I’ve seen this type of question pop up several times in the last few weeks: Is the vampire genre dead? Are zombie markets dying? Is the horror market in decline? The answer is actually simple: it doesn’t particularly matter in 2013. Yes, there are thousands of vampire/Twilight books available in the marketplace, particularly ebooks. With […] One of the Facebook Groups I hang out on posts writing exercises. Sometimes they’re geared towards Bizarro, but most of the time they’re just fun practice to improve your craft. One was to generate a scene that had the characters conveying their thoughts and emotions without any dialogue. In ten minutes, I popped something out […] 
I’m co-scripting a graphic novel with Peter J. Wacks, and Chaz Kemp is doing the art honors. The GN is called Behind These Eyes, and it will be published by Villainous Press. One nice thing is that it is getting published online at http://villainouspress.com/comic/behind-these-eyes/, so you can pop over to check it out. The electronic version […] Now that we have Netflix, Tonya (my better half) is watching every episode of Cake Boss. Of course, I’m writing, plotting, and planning my short stories and novels while this goofy show is playing in the background. After episode 16 of season 3, where they travel to Italy, it struck me that some reality shows […] 
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 […] 
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 […] 