On the twelfth day ’til Christmas…

Okay, it's really the thirteenth day until Christmas, but I post on Tuesdays. Nevertheless, on Wednesday, December 12th we're twelve days away from Christmas Eve. My family has asked for my Christmas list, but what I want, they can't buy. But you can. For those twelve days the digital version of my book, A Smuggler's …

Choose Your Own Adventure?

Do you ever wonder why you write? A recent comment left on a previous post reminded me that most writers (mind you I haven't taken a poll) write because they looked for a particular story and didn't find it. The lack became so irksome that they decide to fill the void themselves with a story …

Fairy tale Endings and a Passel of Princesses

Fairy tales like drama, specifically uncertainty. They fixate on main characters who often are in situations most of us would consider cruel and unusual and then give them over to situations that sound better, but just as unsure. Why are they okay with this and more importantly, why are we? Last weekend I saw Ralph …

Doubt and a Dancing Centipede

When I first started writing, my schedule was lax. I didn’t worry about how much or how little I was writing because it wasn’t something I intended to pursue in a professional way. It was a hobby and only for me. The change happened over time and soon I knew I wanted to make writing …

The Goldilocks Problem

So, I finally did it. I’ve joined Twitter. I resisted for a long time because deep down I don’t really enjoy social media. Oh, there are bright spots—those rare days when I get real comments from other bloggers and readers—but mostly, I consider it a chore. It’s something I do for my career, like peeling, …

Plans and Villainy

I'm a person who likes preparation. I've always said my superpower is research. It comes from my curiosity and imagination--two things essential for any person, but especially a writer. This past weekend I attended a writer's conference for fantasy and needless to say I was underwhelmed. I spent months preparing. I researched the speakers (where …

MAIAM Day

Hey FF Readers, Just wanted to let you know that today is my monthly holiday (no, not that) on my other site, Books By I.L. Cruz--MAIAM, Meet An Indie Author Monday! This month's guest is Rebecca Howie, mystery writer. Check out her interview and I'm sure you'll be inspired to read her books. Happy MAIAM!

OOO October’s Outta the Drawer Originals, part V–The Finale

October is almost over and with it's departure comes my last entry for OOO October's Outta the Drawer Originals. I hope it inspire at least one or two of you to unearth some old stories or come up with some new ones. My finale is inspired by my yearly Halloween costume--a night fairy. It's more …

OOO October’s Outta the Drawer Originals, part IV

Here we are again, dear readers! October is winding down and before you know it, the end of the year will come and go. I hope some of you have been inspired to dust off some of your shelved work or even start working on some new stories destined for the drawer until the time …

OOO October’s Outta the Drawer Originals, part III

I don't know about you, dear reader, but here summer is finally in full retreat and autumn has arrived. It's my favorite time and also my most creative. The first short story I wrote when I decided to call myself a writer out loud was inspired by this picture: It made me think of an …