by kristinoakley | Jan 4, 2020 | Newsletter, Writing Life
A lot of people don’t like New Year’s resolutions but I’m not one of them. I like imagining the new year as a fresh page, a fresh beginning, an exciting time of new possibilities. Starting a new year is a great time to evaluate what has worked in the...
by kristinoakley | Jul 22, 2019 | Newsletter, Writing Life
Not that long ago, writers had only one way to get published — acquire a literary agent who would then sell the book to a publisher, the traditional route to publication. Oh sure, Charles Dickens self-published A Christmas Carol and Beatrix Potter...
by kristinoakley | Jun 7, 2019 | Newsletter, Writing Life
I’ll be going through a bit of withdrawal this weekend. It’s the Chicago Tribune’s Printers Row Literary Festival and for the first time in years, I won’t be there. Attending this wonderful two-day event was something I did with my daughters,...
by kristinoakley | May 3, 2019 | Newsletter, Writing Life
There’s a terrific website for writers called Writer Unboxed which includes articles on the craft and business of fiction written by bestselling authors and industry experts. Their newsletter is great, too. The highlight for me is a regular column by Ray Rhamey...
by kristinoakley | Mar 14, 2019 | Newsletter, Writing Life
I reference music throughout my books because readers can immediately identify with the tunes and the melodies establish moods which add essential elements to the setting. Additionally, when I wrote Carpe Diem, Illinois, musical ringtones were popular so I included...
by kristinoakley | Feb 5, 2019 | Newsletter, Writing Life
Last Saturday was a tough day for me. In Print, a professional writers’ organization in the Rockford area, an organization I’d helped create and presided over as president for many years, met for the last time. In September of 2010, Mary Lamphere, Kathleen...
