The fancy first letter that differs from the rest of the text in a book has always been something I admire while reading a novel. I knew little about it, including what it was called or how it was done. When I started making formatting decisions for The Funny Side, I wanted to use that… Continue reading The drop cap.
Author: Writing Sparkle
An update over virtual coffee.
Welcome to book review nineteen of fifty-three for this year’s virtual coffee shares. I’ve picked books related to the Brewing Coffee, Twisting Words & Breaking Pencils theme—coffee, books, and puzzles. Murder at a Cape Book Store Author Maddie DayPublished on August 22, 2023Publisher is Kensington CoziesAvailable in Kindle, Audio, Paperback, and Mass Market (288 pages)Private… Continue reading An update over virtual coffee.
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What? Coffee in May already?
Welcome to book review eighteen of fifty-three for this year’s virtual coffee shares. I’ve picked books that are related to the theme here at Brewing Coffee, Twisting Words & Breaking Pencils—coffee, books, and puzzles. Puzzle BoxAuthor Lisa AdairPublished in February 2023Publisher is FriesenPressAvailable in eBook (266 pages), Hardcover, and PaperbackMystery (Kindle Store) | Mystery (Books)… Continue reading What? Coffee in May already?
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Zaffer
Zaffer. This is a sneak peek word. What is zaffer? Google defines it as “impure cobalt oxide, formerly used to make smalt and blue enamels.” (sourced March 22, 2025) All I am going to say is that it has something to do with the magic system in the new fantasy series I am working on.… Continue reading Zaffer
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Year for a writer
I attended a webinar: “Hit Your Author Goals in 2022: 4 Strategies to Transform Your Business and Book Sales.” This was the first time I heard anybody speak about setting author goals. Writing a business plan and setting author goals was presented as something many authors fail to do. I didn’t start writing a business… Continue reading Year for a writer
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X-ray view or, in this case, a peak behind the scenes
As I settle into my office to write, I will share this picture of my workspace. This is one place where this writing magic occurs. Here is a behind-the-scenes look at my creative process for the new urban fantasy series I’m world-building. I set this series in a fictional location. However, my inspiration for that… Continue reading X-ray view or, in this case, a peak behind the scenes
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Writing Milestones
Google defines a milestone as “an action or event marking a significant change or stage in development.” (sourced March 20, 2025) Some writing milestones: The first completed piece of writing. Sharing a piece or pieces of writing. The first feedback. The first public sharing like an online publication. The first lengthy piece of writing is… Continue reading Writing Milestones
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Visual Content
Prequel Book 1 Book 2 Book 3 The Ember Files Images created using Bookbrush. I wrote this post for letter V of the 2025 A-to-Z blogging challenge.
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My favourite: coffee, books, and puzzles.
Welcome to book review seventeen of fifty-three for this year’s virtual coffee shares. I’ve picked books related to the theme at Brewing Coffee, Twisting Words & Breaking Pencils—coffee, books, and puzzles. Death by EspressoAuthor Alex EricksonPublished in June 2018Publisher is KensingtonAvailable in eBook, Audio, Audio CD, and Mass Market (288 pages)Private Investigator Mysteries (Books) |… Continue reading My favourite: coffee, books, and puzzles.
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Upcoming events
I was hoping to share one of ProWritingAids’ online conferences, but they have nothing on the events calendar yet. I attended Fantasy Writer’s Week twice and Crime Writer’s Week and I enjoyed both. If you are interested, you can click the image to watch for these events. May:Intro to Copyediting in 2025 hosted by Editors… Continue reading Upcoming events
Brewing Coffee, Twisting Words & Breaking Pencils 