By Karna Bodman Three years ago, the Rogues were delighted to welcome New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Alex Kava to our group. She is the author of the award-winning critically acclaimed FBI profiler Maggie O’Dell series and a new series featuring former marine, Ryder Creed and his...
By Alex Kava Most fiction writers sprinkle in real-life bits and pieces. Sometimes it’s from our own experiences. We might use locales we know. Throw in landmarks and even have our characters stop by our favorite café or coffee shop. It gives our fiction a sense of authenticity. And if we’re...
By Alex Kava Mark Twain’s private writing study as it is today, relocatedon Elmira College’s campus in New York. Ask full-time writers where they write—not how or when, but where—and many will name a specific place that’s unique to us. That place might be a local coffee shop or a favorite...
By Alex Kava Writing a novel is a solitary endeavor, but sometimes it helps to hear how other authors deal with the same challenges. Plus, we all could use a little inspiration once in a while. Here are five of my favorite podcasts offering conversations, information and a whole lot of...
By Alex Kava I just launched novel #23! Actually, I completed the manuscript months ago, but the book was just released into the world December 17th. As an author I’ve always wavered back and forth about when to celebrate a new book. When I was traditionally published, sending the finished...
By Alex Kava In honor of National Dog Month, I want to share how one of my characters—a favorite of readers as well as my own—came to life. Grace is a scrappy, sixteen-pound Jack Russell terrier. In my Ryder Creed series, Creed is a former Marine K9 handler who now owns a training facility...
By Alex Kava The reading experience is a very personal one. As authors, we transport readers to a different place and introduce them to strangers we hope they care about. And, if we’re lucky, we capture their attention and imaginations for 300-400 pages. But what about afterwards? We authors tend...
By Alex Kava Research shows that reading fiction beats stress better than any other activity, including listening to music or taking a walk. It lowers the heart rate and eases tension in the muscles. It also creates a distraction by transporting our minds away from whatever is causing our stress....
By Alex Kava According to artist, Chuck Close: “Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us just show up and get to work.” But what if it’s not about inspiration? What if you’re really stuck in a manuscript. You can’t move forward no matter how many bad paragraphs you force yourself to...
By Alex Kava A Christmas Carol, It’s A Wonderful Life, and Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. They’ve become synonymous with Christmas, but did you know they almost didn’t happen? A Christmas Carol In 1843, Charles Dickens already enjoyed literary success with several novels, including Oliver Twist....
