I’m happy to welcome back author Jo-Ann Carson. Today, Jo-Ann is sharing her top ten craft books and her latest release, A Highland Ghost for Christmas. I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend this delightful novella.
Here’s Jo-Ann!
I love craft books on writing, so today I thought I would share with you my ten favorites. Easier said than done!
Whittling my list down to ten, seemed impossible. I went to my shelf and made a stack of ten tossing one aside for another, shuffling them, and starting over again and again as the list didn’t seem quite right.
It was difficult to choose only ten.
Finally, I decided to look at it differently. I’ll be teaching a course on self-publishing soon and I want to have a basic list of ten books I would recommend to a new writer. That helped a bit.
Here’s my ten, ranked by the number of times I go back to them. I’d love to hear yours.
One – The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi
“One of the biggest problem areas for writers is conveying a character’s emotions to the reader in a unique, compelling way. This book comes to the rescue by highlighting 75 emotions and listing the possible body language cues, thoughts, and visceral responses for each…. ” (Amazon)
Two – The Complete Writer’s Guide to Heroes & Heroines by Tamu D. Cowden, Caro LaFever, and Sue Viders
“All fiction writers want to write stories with great heroes and heroines–characters who leap off the page and capture the reader’s imagination. Heroic characters can be broken into sixteen archetypes …” (Back blurb) Amazon
Three – Save the Cat by Blake Snyder
“This ultimate insider’s guide reveals the secrets that none dare admit, told by a show biz veteran who’s proven that you can sell your script if you can save the cat!” (Amazon)
Four – On Writing by Stephen King
“… It starts with this: put your desk in the corner, and every time you sit down there to write, remind yourself why it isn’t in the middle of the room. Life isn’t a support-system for art. It’s the other way around. (back blurb) Amazon
Five – Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t by Steven Pressfield
“There’s a mantra that real writers know but wannabe writers don’t. And the secret phrase is this: NOBODY WANTS TO READ YOUR SH*T. Recognizing this painful truth is the first step in the writer’s transformation from amateur to professional.” (Amazon)
Six – Write. Publish. Repeat. by Platt Truant and Wright
” Write. Publish. Repeat is publishing for beginners and experienced writers alike. In 2013, Johnny B. Truant and Sean Platt published 1.5 million words and made their full-time livings as indie authors. In Write. Publish. Repeat., they tell you exactly how they did it: how they created over 15 independent franchises across six publishing imprints and 100+ published works, how they turned their art into a logical, sustainable business, and how any author interested in indie publishing can do the same to build a sustainable, profitable career with their writing ….” (Amazon)
Seven – Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
“A warm, generous and hilarious guide through the writer’s world and its treacherous swamps.” —Los Angeles Times (Amazon)
Eight – The Right to Write by Julia Cameron
“What if everything we have been taught about learning to write was wrong? In The Right to Write, Julia Cameron‘s most revolutionary book, the author of the bestselling self-help guide The Artist’s Way, asserts that conventional writing wisdom would have you believe in a false doctrine that stifles creativity.” (Amazon)
Nine –Stein on Writing by Sol Stein
“This is not a book of theory. It is a book of useable solutions– how to fix writing that is flawed, how to improve writing that is good, how to create interesting writing in the first place.” (Amazon)
Ten – The Chicago Manual of Style
This is the industry bible.
“… the authoritative, trusted source that writers, editors, and publishers turn to for guidance on style and process….” (Amazon)
A Highland Ghost for Christmas
Jilted by her fiancé, librarian Maddy Jacobson is nursing a broken heart, when her best friend gives her an early Christmas present. Intended to be a fun, psychic reading in a spooky, tea house, the gift turns out to be life changing. Maddy becomes haunted by a mischievous, Highland ghost.
Ruggedly handsome, Cullen Macfie, the Highlander, has been dead for over three centuries, and never in all those years has he been as attracted to a woman, as he is to Maddy. He falls hopelessly in love and decides to woo her.
Can there be a future for a librarian and a naughty, Highland ghost?
A Highland Ghost for Christmas is a sweet, romantic comedy guaranteed to warm the cockles of your heart, make you laugh out loud and leave you craving a man in a kilt … and shortbread, of course.
Buy Link
Jo-Ann Carson writes romance twisted with suspense and polished with
humor. Her strong characters take you on a fast and fun ride. Currently she’s writing the Gambling Ghost series, a collection of sweet, paranormal romances guaranteed to warm your heart, make you laugh out loud and leaving your craving a ghost of your own.
Jo-Ann loves to interact with readers on social media:
Website * Blog * Twitter * Facebook
We can all benefit by finding the right treat or combination of treats that serve as “comfort food” for our brains. It is important, however, not to fall into the trap of selecting pleasures that come at a cost. For example, an hour of retail therapy may lift our moods, but over-spending will strain our finances. Eating that ice-cream cone or extra piece of cheesecake may calm jittery nerves and add pounds.
1. Hazel Rose lived in Los Angeles for many years, working as a software developer.
5. Hazel started the Murder on Tour book group in 2003 with Carlene Arness, the current wife of Hazel’s first husband and the reason that Hazel’s hopes of remarrying her ex were dashed (see #3).
Maggie King is the author of the Hazel Rose Book Group mysteries, including the recently-released Murder at the Moonshine Inn. She contributed the stories “A Not So Genteel Murder” and “Reunion at Shockoe Slip” to the Virginia is for Mysteries anthologies.
When facing a cancer diagnosis it can be helpful to find a support group. Connecting with people who are experiencing the same things and can share in your struggles and triumphs can be immensely important for a patient’s mental and emotional health. These groups prevent patients from feeling isolated and the people they encounter may be able to offer helpful insights.
Words have power: they bring us hope, connect us across generations and geography, and can be an outlet for our internal struggles. The written word can be a 
Although it may sound cliche, friends and family truly are an essential support system. Many of us are not used to asking for help or admitting when we feel defeated. Reaching out to the people you’re close to can help relieve any feelings of solitude and supplement a cancer-focused support group. In addition to emotional support, loved ones also have the unique ability to make us laugh and distract us from hardship. Friends and family can also offer support by accompanying patients to their doctor visits and acting as another set of ears at the appointments.
During a recent forage through an old Writer’s Encyclopedia for blog ideas, I came across an entry entitled “How to Salvage a Manuscript.” Great topic for a writer’s tip blog, I thought. Here’s what the book recommended, and I quote.
My writing journey started with a gate.
Linda’s inspiration comes from her favorite authors and life itself. Her women’s fiction highlights characters that peel away outer layers of life to discover the heart of their dreams with some unexpected twists and turns along the way. Her writing integrates humor found in everyday situations, as well as touching moments, thus creating avenues for readers to connect with her characters.
Never say never.
Joanne Guidoccio 