In the stable, Liam kicked the stall door, startling a few horses with his outburst. Their disgruntled whinnies and snorts had him apologizing to the beasts he’d upset. It wasn’t that he’d expected anything but another rejection; however, his heart was still reeling with disappointment and loss. He’d dreamed of a life with Evelyn Stewart as his wife. But, as it was with the dreams he’d had as a lad, it wasn’t to be. He often wondered what he’d done to be punished so. And from the time he’d heard the stories of God’s wrath he’d tried to atone for whatever sin he still paid for. Being a warrior piled on the debt with the lives he’d taken, but he hoped killing to protect his clan was redeemed in some way. “What did I do?” Liam’s question was for God, but he spoke it to the white mare that had come to stare at him accusingly over her stall door. She didn’t have an answer. Instead, she lifted her head a few times and snorted before pulling back inside to leave him alone once more. Alone. It seemed he’d been alone all his life. He had snippets of memories from…

If you ask an author what they want out of their writing career, you will most likely hear something about making a bestseller list, royalties, or five-star reviews. And, of course, we do want those. But there are a few other things we strive to accomplish that we don’t always talk about, because while they make our hearts flutter, they may sound a bit. . . sadistic. Evil Secret #1: We want to make people cry. Not in a bad way. But in that, you care so much for our characters you feel for them, kind of way. We want readers to gasp, laugh, and yes, cry with our characters. Tears of happiness at the end are preferred, but if there are a few misty eyes when our heroes face their darkest moments, we enjoy knowing that as well. And even if we apologize for making you weep, secretly we are delighting in the knowledge that you’ve lost yourself in our story to the point of tears. We triumph in success at your distress. Evil Secret #2: We want to leave you dazed and overwhelmed. Tell us how shaken you were by our storylines and scenes, and we’ll offer our…

Must-Haves for Writing a Book by Allison B. Hanson An idea. Prepare for all the ways the ideas will come to you so you’re prepared. Ideas never come when you’re ready for them. Four o’clock in the morning ideas: Keep a tablet next to bed so you can jot down these gems. Note: the recording device on your phone might also work if you are especially good at translating Drunken Wookie. Shower ideas: Keep a washable marker in the shower. Note: do not use red. When the water makes it bleed down the shower it might scare other family members. At work ideas: Send the idea to yourself in the form of an email while also trying to pay attention to the meeting. Note: do not offer anything in the meeting, just nod and hope for the best. Dinner with friends ideas: Make sure to keep your voice low in the restaurant so other diners do not think you are really planning a murder in the next booth. Snacks. Nutritional snacks: to fuel you when you’re deep into an idea and don’t have time for actual meals. Candy: just because. You should never pass up a chance to eat candy….