MLV Writes

Blog of Monica Valentinelli, Writer & Content Consultant

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Family Games 100: Essay List Announced

Mar 14, 2010 9:07am

Hey folks, FAMILY GAMES: THE 100 BEST just left the printer and I’m pleased to share with you the full list of authors, games and essays. The game that I talked about was GLOOM, which is one of my favorite card games. How many of these games have you played...

Writer’s Block? Maybe it’s “Writer’s Avoidance” Behavior

Mar 10, 2010 7:00am

I was fortunate to attend a presentation given by author Kathy Steffen, who talked about ways to overcome writer’s block. One of the things she talked about was how writer’s block isn’t always a “block” of creativity, but you’re actually engaging in something she called “writer’s avoidance behavior.” I feel...

What Other Writers Can Learn from Romance Authors

Mar 4, 2010 6:00am

I joined a local romance writer's group last year and, admittedly, I was a bit nervous at first because I knew nothing about that arm of the publishing industry. Well, here we are months later and I'm very happy with my involvement with this group for several reasons......

Guest SFWA Blog Post on Website Usability and Design

Mar 3, 2010 6:00pm

Hop on over to the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America website to read my latest guest post entitled, Authors! 8 Tips For Your Website’s Usability and Design. Here’s a quote from the article: In today’s article, I’d like to share with you some tips to consider when you’re reviewing your...

Announcing the Release of THE QUEEN OF CROWS

Mar 1, 2010 9:30am

Centered around a short story entitled “The Queen Of Crows,” I designed a unique, digital product that I think you’ll really enjoy. At a retail price of $4.99, you will receive a magazine-style layout of THE QUEEN OF CROWS, a professional illustration of a character named Mahochepi and more! This product...

Guest Post: Gender Portrayals and Genres at Apex Book Company

Feb 18, 2010 10:21am

This month, I talk about Gender Portrayals and Genres over at Apex Book Company. In early science fiction and even horror, gender roles were often idealized according to the culture and the author’s views and experiences at the time the work was written. A good example of that are the...

Writing and Conventions

Feb 17, 2010 6:11am

For the past, few months I’ve been taking a serious look at my short-term and long-term goals, and I’ve come to some pretty interesting conclusions. When I look back at the projects that I have published, I realized that I have just as many that fell through the cracks due...

On Writing a Historically-Accurate Paranormal Short Story

Feb 10, 2010 12:39pm

Currently, I’m working on revisions for a short story entitled THE QUEEN OF CROWS that will be released as part of a digital product through Flames Rising Press. Set in the late 1800s, the plot revolves around a Navajo medicine man who is trying to summon a vengeance goddess called...

This Is Not Another Amazon Post

Feb 1, 2010 4:51pm

If you haven’t heard, there was a bit of an awkward business kerfluffle between Amazon and MacMillan this past weekend. No, I am not talking extensively about it other than to say that I believe we are seeing the result of what happens when people are anxious and start to...

Calculating the Cost of an E-Book

Jan 25, 2010 6:31am

I’ve had a lot of positive feedback from my previous post entitled Weighing in on E-Books, so I wanted to talk about ways to calculate the cost of an e-book. First, let’s pull some arbitrary numbers. (And by arbitrary, I mean that these are not precise figures.) Let’s say that we...