Musings of a Sparrow….
My thoughts about God, writing, and life in general….
Subscribe to My Newsletter
The best way you can help me out is to subscribe to my newsletter. You will receive exclusive access to the Prologue of my novel Filling the Cracks, as well as news and updates
Your privacy matters. Please see my privacy policy in the menu bar at the top of the page.
8 Great TV Shows and Movies in the Romantic Thriller Genre
I love several TV shows and movies that fall within the above definition of a “romantic thriller.” In this post, I will list my favorite TV shows and movies within this designation….
Reading List for January/February 2024
St. Bernard of Clairvaux is often credited with coining the phrase, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” I had excellent intentions when I created my reading list for October and November of 2023. Unfortunately, life intervened, and I read only one-third of one of the books I listed. I hope you had greater discipline and success than I did. So, I have amended that list and will try again to read the books on my new list over January and February of 2024….
Setting SMART Goals for 2024
In preparation for the new year, I am making several SMART goals professionally as a writer and personally. If you’re unfamiliar with what a SMART goal is, I’ll briefly describe what they are….
What is the Love Genre?
Over the past few weeks, we have explored genres and described the two external content genres I tend to write the most: the Thriller Genre and the Love Genre. Last week, we explored the Thriller Genre. This week, the focus will be on the Love Genre, also known as the Romance Genre….
What is the Thriller Genre?
Last week, I described the two genres I primarily write in and why. They were the Thriller genre and the Love (romance) genre. In today’s post, we will explore what the Thriller genre is about in greater detail….
The Genres I Prefer to Write Within and Why
For the past few weeks, we’ve explored Literary and Commercial Fiction and the content genres typically found under the category of Commercial Fiction. This was to lay a foundation for today’s post, where I describe the content genres I prefer to write in (and read) and why that’s the case….
Content Genres of Commercial Fiction
In my last post, I compared literary and commercial fiction and detailed their differences, giving examples of novels that fall into either category. This week, I will focus on commercial fiction and the categories or content genres of books that fall under this category….
What is the Difference Between Literary and Commercial Fiction?
Knowing the difference between literary and commercial fiction is important for an author, whether they are planning to be traditionally published or self-published. An author needs to know how to describe their book to literary agents and publishers and how to market it to readers.
What is Genre?
Yesterday, I realized what genre is and why it’s important to understand genre as a writer. Well, perhaps not quite, but close. It wasn’t until recently that I investigated the meaning of the word genre and its significance, and it has radically changed the way I approach literature both as a writer and a reader….
The Obligatory Scenes of the Horror Genre
This week, we will look at the obligatory scenes of a horror story, once again using Alfred Hitchcock’s classic movie, Psycho, as our example for these scenes….
The Conventions of the Horror Genre.
It’s Halloween again, and in the spirit of the season, we will look at the spookiest of all literary genres: Horror….
5 Steps to Building an Author’s Platform—My Journey So Far.
Any writer who wants to market and sell their books (or even be looked at by most literary agents) must build and maintain a solid author platform….
8 Suggestions for Incorporating Elements of Real Life in Your Fiction
Even when I try not to incorporate real-life elements or stories in my fiction, I've found that it ends up happening anyway. The reason for this is simple: as writers, we naturally draw upon our personal experiences and emotions in creating characters and plots. How could we not? That’s where a great amount of inspiration comes from….
How I Find Inspiration for Writing: Where I Go and What I Do
I’m always impressed with established authors who come out with a new book every year, some more than once a year. Where do they get their fantastic ideas for their novels? It’s always essential to have fresh ideas to write about….
Reading List for October/November 2023
I intend to finish Romancing the Beat this fall as well as read, at minimum, the following books….
How to Publish a Book in Today’s Marketplace: An Author’s Options.
At a writers’ conference this summer, I recently learned that I have several options when it comes time to seek publication of the first book in the trilogy I’ve written….
My Publishing Journey… Thus Far
As mentioned in previous blog posts, I began writing at a young age. By fourteen, I regularly wrote fanfiction novels about my favorite show, Star Trek: The Original Series. Later, I wrote fanfiction about Star Trek: The Next Generation and, in adulthood, about House M.D. I did write the odd original fiction short story or novella. None of these did I share with my family and friends (though the House M.D. fanfiction was shared on fanfiction websites). It wasn’t until my husband and I moved to the United Arab Emirates for his career that I had more alone time than I knew what to do with. Then, I decided I would pass the long hours writing an original novel that I would eventually try to have traditionally published….
Three Lessons I Learned at Writers’ Conferences Summer 2023
I had the opportunity to attend two virtual (online) conferences this summer. They were the first writer’s conferences I had ever attended, and despite not being around other writers in person, I found them exciting and informative….
Why I Changed the Name of My Brand and Author’s Platform
When I first decided to break out of my shell and write original fiction with the intention of mass publication for a public audience, I debated over whether or not to use a pen name….