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Meg Waite Clayton

Author of the international bestsellers The Postmistress of Paris, The Last Train to London, and 6 other novels

  • Meg
    • Bio
    • Short Works
    • Meg’s Writing Process
    • Favorite Bookstores
  • Books
    • The Postmistress of Paris
    • The Last Train to London
    • Beautiful Exiles
    • The Race for Paris
    • The Wednesday Sisters
    • The Four Ms. Bradwells
    • The Language of Light
    • The Wednesday Daughters
    • International Editions
  • Events
  • News
  • Videos
  • Bookgroups
    • The Postmistress of Paris
    • The Last Train to London
    • The Race For Paris
    • The Wednesday Sisters
    • The Four Ms. Bradwells
    • The Language of Light
    • The Wednesday Daughters
    • My Bookclubs
  • Writing Tips
    • Tips for Writers
    • How Writers Get Started
    • On Agent Queries
    • Publishing Tips
  • Contact

Writing Tips

Writing and Placing Opinion Pieces

September 25, 2021Publishing Tips,Top Writing Tips,Uncategorized,Writing Tips
Ten years ago today, on the 40th anniversary of Sandra ...
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On Agent Queries

May 10, 2021Publishing Tips
Finding a good literary agent – which is generally the ...
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Paddling your Bathtub into London: How Great Stories End

May 1, 2020Meg's Posts,Top Writing Tips,Writing Tipsendings,freitag,plot,story,writing
I am working through plotting issues myself and returned to ...
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Handwritten draft of A Scandal in Bohemia by Sherlock Holmes

No Social Distancing Required for Fictional Friends

March 21, 2020Meg's Posts,Writing Tips
No Social Distancing Required for Fictional Friends Like many now, ...
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A new book by Madeleine l’Engle: Stories found in her “Tower”

June 16, 2019Meg's Posts,Publishing Tips,Writing Tips
The two books that made me dream of becoming a ...
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Writing in Paris!

June 8, 2019Uncategorized
I’m in Paris, working on a new novel, and just ...
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On the 75th Anniversary of D-Day

June 5, 2019Meg's Posts,Writing Tips
It’s a rainy evening in Paris, just minutes before the ...
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WE-ARE-ALL-COMPLETELY-BESIDE-OURSELVES-jacket_300x450

Karen Joy Fowler: First Words

November 25, 2018Guest Authors
In celebration of Nanowrimo, I’m rerunning some of my favorite ...
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Julia Glass: The Not Quite Yes

November 5, 2018Guest AuthorsAtlantic,I See You Everywhere,Julia Glass,Nelson Algren Award,novels,Pirate's Alley Faulkner Society Medal for Best Novella,The New Yorker,The Whole World Over,The Widower's Tale,Three Junes,Tobias Wolff Award
For NanoWriMo month, I’m going to repost some of my ...
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The Lowly Pencil

September 22, 2018Meg's Posts
Pencil, from the Latin penicillus, meaning “little tail.” Little tail? ...
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A Hemingway Story that Started 100 Years Ago Today

July 8, 2018Meg's Posts
On this day 100 years ago, 18-year-old Ernest Hemingway (yes, ...
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5 Quotes from Philip Roth on Reading, Writing, and Life

May 23, 2018Meg's Posts
I was saddened to hear the news last night that ...
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Gellhorn Lies Quote

Words of Wisdom from Martha Gellhorn

May 12, 2018Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
Last year I started an effort to share a quote ...
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Steinbeck on Struggling with a Scene

November 15, 2017Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun,Writing Tips
Another bit of great writing advice from John Steinbeck: ...
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John Steinbeck Support for NANOWRIMO

November 2, 2017Meg's Posts
John Steinbeck Supports for #NANOWRIMO ...
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John Steinbeck on writing

Advice from Steinbeck to Kick Off NANOWRIMO

November 1, 2017Top Writing Tips,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun,Writing Tips
Advice from Steinbeck to kick off #Nanowrimo ...
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Writing Advice from Ernest Hemingway on the Anniversary of For Whom the Bell Tolls

October 21, 2017Meg's Posts,Writing Tips
Today marks the anniversary of the publication in 1940 of ...
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5 Quotes from Toni Morrison

October 19, 2017Meg's Posts
Nobel- and Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Toni Morrison‘s novels include The ...
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Caution: Writing While Parenting

October 11, 2017Uncategorized
My guest today, Anne Michaud, is a veteran political journalist ...
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365 Great Quotes from Women

September 22, 2017Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
For the first day of fall, from Nora Ephron: Don’t ...
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25 Great Quotes on Writing and Life

May 22, 2017Meg's Posts
25 Quotes on Writing and Life from a few Amazing ...
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Nora Ephron on Reading

May 19, 2017Meg's Posts
"Reading is bliss." - Nora Ephron ...
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Nora Ephron on Craziness and Sanity

May 11, 2017Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
If you’ve heard me speak, you might know this is ...
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25 Quotes by Women Writers

May 10, 2017Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
Well, it’s been a tough couple months and I’ve fallen ...
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Remembering Harper Lee, on Her Birthday

April 28, 2017Meg's Posts
Harper Lee would have been 91 today. Seems a good ...
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365 Great Quotes for Women

April 8, 2017Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
Again, the amazing Nora Ephron, this one from “When Harry ...
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The Loft

The Loft in Mineappolis, avec Devis

March 25, 2017Bookstores worth Browsing,Meg's Posts
A bit of love for @loftliterary ...
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Journal Avatar to Link Back to Blog Hop

Isabel Allende on Writing

March 24, 2017Meg's Posts
Today’s quote, just because I like it: Writing is a ...
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Aaron Sorkin-Master-Class

23 Tips from Aaron Sorkin’s Screenwriting Master Class

March 22, 2017Meg's Posts,Writing Tips
I recently participated in Aaron Sorkin’s online screenwriting master class, ...
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7 Bits of Irish Wisdom

March 17, 2017Meg's Posts
7 bits of Irish wisdom for St. Patrick's Day ...
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Christina Baker Kline on Persevering

March 16, 2017Meg's Posts
I had the loveliest lunch yesterday, a gathering of nine ...
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Journal Avatar to Link Back to Blog Hop

Ayelet Waldman on Talented Women

March 15, 2017Meg's Posts
I’m looking forward to lunch today with some terrific authors ...
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A Little Paris Bookstore

March 14, 2017Bookstores worth Browsing,Meg's Posts
Horton Foote, American author, playwright and screenwriter, was born 101 ...
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Anna Quindlen on Books

March 13, 2017Meg's Posts
Today’s quote, from the amazing Anna Quindlen: Books are the ...
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Harper Lee on Expecting Success

March 12, 2017Meg's Posts
I love this quote from Harper Lee:   I never ...
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Harper Lee on Reading

March 11, 2017Meg's Posts
One of my all-time favorite books is To Kill a ...
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Journal Avatar to Link Back to Blog Hop

Jane Austen on Reading

March 10, 2017Meg's Posts
Today’s quote, on reading, from Jane Austen: I declare after ...
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Jane Smiley on Reading

March 9, 2017Meg's Posts
Today’s quote, from Jane Smiley’s Thirteen Ways of Looking at ...
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Nora Ephron on Writing Parts for Women, on Women's Day

March 8, 2017Meg's Posts
"I try to write parts for women that are as ...
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More Wisdom from Judy Blume

March 7, 2017Meg's Posts
My only advice is to stay aware, listen carefully, and ...
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Wisdom from Judy Blume

March 6, 2017Meg's Posts
Our finger prints don’t fade from the lives we touch.”- ...
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A Last Quote in Celebration of Suffrage

March 5, 2017Meg's Posts
My last post in celebration of the Supreme Court upholding ...
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Right and Left Hands

March 4, 2017Meg's Posts
Celebrating the 95th anniversary of the Supreme Court declaring the ...
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Suffrage Week Continues

March 3, 2017Meg's Posts
Celebrating the 95th anniversary of the Supreme Court declaring the ...
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Suffrage Week Continued!

March 2, 2017Meg's Posts
Celebrating the 95th anniversary of the Supreme Court declaring the ...
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More Suffrage Wisdom

March 1, 2017Meg's Posts
Celebrating the 95th anniversary of the Supreme Court declaring the ...
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Wisdom from Elizabeth Cady Stanton

February 28, 2017Meg's Posts
Celebrating the 95th anniversary of the Supreme Court declaring the ...
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95 Years Ago Today…

February 27, 2017Meg's Posts
Ninety-five years ago today, the Supreme Court unanimously declared the ...
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An Oscar Night Quote

February 26, 2017Meg's Posts
Offering this one today, with an alternative: You have to ...
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A Hidden Figures Quote

February 25, 2017Meg's Posts
I so loved the movie Hidden Figures that I am ...
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The Most We Can Hope For

February 24, 2017Meg's Posts
Today’s quote, from Elizabeth Strout’s lovely Abide with Me. I ...
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A Quote from Christina Baker Kline, on the Occasion of Her New Book

February 23, 2017Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
I’ve just started reading Christina Baker Kline‘s brand new novel, ...
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Ann Patchett on Writing

February 22, 2017Meg's Posts
Today’s quote: Writing is a job, a talent, but it’s ...
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Happy Birthday Anäis Nin

February 21, 2017Meg's Posts
Celebrating Anäis Nin’s birthday with one of my favorite quotes ...
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Cold-Body Reading

February 19, 2017Meg's Posts
Not sure what started me on this Emily Dickinson kick, ...
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Happy Birthday, Toni Morrison

February 18, 2017Meg's Posts
Today is Toni Morrison’s birthday. In presenting her the Medal ...
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Forever

February 17, 2017Meg's Posts
Closing out the work week with great writing and life ...
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Variations on a Theme from Dickinson

February 16, 2017Meg's Posts
Certainly the most poetic writing advice I know of, from ...
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Hope, from Emily Dickinson

February 15, 2017Meg's Posts
Did you know Emily Dickinson wrote her poetry on scraps ...
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A Bit of Early Love, from Nicole Krauss

February 14, 2017Meg's Posts
If you haven’t read Nicole Krauss’s The History of Love, ...
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A Love Quote from Louise Erdrich

February 13, 2017Meg's Posts
More on the love theme for Valentine’s Day, this time ...
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A Love Quote from Jane Austen

February 12, 2017Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
Looking forward to Valentine’s Day Tuesday, how about a love ...
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Sylvia Plath, Remembered

February 11, 2017Meg's Posts
I expect I could fill a whole year of quotes ...
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Yet More Writing Wisdom from Plath

February 10, 2017Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun,Writing Tips
More writing wisdom from Sylvia Plath today: “Some things are ...
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Sylvia Plath on Rejection Slips

February 9, 2017Meg's Posts
For many years, I kept my rejection slips, although I ...
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Writing Wisdom from Sylvia Plath

February 8, 2017Meg's Posts
  “I write only because There is a voice within ...
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More Wisdom from Sylvia Plath

February 7, 2017Meg's Posts
“Perhaps some day I’ll crawl back home, beaten, defeated. But ...
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The Wisdom of Sylvia Plath

February 6, 2017Meg's Posts
Fair warning: I’m a Sylvia Plath fan and have been ...
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Lock Up Your Libraries

February 5, 2017Meg's Posts
From Virginia Woolf: Lock up your libraries if you like; ...
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Alice McDermott on the Perils of Publishing

February 4, 2017Meg's Posts
I’m offering today’s quote, from one of the contemporary writers ...
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Gertrude Stein on Who to Write For

February 3, 2017Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun,Writing Tips
As it’s Gertrude Stein’s birthday today — her 143rd — ...
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Margaret Atwood on Words

February 2, 2017Meg's Posts
Today’s quote, from Margaret Atwood, seems as important these days ...
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Journal Avatar to Link Back to Blog Hop

365 Great Quotes from Women

February 1, 2017Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
More Wisdom from Nora Ephron, from her commencement address to ...
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Anne Frank on Patience and Paper

January 31, 2017Meg's Posts
Closing out January with a last quote from Anne Frank: ...
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More Important Words from Anne Frank

January 30, 2017Meg's Posts
Today’s quote, again from Anne Frank: Again, if you haven’t ...
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A Little More Anne Frank

January 29, 2017Meg's Posts
Staying with the Anne Frank theme today, an important voice ...
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Remembering Anne Frank

January 28, 2017Meg's Posts
"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single ...
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365 Great Quotes from Women

January 27, 2017Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun,Writing Tips
Day #5 of writing in earnest, and a little humor ...
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365 Great Quotes from Women

January 26, 2017Meg's Posts,Publishing Tips,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun,Writing Tips
Day #4 of writing in earnest, and here is a ...
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365 Great Quotes from Women

January 25, 2017Meg's Posts
Day #3 of writing in earnest, and I’m offering a ...
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365 Great Quotes from Women

January 24, 2017Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun,Writing Tips
Day #2 of writing in earnest: Make up a story… ...
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365 Great Quotes from Women

January 23, 2017Meg's Posts
I’m buckling down to write in earnest this week, so ...
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Great Quotes from Women

January 22, 2017Meg's Posts
Love this quote and what it says about the term ...
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Great Quotes from Women

January 21, 2017Meg's Posts
I thought a quote from a literary great about women’s ...
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365 Great Quotes from Women

January 20, 2017Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
Another from my fave, Eleanor Roosevelt, whose “My Day” column ...
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365 Great Quotes from Women

January 19, 2017Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
Today’s, from Toni Morrison, for those of who, like me, ...
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365 Great Quotes from Women

January 18, 2017Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
I do hope that as you enjoy this quote you ...
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365 Great Quotes from Women

January 17, 2017Meg's Posts
Staying on the dream theme for another day here: The ...
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365 Great Quotes from Women

January 16, 2017Meg's Posts
"Lift up your eyes upon / The day breaking for ...
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365 Great Quotes from Women

January 15, 2017Meg's Posts
For the second post of this Maya Angelou weekend … ...
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365 Great Quotes from Women

January 14, 2017Meg's Posts
You can only become truly accomplished at something you love... ...
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365 Great Quotes from Women

January 13, 2017Meg's Posts
Call this a J.K. Rowling 3-fer, which yes, may have ...
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What I learned at PixarHow to Write a Good Beginning

January 12, 2017Writing Tips
This video featuring Pixar screenwriter Michael Arndt is a terrific ...
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365 Great Quotes from Women

January 12, 2017Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
And on a J.K. Rowling streak to match my Jane ...
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365 Great Quotes from Women

January 11, 2017Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
It is our choices ... that show what we truly ...
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365 Great Quotes from Women

January 10, 2017Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
Keeping with the reading theme here for a few days, ...
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Lee Miller quote

365 Great Quotes from Women

January 9, 2017Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
On this day when I know it is snowy and ...
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Jane Austen Quote

365 Great Quotes by Women

January 8, 2017Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
"The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not ...
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365 Great Quotes from Women

January 7, 2017Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
But for my own part, if a book is well ...
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365 Great Quotes from Women

January 6, 2017Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
Today, wisdom from French writer Simone de Beauvoir: Change your ...
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365 Great Quotes from Women

January 5, 2017Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
Today’s quote — with an image! — from American novelist ...
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365 Great Quotes from Women

January 4, 2017Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
“Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the ...
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365 Great Quotes from Women

January 3, 2017Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
“If you don’t risk anything, you risk even more.” - ...
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365 Great Quotes from Women

January 2, 2017Meg's Posts
“When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes ...
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365 Great Quotes from Women

January 1, 2017Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
“It is never too late to be what you might ...
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6 Writing Tips from Crazy Fabulous Female Journalists

November 1, 2016Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun,Writing Tips
6 informative writing tips -- and a few extra funny ...
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The Art of Quitting

October 19, 2016Meg's Posts
Lucy Jane Bledsoe is the author of the just-released A ...
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Wobbly Spelling

October 13, 2016Meg's Posts
“My spelling is Wobbly. It’s good spelling but it Wobbles, ...
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The Power of Sharing Your Story

October 12, 2016Uncategorized
Ann Douglas is the author of numerous books about parenting, ...
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New Novel Contest with Publication for Winner

October 10, 2016Meg's Posts,Publishing Tips
I thought those of you writing crime fiction might like ...
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1 Crazy Strange Writing Tip for #1ThTH

October 6, 2016Meg's Posts,Writing Tips
Be strange. It's the secret of great writing. No one ...
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What Becomes Us cover

Micah Perks: Here’s to Mad Persistence!

October 5, 2016Guest Authors
Micah Perks won an NEA grant and The New Guard ...
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#1ThTH – Reputable Fiction and Novel Contests

September 29, 2016Meg's Posts,Publishing Tips,Writing Tipsaward,bellwether prize,nelson Algren,PEN,prize
This week’s 1 Thing Thursday: Consider entering a contest! I ...
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How Many Words Long Should a Novel Be?

September 22, 2016Meg's Posts,Publishing Tips,Writing Tips
This week’s 1 Thing Thursday asks the question: How Long ...
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Kurt Vonnegut on Story Structure

September 15, 2016Writing Tips
For today’s 1 Thing Thursday, I offer you a charmingly ...
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The Race for Paris Paperback cover

#1ThTh – Find Where Your Readers Gather on Social Media

September 8, 2016Book Marketing Tips,Meg's Posts
I decided when I was traveling to add what I ...
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15 Quotes on War from Journalists and Others

September 2, 2016Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
Since today is the 71st anniversary of the End of ...
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17 Social Media Tips for Authors and Others

August 25, 2016Meg's Posts
What makes people follow, favorite, click, and retweet? This post ...
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In Praise of Writing Friends

August 17, 2016Meg's Posts
When I first started this blog, I wrote a post (run ...
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The Inspiration of Competition, with Ave Maria Notes from the Vienna Boys' Choir and the Vienna Philharmonic

June 26, 2016Meg's Posts
Did you know that Sunday mornings from mid-September through June, ...
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5 Tips on Writing (War) from the Masters, for Memorial Day

May 28, 2016Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun,Writing Tips
For Memorial Day, five quotes from great writers about the ...
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Low-Price Promotion and the Value of Books

May 11, 2016Book Marketing Tips,Meg's Posts#99c,bargain books,low-priced books
  Harper Books, which published my latest novel, has had ...
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5 Irish-leaning Quotes (and 2 Songs) to Celebrate St. Patrick's Day

March 16, 2016Writing Quotes and Other Literary FunIrish,irish literature,Irish writer quotes,quotes,St. Patrick's Day
I’ve collected a few nice Irish quotes — and two ...
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Remembering Pat Conroy through his Own Words: 6 quotes

March 5, 2016Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun,Writing Tips
I woke this morning to the news that Pat Conroy ...
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8 Great Valentine's Day Quotes of a Literary Sort, and 2 Charming Links

February 13, 2016Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
To put you in a literary Valentine’s Day Mood, 8 ...
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The Loveliest Way to Connect with Readers

February 11, 2016Book Marketing Tips,Meg's Posts,Writing Tips
I’m pushing two projects forward now, and my heart is ...
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10 Terrific Quotes from Elizabeth Strout's Fresh Air Interview

January 13, 2016Guest Authors,Meg's Posts,Top Writing Tips,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun,Writing Tips
May I recommend this interview -- Elizabeth Strout with Terry ...
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A Bit About Elizabeth Strout

January 5, 2016Meg's Posts
Elizabeth Strout's first novel was published in 2000 which, if ...
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1 great way to celebrate the holidays with your book group

December 3, 2015Meg's Postsgiveaway
The best way I know of the celebrate the holidays ...
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3 Writing Programs Worth a Look

October 28, 2015Writing Tips
3 Writing programs worth a look ...
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Edith Wharton mirror quote

Dear Mrs. Wharton, Dear Mr. James – a literary Friendship

October 26, 2015Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
On this day in 1900, Henry James first wrote to ...
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Margaret Atwood signing The Heart Goes Last for fangirl-novelist Meg Waite Clayton

In case you want to be jealous…

October 13, 2015Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
“A word after a word after a word is power.” ...
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Signed Copies of Nightingale, Circling the Sun, and The Race for Paris for the asking!

September 11, 2015Meg's Posts
I’m still touring — in Minneapolis and Chicago this coming ...
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5 Tips for Any Writing Career

August 5, 2015Guest Authors,Writing Tips
Lisa Brackmann is the critically acclaimed author of the Ellie ...
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Ain’t Nothing Like Him Nowhere

July 3, 2015Meg's Posts,Top Writing Tips,Writing Tips
Writer Wins Love Lottery Because this is a writing blog, ...
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Booker Prize Finalist and PEN/Faulkner winner Karen Joy Fowler on Beginning to Write

June 24, 2015Meg's Posts
Lucky all of us who love great fiction: a new ...
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5 Fabulous Literary Fathers, in Their Own Words

June 20, 2015Meg's Posts
a few literary fathers and Fathers Day Quotes that illustrate ...
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What Makes a Great Book Review, in 18 Words

June 18, 2015Writing Tips
(Or, how I spent my Sunday night on a virtual ...
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A 6-Book Quiz: Match the Amazon 1 Star Reviews to the Classic Books they Describe

June 4, 2015Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
For a little literary fun, Match the Amazon 1-Star Review ...
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Starting with a journal…

June 2, 2015Meg's Posts
Debut novelist Laura Nicole Diamond started with a legal career ...
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So you want to write a novel with another person?

May 26, 2015Writing Tips
Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke write novels. Together. And they ...
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10 Writing Tips from the Masters

May 21, 2015Meg's Posts,Writing Tipsfeatured
10 Writing Tips from the Writing Masters for Writing this ...
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7 Fabulous Writing Tips (and Publishing Tips too!) from my 1st Books Guest Authors

May 8, 2015Meg's Posts
I’m celebrating the 7th anniversary of 1st Books this week ...
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19 Twitter Tips for Authors + Others

April 29, 2015Book Marketing Tips
What makes people follow, favorite, click, and retweet? ...
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13 Writing Prompts To Get the Ink Flowing

April 11, 2015Top Writing Tips,Writing Tips
One of these 13 writing prompts were my way into ...
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Christine Breen: a first novel … at age 60!

April 11, 2015Guest Authors
My guest this week, Christine Breen hails from Kiltumper, Ireland, ...
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8 Great Writing Tips from F. Scott Fitzgerald

April 10, 2015Writing Tipsfeatured
Fitzgerald never lived to see The Great Gatsby acknowledged as ...
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BookWorks, Pacific Grove CA

April 7, 2015Bookstores worth Browsing,Meg's Posts
When Mac and I first explored Pacific Grove almost two ...
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6 Writing Tips from Kazuo Ishiguro

April 5, 2015Meg's Posts,Writing Tipsfeatured
The truth is the combination of dazzling on the page ...
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Eating-Poetry-Poster-Roz-Chast

6 sexy ways to celebrate National Poetry Month

April 1, 2015Meg's Posts,Poetry Tuesdays
Did you know April is National Poetry Month? The Academy of ...
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5 Funny Irish Writers on How to Write

March 12, 2015Writing TipsAnne Enright,featured,green beer,irish literature,Irish Murdoch,Irish writer quotes,Irish writers,Maeve Binchy,Oscar Wilde,Patrick's day,Saint Patrick's Day,Samuel Beckett,shamrocks,st,St. Pat's Day,writing
Funny advice from Irish writers for St. Patrick's Day, including ...
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5 Women journalists' words to inspire you on International Women's Day

March 7, 2015Writing Tips#MakeItHappen,featured,International Women's Day; writing
The theme this year is "Make it happen." For me, ...
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Greer Macallister: on writing historical fiction

February 11, 2015Guest Authors
Choosing the right details and working them into the text ...
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Amanda Eyre Ward: on writing nights and weekends

January 21, 2015Guest Authors
One of the dearest and most generous writers I know, ...
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The Little Moments a Writer Lives For!

January 16, 2015Meg's Posts
Heavens to Betsy! I don’t often like to talk about ...
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10 Great Gifts for Writers (and Readers Who Want to Write!)

November 22, 2014Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
Unless you're an editor willing to wrap up a book ...
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Ann Mah: mastering the art of french writing

November 5, 2014Guest Authors
I had the great fortune to read a galley for Ann ...
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Patience, Iago – for screenwriting as well as novel writing

October 23, 2014Meg's Posts,Writing Tips
Diane Drake, my teacher for an online screenwriting course I’m ...
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Sundog Books, Seaside FL

October 20, 2014Bookstores worth Browsing,Meg's Posts
the books aren’t shelved alphabetically, but the booksellers can find ...
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Switchbacks: Writing a First Novel

October 8, 2014Meg's Posts
Désirée Zamorano‘s novel The Amado Women is just out from ...
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Two Resurrections in One

October 1, 2014Meg's Posts
Liz Rosner has not one but two books coming out now ...
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Mambo in Chinatown cover

Jean Kwok: From Factory to Bestselling Author

August 13, 2014Guest Authors
If you think you have an excuse not to write, ...
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A Pinch of Ooh La La Cover

Renee Swindle: Every Writer's Nightmare

August 6, 2014Guest Authors
A Pinch of Ooh La La by Renee Swindle just released ...
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Write Like a Girl

August 2, 2014Meg's Posts
It’s not just about the running. I’ve been a runner ...
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Writing … Now or Never

July 30, 2014Meg's Posts
I am SO delighted to host my SheWrites.com pal, Cassandra ...
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Journal Avatar to Link Back to Blog Hop

Award Winner took a Decade to Find a Publisher

June 10, 2014Meg's Posts
The 2014 Bailey Prize winner (formerly the Orange Prize) for ...
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Poem in Your Pocket Day

Happy Poem in Your Pocket Day!

April 24, 2014Meg's Posts,Poetry Tuesdays#pocketpoem,#poempocket
April is National Poetry Month, and today — the one ...
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Kelly O'Connor McNees: First I Was a Quitter

April 23, 2014Meg's Posts
Kelly O’Connor McNees guest posted here when her first novel, ...
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Beatrix Potter's Moss Eccles Tarn, Near Sawrey, England

8-Quote Bouquet in Celebration of Earth Day

April 22, 2014Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary FunEarth Day Quotes; environment quotes; earth day,environment,green,women authors
Can you identify what is different about this list of ...
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Mother Daughter Me Paperback Cover

Katie Hafner: On Writing, Publishing, and Tea

April 16, 2014Guest Authors
Harpers calls Katie Hafner’s sixth book, Mother Daughter Me, “an ...
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Collector of Dying Breaths Cover

M.J. Rose: An Amazing Self Publishing Success Story

March 19, 2014Guest Authors
My very dear friend M.J. Rose has a new novel, ...
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Cathy Marie Buchanan: Finding the Writing Life

February 19, 2014Guest Authors
When Cathy Marie Buchanan asked if I’d read her new novel, The Painted ...
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Ariel Lawhon: Art is the Gift

January 29, 2014Guest Authors
I’m just delighted to host Ariel Lawhon, whose debut novel, ...
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Bethany Beach Books, Bethany Beach DE

January 7, 2014Bookstores worth Browsing,Meg's Posts
When my husband and I first got married and his ...
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Happy Holidays!

December 10, 2013Meg's Posts
  1st Books will be back in 2014! Enjoy the ...
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A Statistical Analysis of the New York Times Notable Books in Fiction for 2013

December 6, 2013Meg's Posts
I’m ever curious how the New York Times editors’ book taste ...
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Tattered Cover, Denver CO

December 6, 2013Bookstores worth Browsing,Meg's Posts
an amazing Colorado indie now at the airport, in case ...
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8 Great Gifts for Writers

December 5, 2013Meg's Postsgifts,gifts for writers
Unless you’re an editor willing to wrap up a book ...
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Allison Winn Scotch: Moving the Other Way, from Traditional Publishing to Indie Author

November 20, 2013Guest Authors
I first hosted New York Times bestselling author Allison Winn Scotch’s on 1st ...
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11 Bits of Wisdom from Doris Lessing, On Reading, Writing, and Life

November 17, 2013Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun,Writing Tips
After I read in the New York Times that The ...
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Harriet Scott Chessman: The Beauty of Ordinary Things

November 13, 2013Guest Authors
I am so delighted to host Harriet Scott Chessman on the occasion ...
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Sara J. Henry: Learning to …

November 6, 2013Meg's Posts
Today’s guest author, Sara J. Henry, is a LONGtime friend. We were ...
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Dan Chaon: The Continually Humbling Process of Writing

October 9, 2013Guest Authors
To celebrate the paperback publication of Dan Chaon‘s story collection Stay ...
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Ann Mah: Mastering the Art of French Writing

September 25, 2013Meg's PostsJulia Child
Ann Mah shares her story of writing her gorgeous new ...
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6 Literary Quotes & a Bouquet of Newly-Sharpened Pencils on this 1st Day of Autumn

September 22, 2013Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
On this autumnal equinox – the perfect balance of day ...
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Three Things I Learned from Alice McDermott

September 18, 2013Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun,Writing Tips
Early in my writing career, I had the incredible good ...
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5 Fun Tips on Writing and on Life – from Agatha Christie on the Occasion of her Birthday

September 15, 2013Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun,Writing Tips
Agatha Christie was born 123 years ago today–an old bird ...
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Nick Taylor: How to Put Women Where There Were None

September 4, 2013Meg's Posts
I’m delighted to welcome Nick Taylor back to 1st Books. ...
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Writing Advice and Inspiration from Elmore Leonard (1925 – 2013): #10. Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip.

August 20, 2013Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun,Writing Tips
I heard on NPR this morning that Elmore Leonard passed ...
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Mostly Books, Tucson AZ

August 4, 2013Bookstores worth Browsing,Meg's Posts
A cool bookstore–in so many ways! I was just on ...
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Poisoned Pen, Scottsdale AZ

August 2, 2013Bookstores worth Browsing,Meg's Posts
I grew up reading Agatha Christie, and mysteries remain my ...
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One true story I perhaps shouldn't admit…

August 1, 2013Meg's PostsBeautiful Day,Elin Hilderbrand,Emma,George Eliot,Jane Austen,Sense and Sensibility
One true story I perhaps shouldn’t admit: The original title ...
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Warwick's, La Jolla CA

July 30, 2013Bookstores worth Browsing
Warwick’s knows books, and luncheon menus, too! When I was ...
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6 Weeks in the English Lakes #5: At Opposite Ends of the Coffin Route

July 12, 2013Literary Travel,Meg's PostsEnglish Lake District,literary travel
Wordsworth and his brother were walking in the English Lakes ...
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6 Weeks in the English Lakes #4: Beatrix Potter on England's Fells

July 4, 2013Literary Travel,Meg's PostsEngland Lake district,English Lake District,hiking,travel
“The fells are never twice alike.” – Beatrix Potter, from ...
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6 Weeks in the English Lakes #3: Beatrix Potter's Hill Top Farm

June 24, 2013Literary Travel,Meg's Posts
“Some of the walls were four feet thick, and there ...
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A Literary Father's Day: 5 fabulous quotes about fathers

June 16, 2013Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
Just a few of my favorite literary quotes about fathers, ...
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6 Weeks in the English Lakes #2: A Literary Map

June 13, 2013Literary Travel,Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary FunEnglish Lake District
If you don’t know where the English Lakes are, pull ...
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Marybeth Whalen: The Work of the Story

June 12, 2013Guest Authors
This week’s 1st Books guest, Marybeth Whalen, is the author of ...
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Dr. Seuss Saying and Flowers for a Book-Worthy Saturday

June 8, 2013Meg's Posts
...
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Sarah Jio: Career Life Balance … and Silencing the Naysayers

May 29, 2013Guest Authors
When I first met Sarah Jio – at the Pulpwood Queens ...
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Jane Austen Drinking a Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino

May 21, 2013Meg's Posts
I know, I know. Caramel. Crunch. Or maybe it’s the ...
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Chaucer's Books, Santa Barbara CA

May 10, 2013Bookstores worth Browsing
Chaucer's Books - a terrific independent bookstore Santa Barbara CA ...
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Joan Steinau Lester: A journal full of poetry and frustration, in equal measure

May 8, 2013Guest Authors
Joan Steinau Lester’s second novel, Mama’s Child released yesterday. Alice ...
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Good News for Mother's Day, Good News for Goodread-ers, and Other Good News!

May 3, 2013Meg's Posts
So much good news to smush in to one post, ...
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Caroline Leavitt Throws Stones at Her Own Characters – a 1st Books Interview

May 1, 2013Guest Authors,Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
The New York Times Modern Love column had already turned ...
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Your One Wild and Precious Life

April 30, 2013Meg's Posts
On this last day of National Poetry Month, I’m keeping ...
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Book Passage in Corte Madera, and at the Ferry Building, too

April 28, 2013Bookstores worth Browsing,Meg's Posts
If you’re in the San Francisco Bay area and don’t ...
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Five Facebook Tips for Authors and Others (or "Being Generous Always Feels Better than Being Jealous")

April 25, 2013Book Marketing Tips,Meg's Posts
Having only recently learned to size my Timeline photos 403×403 ...
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Allie Larkin: Fake-Out (or, How Not to Write a Novel)

April 24, 2013Guest Authors
Allie Larkin is the internationally bestselling author of the novel ...
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Practical Poetry

April 23, 2013Poetry Tuesdays
Poet Joan Gelfand is chipping in for the 1st Books ...
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At the Intersection of Earth Day and National Poetry Month

April 22, 2013Meg's Posts,Poetry Tuesdays
Can I resist the excuse of the intersection of Earth ...
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Poem in Your Pocket Day x 2

April 18, 2013Meg's Posts,Poetry Tuesdays
Of the many wonderful moments in National Poetry month, my ...
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What are You Doing to Celebrate National Poetry Month?

April 1, 2013Meg's Posts,Poetry Tuesdays
In a small moment, I’m left steeped in some feeling ...
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Sharing statistics for Meg's After the Debate Post on Forbes.com

Perils of Social Media Interface Software for Twitter and Facebook

March 30, 2013Book Marketing Tips,Meg's Posts
I’ve been using social media interfacing software for some time ...
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8 Great Quotes from the Ever-Spunky Barbara Walters

March 29, 2013Meg's Posts
Barbara Walters broke the glass so many times in her ...
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Unfinished Work of Elizabeth D Cover

Nichole Bernier: Does Publishing a Novel Change Your Life?

March 20, 2013Guest Authors
Nichole Bernier’s fabulous The Unfinished Work of Elizabeth D – ...
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Towne Center Books, Pleasanton CA

March 17, 2013Bookstores worth Browsing
great fiction at the front of the store, and terrific ...
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The Wednesday Daughters galleys with tulips and thesaurus

8 Great Tips for Successful Writing Groups

March 16, 2013Top Writing Tips,Writing Tips
8 Great Tips for Successful Writing Groups, from The Company ...
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Neil Gaiman on Making Good Art

March 12, 2013Writing Tips
If you want to be a writer, or any kind ...
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11 Twitter Tips for Authors + Others

March 10, 2013Book Marketing Tips,Meg's Posts
What makes people follow, favorite, click, and retweet? And does ...
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For most of history, Anonymous was a woman – But not anymore

March 8, 2013Meg's Posts
For most of history, Anonymous was a (feminist) woman - ...
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50 Drafts: The SheWrites Novelist Group Chat with Cathy Marie Buchanan

March 7, 2013Meg's Posts
Since there is no way that I know of to ...
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Copperfield's, Santa Rosa CA

March 3, 2013Bookstores worth Browsing,Meg's Posts
Have you been to Copperfield's Books lately? These fabulous stores ...
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What Do You Get at a Writers Conference?

March 2, 2013Writing Tipsagents,becky vintner,cara black,editors,Kimberley Cameron,Laurie McLean,Linda Lee,literary agents,Marilyn Atlas,michael Larsen,publishers,San Francisco Writers Conference,shewrites.com,Tanya Egan Gibson,Taylor Martindale,writers conferences,writing
What's in a writers conference for the writers-panelists? Gets me ...
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Look what showed up on my doorstep!

February 24, 2013Meg's Posts
A box of the early reader copies of The Wednesday ...
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If My Story is Paper

February 22, 2013Meg's Posts
I read a poem last night that was both lovely ...
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Writing Love Stories: The Missing Handout

February 21, 2013Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun,Writing Tips
“I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, ...
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Julie Kibler: Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic

February 20, 2013Guest Authors
This week’s guest author, Julie Kibler, began writing Calling Me ...
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Vroman's, Pasadena CA

February 19, 2013Bookstores worth Browsing,Meg's Posts
my bookstore the summer I became a fanatic reader I ...
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10 Suggestions for Writing Dialogue

February 16, 2013Top Writing Tips,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun,Writing Tips
I did a panel on writing dialogue at the San ...
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The House Girl Cover

Tara Conklin: Keep Writing, Keep Writing, Keep Writing

February 13, 2013Guest Authors
There are so many reasons I am absolutely delighted to ...
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Modern Love

February 10, 2013Meg's Posts
I sent a tweet to my friend Caroline Leavitt yesterday ...
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Can you imagine a nicer way to start a morning?

February 8, 2013Meg's Posts,Writing Tips
The Wednesday Daughters galley pages have arrived! Is there a ...
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How to Cut a Digital Heart out of Your Book Jacket

February 3, 2013Book Marketing Tips,Meg's Posts
This little heart I was so proud of Friday garnered ...
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Journal Avatar to Link Back to Blog Hop

A Survival Guide to Writers Conferences: 1. Eat Chocolate for Breakfast

January 31, 2013Meg's Posts,Top Writing Tips,Writing Tipsbooks,chocolate,writers,writers conference,writers conferences,writing,writing advice,writing tips
A Survival Guide to Writers' Conferences: 1. Eat Chocolate for ...
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Two Author Posts for the Price of One!

January 30, 2013Meg's Posts
This week, I’m rerunning two previous posts, one to celebrate ...
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2013 Caldecott Winner Announced … And Newbery Winner, Too

January 28, 2013Meg's Posts
In case you haven’t been watching, the ALA awarded the ...
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Cathy Marie Buchanan: Finding the Writing Life

January 23, 2013Guest AuthorsCathy Marie Buchanan,degas,novels,paris,The day the falls stood still,the painted girls,writing,writing life
I’m often asked if I always wanted to be a ...
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Leah Stewart: Making Good the Lie

January 23, 2013Guest Authors
I went to graduate school right after college, in part ...
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A Facebook Tip for Writers and Others With Fan Pages

January 20, 2013Book Marketing Tips
An easy to-do for anyone with a personal facebook page ...
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Twitterature Quiz: a Literary Match Game with Hashtags

January 19, 2013Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
I recently posted on my Huffington Post blog a Twitterature ...
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Melanie Benjamin: The Novelist Formerly Known As…

January 16, 2013Guest Authorsbook publishing,books,inspiration,Melanie benjamin,pen name,publishing,struggle,the aviator's wife
That has been my saving grace, I firmly believe; my ...
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What Book Editors Want in 2013

January 15, 2013Meg's Postsauthors,books,editors,novels,publishing,submitting
The answers run the gammut, including "quirky books," "popular subjects ...
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Isabel Allende on Passion, Writing, and Character

December 31, 2012Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun,Writing Tipscharacter,feminism,feminist,isabel Allende,passion,ted talk,writing
A funny, engaging, moving, and insightful 17-minute talk by author ...
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Writing Resolutions for 2013

December 26, 2012Meg's Posts
he essential impulse in working is to allow what ...
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Happy Holidays, and Best Wishes for Wonderful Reading in 2013!

December 23, 2012Meg's Posts
...
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A Little Robert Frost End-of-the-Word Poetry

December 21, 2012Meg's Postsend of the world,poems,poetry,robert frost
Fire and Ice by Robert Frost Some say the world ...
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Good Grammar is Sexy

December 5, 2012Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Funcopyedits,editing,grammar rules,writing
Good grammar is sexy. ...
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The Comma Lottery!

December 4, 2012Meg's Posts
Want to enter the comma lottery? I just got exactly ...
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Books=Gifts

December 3, 2012Meg's Posts
Where is human nature so weak as in the bookstore?” ...
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Streetcars and Desire, Tennessee Williams and Writing

December 3, 2012Writing Tipsa streetcar named desire,broadway,jessica tandy,marlon brando,plays,playwright,Tennessee Williams,theater,writing,writing quotes
“What is straight? A line can be straight, or a ...
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Random House Announces Digital-Only Imprints

November 30, 2012Publishing Tips
The Random House Publishing Group (my happy literary home!) just ...
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Bank Square Books, Mystic CT

November 24, 2012Bookstores worth Browsing,Meg's Posts
the true story of the flood If you’re looking for ...
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Bookshelf as Painting

November 23, 2012Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
How sad that this wonderful book image, which I found ...
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The Brewster Book Store

Books on the Cape: Where the Sidewalk Ends, the Brewster Book Store, and More

November 18, 2012Bookstores worth Browsing,Meg's PostsBook stores,books,bookstores,cap cod books,cape cod bookstores,reading
Who knew Cape Cod had so many great bookstores and ...
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Page's Post-It Dressing

November 18, 2012Meg's Posts
Growing up, I was never a big fan of dressing, ...
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Ann Patchett, Richard Russo, John Grisham, Garth Stein and Others Give A Shout-Out to Indie Bookstores!

November 13, 2012Meg's Posts
Today (horray!) is the publication date for My Bookstore: Writers ...
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When Comforting a Grammar Nazi…

November 8, 2012Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
Maybe it’s just that I’m waiting for copyedits on The ...
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We'll Return to Our Usual Literary Programming after This Brief Message

November 5, 2012Meg's Posts
"here never will be complete equality until women themselves help ...
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I Could Not Be More THRILLED…

November 3, 2012Meg's Postsballantine,cover,robbin schiff,wednesday daughters
I could not be more thrilled to be sharing the ...
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Juliette Fay: I Never Wanted to Be a Writer

October 31, 2012Guest Authors
I was desperate for something that was mine, that ... ...
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On Reviews

October 26, 2012Book Marketing Tips,Meg's Posts,Publishing Tips
I’m in that wonderful place for a writer: between reviews. ...
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Litquake's Lit Camp Writers Conference

October 20, 2012Meg's Posts
Just got an email about Lit Camp, the Bay Area’s ...
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E.B. White and Friedrich Nietzsche on Writing and Friends … and Please Share Links to Your Writer-Pals

October 12, 2012Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
I was just about to tweet the E.B. White quote ...
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The Wordle.net Edit

October 11, 2012Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun,Writing Tips
I pasted a late-process draft of The Wednesday Daughters into ...
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Lake Forest Book Store, Lake Forest IL

October 10, 2012Bookstores worth Browsing,Meg's Posts
Charming suburban Chicago bookstore with smart booksellers and great events ...
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I like to have a Martini…

October 8, 2012Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
I like to have a Martini, two at the very ...
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Why Save Big Bird, Oscar, and the Rest of PBS?

October 7, 2012Meg's Posts
You’re still here? Hey, why don’t you go read a ...
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The Book Bin, Northbrook IL

October 6, 2012Bookstores worth Browsing,Meg's Posts
My teenaged bookstore I have a sentimental attachment to The ...
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Debra Dean: Taking the Long Way

October 3, 2012Guest Authors
Debra Dean’s bestselling debut novel, The Madonnas of Leningrad was ...
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Think Pink Books?

October 1, 2012Meg's Posts
Today kicks off National Breast Cancer Awareness month, and as ...
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What Favorite Books of Yours Have Been Banned?

September 30, 2012Meg's Posts
Today is the first day of Banned Books Week, and ...
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Book Labyrinth

September 28, 2012Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
I’d love to get lost in this very cool book ...
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Victoria Brown: Who's Your Mentor?

September 26, 2012Guest Authors
I met Victoria Brown at the fabulous Christamore House Guild ...
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Parnassus Books, Nashville TN

September 25, 2012Bookstores worth Browsing
Brenda Rickman Vantrease and I stopped in to see Parnassus ...
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Literary Yum!!!

September 16, 2012Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Funbook clubs,Book cupcakes
Does it get tastier than this? Well, maybe if there ...
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Harper Voyager: Accepting Unsolicited Manuscripts

September 13, 2012Meg's Posts
From the Harper Voyager Website: For the first time in ...
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How to Chat Up a Writer

September 7, 2012Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
I came across the very funny “How to Chat Up ...
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David Abrams: The Birth of Fobbit, and Other Happy Accidents in a War Zone

September 5, 2012Guest Authors
David Abrams’ debut novel, Fobbit, is one of the most ...
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Book Exchange

August 24, 2012Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
Today’s friday fun comes from Seòras’ photostream on Fickr, which ...
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Beach Books, Seaside OR

August 23, 2012Bookstores worth Browsing
a book store with exceptional warmth and charm Kristina McMorris, ...
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Graham Swift on Writing and Claustrophobia

August 21, 2012Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
“If you can’t stand your own company alone in a ...
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Harvard Books, Cambridge MA

August 18, 2012Bookstores worth Browsing,Meg's Posts
an indie store on Harvard Square We’re headed to the ...
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Kim Fay: Imagine the Impossible

August 15, 2012Guest Authors
A former indie bookseller, The Map of Lost Memories author ...
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Do You Read While Watching the Olympics?

August 10, 2012Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
And if so, what? I’m glad to see I’m not ...
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The Coop, Cambridge MA

August 7, 2012Bookstores worth Browsing,Meg's Posts
my son’s favorite hangout When I visited Cambridge, Massachusettes this ...
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Reading in Bed!

August 3, 2012Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
This wonderful sheet is a collaborative art project done by ...
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Capitola Book Cafe, Capitola CA – now sadly closed

August 2, 2012Meg's Posts
My baby brother, who lives in Berlin, Germany most of ...
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Heather Barbieri: Not According to Plan

August 1, 2012Guest Authors
This week’s guest, Seattle novelist Heather Barbieri, has published Snow ...
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1 Question: Do You Have a Favorite Bookstore? Here are some of mine…

July 31, 2012Bookstores worth Browsing,Meg's Posts
Four years ago this month and just a couple weeks ...
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Oh the Places You'll Go (To Write!)

July 30, 2012Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
To borrow from the good Dr. S: Congratulations! Today is ...
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Nancy Pearl on Judging a Book by its Cover

July 20, 2012Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
I came across this lovely bit in Nancy Pearl’s Book ...
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Longfellow Books, Portland ME

July 16, 2012Bookstores worth Browsing,Meg's Posts
warm and cozy, with walls and tables filled with books, ...
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How to Use Images in Email Footers

July 15, 2012Book Marketing Tips
Because so many people have asked me how to do ...
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Chaucer (and others) on Friday the 13th

July 13, 2012Meg's Postsfriday the 13th,superstition
How unlucky can a day be when it inspires words ...
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Readers' Books, Sonoma CA

July 10, 2012Bookstores worth Browsing,Meg's Posts
better than a winery tour, and at author events you ...
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Mark Twain on Separating Characters from Corpses

July 6, 2012Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
An email from a reader this morning reminded me of ...
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A Great Good Place for Books, Oakland CA

July 3, 2012Bookstores worth Browsing,Meg's Posts
a little bookstore with an amazing selection, and even more ...
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Literary Tights

June 29, 2012Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
These tights singlehandedly inspired me to start a new occasional ...
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Pages, Manhattan Beach CA

June 26, 2012Bookstores worth Browsing,Meg's Posts
“Grocery Stories” Perhaps the only place more special than a ...
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Inside Random House: Bringing Books to Life

June 21, 2012Meg's Posts
Do you want to hear how it works from the ...
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A Writing Contest Worth Considering

June 19, 2012Meg's Posts
I’m not generally a big fan of writing contests with ...
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Sally Koslow: Magazine Editor Turns Novelist

June 13, 2012Guest Authors
I first connected with Sally Koslow when I was asked ...
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Joshua Henkin: Risking Failure

June 6, 2012Guest Authors
Joshua Henkin wanted to be a fiction writer when he ...
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Richard Russo on Those Who Fill the Chairs

June 5, 2012Book Marketing Tips,Writing Quotes and Other Literary FunAnn Patchett,Barbara's Bookstore,Copperfield's,my bookstore Black Dog & Levanthal,readings,Richard Russo
One really stressful prospect for authors is that we will ...
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Toni Morrison on Making Time to Write, among Other Things

May 31, 2012Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
President Obama, in presenting the Medal of Freedom to Toni ...
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Camille Noe Pagán: Would I Steal these Scenes?

May 30, 2012Guest Authors
Last year I had the pleasure of hosting debut novelist ...
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What kind of Bookworm belongs at the Cannes Film Festival?

May 22, 2012Meg's Postscannes film festival,films based on books by women authors,films based on novels,novel to film
Because I’m a book person who loves film (even though ...
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Poem in Your Pocket Day

April 26, 2012Meg's Posts,Poetry Tuesdays
Of the many wonderful moments in National Poetry month, my ...
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Lynda Rutledge: The Time I Broke Up with Fiction

April 25, 2012Guest Authors
Lynda Rutledge’s path to publishing Faith Bass Darling’s Last Garage Sale – ...
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Andrea Buchanan: Captivating Your Inner Night-Time Critic

April 18, 2012Guest Authors
Writing is a little bit like that. There's a lot ...
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Shakespeare & Company, Paris France

April 17, 2012Bookstores worth Browsing,Meg's Posts,Poetry Tuesdays,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
where Anais Nin, Henry Miller, James Baldwin, and Ernest Hemingway ...
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Poetry Tuesday: Mark Doty on Knowing What Want is

April 10, 2012Meg's Posts,Poetry Tuesdays
Since April is National Poetry Month, I’ve been looking around ...
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10 Don't-Miss Sites for Marketing Your Writing (Without Breaking the Bank)

March 29, 2012Book Marketing Tips
How friendly are you, really? Do you have enough followers ...
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Carolina De Robertis: How I Avoided Second Novel Syndrome

March 28, 2012Guest Authors
I met Carolina De Robertis at a book club mixer ...
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M.J. Rose: From Self-Publishing to a Starbucks and Indie Next Pick

March 21, 2012Guest Authors
M.J. Rose – whom I’ve known since before my first novel ...
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Garrison Keillor on Humor and Rejection

March 1, 2012Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
I came across a delightful interview of Garrison Keillor today. ...
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The Page Davidson Clayton Poetry Prize

February 26, 2012Meg's Posts,Poetry Tuesdays
I read the most extraordinary poem yesterday, "what you'd find ...
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Randy Susan Meyers: How Long Does it Take (to find an agent? sell the book? get published?)

February 22, 2012Guest Authors
Randy Sue Meyers is an online writer-pal, and author of ...
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Literary Envy

February 18, 2012Publishing Tips
t's the dirty little secret none of us likes to ...
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Alex George: Starting Over

February 15, 2012Guest Authors
Sara Gruen calls this week’s guest author, Alex George “a ...
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Dickens Quotes for Writers, on the Occasion of his 200th Birthday

February 7, 2012Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fundickens,quotes
Dickens Quotes for Writers, on the Occasion of his 200th ...
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How to Be an Indie Bookseller's Dream

February 5, 2012Book Marketing Tipsbook promotion,readings
I came across a great Wall Street Journal piece on ...
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Sarah Pinneo: Sometimes Things Don't Pan Out

February 1, 2012Guest Authors
Sarah Pinneo celebrates the publication of her debut novel, Julia’s ...
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Get Your Manuscripts Ready!

January 24, 2012Meg's Postsamazon breakthrough novel,contests
The Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest is open for submissions through ...
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Happy 150th, Edith Wharton!

January 24, 2012Meg's Posts
Edith Wharton, the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize ...
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10 Words to Shape Your Writing Life By

January 13, 2012Meg's Posts
“A word after a word after a word is power.” ...
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Does This Sound Familiar?

January 1, 2012Writing Quotes and Other Literary Funagatha christie
If you are properly modest, you will never write at ...
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Unpublished Writers: Just a Few Days Left and It's Only Offered Every Two Years

December 27, 2011Meg's Posts
Years ago I was a finalist for the Barbara Kingsolver-founded ...
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May Your Days Be Merry and Your Reading Light Bright!

December 25, 2011Meg's Posts
...
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The Twelve Books of Christmas

December 17, 2011Meg's Posts
On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave ...
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Will You Share a Favorite Poem?

November 25, 2011Meg's Posts,Poetry Tuesdays
Was it Baudelaire who said, “Always be a poet, even ...
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Which Writing Friends are You Thankful For?

November 24, 2011Meg's Posts
Which writing friends are you particularly thankful for this Thanksgiving? ...
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Never Mind a Room, We Need a Newspaper of Our Own

November 22, 2011Meg's Posts
Uh-oh. The year’s “great books” lists have begun. Female authors ...
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Never Pity Your Manuscript

November 20, 2011Meg's Posts
“The main rule of the writer is never to pity ...
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A Few Choice Words on Book Reviews

November 13, 2011Book Marketing Tips,Meg's Postsbook reviews,criticism,ouch,reviews
Without meaning to disparage the great work some book reviewers ...
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Inside This Place Not of It

November 7, 2011Meg's PostsAyelet Waldman,Dave Eggers,Inside this place not of it,lola Vollen,margaret atwood,Mcseeeney's,robin levi,voice of witness
“Good writing takes place at intersections, at what you might ...
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Anaïs Nin on the role of a writer

October 22, 2011Writing Tips
“The role of the writer is not to say what ...
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The Future of Book Publishing?

September 27, 2011Meg's Postse-books,espresso machine,on demand books,publishing
Several years ago now, my friend Margie McKinley from the ...
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The Dreaded Author Photo, Version 2.0

September 13, 2011Book Marketing Tipsauthor photo
I’ve written before about how much I hate photos of ...
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Downton Abbey: An Inspirational Writing Story

September 11, 2011Meg's Postsacademy award,Downton Abbey,writing
Downton Abbey is one of my three television weaknesses (along ...
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Alma Katsu: From Writer to Spy to Writer

September 7, 2011Guest Authorsalma katsu,first novels,publishing
I’m delighted to be hosting Alma Katsu, whose debut novel, ...
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Sentencing a Book: The Tough Task of Writing the Pitch Sentence/Paragraph

September 1, 2011Publishing Tips
The writing of a book and the writing of a ...
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Reputable Novel Contests You Might Apply To

August 11, 2011Meg's Posts
Following up on a conversation we had in the Novelist ...
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Maddie Dawson: A First Novel, Take Two

August 10, 2011Guest Authors
I met today’s guest author, Maddie Dawson, on my favorite ...
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Anne Tyler on 1st Drafts

August 5, 2011Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Funanne tyler,first drafts,novels,patchwork planet,writing
“I would advise any beginning writer to write the first ...
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How to Build a Book Group Audience for Your Book

July 30, 2011Book Marketing Tipsbook club,book clubs,book group,book groups,book marketing,book sales,reading group,reading groups
The biggest market of readers these days seems to be ...
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Writing a Novel is Like Making a Jigsaw Puzzle

July 28, 2011Meg's Posts
I’ve often said writing a novel is like running a ...
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Sandra Beasley: The Accidental Memoirist

July 27, 2011Meg's Posts
Every time I froze up in writing Don’t Kill the ...
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Now All I Need is a Sand-Repellent Laptop

July 21, 2011Meg's Posts
I would pay a small fortune for a sand-repellent laptop. ...
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How to Prettify Your Google+ URL

July 17, 2011Book Marketing Tips
For anyone who, like me, is loving the new Google+ ...
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First Draft!

July 11, 2011Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Funfirst draft,first drafts,Hemingway,novels,writing
Just finished a first draft of my new novel, and ...
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Meg Waite Clayton: A Paperback Eight Years after the Hardcover

June 28, 2011Guest Authors
My first novel, The Language of Light was the first thing ...
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Profoundly Shaken

June 16, 2011Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
It’s a close call to say which was the more ...
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Feminine Tosh

June 11, 2011Meg's PostsAlias Grace. Toni Morrison,Beloved,Bonnie Jo Campbel,Chicago Tribune,David Dickerson,Eleanor Brown,feminine tosh,George Eliot,great american novel,Harper Lee,Jane Austen,Jen Karsbaek,Kelly o"connor mcnees,Kristine Riggle,margaret atwood,Melissa Fraterrigo,Middlemarch,Printers' RowPrinters' Row Lit Fest,Samuel Park,Tayari Jones,To Kill a Mockingbird,tosh,Zoe Carter
I spent an inspiring and entirely too short weekend gathering ...
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Just the Bookstore, Glen Ellyn, IL

June 10, 2011Bookstores worth Browsing,Meg's Posts
I spent a few days in Chicago last week for ...
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Treasures of the Mind

June 10, 2011Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
Like everyone else lately, I’ve been glued to the news ...
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A Gaggle of Writers at the End of the World

May 21, 2011Meg's Postsand Barbara Meade,Caroline Leavitt,Eleanor Brown,Jud Ashman (the great Gaithursburg Book Fest founder!),Katharine Weber,me,Paula McLain,Reading Group Choices,Sarah Pekkanen
As an author, I think I enjoy book festivals and ...
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Tayari Jones: Writing in the Wilderness

May 18, 2011Guest Authorsalgonquin,novels,persistence,rejection,silver sparrow,Tayari Jones
I could not be more delighted: today I am hosting ...
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An itunes Bestseller! (And a giveaway to celebrate)

May 16, 2011Meg's Postsaudiobooks,bestsellers,karen white
A little flurry of excitement over the weekend: the just-released ...
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8-Step Recipe for Author Readings

May 5, 2011Book Marketing Tips
Help Wanted, one Novelist… The more detailed want ad: Help ...
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The Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction

April 22, 2011Meg's Postscontest,fiction,Flannery O’Connor Award
Heads up, short story writers: The 2011 Flannery O’Connor Award ...
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On the Amazon and Elsewhere Star Thing

April 18, 2011Book Marketing Tips,How a Book Gets Published,Publishing Tipsamazon reviews,Caroline Leavitt,dan chaon,reader reviews,Sheila Schwartz
I’m posting this in response to a first-time author post ...
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Books and Co, Dayton OH

April 14, 2011Bookstores worth Browsing,Meg's Posts
Books & Co. in Dayton, Ohio One of the nicest ...
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Dispatches from the (Book Tour) Front

April 13, 2011How a Book Gets Published,Publishing Tips,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Funbook tour,books,novels,publishing
“I never minded reading to three people. I had plenty ...
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Page Davidson Clayton Poetry Prize, and 1st Books Paperback Row

April 3, 2011Meg's Postsdaphne kalotay,dolen perkins-valdez,novels,poetry,Poetry Prize,publishing,russian winter,Wench,writing
Since this month is National Poetry Month, I’ll be running ...
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Look at this Cover!!!

March 22, 2011How a Book Gets Published,Meg's Postsagent,agents,author,author websites,authors,ballantine,book marketing,book sales,book tours,books,editor,editors,fiction,meg clayton,meg waite clayton,mystery,novel,novelist,novels,publication,publishing,random house,reading,The Four Ms. Bradwells,writing
Holy Moly!!! The Four Ms. Bradwells goes on sale today, ...
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The Lowly Pencil

March 21, 2011Meg's Posts
I’m not exactly monogamous in my writing tool relationships, but ...
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Words of Wisdom from Confucius, Austen, and Tuchman

March 18, 2011How a Book Gets Published,Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun,Writing Tipsagent,agents,author,author websites,authors,ballantine,book marketing,book sales,book tours,books,editor,editors,fiction,meg clayton,meg waite clayton,mystery,novel,novelist,novels,publication,publishing,random house,reading,The Four Ms. Bradwells,writing
“Life seems but a quick succession of busy nothings.” — ...
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How a Novel Gets Published: 2nd Printing! (Before publication!)

March 14, 2011How a Book Gets Published,Meg's Postsagent,agents,author,author websites,authors,ballantine,book marketing,book sales,book tours,books,editor,editors,fiction,meg clayton,meg waite clayton,mystery,novel,novelist,novels,publication,publishing,random house,reading,The Four Ms. Bradwells,writing
The Four Ms. Bradwells is going into a second printing ...
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How a Novel Gets Published: 10 Days Left!

March 12, 2011How a Book Gets Published,Meg's Postsagent,agents,author,author websites,authors,ballantine,book marketing,book sales,book tours,books,editor,editors,essay writing,essays,fiction,finished books,literary magazines,meg clayton,meg waite clayton,mystery,novel,novelist,novels,persistence,publication,publishing,random house,reading,rejection,short stories,short story collections,stories,submissions,submitting,The Four Ms. Bradwells,writing,writing prompts,writing quotes,writing tips
Just a quick post that will not begin to cover ...
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Pretty URL for Facebook Fan Pages

March 10, 2011Book Marketing Tipsauthors,custom url,facebook fan pages,social networking
I just learned how to change the URL for my ...
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Writing a Novel is Like Paddling a Bathtub

March 6, 2011Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun,Writing Tipsagent,authors,fiction,novelists,novels,persistence,revision,stephen king,writing
“Look, writing a novel is like paddling from Boston to ...
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She Writer Blogger Ball Redux

March 3, 2011Meg's Posts
Welcome to the SheWrites.com Blogger Ball Redux. This time we’ve ...
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Edna St. Vincent Millay on Publishing

March 3, 2011Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Funbooks,edna st. vincent millay,novels,publishing,writing
“A person who publishes a book willfully appears before the ...
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Sarah Pekkanen: A Glass of Wine and a Little Courage

March 2, 2011Guest Authorsbooks,novels,publishing,Sarah Pekkanen,writing
I’m having a nice little Gaithersburg Book Festival run lately, ...
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How a Novel Gets Published: Books in Hand!

February 24, 2011How a Book Gets Published,Meg's Postsagent,agents,author,author websites,authors,ballantine,book marketing,book sales,book tours,books,editor,editors,essay writing,essays,fiction,finished books,literary magazines,meg clayton,meg waite clayton,mystery,novel,novelist,novels,persistence,publication,publishing,random house,reading,rejection,short stories,short story collections,stories,submissions,submitting,The Four Ms. Bradwells,writing,writing prompts,writing quotes,writing tips
Thanks to my lovely editor, Caitlin Alexander, the fed ex ...
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All True Story: Finished Books!

February 22, 2011How a Book Gets Published,Meg's Postsagents,ballantine,books,editors,essay writing,essays,literary magazines,novelist,novels,publishing,random house,short stories,short story collections,submissions,writing,writing prompts,writing quotes,writing tips
finished book, novel, the four ms. bradwells, publishing ...
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The Kama Sutra of Kindness, and the Importance of Sharing Our Words

February 22, 2011Meg's Posts,Poetry Tuesdayslove,love poem,mary mackey,poem,poetry
Mary Mackey, a writer-pal of mine from a Bay Area ...
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Hemingway on First Drafts

February 19, 2011Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Funfirst drafts,Hemingway,writing
At the risk of using a four letter word here, ...
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An Offering to the Literary Gods: A Deep Orange Scarf

February 18, 2011How a Book Gets Published,Meg's Postsagent,agents,author,author websites,authors,ballantine,book marketing,book sales,book tours,books,editor,editors,fiction,meg clayton,meg waite clayton,mystery,novel,novelist,novels,persistence,publication,publishing,random house,reading,rejection,short stories,stories,submissions,submitting,writing,writing prompts,writing quotes,writing tips
One of the things I did this week on my ...
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SheWrites B&W Blogger Ball

February 17, 2011Meg's Posts
The entry portal for the SheWrites.com Blogging about Books and ...
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Eleanor Brown: When Your First Book Is Not Your First

February 16, 2011Guest Authorsamy einhorn,Eleanor Brown,first novels,publication,Weird sisters
I’m just thrilled this week to welcome Eleanor Brown, author ...
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All-True Story of How a Novel Gets Published # … Sadly, I've Lost Count

February 12, 2011How a Book Gets Published,Meg's PostsAdrienne Defendi,agent,agents,author,author websites,authors,ballantine,book marketing,book sales,book tours,books,cara black,Caroline Leavitt,editor,editors,fiction,Jane Smiley,Kelly McNees,literary agents,meg clayton,meg waite clayton,mystery,novel,novelist,novels,persistence,publication,publicists,publishing,random house,reading,rejection,short stories,stories,submissions,submitting,Tatjana Soli,writing,writing prompts,writing quotes,writing tips
What is happening is week six of pre-pub for The ...
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How a Novel Gets Published: Book Tours, Websites, and Press Releases

February 5, 2011How a Book Gets Published,Meg's Postsagent,agents,author,author websites,authors,ballantine,book marketing,book sales,book tours,books,editor,editors,essay writing,essays,fiction,literary magazines,meg clayton,meg waite clayton,mystery,novel,novelist,novels,persistence,publication,publishing,random house,reading,rejection,short stories,short story collections,stories,submissions,submitting,writing,writing prompts,writing quotes,writing tips
This week’s pre-publication taks: finalize press release materials and tour ...
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Caroline Leavitt: The Story of My Start

January 26, 2011Guest AuthorsCaroline Leavitt
I’ve been a big fan of Caroline Leavitt‘s novels since ...
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Tick, Tick, Tick … Two Months till The Four Ms. Bradwells!

January 23, 2011How a Book Gets Published,Meg's Postsagent,agents,audio book,author,author visits,author websites,authors,ballantine,book clubs,book groups,book marketing,book sales,book tours,books,doubleday book club,editor,editors,fiction,large print,literary guild,meg clayton,meg waite clayton,mystery,mystery guild,novel,novelist,novels,persistence,publication,publishing,random house,reading,rejection,short stories,stories,submissions,submitting,writing,writing prompts,writing quotes,writing tips
It’s two months – or two months less a day ...
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Facebook Fan Pages: How Authors, Bloggers, and other Writers Can Set Up a Page

January 23, 2011Book Marketing Tipsfacebook fan pages
Someone messaged me on facebook this morning to ask how ...
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Jumping (Late) into Bloggiesta

January 23, 2011Meg's Posts
I just learned last night, as I was coming up ...
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How Authors Can Get Bookscan Numbers

January 14, 2011Book Marketing Tipsagent,agents,author,author websites,authors,ballantine,book marketing,book sales,book tours,books,editor,editors,fiction,meg clayton,meg waite clayton,mystery,novel,novelist,novels,persistence,publication,publishing,random house,reading,rejection,short stories,stories,submissions,submitting,writing,writing prompts,writing quotes,writing tips
In case any authors out there don't already know it, ...
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A New Years Greeting-Quote

January 1, 2011Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Funagent,agents,author,author websites,authors,ballantine,book marketing,book sales,book tours,books,editor,editors,fiction,meg clayton,meg waite clayton,mystery,novel,novelist,novels,persistence,publication,publishing,random house,reading,rejection,short stories,stories,submissions,submitting,writing,writing prompts,writing quotes,writing tips
“May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams ...
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New Year's Blogolutions

December 28, 2010Meg's Posts,Writing Tipsblogolutions,blogs,droid,New Years,publishing,resolutions,smart phone,writing
The torn wrapping paper is thrown away, the cookies are ...
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Happy Holidays from My Gang to You and Yours

December 24, 2010Meg's Posts
From top left, clockwise: The gang at a wedding near ...
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Literary Santa and One Lucky Chimney

December 21, 2010How a Book Gets Published,Meg's Postsagent,agents,author,author websites,authors,ballantine,book marketing,book sales,book tours,books,editor,editors,fiction,meg clayton,meg waite clayton,mystery,novel,novelist,novels,persistence,publication,publishing,random house,reading,rejection,short stories,stories,submissions,submitting,writing,writing prompts,writing quotes,writing tips
Literary Santa and One Lucky Chimney: A holiday thank you. ...
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Poetry Tuesday: an Eclipse, a Solstice, and a Post and Poem by Leslie Lytle

December 20, 2010Poetry Tuesdayseclipse,Execution's Doorstep,Leslie Lytle,lunar eclipse,poem,poetry,solstice,winter solstice
The confluence of winter solstice and lunar eclipse tonight, for ...
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A Long Scroll of Ink

December 19, 2010Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun,Writing Tipsatwood,margaret atwood,writing,writing tip,writing truth
Words of writing wisdom from Margaret Atwood ...
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Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award

December 17, 2010Meg's Postsagent,agents,author,author websites,authors,ballantine,book marketing,book sales,book tours,books,editor,editors,fiction,meg clayton,meg waite clayton,mystery,novel,novelist,novels,persistence,publication,publishing,random house,reading,rejection,short stories,stories,submissions,submitting,writing,writing prompts,writing quotes,writing tips
Winning a writing contest always seems like a long shot, ...
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Happy Birthday, Jane Austen

December 15, 2010Meg's Posts
December 16: Jane Austen’s birthday. She would have been 235 ...
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A Date which will Live in Infamy, and the Value of a Word

December 7, 2010Meg's Posts
President Franklin D. Roosevelt began his speech asking Congress to ...
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The Story Was Completely Untrue

December 5, 2010Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
“The story was completely untrue, but the untruth of untrue ...
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All-True Story of How a Novel Gets Published: Poker Losses and Writing Wins

December 2, 2010How a Book Gets Published,Meg's Postsagent,agents,author,author websites,authors,ballantine,book marketing,book sales,book tours,books,editor,editors,fiction,meg clayton,meg waite clayton,mystery,novel,novelist,novels,persistence,poker,publication,publishing,random house,reading,rejection,short stories,stories,submissions,submitting,writing,writing prompts,writing quotes,writing tips
There is some connection between losing at poker and getting ...
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The Worst Enemy to Creativity

November 28, 2010Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Funagent,agents,author,author websites,authors,ballantine,book marketing,book sales,book tours,books,editor,editors,fiction,meg clayton,meg waite clayton,mystery,novel,novelist,novels,persistence,publication,publishing,random house,reading,rejection,short stories,stories,submissions,submitting,writing,writing prompts,writing quotes,writing tips
“And by the way, everything in life is writable about ...
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ATSHNGP: Do I Look Like Mark Twain?!

November 26, 2010How a Book Gets Published,Meg's Postsadvanced reader copies,marketing,publicity,publishing
Every All-True Story of How a Novel Gets Published must ...
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And the Winners of the National Book Awards Are …

November 18, 2010Meg's Postsaward-winners,children's literature,fiction,jaimy gordon,kathryn erskine,National book award,non-fiction,patti smith,poetry,terrance hayes,winners
The National Book Award ceremonies were last night. Did you ...
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Beatrix Potter on Writing First Lines – Sort Of

November 14, 2010Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun,Writing TipsBeatrix potter,English Lake District,first lines,writing
I’ve been rooting around in the life of Beatrix Potter, ...
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Walking in Oscar Wilde's Diary-Steps

October 30, 2010Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
What city can claim more writers per square mile than ...
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Is NaNoWriMo for MyNewNovel?

October 24, 2010Meg's Posts
I was a lawyer before I started writing, and when ...
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The All-True Story of How a Novel Gets Published: The Cover, Take Two

October 16, 2010How a Book Gets Published,Meg's Postsagent,agents,author,author websites,authors,ballantine,book jackets,book marketing,book sales,book tours,books,covers,editor,editors,fiction,meg clayton,meg waite clayton,mystery,novel,novelist,novels,persistence,publication,publishing,random house,reading,rejection,short stories,stories,submissions,submitting,writing,writing prompts,writing quotes,writing tips
Several months ago, I delightedly shared the new cover for ...
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Susan Straight: People Who Stay

October 13, 2010Guest Authors,Meg's Posts
I’m delighted this week to host Susan Straight, whose new ...
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The All-True Story of How a Novel Gets Published #17: TI-CATs, Galley Letters, and Staying Drunk

October 5, 2010How a Book Gets Published,Meg's Postsagent,agents,author,author websites,authors,ballantine,book marketing,book sales,book tours,books,bradbury,catalogs,covers,editor,editors,fiction,meg clayton,meg waite clayton,mystery,novel,novelist,novels,persistence,publication,publishing,random house,reading,rejection,short stories,stories,submissions,submitting,ti-cats,writing,writing prompts,writing quotes,writing tips
I’ve just passed the six-month point: less than six months ...
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Allison Hoover Bartlett: Literary Obsessions

September 29, 2010Meg's PostsAllison Hoover bartlett,biography,character,nonfiction,obsession,rare books,the man who loved books too much,theft
To celebrate the paperback release of Allison Hoover Bartlett’s The ...
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The All-True Story of How a Novel Gets Published #16: A Little Book Blogger Love

September 17, 2010How a Book Gets Published,Meg's Postsagent,agents,author,author websites,authors,ballantine,blogger appreciation week,bloggers,blogging,book marketing,book sales,book tours,books,editor,editors,fiction,Hey Lady,Lesa's book critiques,meg clayton,meg waite clayton,mystery,novel,novelist,novels,persistence,publication,publishing,random house,reading,rejection,short stories,stories,submissions,submitting,Tucson Book Festival,writing,writing prompts,writing quotes,writing tips
Since this week is Book Blogger Appreciation Week, and book ...
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The All-True Story of How a Novel Gets Published #15: Wordle-ing the Time Away

September 6, 2010How a Book Gets Published,Meg's Postsagent,agents,author,author websites,authors,ballantine,book marketing,book sales,book tours,books,editor,editors,fiction,meg clayton,meg waite clayton,mystery,novel,novelist,novels,persistence,publication,publishing,random house,reading,rejection,short stories,stories,submissions,submitting,wordle,writing,writing prompts,writing quotes,writing tips
It’s labor day weekend, a time when even the hardworking ...
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On Gathering with Other Writers

September 3, 2010Meg's PostsAWP,Brenda Rickman Vantrease,critique,Elizabeth Brundage,Jennifer Haigh,Leslie Lytle,meg waite clayton,michelle richmond,Richard Bausch,sewanee writers conference,She Writes,writing,writing conferences,writing groups
Starting today, I’ll be doing a weekly blog post on ...
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Writing Contests to Help You Break Out – from Real Simple and Iowa Review – and AWWP Writing Prompt #4

August 29, 2010Publishing Tipsagents,editors,essay writing,essays,iowa review,literary magazines,Michael chabon,novels,publishing,real simple,short stories,short story collections,submissions,writing prompts,writing tips
For my fourth week mentoring in the Afghan Women’s Writing ...
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The Scent of a Woman's Ink, Still

August 28, 2010Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Funbooker,editors,francine prose,Franzen,franzenfreude,literature,nobel,prizes,pulitzer,time,time magazine,top 10 lists,women authors,writing
On the whole, the past year was a pretty good ...
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The All-True Story of How a Novel Gets Published #14: Very Superstitious, Writing's on the Wall…

August 24, 2010How a Book Gets Published,Meg's Postsadvanced reader copies,agent,agents,arcs,ARE,author,author websites,authors,ballantine,book marketing,book sales,book tours,books,editor,editors,fiction,goldberg mcduffie,IndieBound,magazines,Marly Rusoff,meg clayton,meg waite clayton,mystery,newspapers,novel,novelist,novels,persistence,publication,publicist,publishing,random house,reading,rejection,reviews,short stories,stories,submissions,submitting,The Four Ms. Bradwells,The Wednesday Sisters,wednesday sisters,writers' group,writing,writing prompts,writing quotes,writing tips
Seven months till publication of The Four Ms. Bradwells! Seven ...
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AWWP Writing Prompt: Using Place

August 23, 2010Meg's Posts,Writing Tipsagents,books,editors,essay writing,essays,iowa review,literary magazines,Michael chabon,novels,publishing,real simple,short stories,short story collections,submissions,writing prompts,writing tips
A writing prompt I've given to my Afghan Women's Writing ...
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If You AREN'T Being Rejected, Perhaps You Aren't Creative Enough

August 18, 2010Meg's Postsagents,books,editors,essay writing,essays,iowa review,literary magazines,Michael chabon,novels,publishing,real simple,short stories,short story collections,submissions,writing prompts,writing tips
I just came across a rejection letter from the Museum ...
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AWWP Writing Prompt: I Am…

August 16, 2010Meg's Postsagents,books,editors,essay writing,essays,literary magazines,novels,publishing,short stories,short story collections,submissions,writing prompts,writing tips
I’ve just given my second writing prompt to the workshop ...
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Two Days Left to Win Four Terrific Novels

August 14, 2010Meg's Posts
I’m reposting this because I just finished Elizabeth Brundage’s A ...
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A Friday the 13th Writing Tip – on Writing and Luck

August 13, 2010Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun,Writing Tipsagents,books,editors,essay writing,essays,literary magazines,novels,publishing,short stories,short story collections,submissions,writing prompts,writing quotes,writing tips
“Writing is like getting married. One should never commit oneself ...
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AWWP Writing Prompt: Creating Character

August 9, 2010Meg's Posts,Writing TipsAWWP,character,writing prompts
This month, I have the privilege of teaching in the ...
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The All-True Story of How a Novel Gets Published #12: The Importance of Kind Words … and Book Giveaway Thanks for Same!

August 7, 2010How a Book Gets Published,Meg's Postsagent,agents,author,author websites,authors,ballantine,book marketing,book sales,book tours,books,editor,editors,fiction,literary magazines,meg clayton,meg waite clayton,mystery,novel,novelist,novels,persistence,publication,publishing,random house,reading,rejection,short stories,stories,submissions,submitting,writing,writing prompts,writing quotes,writing tips
Yes, you’re in the right place for the 1st Books ...
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Submissions Tips

July 29, 2010Publishing Tipsagents,editors,literary magazines,novels,publishing,submissions,writing tips
I’ve been updating the WRITERS PAGE on my website, and ...
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The All-True Story of How a Novel Gets Published, Part 11: We Need Permission! And a Latin Expert!

July 22, 2010How a Book Gets Published,Meg's Postsagent,agents,author,author websites,authors,ballantine,book marketing,book sales,book tours,books,editor,editors,fiction,Graywolf Press,IndieBound,Jane Kenyon,John Felstiner,Let Evening Come,Marilyn Yalom,meg clayton,meg waite clayton,mystery,novel,novelist,novels,permissions,persistence,poetry,publication,publishing,random house,reading,rejection,short stories,stories,submissions,submitting,The Four Ms. Bradwells,The Wednesday Sisters,titles,wednesday sisters,writers' group,writing,writing prompts,writing quotes,writing tips
In Part 6 of this “All-True” series, I blogged about ...
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Diane Lockward: on poetry

July 20, 2010Guest Authors,Poetry Tuesdaysbooks,Diane Lockward,poetry
I had such fun hosting poets here on 1st Books ...
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Kafka on Books as Axes

July 19, 2010Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Funkafka,reading,writing
“A book must be the axe for the frozen sea ...
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The All-True Story of How a Novel Gets Published, Part 10: The Dreaded Author Photo

July 15, 2010How a Book Gets Published,Meg's Postsagent,agents,author,author websites,authors,ballantine,book marketing,book sales,book tours,books,editor,editors,fiction,IndieBound,meg clayton,meg waite clayton,mystery,novel,novelist,novels,persistence,poetry,publication,publishing,random house,reading,rejection,short stories,stories,submissions,submitting,The Four Ms. Bradwells,The Wednesday Sisters,titles,wednesday sisters,writers' group,writing,writing prompts,writing quotes,writing tips
To be honest, I’m not sure why I’m not skipping ...
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A Brief History of the Slush Pile

July 14, 2010Meg's Postsagents,books,editors,essay writing,essays,literary magazines,novels,publishing,short stories,short story collections,submissions,writing prompts,writing quotes,writing tips
Did you know the first time the New York Times ...
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The All-True Story of How a Novel Gets Published, Part 9: Titles and DESCRIPTIONS and Author Photos – Oh My! (the "Description" part)

July 8, 2010How a Book Gets Published,Meg's Postsagent,agents,author,author websites,authors,ballantine,book marketing,book sales,book tours,books,catalog copy,editor,editors,fiction,flap copy,IndieBound,meg clayton,meg waite clayton,mystery,novel,novelist,novels,persistence,poetry,publication,publishing,random house,reading,rejection,short stories,stories,submissions,submitting,The Four Ms. Bradwells,The Wednesday Sisters,wednesday sisters,writers' group,writing,writing prompts,writing quotes,writing tips
One funny thing about writing a book is how hard ...
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The All-True Story of How a Novel Gets Published, Part 8: TITLES and Descriptions and Author Photos – Oh My!

July 1, 2010How a Book Gets Published,Meg's Postsagent,agents,author,author websites,authors,ballantine,book marketing,book sales,book tours,books,editor,editors,fiction,IndieBound,meg clayton,meg waite clayton,mystery,novel,novelist,novels,persistence,poetry,publication,publishing,random house,reading,rejection,short stories,stories,submissions,submitting,The Four Ms. Bradwells,The Wednesday Sisters,wednesday sisters,writers' group,writing,writing prompts,writing quotes,writing tips
The working title for The Four Ms. Bradwells was “The ...
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The All-True Story of How a Novel Gets Published, Part 7: It's a … Well, Not a Book, Exactly, but an ARC. Or an ARE?

June 22, 2010How a Book Gets Published,Meg's Postsagent,agents,ARC,ARE,author,author websites,authors,ballantine,book design,book jacket,book marketing,book sales,book tours,books,cover,editor,editors,fiction,IndieBound,meg clayton,meg waite clayton,mystery,novel,novelist,novels,persistence,poetry,publication,publishing,random house,reading,rejection,short stories,stories,submissions,submitting,The Four Ms. Bradwells,The Wednesday Sisters,wednesday sisters,writers' group,writing,writing prompts,writing quotes,writing tips
I’ve just arrive home from ten days in Berlin and ...
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The All-True Story of How a Novel Gets Published, Part 6: It Starts to Look Like a Book!!! (a.k.a. in Praise of Beth Pearson)

June 5, 2010How a Book Gets Published,Meg's Postsagent,agents,author,author websites,authors,ballantine,book marketing,book sales,book tours,books,copy editors,copyediting,editor,editors,fiction,IndieBound,meg clayton,meg waite clayton,mystery,novel,novelist,novels,persistence,poetry,publication,publishing,random house,reading,rejection,short stories,stories,submissions,submitting,The Four Ms. Bradwells,The Wednesday Sisters,wednesday sisters,writers' group,writing,writing prompts,writing quotes,writing tips
My tweet for May 15 reads “Page proofs for THE ...
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The All-True Story of How a Novel Gets Published, Part 5: Hunting the Elusive Agent

June 1, 2010How a Book Gets Published,Meg's Postsagent,agents,author,author websites,authors,ballantine,book marketing,book sales,book tours,books,editor,editors,fiction,meg clayton,meg waite clayton,mystery,novel,novelist,novels,persistence,publication,publishing,random house,reading,rejection,short stories,stories,submissions,submitting,The Four Ms. Bradwells,The Wednesday Sisters,writers' group,writing,writing prompts,writing quotes,writing tips
I’ve gotten a few requests from readers of this series ...
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The All-True Story of How a Novel Gets Published, Part 4: What's in a Cover?

May 29, 2010How a Book Gets Published,Meg's Postsagent,agents,author,author websites,authors,ballantine,book marketing,book sales,book tours,books,covers,editor,editors,fiction,meg clayton,meg waite clayton,mystery,novel,novelist,novels,persistence,publication,publishing,random house,reading,rejection,short stories,stories,submissions,submitting,The Four Ms. Bradwells,writing,writing prompts,writing quotes,writing tips
I’ve got my final cover for The Four Ms. Bradwells, ...
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The All-True Story of How a Novel Gets Published, Part 3: Why I LOVE my Editor

May 22, 2010How a Book Gets Published,Meg's Postsagent,agents,author,author websites,authors,ballantine,book marketing,book sales,book tours,books,editor,editors,fiction,IndieBound,meg clayton,meg waite clayton,mystery,novel,novelist,novels,persistence,poetry,publication,publishing,random house,reading,rejection,short stories,stories,submissions,submitting,The Four Ms. Bradwells,The Wednesday Sisters,titles,wednesday sisters,writers' group,writing,writing prompts,writing quotes,writing tips
You may recall that when last you saw our fearless ...
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The All-True Story of How a Novel Gets Published, Part 2: Brainstorm, and Revise, Revise, Revise!

May 17, 2010How a Book Gets Published,Meg's Postsagent,agents,author,author websites,authors,ballantine,book marketing,book sales,book tours,books,editor,editors,fiction,IndieBound,meg clayton,meg waite clayton,mystery,novel,novelist,novels,persistence,poetry,publication,publishing,random house,reading,rejection,short stories,stories,submissions,submitting,The Four Ms. Bradwells,The Wednesday Sisters,wednesday sisters,writers' group,writing,writing prompts,writing quotes,writing tips
In Part 1 of this little series, “Manuscript Puberty,” I ...
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The All-True Story of How a Novel Gets Published, Part 1: Manuscript Puberty

May 15, 2010How a Book Gets Published,Meg's Postsagent,agents,author,author websites,authors,ballantine,book marketing,book sales,book tours,books,editor,editors,fiction,IndieBound,meg clayton,meg waite clayton,mystery,novel,novelist,novels,persistence,poetry,publication,publishing,random house,reading,rejection,short stories,stories,submissions,submitting,The Four Ms. Bradwells,The Wednesday Sisters,wednesday sisters,writers' group,writing,writing prompts,writing quotes,writing tips
I just got my first peek at the likely cover ...
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Richard Bausch on Showing Up for Work

April 22, 2010Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary FunRichard Bausch,writing tips
I had the great pleasure of paneling with Richard Bausch ...
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Poetry Tuesday: The Page Davidson Clayton Prize for Emerging Poets

April 20, 2010Meg's Posts,Poetry Tuesdays
One of the many things I had in common with ...
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Professional Writer or Amateur?

April 18, 2010Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Funpersistence,Richard Bausch,writing,writing tips
I had the great pleasure of paneling with Richard Bausch ...
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Tatjana Soli: Silencing the Voices of No

March 31, 2010Guest Authorsrejection,Tatjana Soli,The Lotus Eaters,vietnam war fiction
Can I gush about a book here for a moment? ...
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Tim O'Brien on Tenacity and Stubbornness

March 23, 2010Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary FunThe Things They Carried,Tim O'Brien,writing tips
I read Tim O’Brien’s amazing short story, “The Things They ...
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Mark Twain on "Damn"

March 21, 2010Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary FunMark Twain,novels,writing tips
Think how much easier this writing advice is to execute ...
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Rules for Writers (from Some Amazing Ones)

March 8, 2010Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary FunAnne Enright,Joyce Carol Oates,rules for writing,writing tips
I just came across the most wonderful “Rules for Writing” ...
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J.K. Rowling: The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination

February 23, 2010Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Funfailure,j.k. rowling,novels,persistence,publishing,writing
This video, though a couple years old, came to me ...
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"The Ghost within Every Experience"

February 19, 2010Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary FunMark Strand,poetry,writing tips
From Mark Strand’s “On Becoming a Poet” in The Making ...
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If You Tell the Truth

February 14, 2010Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Funwriting tips
Stumbled across this Mark Twain quote as I’m going through ...
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Ink on the Rejection Slip

February 6, 2010Publishing Tipsagents,editors,novels,writing tips
A passage that ought to give all struggling writers hope, ...
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Calling loudly, "J.D. Salinger"

January 28, 2010Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Funcatcher in the rye,rejection,salinger
In 1941, J.D. Salinger had seven stories rejected by The ...
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Dolen Perkins-Valdez: Connecting

January 27, 2010Guest Authorsdolen perkins-valdez,novels,Wench
I’m absolutely delighted to have Dolen Perkins-Valdez, the author of ...
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Unrecognized Talent (or the Lessons of Rodin)

January 23, 2010Meg's Postsrejection,rodin
I was drawn to a documentary about the sculptor, Auguste ...
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The All-True Confessions of a Serious Book Group-aholic

January 17, 2010Meg's Posts
I think of January as Book Club month, I suppose ...
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You Must Write It

January 7, 2010Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
Thought I’d start the new year with a very hopeful ...
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2,000 Words or 2:00, and Writing Friends

December 12, 2009Meg's Posts,Top Writing Tips,Writing Tipsmeg waite clayton,novels,The Language of Light,The Wednesday Sisters,writing group,writing groups,writing tips
The history of my writing starts with a little brown ...
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Holiday Giving: Free Copies of The Language of Light, and Personally Inscribed Copies of The Wednesday Sisters

November 27, 2009Meg's Posts
Holiday Greetings! I’ve been casting about for a way to ...
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Dropping the Turkey

November 23, 2009Meg's Posts
For Thanksgiving week, I did a guest post on Debutante ...
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Do Real Mom Writers Bake Cookies?

November 14, 2009Meg's Posts,Writing Tips
I wrote the post below as a guest post for ...
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She Writes Day of Action

November 14, 2009Meg's Posts
Like many writers unhappy about the recent underrepresentation of women ...
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Nabokov on Reading Poetry

October 31, 2009Meg's Posts
In part because a character in my new novel is ...
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Breakfast for Breast Cancer!

October 9, 2009Meg's Posts
Is there a more fun place to raise awareness for ...
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The Inner Book Geek in Me

September 21, 2009Meg's Posts
Just before The Wednesday Sisters released in paperback, I was ...
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Janet Skeslien Charles: Open to Experiences

September 9, 2009Guest Authors
My guest this week, Janet Skeslien Charles, is a novelist ...
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Natural Writers

September 6, 2009Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
I’m reading Graham Swift’s Making an Elephant: Writing from Within ...
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Kathryn Ma: All That Work

September 2, 2009Guest Authors
My guest author this week, Kathryn Ma, is the author ...
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The Single Best Piece of Advice I've Gotten as a Writer

September 1, 2009Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
Several years ago, I had the great (okay, and somewhat ...
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A Room of My Own

August 29, 2009Meg's Posts
Thought I’d share this morning a post I did for ...
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Dan Chaon: Hungry Heart

August 26, 2009Guest Authors
With apologies for this long introduction but … well, this ...
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George Eliot on Reaching for your Dreams

July 5, 2009Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
“It is never too late to be what you might ...
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The Secret to Getting Published

June 11, 2009Meg's Posts
I get so many questions at events and in emails ...
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Books Inc., Palo Alto CA

June 6, 2009Bookstores worth Browsing,Meg's Posts
and other locations in the bay area–this is where I ...
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Mrs. Dalloway’s, Berkeley CA

May 30, 2009Bookstores worth Browsing,Meg's Posts
Literary & Garden Arts Mrs. Dalloway’s is a store that ...
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Just in Case You're Thinking It's Time to Give Up

May 25, 2009Meg's Posts
How long should you stick to writing if you’re not ...
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Erma Bombeck on Snow-Blindness

May 21, 2009Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fundiscipline,erma bombeck,writing
“To say, ‘Well, I write when I really get into ...
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W.H. Auden on Work Habits

May 16, 2009Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Funw.h. auden,work habits
Get up very early and get going at once, in ...
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Kepler's Books, Menlo Park CA

May 12, 2009Bookstores worth Browsing,Meg's Posts
a great store for author events and reading advice I ...
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"For most of history, Anonymous was a woman."

April 26, 2009Meg's Postsannette gordon-reed,awards,elizabeth strout,francine prose,lynn nottage,olive kitteridge,pulitzer,reviews,ruined,sewanee writers conference,the hemingses of monticello,women writers
As I was tidying the yard with my husband this ...
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Jane Austen: Fourteen Years of Rejection

April 21, 2009Guest Authors,Meg's PostsJane Austen,novels,rejection,writing
I just read a wonderful piece in The Literary Review ...
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Do You Book Blog? or The Book Blog Roundup

April 16, 2009Meg's Postsbook blogs,literary blogs
Do you blog about books? Or have a favorite book ...
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Chekhov on Failure and Persistence

April 15, 2009Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Funchekhov,failure,persistence,success
“…you must at once and for all give up being ...
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On Slush Piles and Finding Agents

April 10, 2009Meg's Postsagents,Brenda Rickman Vantrease,Frances Dinklespiel,Kirsten Menger Anderson,meg waite clayton,publishing,The Help,The Illuminator,The Wednesday Sisters,Towers of Gold
This photo of the decidedly undaunting St. Martin’s slush pile ...
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A Self-Publishing Success Story or Three, with a Caveat

April 6, 2009Meg's Posts
At the risk of encouraging folks to head for self-publishing, ...
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A Twitter Book Club?

March 29, 2009Meg's Postsbook club,book clubs,book group,meg waite clayton,twitter
How does one discuss a book in 140 characters or ...
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Book Sales

March 26, 2009Meg's Posts
I came across an article this morning about Borders financial ...
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Open Veins

March 25, 2009Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Funessays,Leslie Berlin,Red Smith,Tim O'Brien,writing
Are personal essays inherently solipsistic? I’d like to take credit ...
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My Two Minutes on Radio: Writing for Sound

March 21, 2009Meg's Posts
There’s nothing like reading on radio to make you focus ...
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The Secret: You sit down and you start and that's it.

March 15, 2009Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
I came across this interview with Elmore Leonard today. It’s ...
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The 46th Time is the Charm

March 6, 2009Meg's Posts,Publishing Tips
Yet another story of persistence paying: Kathryn Stockett, author of ...
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Even Jack Kerouac Struggled

March 6, 2009Publishing Tips
I recently stumbled upon this NPR story about Jack Kerouac’s ...
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Summerset Maugham Rules for Writing

March 1, 2009Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
I saw this quote the other day, and couldn’t resist ...
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Jamie Ford: Call in Sick More Often

January 28, 2009Guest Authorsballantine,first novel,Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet,IndieBound,Jamie Ford
I’m absolutely delighted to host fellow Ballantine author Jamie Ford ...
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From On Becoming a Novelist, by John Gardner

January 14, 2009Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
Some words of wisdom from John Gardner, whose The Art ...
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Hemingway's Advice to Writers

January 7, 2009Meg's Posts,Writing Quotes and Other Literary Fun
For a new slant in the new year right, I’ve ...
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If You Think Continuing to Rewrite is Wasted Time…

November 20, 2008Meg's Posts
…take a look at the winner of this year’s National ...
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Frances Dinkelspiel: Not So Instant Gratification

November 12, 2008Guest Authorsagent,biography,first book,Frances Dinkelspiel,journalist
Frances Dinkelspiel is a fifth-generation Californian who spent more than ...
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Eleven Years to a Pulitzer

November 9, 2008Publishing Tips
I was listening to NPR on the way to the ...
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Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October 1, 2008Meg's Posts
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so I’m using my ...
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Fingers Crossed!

September 23, 2008Meg's Posts
This video comes compliments of Judy Merril Larsen, and though ...
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On Book Tours

August 1, 2008Meg's Posts
I just read Ann Patchett’s “My Life in Sales” in ...
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Sheryl Cohen Solomon: If At First You Do Succeed

July 9, 2008Guest Authorsessay,magazine,rejection,Sheryl Cohen Solomon
My guest this week is Sheryl Cohen Solomon, a writer ...
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A Little Something I Just Have to Share

July 5, 2008Meg's Posts
This one is a non-literary story, but it sure is ...
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Meg Waite Clayton: In Praise of Writing Friends

June 18, 2008Guest Authors,Meg's Postsagent,editor,novel,publication,wednesday sisters,writing
No guest today. Just me, since it’s my publication week! ...
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Brenda Rickman Vantrease: A 136-Rejection Overnight Success

June 11, 2008Guest Authorsagent,illuminator,novel,rejection,vantrease,writers' group
My guest blogger today, Brenda Rickman Vantrease, is the author ...
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Julia Flynn Siler: “Girl Reporter” Turned Bestselling Author

May 21, 2008Guest AuthorsMargaret Mitchell,novelist
My guest blogger this Wednesday is Julia Flynn Siler, whose ...
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On Your Way to the Incinerator

May 7, 2008Meg's PostsErnest Gaines,Scott Turow,Sue Grafton,William Faulkner
If you think writers are born rather than made and ...
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