Category Archives: Thieftaker

Tuesday Musings: What Makes An Effective Villain?

Posted on February 18, 2025 by dbjackson

I love villains. I love writing them. I love reading them. I love seeing them brought to life on big screen and small. Well, let me modify that. I love villains in fiction and movies and television shows. I can’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Character, Fantasy, Islevale Cycle, Novels, Thieftaker, Time's Assassin, Time's Children, Time's Demon, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Tuesday Musings: What Makes An Effective Villain?

Monday Musings: Introducing the Toothbrush Principle

Posted on June 10, 2024 by dbjackson

We have a Sonicare toothbrush — one of those rechargeable ones that vibrates, like, a trillion times per second and essentially buzzes plaque and tartar into submission. (That might not be exactly the science behind the technology, but that is … Continue reading →

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Monday Musings: “What’s Next?” Well, How About Some Big News?

Posted on May 20, 2024 by dbjackson

“When I ask ‘What’s Next?’ it means I’m ready to move on to other things. So, what’s next?” — Jed Barlet, THE WEST WING Yeah, I will seek out almost any excuse to quote from The West Wing, it being … Continue reading →

Posted in Business of publishing, Ethan Kaille, Family, Friendship, History, Novels, Publishing, Thieftaker, travel, Urban Fantasy, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Monday Musings: “What’s Next?” Well, How About Some Big News?

Professional Wednesday: Writing Work-For-Hire Projects

Posted on August 16, 2023 by dbjackson

Love what you write. I say it a lot. It is the single piece of advice I always offer when asked what tips I would give to young writers (young of age, young of career). And I believe the advice … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: In Defense of Simplicity

Posted on August 9, 2023 by dbjackson

Today, as I was sitting at my desk, staring at a blank screen, trying to decide what I could possibly have left to write about when it comes to giving writing advice, a familiar song came on my Apple Music … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: The Last Book of a Series

Posted on July 26, 2023 by dbjackson

A week and a half from today, on Friday, August 4, The Chalice War: Sword, the final book in my Celtic urban fantasy trilogy, will be released by Bell Bridge Books. (The first two books, The Chalice War: Stone and … Continue reading →

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Professional Wednesday: Beginnings, Middles, and Endings, part V — What Makes a Good Ending?

Posted on July 12, 2023 by dbjackson

Continuing my Professional Wednesday feature on “Beginnings, Middles, and Endings,” (previous posts can be found here, here, here, and here) I now turn to endings. And I will begin by stating the obvious: The ending to our story is likely … Continue reading →

Posted in Falstaff Books, Fantasy, Islevale Cycle, Novels, Reading, Setting, Short Fiction, Thieftaker, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Professional Wednesday: Beginnings, Middles, and Endings, part II — Narrative Structure

Posted on June 21, 2023 by dbjackson

Last week, I began a new Professional Wednesday feature called “Beginnings, Middles, and Endings,” in which I plan to write about the various parts of story writing. In last week’s post, I focused on openings, on how to approach the … Continue reading →

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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: 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