"I'm an intuitive writer. As I write, the characters reveal themselves." - Elizabeth Mirasol Also featuring Jessica Nettles and Sheela Chattopadhyay. #writingcommunity #amwriting #writerslift seanhtaylor.blogspot.com/2025/09/the-...

"I was deployed to Iraq in 2003, and I’d always wanted to write a story about what would happen if the game of chess came to life, so I did." - Darin Kennedy seanhtaylor.blogspot.com/2025/10/dari...

Because a writer is only as good as the next book, I have compiled & am editing the followup to Giddy and Euphoric. It's currently titled My Barbaric Yawp: More Essays on Writing and Reading. Expect a surprise writer for the introduction. #amwriting #writingcommunity #writerslift

"...they become a favorite more because I learn something from them. I become a better writer because I read them. They influence, nay, infect me with their work." #writingcommunity #amwriting #writerslift seanhtaylor.blogspot.com/2025/10/what...

Saddened to hear of the death of the great Dame Patricia Routledge. Thank you for the laughs and great characters. Keep answering that slimline phone, Hyacinth Bucket (Bouquet).

Hey folks! If you're in the Lawrenceville/Gwinnett area this weekend, come by and say hello. Buy a book even!

Bad Girls, Good Guys, and Two-Fisted Action: Queer Eye for the Crime Tale seanhtaylor.blogspot.com/2025/09/quee...

"As far as subjects, every aspect of every creature in my books comes from some lore in the world." -- Eli Rainwater Books #writingcommunity #amwriting #writerslift #author #writers seanhtaylor.blogspot.com/2025/09/eli-...

"When I was 12, I wrote short stories to help me deal with those feelings of pre-pubescent helplessness. It was comforting to have a world where I controlled everything." - Seth Tucker seanhtaylor.blogspot.com/2025/08/seth...

Bad Girls, Good Guys, and Two-Fisted Action: My Dragon*Con schedule! seanhtaylor.blogspot.com/2025/08/my-d...

You'll be there, right? (Spelled correctly this time.) acworthtourism.org/events/acwor...

Bad Girls, Good Guys, and Two-Fisted Action: Edward McKeown: To See Something Is Possible "I devoured most of the SF books that I truly enjoyed and then wanted more. So I started writing what I wanted to read." seanhtaylor.blogspot.com/2025/08/edwa...

You'll be there, right? acworthtourism.org/events/acwor...

Just sent a note to the folks who do James Rubel's estate, asking what it would take to obtain permission to write a new adventure featuring his female detective, Eli Donovan, who appeared in only 1 book, 1 of my favorite mystery novels, No Business for a Lady. #amwriting #writingcommunity #hopeful

"Surprising, right? Most people just assume that I've written novels with 35 years of professional writing behind me, but no, my career has primarily been in short stories with a few novelettes and even fewer novellas." #writingcommunity seanhtaylor.blogspot.com/2025/07/miss...

A little more than 65k words, folks, and that is a novel in the can. Well, the first draft anyway. You'd believe the pride and excitement I feel right now. I made a goal to finish the novel in the 8 weeks of summer, and I did it. Viva la me! #writingcommunity #writerslift #amwriting #authors

Haven't heard of this trend. Is this on your radar, fellow writers? Seems counterproductive to me.

I start back to school Thursday, fyi.

In case you don't realize the magnitude of the joy I'm experiencing, I gave myself a goal to write a novel during summer break. I'm a teacher & I get roughly 8 weeks of summer. I have 1 more chapter plus the denouement to go, & I am on target to have all that finished by EOD Wednesday. #amwriting

"Crazy, but that's how it goes Millions of people living as foes Maybe it's not too late To learn how to love and forget how to hate"

Beta readers should have received chapters 3-4 today. Check your inbox.

If you've asked, "Hey, where can I find a playlist of all of Sean's Book Talk videos?", here's your answer. This playlist will grow as the videos continue to proliferate and take over the earth. Go to the new URL: book-talk.us

*Not actual cover. I like to make mock-ups to keep me excited about and focused on the hard work of writing. Trust me. It helps me as part of my process. #writingcommunity #author #writers #amwriting #writerslift

5k words 2day. That brings the novel to 60k+. 1 chapter to go for the big conclusion. Then 1 denouement chapter. (1 of the cozy tropes I'm keeping.) Should be done by EOD Wed. before I start school on Thurs. That way, I can say I knocked out the novel in two months like I had hoped to. #amwriting

105 pages of edits entered. Back to writing tomorrow. I've got three days to finish this first draft before school starts.

I did it. I hit 55,000 words on the novel. That's 30,000 words for the week, actually achieving my goal for the private writing retreat. Roughly 12,000 more to go. The final act has begun and our poor heroine finds herself in hot water. But I'm not saying more. That would be "spoilers darling."

5,000 words today. That brings the total to 53,000. So close to the 65-70k mark I can almost taste it. We're zoom-zooming our way into the final act now. Let's just hope our dear Miss Jordan Baker can keep herself and her friends safe.

Okay, ladies and gents and all shades in between. I have arrived at the 48,000-word mark on the novel, so I'm calling it a night. That's 6000 words for the day, and I feel like they were all good words. #writingcommunity #writerslift #amwriting

"This refusal of Americans to feel free to talk openly about sex and sexuality has led to repression — women, queer, POC, and most especially of sex workers, who ...rarely appear in crime fiction as anything more dimensional than a stereotype"- Greg Herren seanhtaylor.blogspot.com/2025/07/sex-...

Mission accomplished. The novel is now at 42,001 words. That means I can go to bed now. #amwriting #writingcommunity #writerslift

Quick note. If after I follow you back I get an immediate DM that sounds like a bot, I will just as immediately unfollow and in some cases block.

Not quite 35k words, but I did make it to 34k, so I feel good about my progress. Tomorrow's goal is another 7-8k, and that'll keep me on target. I figure hitting 55k by Friday should be completely doable, leaving a mere 10-15k to finish next week before school starts again.

Okay, folks. Tomorrow I'm sending out chapters 1 and 2 to beta readers. I've got you on the list already if I've already contacted you. Who else wanted to join the beta readers group? Several folks "liked" the previous post but didn't comment about being added, so I wasn't sure.

Reminding myself that the only thing a first draft has to do is exist. It doesn't have to be perfect or even good right now.

3400 words so far today. Want to hit another 3500 tonight. The goal is another 30k by the end of Friday to bring the novel to 55K so I can finish the first draft next week back at home. Aiming for 65-70k words total when done. #amwriting #novel #writingcommunity #writerslift *not cover image

The hardest thing for me was to grow old with a group of people who were weaned on The Beatles, All You Need Is Love, Lennon's, Imagine and Neil Diamond's, Coming To America and then watch them jump off the cliff of sanity into the batshit rodeo of a sadistic senile, Carnival Barker...

That vacation view.

Well, it's midnight, but I made it. The novel is past the 25k word mark, like I wanted to be by tonight. It's 25,225 to be technical about it. Yay! Go me. Now I need to rest and let my brain relax.

Knocked out 3500 words on the novel today. That brings me to 22,000 words total. I'm going to try to write another 3,000 tonight. I'd really like to close the day at the 25,000 word mark.

Only a little more than 1,000 words today, but my brain isn't wanting to cooperate. May hop back on the computer later tonight to knock out another 2,000. Still, it's progress, and finally Jordan had a day without stumbling across a body. #writingcommunity #amwriting #wip #writerslift

Creativity is nonlinear. If you're stuck on a story you're writing, skip ahead! You're writing to emotion so don't get bogged down in set-up. Too many get trapped there in the belief they have to write TO the scene they envision. No! Write THE scene. Then go back and set it up. #amwriting

I don't know well a mystery that unites cozy tropes and hardboiled/noir sensibilities is going to be received, but so far, it has been incredibly fun to write. #writingcommunity #writerslift #amwriting #crimefiction #mysteryfiction

4k words today. Time for the pause button again. That brings the novel to 17k plus words, almost a third of the way done. Two bodies in, and our dear Miss Baker just accepted a new caddy. Let's hope that doesn't come back to hurt her. #wip

Another 3k words today. We'll click the pause button for now.

Coming up in August!