Barbara Custer October 14, 2024 0 Comments

The Virtues of Self-hosting?

    Back in September 2012, I began to self-host my websites, extolling the virtues of self-hosting in a blog. Well, two weeks ago, I quit self-hosting my website and moved it back to WordPress. My Mylar balloons have been urging me to do so, but I had two book releases forthcoming, so I gutted […]

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Barbara Custer October 12, 2020 4 Comments

Killing your Darlings

This year, I’ve been taking Your Novel Year with Kathryn Craft, and among other things, I am learning what it means to kill your darlings. No, not my balloons. My Mylar balloons are darlings, and they’re staying right where they are. I’m referring to the darling scenes I have in my WIP.  The trouble was, […]

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Barbara Custer December 12, 2018 0 Comments

A Mylar Balloon in your Home …

A Mylar balloon in your home is worth two at the store. Why moon over the balloons on display if you’ve already got a thriving one in the house? Sometimes, the store balloons are either too pricey or not for sale at all. Better to go with the sure thing. That was my conclusion when […]

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Barbara Custer October 14, 2018 6 Comments

Oldie but Goodie Writing Techniques

Lately, the sequel for Steel Rose and When Blood Reigns has been haunting me. Okay, I’ll confess, I used the pantser style for writing this book. I tried to outline—actually summarized chapters but then found myself lapsing into writing scenes, and I couldn’t work from an outline. The balloon lady in me wants to work […]

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Barbara Custer October 13, 2018 6 Comments

Reunion with the Unspeakable

The dead groaned loudly, their fists batting the hospital windows. A deadly prion similar to mad cow disease infested their bodies, but no cure loomed in sight. Serket set her back to the windows, eyes on her computer, charting her evening rounds. In another week, she’d retire. Her home was a townhouse at the Gables, […]

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Barbara Custer October 1, 2018 2 Comments

Leaving the Day Job

Yesterday, I retired from my job as a respiratory therapist. I worked at the hospital for 34 years, and much of what happened provided grist for my fiction. A lot of mixed emotions went into my decision, not the least which involved my struggles with night vision. Pennsylvania’s wet climate means rain and snow most […]

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