What happens when life throws you more curveballs than you can catch? After a year filled with personal challenges like a house flood, a fire, and a painful arm injury, I'm back to share my journey and triumphs. Despite these setbacks, I've successfully launched a new cozy mystery anthology under my Scott and Lawson imprint, bringing together the creative talents of 12 remarkable authors. In this episode, we'll explore the fascinating world of anthology publishing, dissecting different models—whether contributors are paid upfront or earn royalties. We'll unravel the strategic decisions behind whether an anthology should stand alone or become part of a series, and how branding plays a crucial role in these projects.

Publishing a Christmas-themed anthology involves more than just stringing stories together. I reveal the meticulous process of editing and formatting with vellumpub, adding unique touches like snowflake ornament breaks to create a magical reading experience. Discover the importance of author bios, blurbs, and even a festive recipe to enhance the book's appeal. We'll discuss our distribution strategy for both e-books and paperbacks, how pre-orders can boost visibility, and the pricing tactics ensuring fair compensation for all contributors. Wrapping up, I offer a heartfelt thank you to our listeners and invite you to stay connected through Patreon and social media, eager to see you join us next week for more engaging conversations.

Unlock the secrets of authentic historical storytelling with historian and author Lexi Cunningham as we paint the past with words. From the serene setting of Westerwood Hotel and Spa in Scotland, our writing retreat provides the perfect backdrop for this rich discourse on infusing your fiction with the hues of history. We venture beyond the surface of online encyclopedias, diving into the depths of scholarly texts and the whispering tales of old graveyards to create characters that resonate with truth. The art of capturing the essence of bygone eras in narrative form is a delicate one, where the choice of a single word can mean the difference between maintaining the period's authenticity or shattering the illusion.

Journey with us as we explore the corridors of museums and tread the cobblestones of historic sites to bring you invaluable insights into crafting believable settings. Lexi and I reflect on the balances struck between language of the past and reader accessibility, sharing our methodologies for steering clear of anachronisms, with my own creative choices in my Viking series as a case study. The episode is a wellspring of inspiration for fellow writers seeking to navigate the complex interplay of fact and fiction, to breathe life into the pages of history, and to create a world so vivid, readers can almost reach out and touch the threads of time.

Discover the magic that unfolds when setting takes center stage in a novel, transforming lifeless backdrops into dynamic entities with a soul of their own. This week, best-selling author Danny Petrie joins me, Wendy H Jones, to unravel the secrets behind crafting settings that captivate and characters who resonate with readers like old friends. Amidst the rugged Alaskan wilderness and the vibrant streets of Santa Fe, we delve into the art of choosing the perfect locale to reflect the essence of our stories, and how these choices impact every twist and turn of the narrative.

As an author who loves to sketch out the bones of dialogue and action, I share my unique process of dressing these bare frameworks with the flesh of immersive settings. Danny and I discuss the balance required to maintain narrative momentum without sacrificing the rich tapestry of descriptive detail that brings a world to life—especially crucial in genres where the stakes are high, and the suspense is thicker than fog. Our talk is a celebration of storytelling, marked by the release of "One Wrong Move," a novel that epitomizes the harmony of setting and plot in a thrilling dance of intrigue.

To all fellow writers and fervent readers, our conversation is a tribute to the craft that unites us. I offer gratitude for your unwavering support and invite you to join the community that fosters these insightful dialogues. Your patronage on Patreon ensures the continuity of this creative exchange, and for that, I thank you. Remember, the journey continues next week with another inspiring guest, and I eagerly anticipate sharing more wisdom that lights the path for your literary adventures.