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Amanda Marbais is the author of short story collection Claiming a Body. This is her first post as a Blackbird Writer. You can find out more about her on her website www.amandamarbais.com, or by clicking here, and buy her book here. In my current work-in-progress, a murder takes place on a small farm run by thirty-somethings looking to escape city life. As a longtime Chicago resident, my challenge has been to make a full scale, slightly gothic farm convincing. Right away, I had to dive into outside research. This novel began during the pandemic when I indulged my mild obsession…

Saralyn Richard is the author of the Detective Parrott series and two thrillers. You can find out more about her on her website, www.saralynrichard.com, or by clicking here, read her last post here, and buy her books here. Now that I have six published books to my name, I’ve noticed a few things about the way things roll in the publishing industry. First, the public’s appetite for new books is hearty. Everyone rushes to pre-order an upcoming novel from a favorite author, sight unseen. Readers want to be the first to read, discuss, and review new books, comparable to movie-goers…

Avanti Centrae is the author of the VanOps thriller series. You can find out more about her by visiting her website here, or by clicking here, read her last post here, and buy her books here. "What if a terrorist uses my thriller’s plotline to attack the United States?" I had that stop-you-in-your-tracks thought after a mock interview with my media coach. He'd been prepping me for upcoming radio shows and asked, "Is the truth in your novel scarier than the fiction?" I answered, “Yes.” My debut thriller, VANOPS: THE LOST POWER, deals with Russians who want to get their…

Tracey S. Phillips is the founder of the Blackbirds and is the author of Best Kept Secrets and the Mina Green romanitc suspense series, under the name Karissa Knight. You can find out more about her on her website, www.traceysphillips.com, or by clicking here, see her last post here, and buy her books here. I’m a firm believer that stories written from experience hold more verity and authenticity than stories written from the imagination. “Write what you know,” is a mantra heard all across the writing guru blogs. I’ve had experiences—haven’t we all? –that I tie into the threads of…

Margaret Mizushima is the author of the Timber Creek K-9 mysteries. You can find out more about her on her website at www.margaretmizushima.com, or by clicking here, read her last post here, and buy her books here. Creativity is an innate trait in all human beings. While some people create stories with words, others might use paint, glass, fabric, stone, or other media to produce their works of art. Some might design recipes to create delicious new foods or to structure fabulous meals. Some might create business plans or new ways to track data. Some create new machines or technological…

Sharon Lynn is the author of Death Takes a Bath. You can find out more about her on her website www.sharonlwrites.com, or by clicking here, see her last post here, and buy her books here. An important question every author should consider is ‘Does your character think like you?’ It’s okay if they do, it’s okay if they don’t. What’s not okay, is if they think like you but are of a different gender. Hear me out. Male brains are wired differently than female ones. The changes go back to when our society consisted of hunters and gatherers. Men needed…

Valerie Biel is the author of the Circle of Nine series. You can find out more about her on her website at www.valeriebiel.com, or by clicking here, read her last post here, and buy her books here. Guess What? Readers don’t care HOW you publish your book, as long as it is a GOOD book! Back before the Kindle era began in late 2007, publishing was a pretty linear endeavor. You could seek out traditional publishing, which meant everything from small and medium presses to large traditional publishing houses OR you could pay a vanity press for the privilege of…

Christine DeSmet is the author of the Fudge Shop Mysteries, and the Mischief in Moonstone series. You can find out more about her at her website www.christinedesmet.com, or by clicking here, see her last post here, and buy her books here. Sometimes writers get into slumps, or don’t know what to write. Or, we know what to write but wait for motivation or some signal to shove us into the prose. New writers in particular may feel wobbly and need a helping hand or boost. My suggestion? Enter a contest or two or three. Contests hand you a deadline and…

G. P. Gottlieb is the author of the Whipped and Sipped cozy mystery series. You can find out more about her on her website www.gpgottlieb.com, or by clicking here, see her last post here, and buy her books here. I didn’t always see evil lurking around the corner, but since I started writing mysteries, everyone where I go, including on vacations, I imagine an intricate plot, the arc of a story, and a satisfying ending in which world order is preserved.   Boxes at La Scala Strolling down a sunny street in Milan, passing fashionable people and color-of-the-season shop windows,…