ARTICLES FOR READERS

CONVENTION SURVIVAL KIT
Getting the most out of your convention or conference.

THE TRUTH ABOUT REVIEWS
The Good, The Bad and the Really Ugly.

WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR FAVORITE AUTHORS
Did you enjoy a good book lately?

REACHING YOUR GOALS
No, you do not have to have the sticking power of super-glue and the inertia of concrete to stay committed to your goals.

A READER ROADMAP FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
Sick of reading re-hashed versions of last year's best seller? Tired of reaching page 20 of your favourite author's latest, only to realize you've read something like this before?

ADVANTAGES AND DRAWBACKS OF BOTH PAPER AND PIXEL BOOKS
Almost everyone has heard of e-books by now, even if they haven’t bought one. But readers are still resistent to them, which is a shame. They have their drawbacks -- but so do paperbacks.

I GOT BOOKS FOR CHRISTMAS
It only took an extraordinary amount of hinting.

TEENY BITS OF HEAVEN
So, after shocking the stuffing out of myself last week, I’ve been wondering how on earth it is that I manage to read so much.

TREADMILL READING
I read a lot of books while I'm on the treadmill, or the elliptical trainer.

NOVELS TASTE BETTER FROZEN
I couldn't have lived with Isaac Asimov.

PLEASE SIR, THE CAT ATE MY BOOK
It’s absolutely astonishing. I don’t think this has happened to me for …well, a good decade that I can remember.

DREAMING UP DUARDO
A reader recently asked me, "How did you ever dream up Duardo? (from Red Leopard and Black Heart).  He's such a delicious character!"

WAYS TO KILL OFF YOUR COLLECTION - AND YOUR FRIENDS
There's a scene in the movie Out of Africa, where Meryl Streep's character, Karen Blixen, is looking at books belonging to Denys Finch Hatton, and says to Berkeley Cole (and this is paraphrased from memory):"Does he lend his books?"

IT MIGHT READ BETTER IN KLINGON
One of my books, Heart of Vengeance, was released in Germany this month.  It's the first time I've had a foreign release, and it's a rather odd position to be in.

FICTION WRITERS ARE CRAZY
It always seems to set readers back on their heels when they find out I have a day job.  I can almost hear their thoughts: "Well, she can't be a real writer, if she has a day job."

THEY'RE OUT THERE, MOVING AMONGST US
Have you ever considered the humble bookmark?  It's the object that keeps your place in your book, and there's even a device called a "bookmark" designed solely for that function.

* HEY, WHERE DID ALL THE HOW-TO ARTICLES GO?
Tracy has decided to make this site a site for readers only.  The How-to articles will reappear in a new site for writers only.  Coming soon!