The protagonist is the one character most writers dwell on. It takes a fine balance between making them likeable and having them seem either arrogant or totally worthless. A good protagonist usually makes or breaks a story, while the antagonist, or villain, is usually tossed in as a reason for the protagonist to exist. This […] 
Is it time to consider writing professionally, at least part-time? Writing professionally means writing as though you need to pay the rent – tomorrow. You need to devote time to your craft. You need to develop effective habits. Remember the old adage, Practice Makes Perfect? It’s wrong – practice makes improvement. Developing a good writing […] 
One thing that still surprises me is how the horror/dark fiction genre authors treat each other. For the most part, I’ve decided that the genre is really one large family. Perhaps because the genre isn’t as fractured as others, it removes the cliquishness that can pop up in other fields. Science Fiction, for example, has […] 
I had the good fortune to meet Mandy DeGeit (pronounced de-gate) at KillerCon 4 in Las Vegas. A force of nature in a tank top, she’s one person that does not blend into the background. Mandy, a new author on the dark fiction/horror scene, is currently known as the woman who spoke up after having […] 
Tonya and I attended KillerCon 4, an annual horror-genre convention held in Las Vegas every September. We stayed at the Stratosphere, where the con unfolded over the long weekend. We drove our little “creeper” van, which probably cost us more than a flight, but we enjoyed each other’s company on the trip. Tonya spotted a […] Originally posted in the Horror Writers Association newsletter. The vast majority of an author’s fans have a Facebook page. Writing is a business, and savvy authors take advantage of this marketing tool. Love it or hate it, an author should use this avenue for connecting with their fanbase. There are three separate types of Facebook […] 
I submitted a story for the Lascaux (pronounced Las-coo) flash fiction contest. If you have the time, please stop on by and give it a read. Since this is a contest entry, I’d appreciate you posting a comment on my apocalyptic 250-word entry! Thank you in advance! The link: http://www.lascauxflash.com/2012/09/42-seeds.html 
