A few ways to get a mini-MFA in writing.

Here’s a helpful rule of thumb for novelists: Read 100 novels in the genre that you want to write in. You can choose any novels you like, but include recent novels, good books written within the last 10 years. Read the classic novels from this genre, too — just so you get a bird’s eye view of how the genre has changed over time

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Edible Landscaping

It seems a shame to relegate food plants to second place in the garden. They aren’t as tidy as ornamentals, but they were bred to produce bountiful crops, but they can also look very good, and many of them can fit in well in a mixed border.

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August List o’ Things to Do!

August is the hottest month — allegedly, as it started out as pretty cool here in Missouri, but now the heat’s finally showing up. At any rate, the vegetable garden is going like gangbusters right now. Here’s a little list of chores for the August garden, just to keep you up to speed.

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In praise of the Alphasmart Neo.

Now with the Alphasmart, my writing routine often includes waking up in the middle of the night and writing stuff in the dark, as I am now. I’ll put this under the covers on my lap so the tapping of the keys doesn’t disturb my husband, and I’ll write until I fall asleep. Or I’ll wake up in the morning and spend a few minutes typing on a story.

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I’m teaching an online self-publishing class!

This class will introduce you the zany world of self-publishing. We’ll talk about publishing options in the indie world, how to put your books out as ebooks and paperbacks, ways to build a newsletter and an audience, how to keep self-publishing costs down while doing quality work, best practices for success, and much more.

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I’m teaching an online class in Indie Publishing!

This class will introduce you the zany world of self-publishing, where YOU make all the choices. You make your deadlines, your publishing schedule, your creative direction, as well as marketing and book design decisions. We’ll talk about publishing options in the indie world, how to put your books out as ebooks and paperbacks, ways to build a newsletter and an audience, how to keep self-publishing costs down while doing quality work, best practices for success, and much more.

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Location! Location!! Location!!!

The best place to grow tomatoes will have full sun for six hours a day. Hotter southern locations might need a little afternoon shade to give the tomatoes a bit of relief so they can survive and thrive. A well-drained site with rich, loamy soil is ideal. If you don’t have a location with full sun for six hours a day, you might have to trim back some tree branches. If your soil isn’t ideal, start adding organic material like compost to it.

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