Designing Meaning: Creating the Cover for The Epic of Lost Immortality

One of my favorite parts of working with authors is translating a story’s deeper meaning into a single image. A good book cover doesn’t just decorate a book—it interprets it. Recently I had the opportunity to design the cover for The Epic of Lost Immortality, a novel by Bernard Langs. This project became a fascinating exercise in assembling fragments of historical imagery and symbolism to reflect the psychological depth of the story. The final design … Read more

The Problem with “There Was” Sentences

One of the easiest ways to weaken a sentence is to begin it with “There was” or “There were” or “There is.” These sentence openings rely on a placeholder instead of leading with the person, object, or action that actually matters. While this structure isn’t always wrong, frequent use creates slow, indirect prose and hides the real subject of the sentence. Consider this example from the world of Pinocchio: There was a boy standing in … Read more

Unlock Your Business’s Potential: The Power of Publishing Your First Book

Have you ever considered writing a book but felt overwhelmed by the idea? As a business owner, you already possess a wealth of knowledge and experience that can be shared with a broader audience. Publishing a book is not just about telling your story or sharing your expertise; it’s a powerful tool that can elevate your business to new heights. Here’s why you should take the plunge and how you can make the process smoother. … Read more

Stop Explaining the Emotion: A Practical Guide to Show vs. Tell

One of the most persistent writing problems is the habit of explaining emotional meaning after already showing it. Writers often don’t trust the reader. So they dramatize an event…and then translate it. That second step is usually where the problem lives. Let’s break it down. What “Telling” Really Looks Like Most writers think telling means: She was sad.He was angry. That’s obvious telling. But most modern manuscripts don’t look that blunt. Instead, telling sneaks in … Read more

52 Weeks of Victorious Aging – A Gift of Health, Wisdom, and Encouragement

Some books are meant to entertain. Others are meant to strengthen you. 52 Weeks of Victorious Aging does both. Written by Dr. Martha Lucas, this book offers 52 practical, achievable actions designed to help readers create a healthier, happier life as the years advance. Each week focuses on one manageable step—no overwhelm, no extreme overhauls—just consistent, sustainable choices rooted in experience and wisdom. I had the privilege of illustrating this book, bringing visual warmth and … Read more

The Problem with “It Was” Sentences

One of the easiest ways to weaken a sentence is to begin it with “It was.” Writers use this structure constantly in early drafts because it feels natural while telling a story. Unfortunately, sentences that begin with “It was” often delay the real subject of the sentence and drain energy from the prose. Instead of presenting a clear image or action, the sentence introduces a vague placeholder. Consider the difference. It was strange for Pinocchio … Read more

Stop Jerking Your Reader Around: Why Emotional Continuity Matters More Than Big Moments

There is a silent craft problem that ruins otherwise promising novels. It’s not grammar or plot or even structure. It’s emotional discontinuity. This happens when the emotional state of a story resets or shifts abruptly without cause, processing, or consequence. It occurs when scenes follow each other logically in terms of plot, but not organically in terms of feeling. The events may connect on paper, yet the emotional thread between them is missing. In emotionally … Read more

Metrosexual Humpty Dumpty: Character Design in Ink

Meet Metrosexual Humpty Dumpty—mustached, scarfed, booted, and absolutely unbothered by the zombie apocalypse. This simple ink outline character began as part of my Zombies in the Nursery series, where familiar childhood icons are dropped into wildly inappropriate horror situations. In his story, Humpty doesn’t just fall off a wall—he unintentionally saves the day when zombies invade a royal birthday parade. It’s dark, ridiculous, and exactly the kind of storytelling playground I love to explore. What … Read more

How Writing a Book Can Fuel Your Business Growth

Have you ever considered how writing a book could help your business thrive? While it may seem like an unconventional strategy, the truth is that writing a book can be a powerful tool for business growth. By strategically planning and creating a book that offers meaningful and valuable content, you can position yourself as an authority in your industry, attract new clients, and increase revenue. In this article, we will delve into the ways in … Read more

When Your Supporting Character Starts Stealing the Show: How POV Drift Weakens Your Protagonist (and How to Stop It)

There’s a quiet problem I see in developing manuscripts all the time. It doesn’t show up in grammar. It doesn’t show up in plot summaries. It doesn’t even show up in outlines. It shows up on the page. Your supporting character is stealing the story. You didn’t mean for it to happen. You still believe your protagonist is the main character. But somewhere along the way, emotional gravity shifted. And now the wrong character owns … Read more

Why Writing for 8–10 Year Old Readers Is Not the Same as Writing for Adults

One of the biggest misunderstandings new writers have is assuming that children read and process stories the same way adults do—just with simpler words. They don’t. Writing for younger readers requires different structural decisions, not just lighter language. How Younger Readers Experience Stories Readers aged 8–10: They are still developing the ability to: This is not a limitation—it’s a developmental reality. Why Adult Techniques Don’t Translate Techniques that work in adult fiction often fail for … Read more

When Horror Collage Becomes a Book Cover (and Why It’s Harder Than It Looks)

Every once in a while, a piece of art accidentally turns into something else. This cover is a perfect example. This is not a published book. It’s a sample cover, created to show how my horror collage work naturally lends itself to book cover design—especially for dark fantasy, horror, and supernatural fiction. Moody lighting, narrative tension, strong focal imagery… all the ingredients are already there. And yes, this cover was created in Canva. Before anyone … Read more

Tiny Canvases, Big Ideas: My Hilma-Inspired Miniature Abstract Paintings

Sometimes the most interesting creative experiments happen on the smallest surfaces. These tiny 3 x 3 inch abstract paintings were created during a short burst of studio experimentation where I focused on color, symbolism, and simple geometric forms. The inspiration behind the series comes from the bold visual language of Hilma af Klint, whose work explored spiritual symbolism, geometry, and color relationships long before abstract art became widely recognized. While these paintings aren’t direct copies … Read more

The Importance of Editing and Proofreading in Self-Publishing: How to Polish Your Manuscript to Perfection

So, you’ve finished your manuscript. Congratulations! That’s a huge accomplishment. But before you hit that “publish” button, there’s one critical step you must take: editing and proofreading. In the world of self-publishing, where you’re responsible for every aspect of your book’s production, ensuring your manuscript is polished and error-free is essential for success. Why Editing and Proofreading Are Crucial Editing and proofreading are more than just correcting typos and grammatical errors. These processes ensure your … Read more

Why Stories Need One Protagonist (and Why Supporting Characters Should Stay Supporting)

One of the most common structural mistakes new writers make is confusing importance with point of view. Just because a character plays a significant role in the story does not mean they should carry POV. In fact, giving POV to too many characters—especially in books for younger readers—often weakens the story instead of strengthening it. At the heart of this issue is a misunderstanding of what a protagonist actually is. What a Protagonist Does A … Read more

How to Fix POV: Why Omniscient Openings Break Your Story (and How to Fix Them)

One of the most common point-of-view mistakes in fiction happens right at the beginning of a chapter. Writers often slip into third person omniscient without realizing it, especially when trying to introduce characters quickly or establish mood. The result is usually subtle—but damaging. Readers feel distance instead of immersion, confusion instead of clarity, and a sense that the story is being summarized rather than experienced. Let’s look at why this happens and how to fix … Read more

Choosing Point of View Characters: Why Fewer POVs Make a Stronger Story

One of the most common mistakes new fiction writers make isn’t sentence-level craft or weak dialogue—it’s choosing too many point-of-view characters. Adding POVs often feels like depth. In reality, it usually creates confusion, weakens the protagonist, and fractures the story’s emotional core. Choosing POV characters is not about fairness or variety; it’s about story leadership. Let’s talk about how to choose POV characters intentionally—and why restraint matters. POV Is Narrative Power When you give a … Read more

Floppy Flowers: When Shapes Refuse to Behave

Every once in a while, I make something that feels like it has absolutely no interest in following rules. This is one of those pieces. Floppy Flowers started as a simple geometric exploration—circles, curves, repeated shapes, a color palette that felt balanced and intentional. But somewhere along the way, it stopped behaving like a clean, structured design and started leaning into something a little… weirder. The forms began to feel soft. Flexible. Almost alive. Not … Read more

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