Ten Times Guilty is a suspense, but I also read other genres. My next novel is about a repressed woman in her forties who, after her husband dies, finally learns to live. Books are such a joy in life--the feel of them, the smell, the new worlds they open for me. And I love writers. I met several aspiring writers as well as published ones in the bookstore I owned in Denver in the 1980s and that fueled my desire to write my own. After years of lessons, an editing business, and teaching novel writing, I still found it difficult to write a successful novel. The time and effort involved was astronomical. But I, as well as other writers I know, work and work because we're a determined people. We have to write. And we should, because when one has the burning desire to create, it's for a reason. Who knows? Maybe something we have to say will touch someone else. Even in our bizarre stories--suspense, ghost, or even the serial killer stories--perhaps something we write will touch someone in a positive way. And that's a good thing.

Novel Editing & Plotting/First Chapter Analysis
Do you know the Five Essential Elements your opening chapter must have? If not, or if you feel ‘something is missing, I can help.