Where I’ve Been with RTG, Where I’m Going by Lynn Lovegreen

Romancing the Genres is 14 this year! As in many things in life, it feels like “Wow, where did the time go?” I am grateful for the legacy our blog founders have built for readers and bloggers. Thanks, Judith and Sarah!





I started as a reader, like many of you. A friend (Lizbeth Selvig) told me about it, and I enjoyed reading the posts. Then I was invited to join as a Genre-ista. Over the years, I’ve written blog posts on a variety of topics, often including my perspective as an Alaskan. I had the benefit of reading most of the other posts, too, learning from my colleagues and becoming virtual friends with many of them. A shoutout to you all—I have been enriched by your participation!



As our blog winds down and people move on, it’s time to let you know my next steps. I will definitely keep writing. While I don’t have any news at this point, I am querying literary agents; having an agent would allow me to be published by bigger publishers. In the meantime, this is what I can offer you right now:

I have a website with a blog where I post about once a week on topics like life and history in Alaska, book recommendations, and supporting libraries:

www.lynnlovegreen.com



And I have a newsletter where I post quarterly. I provide updates on my author activities, Alaska history tidbits, book recs--and sometimes I give away bookmarks and other swag! You can see my first Substack post and sign up to receive the next one at:

https://lynnlovegreen.substack.com



As an avid reader, I post my book reviews on StoryGraph:

https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile/lynnlovegreen



Or, if you’re into social media, I’m active on a couple platforms:

Pinterest (pins about reading and writing, history, Jane Austen, PBS shows, and inspiration for my book projects):

https://www.pinterest.com/lynnlovegreen/



BlueSky (posts about Alaska, kidlit, libraries, writing, and politics):

https://bsky.app/profile/lynnlovegreen.bsky.social













Whether I see you often in the future or this is goodbye, I hope the next chapter of your life is wonderful. Thanks for reading Romancing the Genres over the years. Take care,



Lynn

10 Years of Blogging

Ten years in the blogging world is a major achievement—so congratulations to everyone who has contributed to this blog over the past decade. Blogs come and go with wild abandon, so to consistently create content for ten years is an event worth celebrating.

I've been an avid blogger for years. I have multiple blogs (too many to admit too). And although I dabbled with publishing words online in 2008, I didn't become a consistent content creator until 2011. I looked back at my posts from ten years ago and in May 2011 I was living a fortune cookie lifestyle.

I was blogging in stealth mode back then. I didn't have my photo or identifying information on my blog, and my website and social media accounts were all set up using my pen name - Roving Jay. I had a corporate job, and "blogger" didn't fit with the all-business facade I was trying to maintain.

I've come a long way in ten years. I not only share my words in blog posts, but I've also published multiple travel guides and books about writing and self-publishing, and a couple of poetic memoirs. I look back at my writing adventure and see that it was a series of building blocks—with my blog as the spark that fanned a flame.

I wasn't thinking long term, I just wanted to explore the process of writing. I never dreamed of being an author. I just loved writing and decided a blog would be a good idea. I dabbled with writing about a variety of different topics, and my writing style was all over the place.

I began blogging about buying a house in Turkey, and each time we visited our holiday home I collected information about the local vicinity  Back then there weren't any English language travel websites for this area in Turkey, and tourist information was thin on the ground. I carried a little notebook around with me, and used it to collect travel tips and recommendations from locals and expats, as reminders for the next time we visited. I launched another blog to organise my travel tips online, so I could access them wherever I was. After a couple of years I realised I had enough information for a book, and this year the 4th edition of that travel guide was published.

I don't think I would have written and published a book if I hadn't started blogging. I might still be in my corporate job, feeling unfulfilled—a frustrated writer with no confidence, and no creative outlet. That initial decision to start a blog has led me down a path I never imagined.

So if you love to write and have been contemplating starting a blog, take the bull by the horns and start it today. Who knows where you'll be in ten years, and what you will have achieved in the interim.

About Jay Artale

Jay Artale abandoned her corporate career to become a digital nomad and full-time writer. She’s an avid blogger, podcaster, and nonfiction author helping travel writers and travel bloggers achieve their self-publishing goals. She shares tips, advice, and inspiration to writers with an independent spirit at Birds of a Feather Press, and documents her travels and artistic endeavours at Roving Jay. Follow her on Instagram or Facebook or Twitter.

Top 10 Tips for Writers by Lynn Lovegreen

As you may know, this month is the tenth anniversary of Romancing the Genres. I’m so proud to be a part of this amazing group of bloggers. Happy anniversary and a big thank you to Judith and Sarah, our fearless leaders!

Since this month’s theme is “10” and we have a lot of followers who are writers, here are my top 10 tips for writers of any age or genre.

1.     There are no rules, just guidelines. Never believe anyone who says “always” or “never.” (See what I did there?! 😉) Sometimes guidelines are important; you probably need a plot and characters to write a book. But sometimes they sound like the law when they aren’t; you have my permission to try using adverbs or whatever other “never” you’ve been told to avoid.

 

2.     Write often! Some writers write every day, and some make time in their weekly or monthly calendar. But writing is a practice, and the best way to get better at it is to practice as much as you can. Once you find a schedule that works for you, incorporate it into your regular routine and stick to it.

 

3.     Read often! Reading is fun for many of us, but it also lets you see great examples of writing and notice what works in structure, character, and so on. Read widely and make it part of your writing life.

 

4.     Discover your own writing style. This kind of goes with #1 above, but there’s more than one right answer to the question of how to write. Your writing voice is unique, and your style may be different from your favorite author’s. Don’t feel like you have to copy them to be a good writer.

 

5.     Organize your writing thoughts. If you’re a pantser (write by the seat of your pants), then you’ll want to take notes as things occur to you. If you’re a plotter (plan things out), you’ll want to write down your outline or whatever system you use. Or maybe you do a little of both. At any rate, have a place to keep notes, drafts, and such, whether it’s in a notebook, phone, laptop, etc. It’s frustrating to lose a brilliant idea before you capture it, or not be able to find that piece of paper later.

  

6.     Back up your electronic writing. You don’t want to lose weeks or months of work when your computer dies, so save and back up your writing on a USB drive, on the Cloud, whatever system is easy for you to use. 

 

7.     Join a writing group. It might be in a particular genre, like RWA for romance writers or SCBWI for kidlit and YA writers, or it might be a general writing group. But it’s helpful to work with other writers to find fellowship and learn more about the writing craft.

 

8.     Share critiques. One of the best ways to sharpen your writing skills is to critique with a partner or small group. Showing others your work and writing critiques for your peers is an excellent way to refine your writing and help others. (To find a critique partner or group and learn how to give constructive critiques, check with writing groups as mentioned above.)

 

9.     Write-revise-repeat. Keep in mind that most writers make many revisions to turn their messy first drafts into polished prose or poetry. Don’t compare your early draft to what you see on the printed page or on your Kindle. Be prepared to put in many hours of work to get your writing to that stage.

 

10.  Never give up! Most of us write for years before we are published. I worked on my first novel for about three years, and I learned a lot from that project. It’s still unpublished, but that’s okay—that was part of my writing education. My first published novel took seven years from first draft to book in hand.  Your mileage may vary, but you should be in it for the long haul. As they say, writing is a marathon, not a sprint. At the same time, it’s worth it. I love what I do, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

 

Keep on writing! 

Do you have any questions, or tips to share? Please comment below.

Lynn Lovegreen has lived in Alaska for over fifty years. After twenty years in the classroom, she retired to make more time for writing. She enjoys her friends and family, reading, and volunteering at her local library. Her young adult historical fiction is set in Alaska, a great place for drama, romance, and independent characters. See her website at www.lynnlovegreen.com. You can also find her on Facebook and Instagram.

There are 4 seasons, and each one is my favorite! by Peggy Jaeger

 I love the topic for this month because there's something so special about living in a country where the 4 seasons take on such different looks. I'm going to talk about New England, 'cuz that's where I hang my hat, and we always joke about the seasons this way:  don't like the weather? Wait five minutes. It'll change.

This is sososo true.

New England boasts the 4 typical seasons, and a few more: Winter, mud season, sugar season, black fly season, spring, summer, fall, leaf-peeping season, and back to winter again.

 A New England fall is like none other, as typified by the above photo. Autumn, or as the locals call it Leaf peeping season, brings in valuable tourism dollars as people from all over the world come to the area during the peak leaf changing months of September and October, to view the area's colorful majesty. A New England winter is also like none other. We have the full compliment of winter sports from skiing to skating, to ice fishing.

It's no wonder most of my small town romances take place in New England and during every season.

In First Impressions, the hero and heroine go apple picking in an orchard that's featured on the cover on a September day.

In my Match Made in Heaven series, the O'Dowd sisters live in the fictional town of Heaven, NH. Dearly Beloved takes place in the Fall, Today, Tomorrow, Always in Winter, and the newest, Baked with Love in Summer. All three books are rich in local seasonal descriptions.

Hope's Dream is a winter-themed book and takes place in Vermont ( another New England state!) Notice the skiing motif on the cover! So typical of Vermont!

Vanilla with a Twist is set in a vacation community in New England during the summer.

I can never choose a favorite season when I'm asked to because they are all so special and each one offers something wonderful.

So...what's your favorite season? Inquiring minds want to know. 

Okay, it's my mind. I want to know. Heehee

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Scariest Scene I’ve Ever Written by Lynn Lovegreen

This month’s theme may be an easier one for our paranormal or suspense writers. In my case, I’ll have to put a different spin on it than you might expect. The scariest scenes I’ve ever written are ones that were scary for me emotionally.

 

You’ve probably heard the quote, commonly attributed to Ernest Hemingway. According to Quote Investigator (https://quoteinvestigator.com/2011/09/14/writing-bleed/), it was probably first said by Walter Wellesley (Red) Smith: “Red Smith was asked if turning out a daily column wasn’t quite a chore. …'Why, no,' dead-panned Red. 'You simply sit down at the typewriter, open your veins, and bleed.'" Whoever said it first, there is some truth to it.

 

To put their characters’ emotions on the page, writers must access their own. Maybe I haven’t been in that person’s exact situation, but I need to recall something like it to capture what the character is feeling at that moment. That can be tough to do, and scary to open yourself up and be so vulnerable.

 

I’ve put my characters through a lot of negative emotions over the years, including fear, disappointment, anger, and grief. Which means I’ve had to go through all that, too. Here’s an excerpt from a scene in Golden Days that was hard for me to write, as I had to access grief. Elizabeth’s mother has just died:

Days slipped by as people came over to pay their respects before the funeral. Elizabeth was numb at times, and heartsick at times. Waves of sadness crashed over her as she held on to Papa or Mrs. Thompson. She got used to wearing black, which suited her mood anyway. She tried to be strong for Victoria, let her cry on her lap or hold her hand. She missed Mama already, and the whole thing was so unfair. But she knew the best course was to keep plowing through.

 

 

I hope I’ve done it well enough for the reader to empathize with my character. That’s one of my goals in writing. Books can help us understand each other and remember we’re all human.

May your own emotions be more positive than negative, and you have someone to help you through the tough days. Take care of yourself. 

 

Lynn Lovegreen has lived in Alaska for over fifty years. After twenty years in the classroom, she retired to make more time for writing. She enjoys her friends and family, reading, and volunteering at her local library. Her young adult historical fiction is set in Alaska, a great place for drama, romance, and independent characters. See her website at www.lynnlovegreen.com. You can also find her on Facebook and Instagram.

My Current WIP: A Tough Note to Crack by Lynn Lovegreen

This month, Genre-istas are sharing their current WIPs (Works In Progress). My current project is a YA historical mystery with romantic elements—a good example of how you can mix and match those subgenres!

The idea started with a question: What if Veronica Mars was a teen in in Anchorage, Alaska in 1941?⁠

Fifteen-year-old Peggy Jones is the perky, fearless queen bee of Anchorage High School’s freshman class of 1941. She has plans to become first flute in Orchestra, Honor Society member, and future crème de la crème of the territory of Alaska. When the new kid’s flute is stolen, she gets the blame, and has to nab the thief to clear her name. Life gets complicated when the shy boy she’s just noticed becomes a suspect, Peggy’s best friend thinks she’s taking over her student government campaign, and her mother is keeping a secret from her. What’s a girl to do but take a cue from Humphrey Bogart and solve mysteries to keep her dreams alive?

Here’s the beginning:

It started with Humphrey Bogart.

I was halfway through filing thirty slips of paper with locker assignments when the third-period bell rang. My mind drifted off to more interesting things. A thousand miles away from Anchorage High School and Alaska, I searched the docks of San Francisco with Humphrey Bogart in The Maltese Falcon. I saw the movie three times at the Empress Theatre, so I could picture the fog rolling in and Bogart’s handsome face half in shadow from the brim of his fedora. If only I could solve a mystery with him and gaze into those dreamy brown eyes. I sighed. I glanced around to make sure that nobody overheard me.

Then the new kid walked in. A tall drink of water with a slim build and dark, he had wavy hair you could run your fingers through. His argyle sweater had seen better days, with stretched out sleeves and a fraying strand of yarn hanging from his waist. Standing next to him was an elegant, petite lady wearing a stylish velvet hat.

“Good morning, may I help you?” I asked in my best office girl voice. Excited at meeting a new student—and a cute boy— before anybody else, I bounced up on the toes of my new saddle shoes. Thank goodness Mother got me into this class as an extra elective—her status as president of the Anchorage Women’s Club and her friendship with the registrar sure came in handy. It kept me in the know around here, and out of boring old gym class.

 The woman opened her mouth, but the kid spoke up first. “We just got into town.” From the way he had his hands shoved in his pockets, he probably didn’t want to move here four weeks into the school year.  I could help set things right. 

“That’s great! Welcome!” I gestured to the office, the walls hung with festive orange and black pennants, and our eagle mascot. “I’m Peggy Jones, freshman. Pleased to meet you.” I stuck out my hand and shook both of theirs heartily, pep club and welcoming committee rolled into one.

Writers, what is your latest WIP? Or if you’re a reader, what’s the more recent read you really enjoyed?

Lynn Lovegreen has lived in Alaska for over fifty years. After twenty years in the classroom, she retired to make more time for writing. She enjoys her friends and family, reading, and volunteering at her local library. Her young adult historical fiction is set in Alaska, a great place for drama, romance, and independent characters. See her website at www.lynnlovegreen.com. You can also find her on Facebook and Instagram.

My Most Stressful Writing Achievement by Lynn Lovegreen

My most stressful writing achievement is my current work in progress. Well, I hope it will be an achievement—we’ll see!

Like anyone has who’s written for a while, I’ve had stressful writing projects before. When I was starting out, my first novel was stressful because I had no clue what I was doing and suffered a steep learning curve. With later books, deadlines were hard to meet or the project was difficult. My current novel is a YA cozy mystery set in Anchorage, Alaska in 1941. It’s been fun, but also stressful for many reasons.

First, it’s a new genre for me. I’ve written several young adult historicals, but this is my first mystery. I’ve read cozy mysteries most of my life, and I’m addicted to PBS’ Masterpiece Mystery. However, it’s been tricky to figure out how to write the plot and have the right suspects, clues, etc. (Thank goodness for writing experts and critique partners!)

Second, I kept thinking I was done when I wasn’t. I have set this novel down for short periods of time, received feedback, and followed up with many rounds of revision and critiques—in short, all the things that help writers see how to make drafts better. Still, even with all that, I have thought “I’m almost done” several times before I realized, “No, I still need to do….” What was supposed to take about a year has now gone on for eighteen months.

Lastly, I’m trying to finish it at a time when it’s hard to focus on writing. I know many creative people are having a hard time right now. With the COVID-19 pandemic, I’m not the only one struggling to cope with the tragedies and find ways to help where we can at the same time we want to create new work. I tell myself that teens may need a fun cozy mystery soon, just like many people read romances to get them through tough times.  So I’ve tried to find time to write every day, and I have written for a few hours here and there in the last couple weeks. But I don’t force it when I just can’t bring myself to do it. We have to be kind to ourselves, as much as we need to be kind to others.

Hopefully, this novel will be an achievement one day soon (knock on wood) and I’ll get it published. Until then, I have faith that I’ll get through this. And if you’re in the same boat, remember we’ll all in this together. You are not alone. Take care of yourself.

photo by Bellreese Photography

Lynn Lovegreen has lived in Alaska for over fifty years. After twenty years in the classroom, she retired to make more time for writing. She enjoys her friends and family, reading, and volunteering at her local library. Her young adult historical fiction is set in Alaska, a great place for drama, romance, and independent characters. See her website at www.lynnlovegreen.com. You can also find her on Facebook and Instagram.

Crazy Eights: What I’ve Learned in the Last Eight Years by Lynn Lovegreen

Romancing the Genres is celebrating its eight-year anniversary this month. Thanks to Judith and Sarah for keeping it going and monitoring us Genre-istas, which probably feels like herding cats at times. ;-)

I was about to be published eight years ago. I recall the steep learning curve of contracts, editing, and other nuts and bolts of getting published. But my most vivid memory is seeing the first book with my name on it—priceless!

I’ve experienced eight years of being a published author, and while I wouldn’t trade it for anything, there were a few things I had to figure out the hard way. Here are some tips for those of you who are new to this journey. 

• Always keep the writing craft as your first priority. It’s easy to get distracted by the business of writing, but if you don’t have a first-rate book, there’s nothing worth selling. Take your time with revisions, and don’t rush to publish before the book is 100% ready.

• Closely related to the above: Writers evolve and get better over time. Keep learning about your craft by taking classes or reading about writing topics. Work to refine your writing, even after you have several books out in the world. Use a critique group or partner to help you with the process.

• Cultivate your group. Find writers who write similar books, and look for readers that like your genre. You can find them in writing groups (like RWA, SCBWI, etc.); also in social media, conferences, and events at your local libraries and bookstores. They serve two purposes: they’ll give you positive energy to keep you writing, and they’ll also be a good group to subscribe to your newsletter if you decide to go that route later on.

• Be ready to roll with the punches. Things will come up at home or work that prevent you from writing. Publishers will be sold or go under, editors will change jobs, or sales will go down at some point in your career. (Or maybe all of these—it happens!) Keep faith in yourself, and regroup to plan your next move.

• Above all, persevere. We’re pulling for you. You can do this!!!

Lynn Lovegreen has lived in Alaska for about fifty years. She taught for twenty years before retiring to make more time for writing. She enjoys her friends and family, reading, and volunteering at her local library. Her young adult/new adult historical romances are set in Alaska, a great place for drama, romance, and independent characters. See her website at www.lynnlovegreen.com. You can also find her on Facebook, Goodreads, and Pinterest.

A FunnyThing Happened On the Way To My Platform by Lynn Lovegreen

This month our Genre-ista theme is “a funny thing happened on the way to…..” In my case, a funny thing happened on the way to my platform. 

Authors and other public figures often have a platform, a value or cause that they raise awareness for in their appearances or work. In my case, I chose libraries as my main platform. It made sense since libraries and librarians have always been a big part of my life. But I got more out of it than I expected.

About five years ago, I saw a young adult author’s tweet saying she joined YALSA. (It’s part of the American Library Association and stands for Young Adult Library Services Association.) I thought that was a great idea, and joined those and the state chapter. Then in 2016, the Alaska Library Association (AkLA) had their annual state conference in Fairbanks. I attended to present with SCBWI-Alaska (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) and work our book table. Several of us had children’s or young adult books for sale, and I thought it would be fun to see what the conference was like.

As I sat at the table and greeted librarians, I felt completely at home. The more I interacted with them, the more convinced I became that I found my people. By the end of the conference, I knew I had to do more than the occasional blog post to promote libraries.

I’ve attended every AkLA conference since then, and helped organize it the year it was held near my home. I’ve met many wonderful people, found leads for my historical research, and learned how to be a better volunteer. Another part of my library life is volunteering in my local library system, leading the teen writing club. It’s an honor and a pleasure to have teens share their writing life with me. My library connections have also led to opportunities; I was asked to moderate when Sherry Thomas came for an author talk. I had a delightful evening, and got to know a great author. That’s a bonus I wouldn’t have had if I hadn’t gone to that library conference.

Over the years, I’ve made friends with librarians and seen many of the great things they do. I am always impressed with how much libraries serve the public and how dedicated they are to their patrons. 

Yay, libraries! And thanks to librarians for enriching my life. You’ve given me so much more than I’ve given to you.

Lynn Lovegreen has lived in Alaska for about fifty years. She taught for twenty years before retiring to make more time for writing. She enjoys her friends and family, reading, and volunteering at her local library. Her young adult/new adult historical romances are set in Alaska, a great place for drama, romance, and independent characters. See her website at www.lynnlovegreen.com. You can also find her on Facebook, Goodreads, and Pinterest.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Publication by Lynn Lovegreen

Considering the theme for this month, I thought of this story immediately. At first, I was afraid to tell it for fear of sounding negative toward a certain person, but I decided the life lesson was too important to ignore. So some of the details are missing, deliberately.

None of us are born experts, and we all have to start somewhere. Like everyone else, I started writing fiction before I knew what I was doing, and got advice and help from more experienced writers and others along the way. But that doesn’t mean that everyone had valuable advice for me—I had to sort out what was true for me. Here’s the most obvious example.

I signed up for a manuscript review at a writing conference. A successful agent met with me to discuss the first chapter of my first novel, a sweet YA romance set in the 1940s. The agent knew her stuff, and had several authors placed with big publishers. But she didn’t know me or my writing goals—that became apparent during our meeting.  

She began by pointing out the things I did well and the places where I needed to revise or make changes. (I am still grateful to her for that.) Then she said, “You’re a high school English teacher. You know about literary fiction. Why are you writing romance?”

I could only manage an incoherent stutter for an answer.

She went on. “You should put this aside and write something important, something gritty and edgy.”

I stumbled through a thank you and shook her hand. Then I went upstairs to my hotel room to take in what happened. 

At first, I had to giggle. The agent wanted me to take a complete 180 in my writing, either from snobbery, or from not understanding who she was talking to. I don’t have a gritty or edgy bone in my body.

But as I thought more about it, I became angry. How dare she tell me what to write?! How dare she suggest that there was something wrong with a sweet romance?! 

By the end of the conference, I vowed to write the best dang romance she’d ever see. And I came up with the plot for Fools Gold, my first published novel, on the trip home.

Life Lesson: Listen to the experts, but only take the advice that works for you. Disregard everything else, or use it as motivation to do what you want to do. As Polonius says in Hamlet, “To thine own self be true.” 

Lynn Lovegreen grew up in Alaska, and still lives there. She taught for twenty years before retiring to make more time for writing. She enjoys her friends and family, reading, and volunteering at her local library. Her young adult/new adult historical romances are set in the Alaska Gold Rush, a great time for drama, romance, and independent characters. See her website at www.lynnlovegreen.com. You can also find her on Facebook, Goodreads, and Pinterest.

The Danger of the Good

by M.L. Buchman

One of the great jokes on a writer is that most of the job is mental...okay, 99.999% of the job is mental. During my decades of corporate I'd say it was about <25%.

Oh sure, in corporate there were good days and bad days. Having a positive attitude made for a more pleasant working environment, made my teams function better, and made clients happier. But in corporate there was one implacable rule: it never stopped. A good day today didn't stop whatever s*** was about to roll down the pipe and plop on your desk the next morning. And having a truly crappy client call didn't mean that your presentation that afternoon wasn't going to rock and leave you feeling great. They might make me go a bit "mental" at times, but it was the job that did much of the mood making. My only choice was to make the best out of whatever plopped onto the desk.

Writing is about staring at a blank page and finding story. It's about writing through the times when the story isn't working, as well as when it's flying. And the joke on the authors is that something good can bump you off the tracks just as well as something bad.

My traditional press editor told me that Target Engaged (the first book of my new Delta Force romance series) is the best book I've ever written (not that she's read any of my dozens of indie books). Guess what? That simple bit of feedback made it almost impossible to write the next book in the series (Heart Strike will be out next August). How do I live up to the standard of "best ever?"

Simple answer: You don't!

You write the next book to be the best book you can at that moment in that place and time.

I can't begin to emphasize that enough. So, having just finished (finally) Heart Strike (and I'm quite proud of it actually), and understood the mayhem that simple compliment to Target Engaged had caused me, I thought I finally had the "Danger of the Good" under control...

HA!

Last week I found out that Hot Point had been chosen as a Top 10 Romance of the 2015 by Booklist. Then they offered a compilation of the Best 101 Romance Novels of the Last 10 Years which had two of my books on it.

Now the challenge is to go back to that blank white page and simply write the best book I can. Harrumph! Saying I need to do that and actually doing so are a world apart as any writer will tell you. So I was looking for a way to reengage with my next Night Stalkers novel (coming in October).

And then I look at another upcoming release. On October 14th, by first "Ides of Matt" short story collection will become available (you can pre-order the electronic now, paper available on release day). I think about this collection a lot when I'm having trouble writing. There are some really wonderful stories in here that I don't know how I ever found them in the world of the blank page. There are others that I think of as simply "good stories." They work and I'm glad that I wrote them, but they don't have the Snap! of one that really clicked. Yet as I was writing the introduction to each story, I remembered how much fun it was to write that particular tale. Every time I so enjoyed the experience of discovery of character and story.

That's the secret I've discovered about how to react to the good reviews and the bad. It extends into everyday life as I contemplate the good news and the bad as well.

Follow the fun!

I love every tale mentioned on this page and on my website. I had so much fun writing the two short stories that went up this month on my website (one was free on my site--no longer but it's still for sale, the other one is still free to newsletter subscribers or for purchase). And I love the Night Stalkers book that will be coming out in October though it has neither cover nor title yet making it hard to promote,

I love writing!

It gives me something to be thankful for every day. And if I focus on that instead of reviews, accolades, stray comments, and other distractions, then I can dodge the "Danger of the Good" (or the Bad) and keep doing what I love most: Telling Stories.
---

M. L. Buchman has over 40 novels in print. His military romantic suspense books have been named Barnes & Noble and NPR “Top 5 of the Year,” nominated for the Reviewer’s Choice Award for “Top 10 Romantic Suspense of 2014” by RT Book Reviews, and twice Booklist “Top 10 of the Year” placing two of his titles on their “The 101 Best Romance Novels of the Last 10 Years.” In addition to romance, he also writes thrillers, fantasy, and science fiction.

In among his career as a corporate project manager he has: rebuilt and single-handed a fifty-foot sailboat, both flown and jumped out of airplanes, designed and built two houses, and bicycled solo around the world.

He is now making his living as a full-time writer on the Oregon Coast with his beloved wife. He is constantly amazed at what you can do with a degree in Geophysics. You may keep up with his writing by subscribing to his newsletter at www.mlbuchman.com.