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The Best Call That Came At The Worst Time
Last February sucked — along with the kiddo and I contracting that crazy swine flu that kept me in bed for a week, I was still recovering from bad news about a potential offer, and then our beloved...
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Tracey Garvis Graves on being a homebody, an early bird, and a...
We are so excited to welcome Tracey Garvis Graves to the Ball this week! New York Times Bestselling author of five books and counting, Tracey has two releases this fall — one being Every Time I Think...
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News Flash: Next books, contest winner, and a cover girl!
Congratulations to Gaylord Chambers, winner of THE MOMENT OF EVERYTHING, by guest author — and fellow Deb — Shelly King! Check back next Sunday for the winner of the signed copy of EVERY TIME I THINK...
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Why you win, even when you don’t…
(My next writing mug…thanks, Cafe Press!) This week on The Debutante Ball we’re talking contests and conferences, and since I’ve only done the first one (most conferences are scattered throughout the...
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News Flash: Launch parties, first drafts, & a contest!
Congratulations to Ellie Berger, winner of EVERY TIME I THINK OF YOU by guest author Tracey Garvis Graves! Check back next Sunday for the winner of the signed copy of LEAVING TIME, by this week’s guest...
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The Art of Productivity & Procrastination
I’m currently in the throes of writing book two, which means I have a daily word count to hit and an endless ability to find ways to procrastinate. Like this past Monday morning, when after refreshing...
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Mary Kubica on writing edge-of-your-seat tension + a GIVEAWAY!
This week we welcome the lovely and talented Mary Kubica, debut author of the riveting psychological thriller THE GOOD GIRL, which has earned comparisons to Gillian Flynn’s GONE GIRL — for good reason....
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News Flash: WIPs, #WeNeedDiverseBooks & catch up with past Debs!
Congratulations to Melissa Engaldo, winner of LEAVING TIME by guest author Jodi Picoult! Check back next Sunday for the winners of THE GOOD GIRL, by this week’s guest author Mary Kubica … From the...
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FEAR is a four-letter word.
Me, scared by book two’s daily word count goal… Like Amy, I can think of plenty of HARD moments along the way from writing that first word of that first book to where I am right now, but truly scary...
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News Flash: Bingeing on Halloween candy, WIPs & books!
Congratulations to Wendy Dosch and Sheila Korman, winners of THE GOOD GIRL by guest author Mary Kubica! Check back next Sunday for this week’s winner of a copy of Shelly King’s debut novel, THE MOMENT...
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Writing Communities & The Myth of the Lonely Writer
When I started writing my first book–my “practice” book–I had no idea what I was doing. I told when I should have showed. I had no writing schedule, and as a result it took me six years to finish the...
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News Flash: Contests, Copy Edits, and Life as Debut Authors!
Congratulations to Kellyn McGee, winner of THE MOMENT OF EVERYTHING by our very own Deb, Shelly King! Check back next Sunday for this week’s winner of a copy of Hillary Monahan‘s debut novel, MARY: THE...
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Words of Advice…
A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to hear Jodi Picoult read from her latest novel LEAVING TIME, and to meet her for the briefest of moments while she signed my book. She was funny, and...
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News Flash: Contests, Revisions & other Debut Author Fun!
Congratulations to Ryan Kincade, winner of MARY: THE SUMMONING by author Hillary Monahan! Check back next Sunday for this week’s winner of a copy of Linda Grey Sexton’s BESPOTTED… From the 2015...
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Why You Should Promote Yourself (or at least get your mom to do it for you)…
There really is a someecard for every occasion… I have never been afraid of a little self-promotion. Maybe it started when I was 15 months old and my baby sister was born, and I needed to remind my...
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News Flash: Author Events, Book Club Fun & Galleys …
Congratulations to Sherri Templin, winner of BESPOTTED by author Linda Gray Sexton! Check back next Sunday for this week’s winner of Debutante alum Mia King‘s bundle of novels, including GOOD THINGS,...
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It Sucks Until It Doesn’t: Staying Grounded through the Good & Bad
Image courtesy of the Tillman Project “It sucks until it doesn’t.” That was advice given to me by one of my critique partners when I was stuck in the query trenches, trying to find an agent. I was...
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News Flash: Contest winner, Giveaways, & Gratitude
Congratulations to Jessica McFarlin, winner of author Mia King‘s book bundle, including novels GOOD THINGS, TABLE MANNERS, and FAMILY ROOM! Check back next Sunday for this week’s winner of a signed...
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How I Write: Distractions, Muffins, & Deadlines
Writing is hard. Not because of the whole come up with an idea and make it interesting thing – though that isn’t exactly easy, either. What makes writing “hard,” at least in my books, is just how easy...
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News Flash: Hardcover in hand, Book Design, and (lots) more writing!
Congratulations to Jamie McCauley, winner of the signed copy of Shelly King’s debut, THE MOMENT OF EVERYTHING! Check back next Sunday for this week’s winner of a signed copy of TOP TEN CLUES YOU’RE...
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