Usually when we talk about the obstacles an author faces on their writing journey, we’re talking about prepublication obstacles like writer’s block, finding the time to write, painting yourself into a plot corner, finding critique partners, hiring an editor, finding an agent or publisher, and so forth. In the case of Parker’s Choice, my obstacles…

As an author I’m heavily influenced by movies, and like a movie producer or director, I scout the locations to be used in my books. For Parker’s Choice I needed an angry river, a creepy cemetery, and a foreboding stand of woods. I live in suburban Atlanta which happens to have a river flowing through…

Writing isn’t a vocation you can choose like deciding to be a lawyer or a doctor. People who “try” writing to see if they like it generally fail. Writing is a vocation that will choose you, if you are compelled to put your thoughts on paper, if you can’t help but imagine emotional or exciting…

“Show, don’t tell” is probably the most common piece of advice authors hear from mentors and the most frequently-taught lesson by instructors. And yet, as I worked my way through the National Book Award finalists, I found that these award-winning novelists appeared to break the rule by narrating their stories as though they were sitting…