I had the pleasure of meeting agent Andy Ross at the North Colorado Writer’s Conference in the spring of 2022. He instantly became the celebrity among all who attended. His anecdotes, his part in the lunch panel, and his one-on-ones with conference goers highlighted his accessibility and his open candor on any subject in the literary world. So I had to corner him for an interview. Rod Martinez: I understand you owned Cody’s books in Berkeley. There is a lot … Read More »

The hard work we writers go through to polish that memoir, novel, short story, poem or essay is real work. It’s hard, stressful, makes us anxious, doubtful and happy – all at the same time. Those who do not write don’t appreciate the labor we struggle with but when the finished product is in their hand and the story comes alive, we become one because in the end – the words make the difference. The promise of celebrity that writers … Read More »

Rejection letters are commonplace in the world of literature. If you’ve written anything and submitted, I’m sure you have one, or two – or like me – more than you’d care to admit. Personally, I like to call rejection letters toilet paper, it’s just a little more fitting of a title, isn’t it? But I digress. When you began your trek into the world of the literary arts, you probably were sure of one thing, you’d write a masterpiece, you’d … Read More »

The first time I realized that I needed to make a Power Point presentation, I flipped out. “Giving a presentation is something for professional public speakers, teachers, ministers—people who are accustomed to orating to a mass or class of people.” At least that’s what I thought. As a writer, the idea hit home that author visits and book talks came with the territory. I was not sure how to get started. That was back in 2015. Just like with anything … Read More »

Write what you know. That is one of the clichés drilled in our heads as writers from day one. Interesting concept until you start asking questions. Like, so, do authors of serial killer novels… kill people? Are romance novelists the epitome of lovemaking? Did writers of kids books ever grow up? Sure, those are silly questions, but when we get down to it, how connected are we to our creations? And more importantly, to our characters? Is your protagonist someone … Read More »