The stats are clear: the majority of people who work in publishing, including editors, are white. When I first started out as an author, nobody questioned whether or not someone could write something. I had a series with three protagonists that was sold to a New York publisher. My protagonists? A woman, a man and...
Author: S Ruttan (S Ruttan)
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Friday’s Forgotten Books: Tribal Screams by Owl Goingback
There are a number of short stories gathered in this horror collection, and they cover a wide range of subject matter. Like the best horror stories, they offer a mix of catalysts, problems and outcomes, and they are all distinct and captivating. Whether you’re reading about a young man who is doing something foolish in...
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… until then …
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Friday’s Forgotten Books: Chills by Mary SanGiovanni
Chills is the first book in the Kathy Ryan series by Mary SanGiovanni, and it skips over some of the usual trappings of a debut series novel and gets right down to business. A freak snowstorm is wreaking havoc in late May. The town of Colby may be in Connecticut, but this is still far...
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Review: The Hag Witch of Tripp Creek by Somer Canon
Dawna and John Temple have moved to West Virginia from Pittsburgh to slow the pace of their lives and reclaim John’s health. As they get to know their new home, Dawna finds herself walking down a country road, not far from her house. She sees a sign warning her of a witch on the other...
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Friday’s Forgotten Books: Yellow Line by Sylvia Olsen
In 2005’s Yellow Line, Vince knows his place. Stick with your own kind. Don’t mix. Not on the bus, not in school. And when you date, you’d better stick to your own kind, too. Vince’s home is divided between Native persons and white people. It’s important to note this book was published in 2005. Given...
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Friday’s Forgotten Books: The Ocean at The End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
I liked myths. They weren’t adult stories and they weren’t children’s stories. They were better than that. They just were. Adult stories never made sense, and they were so slow to start. They made me feel like there were secrets. Masonic, mythic secrets to adulthood. Why didn’t adults want to read about Narnia, about secret...
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A Million Reasons for Rejections
There are a lot of different reasons why editors (or agents) decide to pass on a written work. Often, writers can glean from insights offered in personal rejections that address the specific reasons why the editor decided to pass on their submission. Providing personal rejections is time-consuming, however, and not all writers are receptive to...
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Dialogue Tags and Punctuation
One of the most common technical writing issues that appears in manuscripts is improper use of dialogue tags. This frequently coincides with incorrect punctuation for dialogue. Since most novels contain a significant amount of dialogue, this can represent hours of required editing to prepare a manuscript for publication. Learning how to properly present dialogue can...
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Friday’s Forgotten Books: The Resurrectionist by Wrath James White
The Resurrectionist is a horror story by Wrath James White. It is primarily split between two narratives. One follows Dale McCarthy, who has an unusual power and a disturbed mind. He can bring the dead back to life, and his ability intertwines with his perverse desire to kill over and over again so that he...