Rooting Your Novel in a Core Theme: Behind the Scenes of Threads of Red
An ancient myth. A love that defies time. A deadly obsession. These are the core themes at the forefront of my upcoming contemporary romantasy novel. They capture the essence of my narrative. The story is one of fated mates and magical realism wrapped in sacred lore. Threads of Red is deeply rooted in the Red String of Fate myth—the supernatural belief that the gods bind certain souls together by an unbreakable, invisible thread. The red thread pulls the characters togeth
14 hours ago
The Title Stack—Title, Tagline, and Subtitle
To catch a reader's eye in a crowded marketplace, your title, subtitle, and tagline all need to work together like a mini-storyboard. Think of the them as a hello wave to potential readers. Your title stack must match your book’s tone. If done with care and precision, the trio will do the heavy lifting for your marketing before a reader even opens the novel and eyes the first page. Keep this question in mind as you decide what your title stack will be—will readers be drawn in
Jun 5
Developmental Edit
A developmental editor’s job is to evaluate the manuscript’s big-picture components to make sure the story’s elements make sense, are well connected, and will be engaging to readers. Developmental editors don’t fix punctuation, grammar, spelling errors, or typos. They focus on the foundation of the book’s structure which includes pacing, possible rearranging of chapters, and story arc. They specifically target plot and any plot holes, character development which encompasses m
Jun 1
My Debut Author Journey
Sixteen years ago I was sitting in my usual spot on the living room couch when an idea for a romance story burst into my mind. Back then it was about a forbidden love. The main characters were established, but the storyline was chaotic—it lacked major somethin’, somethin’. I didn’t care, I wrote anyway. I ate, drank, and slept the images, backstories, dialogue, and unique essences of Ellie Capri Tanner and Ezekiel Larson. I wrote on scraps of paper, sticky notes, and dry eras
Apr 3
Meet John A. Valenti 3rd
John A. Valenti 3rd is a national award-winning reporter for the Long Island, New York, based daily newspaper Newsday, where he has worked since 1981. He is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 episode Big Shot and is the author of Swee'pea, The Story of Lloyd Daniels and Other Playground Basketball Legends, as well as a contributing poet to the critically acclaimed anthology 13 Poets from Long Island. For Nothing Is Hidden is his debut novel. Please share a quic
Mar 4
Dedication and Acknowledgement Pages
***This article is geared towards fiction novels . The dedication and acknowledgment pages for non-fiction books contain different parameters and tone. When your book is complete, and that means all developmental edits , proofreading , and interior design are finished, you may want to consider dedicating your novel to a special person; someone who supported or mentored you throughout your writing journey. Some authors dedicate their book to a group, organization, or to their
Feb 16
Writing Rules-Numbers, Time, and Dreams. Oh My!
There are so many writing rules it’s hard to keep track. Some are sophisticated, others are subtle. Have you ever given a thought to how numbers should be written in a novel or how writers handle scenes with timestamps? Is there a difference between a specified time used in dialogue or in prose? What about dreams and tabloid headlines? Should you put a movie title in all caps, italics, or quotation marks? How about song titles? Are you aware of the RAVEN rule? These writi
Jan 27
