Welcome to Pairings

Kay Smith-Blum's debut, TANGLES, spans two timelines and two star-crossed narrators in the dark shadow of radiation contamination, during th

Reading (and writing) historical fiction is generally my jam. But there are lots of other novels that nudge me outside of my comfort zone.

"The work never never matches the dream of perfection the artist has to start with" — William Faulkner

Inspiration strikes in strange and unexpected ways. But when it doesn’t strike, there are three tricks to juice it along.

Embrace your dual gifts: you can inhabit two worlds, and you can slide between them with ease. It’s just what writers do.

Inspiration comes from many places. No use pretending it all comes out of our heads with no other stimulation. We rely on influences.

There’s a saying in real estate, that it’s all about location. Location. Location. Location. It’s just as true in writing historical novels.

Last week I read two books in two days. Yes, that required putting a halt to all activities beyond eating and feeding the dog. Even...

You’ve finished your epic novel and you’re querying agents. (You haven’t written an epic novel? No matter. Applying for a job? Same...

Lifesavers: Stable Relations Nubè and Clara   Anna Blake ©2015 Her heart had been broken , in many places, when she threw herself...

David Beheads Goliath, 1650  by Guillaume Courtois [ Public domain via Wikimedia Commons ] When you’re nearing the finish line with...

Ah, elixir of life: I Need Coffee by Jann Alexander ©2014 1. Bring your own coffee. There may be none. Even if there is, there will...

What You Need: An Author Platform by Jann Alexander ©2015 “Platform is a very helpful thing.”   — Karlyn Hixson, St. Martin’s Press  ...

When a sudden virus kept me sidelined on Mother’s Day and for a few days thereafter, I turned to the only antidote that relieved my...

Tangled Web by Jann Alexander ©2015 “Oh, what a tangled web we weave / When first we practise to deceive!” — Sir Walter Scott,  Marmion...

The thing I’ve discovered about writing a novel like A Habit of Hiding is that its presence is always with me. Even when I’m not writing...

Click to Tweet This Your first novel will always be your favorite, because of your innocence when you wrote it, though it is unlikely to...

Though I’m not one of them , advocates of disorganization thrive on it. The truth is that even the most organized among us have lapses in...

Miles of Motel Doors, 1980 by Jann Alexander © 2014 In 1980, as we made our way across the west in a Honda hatchback, photographing the...

At first glance, a shelfie is a generous way to share your library of ideas instead of your silly selfie face. But at worst, shelfies...