So, you are a writer. Liz examines how others react you to when you tell them that you are a writer. She is witty and insightful.

LIZ BETZ

Opal Writers Magazine MAY 2022

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://opalpublishing.ca/2022/05/26/grammar-police/

When my first novel, A Deadly Fall, was accepted by a publisher, she urged me to create an overall story arc for the whole Paula Savard Mystery Series I intended to write. I thought, that’s a great idea. J.K. Rowling outlined her seven Harry Potter books before she started the first one and that series was pretty successful.

By Susan Calder, Author

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://opalpublishing.ca/2022/02/07/does-your-mystery-novel-series-need-an-overall-story-arc/

When it comes to food, Babe doesn't dare complain about my cooking. Why? Because he doesn’t do kitchens, he does football and golf. His remote control speed-clicks to ESPN. He can catch a football with one hand and he easily swings a golf club in the right direction, but so domestically challenged is he that if he applied for government assistance, he'd get it in no time.

-Cappy Hall Rearick

Opal Writers Magazine MARCH 2022

Becoming a grandmother coincided with the big five-o. I pondered what legacy I could leave my very first grandchild. 

-Sheila S Hudson

Opal Writers Magazine MARCH 2022

My latest novel, Winter’s Rage takes place in January 2020, immediately before the coronavirus pandemic. This is book # 3 of my Paula Savard Mystery Series. When I started writing the next book in the series last fall, I knew it would be set in spring, but which year would it be?

By SUSAN CALDER

Opal Writers Magazine MARCH 2022

Before we alter your evergreen content let’s first determine what is evergreen content.

-Catherine Saykaly-Stevens

Opal Writers Magazine APRIL 2022

I used to make fun of mystery novel climax scenes, where the killer has the sleuth trapped and, instead of shooting him and escaping, the bad guy explains the reasons for the murder, giving the sleuth time to capture him. This is clearly a device to inform readers rather than realistic bad guy behaviour. But when I wrote my first mystery novel, A Deadly Fall, I understood the value of this literary trope.

-Susan Calder, A Deadly Fall

Opal Writers Magazine MAY 2022

Have you ever been excited to read a book, only to find you’ve read chapter one three times and you just can’t get into it? There are dozens of reasons the writing might not grab you, but it could be as simple as the writer including too many filler words. These words creep into all kinds of writing, and can trip up your reader. But they’re easy to fix once you know where to look for them, so keep reading to find out how…

-Suzi Vadori

Opal Writers Magazine 2021

 embarked on a quest for the secret to writing success. I bought books, magazines, and sought out workshops. I became a workshop Junkie, attending whenever I could. I earned the title of Queen of the First Chapter for my multiple false starts. I knew there must be a secret that would lead me to author a best-selling novel. I kept looking and with a persistence I hadn’t applied to writing, I discovered it.

-By Linda White

Opal Writers Magazine 2021

Having fellow writers and professionals read and critique your work is a necessary step on the way to publication, but hearing all that is wrong with the words you poured your heart and soul into can feel stressful and disheartening. It doesn’t have to be this way. When you embrace the critique with resilience (the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties), a possibly stressful situation can turn into a learning opportunity and launch you onto the path to becoming a better writer.

-Allison Gorner

Opal Writers Magazine 2021