About twenty years ago, Terry Brooks gave Tracy and me a piece of advice that has stuck with me ever since. Read outside your genre. He was talking to us as writers. His point was that if you read nothing but the sort of books you write, sooner or later you start breathing your own
The Other Side of the Bookstore Read More »
Last week, I declared August 31 New Year’s Eve. There were school supplies involved. Fresh notebooks. New pencils. That strange feeling I’ve never quite lost that September is when one year ends and another begins. It was a lovely idea. There was, however, one small problem with declaring September the start of the New Year.
Resolutions for the Rest of the Year Read More »
Tomorrow is September 1. Which means today is New Year’s Eve. Not the official one, obviously. Nobody is going to stand outside tonight in twenty-degree weather wearing a stupid hat and counting backward from ten. There probably won’t be champagne. Ryan Seacrest is unlikely to turn up. And if somebody starts singing Auld Lang Syne,
The Other New Year’s Eve Read More »
August may look quiet from the outside, but behind the scenes authors are tending stories the way gardeners tend their plants—patiently preparing for the season ahead.
The Dog Days of an Author’s Summer Read More »
Some writing obstacles aren’t plot problems or lack of inspiration—they’re upholstered. After unexpectedly finishing an entire chapter of Fall From Grace in a single day, I discovered the biggest difference wasn’t my writing. It was where I sat. The recliner I’d always considered a harmless pre-writing stop had quietly become the world’s most comfortable procrastination machine.
The Recliner Is Not My Friend Read More »
A thriller writer’s Google search history can look alarmingly criminal—especially when questions about silencers, DNA and extradition sit beside tomato varieties, bitter cucumbers and homemade hummus.
My Google Search History Should Probably Come with a Lawyer Read More »
Some of the most important things in life begin as something small and uncertain. A packet of seeds. A first chapter. A conversation. Standing in the garden this spring, watching green shoots push through the soil, reminded me that growth is often invisible until suddenly it isn’t—and that the things we plant today may become far more than we ever imagined.
The Things We Plant Read More »
Some years are quieter than others. Some years are meant for rest.
And some years? Some years hand you a shovel, a wheelbarrow, and a horizon full of work worth doing.
In this reflective new post, Mark Posey writes about turning sixty, building twenty raised garden beds, rebuilding the future of Stories Rule Press, and why this season of life feels less about chasing and more about building — steadily, patiently, one load of compost at a time.
The Year of the Horse Read More »
This weekend, I’m trading the keyboard for lumber, screws, and soil as I builds twenty raised beds in the backyard. There’s a quiet satisfaction in work you can see at the end of the day—and a surprising connection between gardening and writing. Both are acts of optimism: you do the work now, trust the process, and hope something good will grow.
Twenty Raised Beds and the Quiet Joy of Starting Something Read More »
Mark takes a moment to brag — loudly and unapologetically — about Tracy’s incredible achievement: completing the thirteen-book Once and Future Hearts series and preparing its exclusive hardcover Kickstarter. From behind-the-scenes glimpses to outright spousal pride, this post celebrates the epic scope of the project and why the upcoming campaign is such a milestone.
A Little Marital Bragging (Okay, Maybe a Lot) Read More »
Mark’s desk is overflowing with thrillers, Jacobine adventures, anthology deadlines, and even a dash of erotica. Add in a Kickstarter campaign, real-world book selling, and you’ve got the “good kind of busy.” Coffee recommended.
Juggling Chainsaws (and Books) Read More »