July Recap!

What I've been up to on Substack...

Welcome back to another monthly recap! Another month already? Where does the time go?

Just as a reminder, I’m on Substack for fiction, books, and writing. If you’re here for the notes or memes, you’re welcome to unsubscribe and follow instead, so you still see my notes in your Substack feed, but you won’t get these posts or emails.

If you are getting this as an email, it is because you subscribed on Substack, probably through the app. I typically only send one month-in-review newsletter, and everything else is posted app-only. I’m not trying to flood your inbox, but I also don’t want you to miss anything that you signed up for.

Let’s dive in.

Book reviews!

I post book reviews every Monday. This past month I seem to have gotten stuck on old classics.

The Seven Dials Mystery, an Agatha Christie mystery in which the final surprise depended on deliberately misleading the reader earlier in the book.

The Return of Tarzan, the second Tarzan book by Edgar Rice Burroughs, which is comprised of a long series of loosely related coincidences.

The Hound of the Baskervilles, a classic Sherlock Holmes story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, that I read many times as a kid.

Around the World in Eighty Days, a classic travel adventure by Jules Verne. I keep seeing it mentioned. Are they making a movie of it?

Which one was your favorite? I’ll keep posting one per week and I have a lot more fun ones coming up!

Subscribers can suggest books, though I have quite a long list already. :)

Fiction!

Book 3: Murder on Harrisonville Road is now being posted to Substack!

After writing a newspaper story about the charming and crimeless village of Harrisonville, Tom Nenning is ambushed and left for dead. When Lowan investigates, vandalism to his car and the only telephone line leave him trapped in a small town with a murderer hidden among its quirky residents. Secrets abound and newcomers don’t receive a warm welcome. When Tom and Rita arrive—intending to help—the problem becomes far more complicated. If they succeed in uncovering the secret of Harrisonville, they might lose their lives instead.

New chapters posted Tuesdays and Thursdays. If you’d rather read the whole book at once, it is available at major online retailers. It’s not too late to jump in at the beginning!

Book 20 is here! The series will be very long. There is a lot more coming.

Book 21 will be coming soon.

Due to reader requests… Book 22 will have a hedgehog in it.

Stay tuned for more!

Nonfiction!

This month, I posted an article about how to write dream sequences in fiction.

I keep getting asked about my writing process, so that will eventually become another article. :)

FREE BOOKS!

I also have a ton of free books available on my website HERE, if you’d like to take a look.

Plus, the Smashwords Summer/Winter sale is on for a few more days. There’s THOUSANDS of free books available, including a few of mine!

Also check out this free weird fantasy short story, the strangest thing I’ve ever written.

What I’ve been reading on Substack!

Part of the magic of Substack has been the great community of other writers I’ve met here! Substack is packed with great fiction and nonfiction resources.

Good Boy Records posted a curious lesson in songwriting, and this catchy tune inspired by a historical photograph.

Check out Li Mitchell for a sci-fi serial about a group of friends defending the moon station from rebels (there’s even a cat!), short stories about friendly dragons, and great book recommendations. Check out this month’s short story, Dragons Hate HOAs! Plus, this list of great resources on writing, editing, and publishing!

C. J. Charles adds more to the pantser/plotter debate. There’s been some great flash fiction new for this month, and some strange true stories. Unintentional time travel?

Jason Stephenson has a few things to say about creating brand recognition.

For fantasy, check out L. T. Noble’s Hearts of Arkenstron: Shyra and Twilight of the Kings.

Can creating a plot grid help to fix your chapters?

Changing your character’s behavior unexpectedly might be one of the most damaging things you can do to your story. Blitz has a lot to say about creating consistent character behavior. Plus, more on the topic of “write what you know,” what this really means, and how dangerous it can be when applied incorrectly.

Here’s a great article on how to make your scenes immersive.

Here’s some fantastic tips on how to use your characters’ personality types to create realistic conflict.

You know those Meyers Briggs personality types? (I’m an INFJ, heavy emphasis on the I.) Here’s a similar guide to find your writing type. (I’m not sure what to do with that information, but it seemed too creative not to share!)

Cat Malin wants you to resist the squirrels and finish your story!

Just a shoutout to SendingGrace for being awesome. :)

Janks Simmons writes about character and author psychology. What does your writing say about you? How can you use psychology to create better character chemistry?

Check out Noel’s publication Prescribing Stories for how to write accurate medical information in your fiction. (Including articles relevant to historical and sci-fi settings.)

Here’s some great advice for writing female characters.

Does your scene have all four of these things?

How to write genius characters. (And what to avoid!)

How to write a villain who’s more than just evil.

Now go subscribe to everyone!