The Creative Penn is a long-running blog, podcast, and resource for authors trying to improve their chops for writing, marketing, publishing, and entrepreneurship. I’ve relied on Joanna Penn’s site for years, including as I planned to leave my job in 2011 to become a full-time writer. After all the things I’ve learned from The Creative … Read more
Whatever your field, you need good tools. A carpenter needs a hammer. A cook needs a chef’s knife. And if you do anything related to social media, you need HootSuite. HootSuite is a service and app that helps you manage, schedule and monitor your social media presences. Have a Twitter account and Facebook page? You can view those … Read more
In August I attended the Willamette Writers Conference in Portland, Oregon. My goal this year was to continue evolving my marketing chops, especially when it came to the not-really-new, ever-more-important, still-not-really-understood Google+. Boy howdy did I come away with some knowledge. Google+ is powerful, growing and engaging. Plus, you know, it’s Google. Here are 2 … Read more
3 new pieces out and about in the world: Paying It Forward Starts With You – #Amwriting (dot org) Bringing bitters back – Register-Guard, Tastings – Andrea Loreto revives a centuries-old Italian tradition at his Eugene microdistillery, conjuring captivatingly complex botanical flavors in Calisaya Liqueur Print only – “No More Soft Pickles” appears on p. 36 of … Read more
See you in Portland! From Aug. 3-5, I’ll be at the 2012 Willamette Writers Conference, in a combo role as author Anthony and co-chair of the Willamette Writers Mid-Valley Chapter. It’s going to be a whirlwind 3 days of meeting with agents, connecting with colleagues and getting the skinny on the latest in editing, marketing … Read more
Interested in the Eugene craft beer scene, and especially our newest brewpub, Falling Sky Brewing? Fresh take on the brewpub – The Register-Guard Newspaper, Eugene, Oregon
Road trip! Travel fantasy stories from Rucksack Press » When it comes to globetrotting, you can always do with a good book. After all, when you’re riding a rickety bus around windy mountain roads for 10 hours, a good book can at least keep your mind off whether or not you’ll go from a slow … Read more
2012 Theme: Revision & Release Inspired by Chris Guillebeau’s annual review and the 2011: THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE AWESOME review from {r}evolution apparel, I realized I should step up and do one too. Sometimes a few months can feel like its very own year. The last half of 2011 certainly felt that way for … Read more
“Restore India’s land mass dignity and independence!” Nov. 30, 2011 NaNoWriMo status and progress for writing a 50,000-word novel in one month: Written today: 1,698 words Total so far: 52,591 words Remaining: 0 words Woo-hoo! NaNoWriMo 2011 is done, and I survived! The last story has a lot of promise. A crazy, world-shaking proposition, a … Read more
“Some say all the world can fit into a backpack” Nov. 29, 2011 NaNoWriMo status and progress for writing a 50,000-word novel in one month: Written today: 1,737 words Total so far: 50,893 words Remaining: 0 words One to go. Today’s story, the next to last in my 2011 NaNoWriMo project, brings together two of … Read more