Brilliant

For Writers

Xs and Whys

My sophomore novel releasing this September—Dry as Rain—was originally a third person, dual point of view (POV) book written half from the wife’s POV, half from the husband’s. I didn’t think I was ready to write an entire book from a male POV. I am, after all, a woman. I would have to do much research to get it right and...

Genre Happenings

Texas Trails - A Morgan Family Series

The Texas Revolution began with the first shot fired on October 2, 1835, in Gonzales and ended just six months later with the Texan victory at the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21, 1836. This year Texas celebrates the 175 anniversary of the Texas Revolution...

DiAnn Direct

Plots That Dance - Part II

Last month we talked about plotting and how the dance of character and plot is vital for a successful novel, the importance of a strong hook, various kinds of conflict, and scene construction. This month we’ll focus on the necessary ingredients for the beginning, middle, and ending of your novel. According to Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass, there are five basic plot elements.

The Well Writer

Going to Conference? Don’t be a Typhoid Mary

Mary Mallon worked as a cook in the early 1900s. In 1906, although she had no symptoms of the disease, she was the unwitting carrier of the dread disease typhoid fever. Since that time, the appellation Typhoid Mary is given to persons who spread infections to those around them, often quite innocently. The annual conference of the American Christian Fiction Writers in September will bring together a huge group of people from all over the United States and other parts of the world.

Author By Night

Snippets of the Moment

How do you do it all? It’s the first question people ask after they discover that I work a full-time job, write novels on the side, and also work as a part-time publicist for Hartline Literary Agency, as well as our small business, Upon the Rock Publicist. I’m a speaker, a wife, a mom, and my heavenly Father’s daughter.