Worrying about copyright law is not something that keeps me up at night. However, it is a topic that all writers will encounter at some point in their career. Over at the Missouri Writers Guild blog, I recently interviewed Copyright expert Paul Lesko, who happens to work three floors below me.
Paul Lesko, IP Attorney
The interview I’ve looked forward to the most at the Missouri Writers’ Guild conference blog is finally posted! My interview with Jane Friedman, who has an assortment of publishing industry credits including former Writer’s Digest publisher, is posted!
Just while researching my questions, I learned so much. That caused me to worry, though. How was she going to add anything more to the interviews already out there. How was I going to think of questions that allowed her to add new thoughts to the conversation?
I was recently asked to judge my writing group’s annual Children’s Contest for 3rd and 4th graders.
We received167 entries from children in St. Charles County schools. Thankfully, I didn’t have to read all the entries. My critique partner Camile Faye was the contest chair. She, a former college English professor, and two retired elementary school teachers read through the entries and then each sent me their top ten.
For three days I received new entries in the mail. Like presents wrapped in manilla envelopes. Those were three days of happiness. Then I realized I had to pick a winner. Great gnashing of teeth ensued.
I recently did a Q&A with YA literary Agent Ann Behar with Scovil Galen Ghosh Literary Agency, Inc. 
She receives mostly fantasy and scifi queries because she said of her agency’s track record of success with authors like Terry Goodkind, Arthur C. Clarke and Mercedes Lackey. However, she is interested in all good writing:
“…if a book is extraordinary, I don’t care if it’s about faeries, dragons or stamp collecting. A great writer can make any subject gripping. So, a fantasy or science fiction novel would have to have three-dimensional characters that I come to care about immediately, a detailed, fascinating world that makes me feel as if I am a part of, and a tightly structured plot that holds my attention from the start to finish.”
Read the full interview with her over at the Missouri Writers’ Guild Conference Blog.
I have decided over the past couple years that working a day job in Corporate America will better prepare you for rejection as an aspiring author. Especially if you’re a woman.
Last night, I watched a Season 3 House marathon while doing a marathon of dirty laundry and folding. The gist of House is basic: somebody gets sick, then House cures them while being a jerk. To keep the story interesting there’s always a subplot that runs over multiple episodes. The subplot over these episodes was a quarrel between Dr. Cameron and Dr. Foreman.
I had fun making a wordle yesterday. No, that’s not a typo. 
A wordle is a picture of a group of words – most often called a word cloud. Making a word cloud is good activity to do when you need to take a break from writing, but still want to get something accomplished on your story.
It can be used as a marketing tool. You can design one in photoshop or illustrator like the logo for the Meso Foundation’s 2011 conference:
In case you missed it, I did a blog interview with St. Louis author Susan McBride over at the Missouri Writers’ Guild Conference Blog last Thursday. Susan will be one of the speakers at the Guild’s 2012 “Write Time! Write Place! Write Now!” Conference.
With that interview, Susan graciously donated a copy of her most recent book LITTLE BLACK DRESS to give away to one lucky commenter. Commenting closes tonight, so you still have a chance to win.
Sarah’s Note: Today, I’m featuring a guest post from Christine Kane, my favorite motivational speaker who helps primarily women get motivated about “up-leveling” their lives, as she calls it. Procrastination is something I struggle with on a regular basis, so this article really spoke to me, and I hope by sharing it with you, it will help you overcome your own procrastination fears.
Nine Simple Solutions for Procrastinators
My life – as a writer – has been overtaken by clutter, research and mail. When you live in one space for a long time, it’s easy for misc items that spark your interest to build up. Then when it comes time to clean the paper mountains on your desk, or that random end table or even the bookshelf, it can feel overwhelming.
Instead of cleaning up that clutter, I used to cheat. Once I’d reached a point of critical mass, I’d push everything into a box – throw out a teeny bit – and then shove the box in a walk in closet.
This gallery contains 3 photos.
I’m pleased to bring you my first author interview. Chris DiGiuseppi is the co-author, along with Mike Force, of The Light Bringer, a supernatural crime suspense novel that debuted earlier this month. Since then, it has been selling like crazy on Amazon.com and BN.com. Continue reading