Barbara Custer March 30, 2015 2 Comments

When Mylar Balloons and Manuscript Rejections Go Together

Night to Dawn has had to close to submissions again because a lot of folks responded, and I hate to make writers wait three years to see their work in print. A lot of acceptances went out, along with rejections. How do I approach story submissions? When a story intrigues me, I take that work […]

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Barbara Custer February 9, 2015 6 Comments

Writer’s Trial: The Synopsis

People have asked what I find most difficult about writing. Every job has an unpleasant aspect, and for me, writing the synopsis is the toughest. Basically, the synopsis is a summary of the story, or if you prefer, an outline in prose form. For a pantser like me, outlines and synopses can be particularly daunting. […]

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Barbara Custer December 16, 2014 6 Comments

Wintertime Blues

Do you struggle with wintertime blues? I know I do as the days get shorter. I went to a condo homeowner’s association meeting last night and sat in a chair prepared to listen and take notes. Instead, I nodded off to sleep during a good part of the meeting. No one chatted about Mylar balloons, […]

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Barbara Custer October 28, 2014 6 Comments

Here There Be Skeletons

At the bottom of my fascination with zombies, revenants, and evil aliens lies a terror of human skeletons. Every writer fears something, a “demon” that drives their stories. Some people dread the site of fire; for others it’s the Great White. For me, the sight of a skeleton, particularly one with debris on it, will […]

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Barbara Custer August 18, 2014 0 Comments

When the Devil’s in the Details

These last weeks, I’ve taken marching orders from my Mylar balloons regarding the manuscript reformatting and new cover for Twilight Healer. If something’s off, I’ll hear about it. As a writer buddy once told me, the devil’s in the details. The process began with me reading each chapter and correcting mistakes the way the balloons […]

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Barbara Custer August 6, 2014 8 Comments

Before You Send your Manuscript to the Printer….

At my Mylar balloons’ encouragement, I got my refurbishment of Twilight Healer underway on July 24. Teresa Tunaley did a beautiful job with calligraphy on the lady-in-white front cover image (illustration by Dreamstime). Once I slapped together a new file with revised masthead, I’d have it up on Amazon within a few days, right? Wrongies. None […]

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