It’s a New Year, so start if off by honing your writing or marketing skills.

As an author or writer it’s no doubt you know how important it is to stay on top of your writing and marketing game, that’s where knowledge comes into play. The more you learn, the more you can apply that knowledge to your craft. And, a new year is the perfect time to start.

Whether it’s writing or marketing, there is an e-book for you. Get help writing your children’s book with…

You’ve taken the initial steps to begin your book marketing journey. The first rung on your marketing ladder is to create a quality product, in the case of an author, that would be a book. You need to create an engaging story, be part of a critique group, make sure the manuscript gets edited/proofread, and have a knock-out cover.

Creating the book might be considered Research and Development under the Marketing umbrella, and the foundation of a marketing…

The short story Truthful Consequence is the first story in my Wister Town short horror story compilation. I considered the story to be one of my poorest, but it's not so bad and is the keystone in the mythology of evil events of a small Southern Wisconsin town. Like Food Poisoning, another story in the…

Not something heinous and disgusting like the garbage they label “rap”, which is not music in any way, shape or form. I don’t even mean some C&W crap which, as we all know, comes out a lot better when played in reverse. That’s when the cowboy’s girl comes back to him, his truck starts running, the dog heals up, he gets sober again and his job is saved. I could…

Reliably Fresh Writing

Does reliably fresh sound like an oxymoron? Not when the pen is in Julie Klassen’s hand. She writes twists and secrets into The Maid of Fairbourne Hall to keep us glued to the page. This is stimulating historical fiction with just the right amount of romance.

Margaret has no recourse but to flee when she learns that her stepfather and would-be fiancé are plotting for her inheritance. Think of the culture shock when a London woman of station…

Fad expressions are another of the peculiarities of the American people. For the most part I find ‘em pretty stupid and, on occasion, even offensive. The one I’ve had the largest chunk of resentment over in many years is “Shut up!”

It’s a takeoff on “Get outa here!” and “Are you kidding me?”…

First, the title is only misleading because your hopes and exceptions are projected on the words. It's not a trick, writing is an Art and I'll steer a reader's emotions and expectations the best I can - although my driving can get sloppy. Anyway, I hope you'll read and appreciate my work for those very facts. As an artist, I use the material I have to…

It seems the synonyms of some words change over the years. My friend Alex Irving has dubbed me a “prolific” writer. You may want to examine the definition by clicking the link. I haven’t “produced” a great number of offspring, only two of the seven I had a part in raising to adulthood. However ……

Please read the following:

Happy New Year!!

I am almost certain many do not yet…

If you ask me, “What is that one thing which drives me forward, keeps me going under all circumstances and outperform others?”  The answer would be very simple.

It’s the desire to excel in my area of work that makes me stand apart from the crowd, accept challenges, take risk, overcome the fear of unknown and deliver nothing less than the best.…

On December 16^th I ran this piece on our friend Billy: http://atmyfriendsplace.com/finally-a-little-justice. On November 28th I ran this one: http://atmyfriendsplace.com/bonus-good-news. It…

That’s a question I hear more often now than before. Before I began developing whatever unknown sickness I had with odd symptoms like coughing up blood. Coughing so hard I’d hack and wheeze, almost unable to breathe. Other times, before Kevin, the lung doctor, put me on Glycopyrrolate, I had nothing to stop the 5-25 occasions per day when I’d begin drowning in my…

I wish you and your famlies all the best for the Holidays. Dawn

Reprinted w/permission from Yahoo Finance:

4 Risky Places to Swipe Your Debit Card

As is always true in any form of law enforcement, you need a sample survey to select from if asked to make an ID, especially if it could result in criminal charges. Be that as it may, while no charges are pending, one of the “suspects” in this impromptu arrangement is pretty freakin’ important to me.

When I had my “encounter…

Christmas Day will be here in less than a few hours. It seemed a great time for me to trot out these tidbits of info. Let’s start with the fact I wholly and completely disapprove of Christmas as we know it today.

Admittedly, I was raised as a Catholic. If there’s another group with more errant information or a longer…

You can’t know this level of utter quietude … raw loneliness, in blatant truth …  without having visited it at least once in the past. The best I can hope to provide you is a prep course for the time you’ll find it on your own. Offer you guidance of what I gained in my four visits to make yours less a wretched burden when it occurs.

The…

Might sound a touch cranky on my part, (how’s that for a surprise, huh?), but I’m getting tired of joining different oddball groups. To be quite honest about it, I’m not a group person and I’ve never been a “joiner”. Not to say I haven’t been on various teams and I’ve associated with a cause or two, but I customarily wind up regretting it when I do.…

Maybe for only a short time. Sort of like peeling the scab off a wound to help it heal faster. It may even leave a small additional scar, but that’s not really a concern, especially if the scar is someplace others can’t see. What’s important in that case is the healing. Disfigurement in places no one looks are irrelevant.

The link…