Category Archives: Novels

Creative Friday: Celtic Urban Fantasy Teaser!!

Posted on October 7, 2022 by dbjackson

This week, I finished the first draft of the third and final book in my new project, a contemporary Celtic urban fantasy called The Chalice Wars. I have a lot to do with this newest manuscript still — I’ll discuss … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: “Hidden Brain,” Perception, and Fiction

Posted on October 5, 2022 by dbjackson

On a recent drive I began listening to the Hidden Brain podcast, with the brilliant Shankar Vedantam. I had listened to scattered episodes before, but never in a systematic way. But this was a long drive and I wound up … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: Hampton Roads Writers Conference, and the Hardest Writing Topic to Teach (For Me)

Posted on September 21, 2022 by dbjackson

This week I head to the Hampton Roads Writers Conference in Virginia Beach. I’ll be teaching several workshops over the three days I’m there — a two-hour master class on “Point of View and Voice,” a ninety-minute class on “Character … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: Once More Unto The Breach — To Outline or Not, Redux

Posted on September 14, 2022 by dbjackson

After attending DragonCon and speaking on panels about various aspects of writing, I have found myself thinking—yet again—about the age-old debate between those who outline their books and those who don’t. Or, between planners and pantsers, in the parlance of … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: What To Tell Aspiring Writers About The Current Literary Market

Posted on September 7, 2022 by dbjackson

If we have to write — and I’ve always felt that writing is an imperative, something I do to tame the voices in my head, the stories burning in my heart — then we should do it to satisfy that … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: Writing Through — A #HoldOnToTheLight Post

Posted on August 24, 2022 by dbjackson

After running away from social media for six weeks, and ignoring publicity opportunities and the like, I feel a little funny offering any professional advice to anyone on anything. Which, I realize, is entirely wrong-headed. Sometimes the stuff we write … Continue reading →

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Monday Musings: Wading Back In (and Why I Left)

Posted on August 22, 2022 by dbjackson

Yes, I’m back, dipping my toes cautiously into the social media waters, gauging my mental state. I have a lot going on professionally right now, and I need to write about it, to boost the signal (as the market phrase … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: Dealing With My Latest Editorial Feedback

Posted on July 6, 2022 by dbjackson

I’ve written many times before about dealing with edits on a story or novel manuscript, and I don’t want to repeat myself any more than necessary. But I have just received feedback from my editor on the first book in … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: One Hot-Mess of a Writing Post

Posted on June 29, 2022 by dbjackson

Dispensing writing advice when one is struggling a bit with one’s own work can be somewhat strange. Just ask . . . well, me. I am more than 50,000 words into my current work-in-progress, the third book in my Celtic … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: Most Important Lessons — Understand Your Contracts

Posted on June 22, 2022 by dbjackson

Today’s post won’t be overly long. It doesn’t need to be, as the advice is fairly straightforward. One of the advantages of having an agent, beyond increased chances of selling our work to a traditional publisher, and increased access to … Continue reading →

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