The August issue of The Atlantic has an extensive article on how few people are reading books. The Atlantic I don’t subscribe to The Atlantic, so I couldn’t read the full article, but I started looking for other articles on the subject. There are many. I’m going to highlight a few and if […] [ ... ]
Whether you’re an author or employed at a job that demands a lot of time sitting and typing on a computer, after a while your body starts to complain. I know. The older I get, the more areas let me know they’re not happy with what I’ve been doing. People have told me to break […] [ ... ]
Remember the dime paperback? No? Well, in addition to costing a lot more than a dime today, they’re being phased out. Publishers won’t be publishing them and stores won’t be display them. I’m sure you’ll find them in stores for a while, but that compact paperback you used to be able to fit in the […] [ ... ]
I’ve been blogging about scams and so have other writers. It’s amazing. They promise they’ll help a writer with key words that will bring more sales; promise to provide categories that will give the book more exposure; pretend to be a well-known writer asking for a favor; and say they’re an agent who will get […] [ ... ]
Early April I wrote a blog about updating the past Here. Well, I’m halfway through retyping the book and I’ve run into an interesting problem. Link, my male main character, is a man who would buy and drive a flashy, expensive car. In the original version of CHASE THE DREAM, he drives a Jaguar. I […] [ ... ]
Last Saturday, May 2, 2026, I was a panel member on the MiSinC webinar discussing “How to Kill it at a Conference.” Alia Neaton was our moderator (she did a great job), and the other panel members were: Dianne Freeman, Elizabeth Haines, Cheryl Smith, and Suja Sukamar. Each panel member was introduced, then Alia asked […] [ ... ]
Most writers who self-publish use Amazon, D2D (Draft2Digital), or NOOKPress (BarnesandNoble). Recently I’ve seen blogs about the changes D2D and Barnes&Noble are making in May. Rather than repeat what those bloggers have written, I’ll summarize the key points and, if you’re interested, you can check out D2D Here and/or Barnes&Noble (NookPress) Here. So far I […] [ ... ]
I’ve decided to republish CHASE THE DREAM, my contemporary romantic suspense that Loveswept published in 1998. CHASE THE DREAM was a finalist for the RITA in 1999 and one of the last Loveswepts published before the line closed., CHASE THE DREAM clearly shows how I was transforming from a romance writer to a mystery/suspense […] [ ... ]
Before I go into Metadata and Key Words, I want to remind everyone that March 30, 2026 is the last day to file a claim in the the Anthropic Class Action Case. If you haven’t already filed a claim, go to Check list of books and see if any of your published books are […] [ ... ]
Last month I concentrated on submitting TWO JADE BRACELETS to small U.S. publishers who didn’t require an agent. I found 12 publisher that met my criteria. I thought what I would do was send a query to each but quickly discovered each wanted a different amount of information and contact method. Only two used Query […] [ ... ]
The past couple weeks have really been fun for me. On Wednesday, February 11, I was a guest at Annette Briggs house where I met with six members of her book club. They had chosen THRILL OF THE CHASE, my 1995 Loveswept to read. As I mentioned in my last blog, I had a difficult […] [ ... ]
A few weeks ago, a writer friend called and said her book club was going to read THRILL OF THE CHASE, one of my Loveswept Romances. She wanted to know if I had some extra copies; they were having trouble finding any. So I looked. When we first moved into this condo, I put copies […] [ ... ]
During the Michigan Sisters in Crime meeting this month the subject of conferences came up: was anyone going to a conference this year? Had anyone been to (different conferences name)? Was it worth it? Over the years, I’ve been to most of the major romance and mystery conferences. Some were better than others, but none […] [ ... ]
PENNIES The last pennies were minted on November 12. 2025/ That ended 230 years of production. No more penny candy. (Is there any candy that cheap nowadays?) No more, “If you want my two cents.” Businesses are going to price items so the amounts either end in 5 or 0, that or round up or […] [ ... ]
It’s been an interesting year. AI is really having an impact on the publishing world. I’m now part of (a very small part) a class action suit where writers’ published works have been used to train AI. It will be interesting to see if I get any money from that. And, I hate to admit […] [ ... ]
It’s Smashwords’ 2025 End of Year Sale! My P.J. Benson mysteries (the Crow books) are included in the sale along with Echoes of Terror, and two romances: Lyons Pride and Heiress Seeking Perfect Husband. I wish I had more books with Smashwords, but I fell behind the two years my husband and I decided to […] [ ... ]
I hope everyone reading this either has a wonderful Thanksgiving tomorrow or had one (if you’re reading this after Thanksgiving Day). This is one holiday I really enjoy. Family and sometimes friends get together to share a meal and conversation. We split cooking responsibilities with family groups (married or dating) bringing appetizers, salad, vegetables, potatoes, […] [ ... ]
In my last blog I warned readers not to be scammed. Over the last two months I’ve received emails from “publishers” and marketing specialist offering to help me sell more books. To be honest, I love reading their emails. They love my books. For example, this is the opening paragraph from the As the […] [ ... ]
Several blogs have been written and warnings sent out regarding scams. I’ve received one. Here’s the opening paragraph: Congratulations on publishing As the Crow Flies! P.J. Benson’s adventures, from unexpected dangers to the humor of her Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy, make for a captivating and entertaining read. I love how you balance suspense, mystery, and character-driven […] [ ... ]
Why should you copyright your book? The Copyright Act of 1976 stated that in the United States any creative work (writings, music, drama, etc) is copyrighted the moment it is created. So why should writers pay money to copyright their work? Some would say having an “official” copyright makes suing a plagiarizer easier, that you […] [ ... ]