Friday Book Pick: A Memory Between Us by Sarah Sundin

September 17, 2010By Karen Barnett 1 Comment

Happy Friday! I hope you are looking for a good weekend read, because I am very excited to let everyone know about Sarah Sundin‘s newest book, A Memory Between Us. Her first novel, A Distant Melody, has been my favorite book of this past year (see Book Pick from April 8, 2010). I couldn’t wait to get … Read More

Friday Book Pick: Tomorrow We Die by Shawn Grady

July 9, 2010By Karen Barnett No Comments

Now that the heat of summer is upon us, it’s time to either retreat into the air conditioning or stretch out in the sunshine — your choice — with a great book. If you need a little excitement to spice up your summer, try out this new title by firefighter/paramedic/author Shawn Grady, Tomorrow We Die. … Read More

The Library is My Happy Place

June 24, 2010By Karen Barnett No Comments

Last night I went to our public library without my kids. (Gasp!) The public library (in any town) has always been my “happy place.” I love the smell, the quiet, the possibilities. I love to run my hand down the spines of all the books, knowing that I could never possibly read them all. It is simply … Read More

Friday Book Pick: CODE BLUE by Richard Mabry

May 28, 2010By Karen Barnett No Comments

Memorial Day Weekend has arrived (just in case you hadn’t noticed all the store ads) and with this unofficial beginning to the summer season, I’m hoping you find a few lazy hours for reading. If you’re looking for some great reading material, I’d encourage you to try the new release, Code Blue: Prescription for Trouble written by Richard … Read More

Common Writing Mistakes: Tension Headaches

May 20, 2010By Karen Barnett No Comments

Tension headaches, tension in relationships, tense meetings, tense conversations — we all hate it. Right? Can tension be good? A tense fishing line means a good catch. I know my seldom-used sewing machine has a tension adjustment knob — I’m not sure what it does, but it must be important. Tension is not only good in story-writing — it … Read More

Common Writing Mistakes: Beginning With Chapter One

May 7, 2010By Karen Barnett 1 Comment

Today I will continue my series on Common Writing Mistakes Made by New Writers (Like me) with “Beginning with Chapter One.” If you want to catch up on the other posts (in no particular order), read Back Up the Dump Truck, Battling Backstory, Talking to Yourself, and Couch Potato Characters. Today’s common writing mistake is … Read More

Common Writing Mistakes: Battling Backstory

April 13, 2010By Karen Barnett 2 Comments

Last week, I started a series about mistakes commonly made by new writers (like me). The first entry focused on “information dumps.” Today, I’m going to discuss a related topic — backstory. Every character has history and we try often try to share every detail of it in the first chapter. You must know that she was born on a stormy … Read More