’m so excited for the road trip. I’ve never been to Montana. I want to win, of course, claro que si! However, I’m a finalist! I’m thrilled to […]
By Kimberly Jayne I love journals. I request them for birthdays and other gift-giving opportunities where I can actually tell people what they can buy me. They’re going to buy me something, so it may as well be what I want, right? Journals are beautiful inside and out, and I must have them. Plus, I […]
Last week I was at the 2016 Bouchercon convention held in New Orleans. I spent 7 days there and on the fourth day I became sick. Anything that happened after that I do not recall as I was in a zombie-like stage following the flow. I arrived in New Orleans a couple of days before […]
Swan song definition, the last act or manifestation of someone or something; farewell appearance: Yes, this will be my last scheduled appearance on The Stiletto Gang blog. I’ve been a member since it was first created, but now I find that I need to cut back on a few things and this is one of […]
By Kimberly Jayne “All other holidays are in a more or less degree connected with conflicts and battles of man’s prowess over man, of strife and discord for greed and power, of glories achieved by one nation over another. Labor Day… is devoted to no man, living or dead, to no sect, race, or nation.” […]
by Shannon Baker and Jess Lourey Today our guest bloggers are the amazing Shannon Baker and Jess Lourey. We’re so glad you’ve stopped by! Take it away ladies! A big hello to the Stiletto Gang from me (Shannon Baker) and Jess Lourey. Thanks to Sparkle Abbey for inviting us to chat today. We’ve been zooming […]
by Sparkle Abbey We look forward to attending mystery conferences every year. Congregating in the bar with book lovers and fellow writers, sipping margaritas while chatting about what books we’ve recently read and which mystery authors we’d invite to our fictional dinner party. In fact, next weekend we fly to Suffolk, Virginia for one of […]
By Kimberly Jayne If there’s one thing I relish about writing, it’s making my characters suffer. Happy people with no challenges don’t inspire page turning. Movies operate on the same premise. When I watch Far from the Madding Crowd, based on Thomas Hardy’s 1874 novel of the same name, the most fascinating thing about it […]