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The trials and tribulations of a writer who has made it but not made it big. Musings on craft, the industry, and work, plus advice to beginners and interviews with other midlisters. Welcome to Literary Purgatory.
Recent Posts Tagged With 'missouri'
Readers Need The Small Press (And So Do Writers)
I'm in Missouri right now working on a book on Guerrilla and Partisan Ranger Tactics in the American Civil War for Osprey. Most of the time I'm buried in books, original documents, and photographs in ...
On The Shelves. . .Or Not???
As I mentioned in an earlier post, my book "Missouri: An Illustrated History" is finally coming out. A critique partner from Missouri just bought a copy at Barnes and Noble, but the B&N website sa...
"Missouri: An Illustrated History" Out Now!!!
My latest book, "Missouri: An Illustrated History" is coming out from Hippocrene Books. It's a full history of the state from the prehistoric mammoth hunters to the modern day. I just received the aut...
New Book, New Country
Yes, I'm back, after a one-week hiatus, which in the blogosphere is like going off the air permanently. My only excuse is that I wanted to spend the last few days in Oxford and London enjoying the cou...
Starting Book Number Seven
As I mentioned way back in May, I was in negotiation with a publisher to do book number seven. I can now announce I'm working on Guerrilla Tactics of the American Civil War for Osprey Publishing. I've...
Giving a First Draft a Second Look
Last month I finished my latest novel and set it aside for a while. It's a horror novel set in Civil War Missouri and since I'll be in Missouri in August and September, I figured I'd do the second dra...
Nice Review for It Happened in Missouri
Like all writers, I Google myself at least once a week to see what's going on in the world of me. Today I stumbled upon a nice review of one of my books. It's from Goodreads, a social networking site ...
Finished My Latest Novel!
That Civil War horror novel set in Missouri I've been nattering about these past few months is finally done. I finished it at about 9 this morning. It came out to 91,962 words. I started it on January...
Almost Done With The Latest Novel
I'm going to finish my latest novel, a horror story set in Civil War Missouri, this week. I'm at 83,000 words and have about 5,000 more to go. That's a lot of work, but it's only Tuesday and I'm keen ...
Naming Characters
I've always had trouble naming characters. It's hard to come up with believable, appropriate names. With my work-in-progress, a horror novel set in Civil War Missouri, it's been a bit easier. I've bee...
When To Break Your Own Writing Rules
My Civil War horror novel was chugging along nicely until about a week ago, when I got stuck on a chapter. I wasn't quite sure how to handle it and I'm still not. I stopped working on the novel for a ...
Writing Milestones
Yesterday I passed the 50,000 word/200 page mark on my work in progress, a horror novel set in Civil War Missouri. I have about 30,000-35,000 words to go, and I have it all mapped out in my head, so I...
Taking Stock of my Novel-in-Progress
I'm now halfway through my novel-in-progress, a horror story set in Civil War Missouri. With 170 pages (42,000 words) done, it's time to take a breather and do a serious edit on what I already have be...
The Perfect Quote for My Next Book
Now that my book proposal on General Price's 1864 campaign is making the rounds with agents, I'm working on yet another Civil War book proposal. This one is on the First Kansas Colored Volunteers, the...
Slipping Fiction into History
I'm hard at work on my current horror novel, set in Civil War Missouri. This is my third novel and it's a very different experience for me. My previous two (both unpublished, sigh) are fantasy. The do...