Monthly Archives: April 2009

dedication and acknowledgements

Posted on April 30, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

Have you ever wondered how the front material gets into a book? Some readers ignore those pages entirely, others read them with great interest. I was always one to read the dedication and acknowledgements; as I grew to knew more … Continue reading →

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Crystal Jordan Guest Post: How To Make The Mating Instinct Work

Posted on April 29, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

Today’s post is by Crystal Jordan, author of On the Prowl and many other works. You can visit her blog here: http://www.crystaljordan.com/blog/ and her website here: http://www.crystaljordan.com/ Welcome, Crystal! It’s great to have you! How To Make The Mating Instinct … Continue reading →

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Excerpt from a War Nurse’s Diary: The Operation-Theatre

Posted on April 28, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

Tomorrow’s post is by Crystal Jordan, who’s graciously agreed to visit. That’s her latest book’s cover illustrating this post. Today I have more from the nurse’s diary I’ve been reading. ### Towards the end of November we took over the … Continue reading →

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Guest Post: letters from a publishing professional

Posted on April 27, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

Truisms about publishing fiction, aspiring writer editon. 1. Your book isn’t as good as you think it is.2. No, really, it’s not. Trust me on this.3. Fortunately, that doesn’t matter.4. No one owes you a publishing contract, even if your … Continue reading →

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Jerome K. Jerome on Work

Posted on April 26, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

It is not that I object to the work, mind you; I like work: it fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours. I love to keep it by me: the idea of getting rid of it … Continue reading →

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ANZAC Cookies

Posted on April 25, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

It is ANZAC Day. These cookies were meant to keep fresh for a long time, to be shipped by boat from Australia and New Zealand to the European front during World War One, but they are also very yummy cookies. … Continue reading →

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Shopping and Recharging

Posted on April 24, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

Happy Friday! The illustration for this post in the grand central hall of Wanamaker’s department store in Philadelphia, currently owned by Macy’s. When I’ve been writing for several hours and my brain has been emptied onto the page, I often … Continue reading →

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Regarding The Miracle of Time

Posted on April 23, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

I am feeling good about Moonlight Mistress. It’s as if, now that the revision letter is addressed and the manuscript is out of my hands, it’s slowly begun to gather to itself a sort of halo, a glow of being … Continue reading →

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Some Notes on Revising a Manuscript: Refining the Prose

Posted on April 22, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

Some Notes on Revising a Manuscript: Refining the Prose Refining the prose is best saved for last; you don’t want to spend time polishing something that will later be cut. If any words don’t support the plot or characterization or … Continue reading →

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Some Notes on Revising a Manuscript: Coherence and Storytelling

Posted on April 21, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

Some Notes on Revising a Manuscript: Coherence and Storytelling On a first read of a completed manuscript, it’s a good time to check for overall coherence and storytelling. Check for skipped time and space. It helps the reader if you … Continue reading →

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