Author Archives: dbjackson

Professional Wednesday: Learning From Each of Our Projects

Posted on May 3, 2023 by dbjackson

Ideally, every new book and story we write is not just an adventure in imagination, a chance to discover new characters and settings and narratives, but also a learning opportunity. I continue to improve my writing with each project, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Bell Bridge Books, Belle Books, Character, Islevale Cycle, Novels, Radiants, Short Fiction, The Chalice War, Thieftaker, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Professional Wednesday: Learning From Each of Our Projects

Monday Musings: This Blog, My Books, Your Support

Posted on May 1, 2023 by dbjackson

This Blog: I want to say from the outset that I love maintaining this blog. I write my twice-weekly posts because I enjoy sharing my thoughts (on Mondays) and my writing tips (on Wednesdays). Writing on demand in this way … Continue reading →

Posted in Bell Bridge Books, Belle Books, Business of publishing, Novels, Publishing, Reading, The Chalice War, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Monday Musings: This Blog, My Books, Your Support

Professional Wednesday: Eliminating Excess Verbiage, Part II

Posted on April 26, 2023 by dbjackson

Last week, I revisited an old Magical Words post I’d done about eliminating excess verbiage in our writing, putting a new spin on the discussion. As promised, I would like to continue that conversation today. Before I dive back into … Continue reading →

Posted in Novels, Publishing, Short Fiction, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Professional Wednesday: Eliminating Excess Verbiage, Part II

Monday Musings: My Favorite Babies

Posted on April 24, 2023 by dbjackson

This post is not about my daughters. I swear. I love my girls exactly the same amount. Except maybe around my birthday, when my love for them is directly proportional to the quality of the presents they give me. Other … Continue reading →

Posted in Angry Robot Books, Bell Bridge Books, Belle Books, Business of publishing, Falstaff Books, Fantasy, Invasives, Islevale Cycle, Novels, Publishing, Radiants, The Chalice War, Thieftaker, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Monday Musings: My Favorite Babies

Professional Wednesday: Eliminating Excess Verbiage, Part I

Posted on April 19, 2023 by dbjackson

As I mentioned in a recent post, I have been doing a tremendous amount of editing and revising these past several months. Between co-editing (with Edmund Schubert) the Artifice and Craft anthology for Zombies Need Brains, revising my upcoming Chalice … Continue reading →

Posted in Novels, Publishing, Short Fiction, The Chalice War, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Professional Wednesday: Eliminating Excess Verbiage, Part I

Monday Musings: For Our Adult Children

Posted on April 17, 2023 by dbjackson

We want them to be happy, but we know happiness is elusive, and we remember being their age and struggling to find joy ourselves. We want them to be safe, but we know a safe life is not likely to … Continue reading →

Posted in Family, kids, parenting | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Monday Musings: For Our Adult Children

Monday Musings: Places I Want To Visit

Posted on April 10, 2023 by dbjackson

As spring begins and summer looms, I find myself thinking more and more about travel. I already have a couple of trips planned for a bit later in the year — a trip to Denver, Colorado and Laramie, Wyoming in … Continue reading →

Posted in Family, food, Fun, kids, nature, photography, travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Monday Musings: Places I Want To Visit

Professional Wednesday: When To Fight an Edit, and When To Let it Go

Posted on April 5, 2023 by dbjackson

I know my knee-jerk response is not always my wisest response. All of us who have gone through the editorial process are familiar with the conundrum: We want to work with our editors. We want to cultivate reputations for being … Continue reading →

Posted in Character, Novels, Reading, Short Fiction, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Professional Wednesday: When To Fight an Edit, and When To Let it Go

Monday Musings: Missing a Missing Friend

Posted on April 3, 2023 by dbjackson

We lived in Australia for a year back in the mid 2000s, when our daughters were in primary school. Alex, the older one, turned 11 while we were there. Erin turned 7. Both girls were already swimming competitively here at … Continue reading →

Posted in Family, Friendship, kids, photography, travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Monday Musings: Missing a Missing Friend

Professional Wednesday: 2023 Is 1/4 Gone — What Have You Done?

Posted on March 29, 2023 by dbjackson

Spring is here. April is knocking on the door. 2023 is just about one quarter gone (a thought that sends me into a frenzied panic) and with the first three months of the year nearly over, I felt this would … Continue reading →

Posted in Appearances, Bell Bridge Books, Belle Books, Business of publishing, Novels, Publicity, Publishing, The Chalice War, travel, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Professional Wednesday: 2023 Is 1/4 Gone — What Have You Done?