#WriterWednesday with Doug Lawrence

I’d like to welcome Doug Lawrence to the blog for #WriterWednesday!

Things you need for your writing sessions: I need a creative environment to work within. I did a private writing retreat one time that seemed to work alright. I was able to write 30-40 pages of content.

Things that hamper your writing: Trying to write in a place where there are too many distractions.

A few of your favorite things: My favorite thing is my laptop. I would break into a cold sweat without it. I took a short break and went to visit a dear friend for a week. I was without email and other things for a few days and I was panicking. Sounds funny but it was stressful.

Things you need to throw out: I have two closets of clothes that I need to cull out. I also had some food in the pantry that needs to go. I had a friend who was kind enough to help me purge some of the stuff but we could do more. It is like a new beginning.

Favorite foods: I like steak and mushrooms

Things that make you want to gag: Liver and onions. I can handle the onions, but the liver is definitely off limits.

Something you’re really good at: Mentoring others to help them grow personally and professionally. That would include help with their healing journey from mental health and grief related issues.

Something you’re really bad at: I wouldn’t say I was bad at something. I would say that I had room to grow. Using negative connotations doesn’t improve things.

Last best thing you ate: Schnitzel

Last thing you regret eating: Liver and onions

Favorite places you’ve been: Dubai

Places you never want to go to again: Shanghai

People you’d like to invite to dinner: Ken Blanchard or Oprah Winfrey

People you’d cancel dinner on: I can’t think of anyone off the top of my head. I would look at this as an opportunity to learn more about someone and to also learn something more about myself.

Best thing you’ve ever done: Mentor a young entrepreneur with mental health challenges

Biggest mistake: Allowing a mentee to not be accountable for her mentoring sessions. Only happened once and that was the last time.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: Zip line in Mexico

Something you chickened out from doing: Bungie cord jumping

About Doug:

Doug Lawrence is the founder of TalentC® and Co-founder of the International Mentoring Community (IMC).  Doug has achieved the highest level of Mentoring certification – The Certificate of Practice - Journey Mentor (IMC). Currently, he alone holds this certification.

Serving as a Staff Sargent in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) for 25 years, Doug retired in 1999. He is a volunteer mentor with the Sir Richard Branson Entrepreneur Program in the Caribbean and with the American Corporate Partners in the United States working with military personnel in their transition from military life to civilian life.

Doug through research has determined that there is a role for mentoring as a support for those struggling with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and grief. His experience in law enforcement coupled with working with people suffering from PTSD has afforded him a unique view of mentoring, mental health and grief. In addition, Doug’s mentoring practice utilizes Effective Mentoring Processes, his system to help people on their mental health healing journey.

Doug works with people who are struggling with their healing journey. Doug lost his wife, Debra to cancer in 2021 and has since devoted his life to helping others with their healing journey.

Doug began his Mentoring Practice in 2009. He is an international speaker, mentor and international bestselling author: The Gift of Mentoring (2014), You Are Not Alone (2022), and is launching Grief - The Silent Pandemic in 2025.

Let’s Be Social:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/doug.lawrence.1610/

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/douglawrence-mentor

Twitter: @DougLawrenceJM

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE4YC1GkfHrQtFYgYrf8baQ

Website: https://www.talentc.ca

Book: “You Are Not Alone” - Amazon: https://amzn.to/3QcCa1a

15 Ideas for Social Media Book Marketing Posts

What do I post on my social media pages that isn’t the same old same old '“buy my book”? Here are some ideas to mix it up a bit:

1. Design a graphic that invites reminds readers to recommend your book to their book clubs.

2. Find non-bookish hooks in your book and advertise the connections to folks with similar interests. For instance, my sleuth Delanie Fitzgerald lives in a Sears Catalog House from the 1940s. I found several fan groups online, and one featured my book in their club’s newsletter.

3. Create graphics that highlight real places in your novel.

4. Make a post that has your book cover and the key information and invite people to recommend your book their library.

5. Highlight or introduce readers to your minor characters.

6. Make a post that features the animals in your story.

7. Find a website (like brownielocks.com) that has a calendar of fun holidays. Find several that relate to your book and create a post.

8. Create an announcement that’s eye catching to post a few days before your newsletter goes out and include the link to sign up. (Play up on the FOMA - ‘Fraid of Missing Out.)

9. Think of five or ten things about your character and make a series of memes to introduce him or her to your social media audience.

10. If your main character has a hobby, highlight that in a post. If he or she cooks, post a recipe.

11. Take pictures of yourself doing research or visiting real places in your book. These make fun posts.

12. Take pictures of your pets with your books.

13. Ask readers to send you pictures when they see your books in “the wild.” Collect these and make a collage of where your book has been.

14. Take your book with you on trips and take pictures of it in different locations.

15. Collect reviews and quotes from readers about your books. These make good graphics.

What would you add to my list?

#ThisorThatThursday with donalee Moulton

I’d like to welcome donalee Moulton back to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

Favorite thing to do when you have free time: Absolutely nothing

The thing you’ll always move to the bottom of your to do list: Vacuuming

Things you need when you’re in your writing cave: A lovely drink like a decaf mocha and a treat like warm chocolate chip cookies

Things that distract you from writing: Usually the doorbell and my husband

Hardest thing about being a writer: Writing

Easiest thing about being a writer: Not writing

Things you will run to the store for at midnight: Mango ice cream

Things you never put on your shopping list: Lima beans

Favorite snacks: Chester’s corn twists and most anything chocolate

Things that make you want to gag: snails, almonds, furballs

Something you wanted to be when you were a kid: lawyer

Something you do that you never dreamed you’d do: started my own business

Something you wish you could do: be a lethal weapon

Something you wish you’d never learned to do: vacuum

Last best thing you ate: Lemon posset pudding made by my friend George

Last thing you regret eating: Vegan lasagna (and that was more than a year ago)

Things to say to an author: Thank you

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: You made a mistake

The most exciting thing about your writing life: Holding the finished product

The one thing you wish you could do over in your writing life: Start earlier

The nicest thing a reader said to you: I loved it when… and then they recount a scene

The craziest thing a reader said to you: There’s a typo on page 243.

Recommendations for curing writer’s block: Write. It sounds so simple. It isn’t.

Things you do to avoid writing: We don’t have enough room to list everything.

About donalee:

donalee Moulton’s first mystery book Hung out to Die was published in 2023. A historical mystery, Conflagration!, was published in 2024. It won the 2024 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense (Historical Fiction). donalee has two new books coming out in 2025, Bind and Melt, the first in a new series, the Lotus Detective Agency.

A short story “Swan Song” was one of 21 selected for publication in Cold Canadian Crime. It was shortlisted for an Award of Excellence. Other short stories have been published in numerous anthologies and magazines. donalee’s short story “Troubled Water” was shortlisted for a 2024 Derringer Award and a 2024 Award of Excellence from the Crime Writers of Canada. 

donalee is an award-winning freelance journalist. She has written articles for print and online publications across North America including The Globe and Mail, Chatelaine, Lawyer’s Daily, National Post, and Canadian Business.

As well, donalee is the author of The Thong Principle: Saying What You Mean and Meaning What You Say and co-authored the book, Celebrity Court Cases: Trials of the Rich and Famous.

Let’s Be Social:

Website: donaleemoulton.com 

Amazon Author URL: amazon.com/author/donaleemoulton

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/donaleemoultonauthor

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/donaleemoulton

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/donaleemoulton/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/donaleemoulton.bsky.social

Instagram: donaleemoulton

#WriterWednesday with Ruth J. Hartman

I’d like to welcome my friend, the fabulous Ruth J. Hartman, back to the blog for #WriterWednesday! Her newest book launches next Tuesday!

Favorite thing to do when you have free time: Take a walk on a nearby trail with my husband, Garry.

The thing you’ll always move to the bottom of your to do list: Dusting!

Things you need when you’re in your writing cave: My laptop, notebook, pen, phone, and journal with my character’s names and information in it.

Things that distract you from writing: One or more cats using me for a scratching post or a bed.

Things you will run to the store for at midnight: pizza, diet mountain dew, wet cat food.

Things you never put on your shopping list: Beets, rhubarb, refried beans.

The coolest thing you’ve bought online: My laptop!

The thing you wished you’d never bought. Shirts that looked cute online made me look like a withered potato when I bought them and tried them on.

Something you’re really good at: Talking to people who are much older than me. When I was a hygienist, the seniors were my favorite patients!

Something you’re really bad at: Trying to tell a joke.

Something you wanted to be when you were a kid: A mom (I never got to be).

Something you do that you never dreamed you’d do: Being a published mystery author.

Something you wish you could do: Be graceful and run fast.

Something you wish you’d never learned to do: I won’t go into detail, but some parts of being a dental hygienist were sort of icky.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: Rafting down the Snake River in Wyoming with my husband, sister, and brother-in-law. So much fun!!!

Something you chickened out from doing: Walking out on the extended walkway over Grand Canyon.

The funniest thing to happen to you: I thought the possum in our shed was dead. Until I stepped closer. It raised its head and hissed at me. I screamed. He screamed. It was madness.

The most embarrassing thing to happen to you: When I was walking with some kids in junior high on a school outing and I tripped so thoroughly that I did a somersault and somehow ended back up in a standing position. I still don’t understand it.

The funniest thing that happened to you on vacation: When I was three, my brothers were playing catch with a pair of my shorts in our car. It was the 60s, so there was no AC and the windows were open. According to my mom, my little pair of orange shorts shot out the open window, floated through the air, and ended up somewhere in Chicago.

The most embarrassing thing that happened to you on a vacation: I had stomach issues when we were in a lodge restaurant, and I had to visit that ladies’ room. I can never go back there…..

The most exciting thing about your writing life: Getting a new book accepted for publication.

The one thing you wish you could do over in your writing life: Start sooner. I didn’t start writing for publication until I was 45.

Best piece of advice you received from another writer: If you’re nervous talking in front of people, always have some notes written down right in front of you, that way if you go blank, you’ll have something else to say.

Something you would tell a younger you about your writing: Publication won’t be easy or fast, but don’t give up because it’s worth it!

Let’s Be Social:

https://www.ruthjhartman.com/

https://www.facebook.com/ruth.j.hartman

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php/?id=100063631596817

https://x.com/ruthjhartman

https://www.bookbub.com/profile/ruth-j-hartman

About Ruth:

Ruth J. Hartman spends her days herding cats and her nights spinning mysterious tales that make you smile. She, her husband, and their cats love to spend time curled up in their recliners watching old Cary Grant movies. Well, the cats sit in the people's recliners. Not that the cats couldn't get their own furniture. They just choose to shed on someone else's.

Ruth, a left-handed, cat-herding, farmhouse-dwelling writer uses her sense of humor as she writes tales of lovable, klutzy women who seem to find trouble without even trying.

Ruth's husband and best friend, Garry, reads her manuscripts, rolls his eyes at her weird story ideas, and loves her in spite of her penchant for insisting all of her books have at least one cat in them. 

What I Learned about Writing and Life from Dogs

Disney and Riley are the Jack Russell Terriers who live at our house and keep us on our toes. They have two settings, warp speed or napping.

Here's what I've learned from them...

• Live in the moment. Today is what's important. The past and future don't matter that much.

• Play hard. Life can't be all work. Everything is a game to a Jack.

• Nap when you need to. You need to recharge every once in a while. You need to take care of yourself.

• Don't waste a beautiful day inside. Go outside and have fun.

• Know when it's time to cuddle on the couch with a good book.

• Bark if you need to, but not too much.

• Wag and make friends. Relationships are important.

• Don’t obsess too much about the things you can’t control. Those squirrels will never stay out of our yard. And people will continue to walk in our cul de sac. Okay, so the Jacks may need a little work on this one.

What is something your pet has taught you?

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Jackiem Joyner

I’d like to welcome Jackiem Joyner to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

Hardest thing about being a writer: For me, it's managing my writing career alongside my music career. I actually love writing itself—it’s the business of it that’s tricky. I'm always trying to bridge the gap between these two worlds: storytelling through words and storytelling through sound. Sometimes, it’s tough to be judged… or worse, ignored. That part stings a little.

Easiest thing about being a writer: That’s an easy one. I love writing and creating unique stories. I could go all day if I had the time. Building characters, crafting new worlds, creating impossible events—it’s all just fascinating to me. Using my imagination to create the world I want? That’s the magic right there.

Favorite places you’ve been: Japan. Hawaii. Germany. Each one inspired me in different ways—Japan for its tech and tradition, Hawaii for the peace, and Germany for the food and vibes.

Places you never want to go again: Russia. In the winter. Never again, my friend. Too cold for all this melanin.

Favorite books (or genres):

Mystery, suspense, and epic world-building stories. I’m into authors like Martha Wells (shoutout to the Murderbot Diaries) and David Baldacci—very different lanes but both masters of their game. I also loved The Martian by Andy Weir, and I’m all about stuff with a cinematic vibe—think The Fifth Element, Avatar, anything with a big world and bigger ideas.

Books you wouldn’t buy: Children’s books. I’m good on that! LOL

Most embarrassing thing to happen to you: Oh man… where do I start? My sax not working right before a show. Realizing my fly was down after talking to like 30 people. Or sending out a newsletter to thousands of fans with the wrong city on it. Been there, done that, still cringing!

The nicest thing a reader ever said to you: “Your stories really moved me.” That one hits deep. Or, “One day I want to write my own story just like you did.” That’s when you realize this isn’t just entertainment—it’s inspiration.

Craziest thing a reader ever said: “Your book Minor Assassin is too violent.”(…It’s called Minor Assassin. What did you expect? Cookies and hugs?)

Besides writing, what’s the most creative thing you’ve done? Created a full musical album. Mastered the saxophone. Produced songs from scratch. Creativity isn’t just what I do—it’s who I am.

A project that didn’t turn out the way you planned: Honestly? Zarya. But that was a good surprise. Her story took on a life of its own—I felt like I was just along for the ride. She started developing in ways I never expected, and that’s when I knew I had something special.

Same thing happens with music sometimes. You start with one idea, and it turns into something completely different. Sometimes better, sometimes… not so much. But that’s part of the ride.

Things you never want to run out of: Creativity. Hands down.

Also… grapes. Especially those dark black ones. You know the ones.

Things you wish you’d never bought: Whew. My garage is like a graveyard for impulse buys. Probably the IKEA furniture I never put together. Still sitting there like a cardboard monument to procrastination. LOL

Things you need for your writing sessions: A fresh, clear mind. Tools like Scrivener and Grammarly help a lot. I keep it focused and fluid.

Things that hamper your writing: Overthinking. Phone calls. Editing while writing (I always regret that). And not getting enough sleep. That one’s a killer.

Words that describe you: Adventurous. Creative. Passionate. Ambitious. Musical.

Words that describe you… but you wish they didn’t: Overthinker. Big-time. I’m also way too self-critical sometimes. It’s a battle.

Something you’re really good at: Playing the saxophone and writing music. That’s my home turf.

Something you’re really bad at: Being organized! I mean, I try. But it’s a work in progress. Let’s just say… Jillian helps a lot with that part. LOL

Let’s Be Social:

"The Art Of Music is The Art Of Love"

www.jackiemjoyner.com

https://www.facebook.com/jackiemjoyner

YouTube Channel: 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCctiIB9r18KuV4bsR1dpV4A

#WriterWednesday with Dwayne Brenna

Things you need for your writing sessions: A good night’s sleep.

Things that hamper your writing: Being anywhere else but in my study in Saskatoon.

A few of your favorite things: baseball caps

Things you need to throw out: baseball caps

Something you’re really good at: I’m a pretty good cook. If you come to my house, I’ll make you an excellent gazpacho.

Something you’re really bad at: I’m a horrible singer, the sort that choir directors ask to mouth the words when it comes to performing in concert.

Favorite music or song: Springsteen’s “Born to Run”

Music that drives you crazy: Improvisational jazz.

Last best thing you ate: My grandmother’s homemade bread.

Last thing you regret eating: I once ate some jalebi at a restaurant in New Delhi, and the result was a prolonged bout of food poisoning.

Favorite places you’ve been: Greece.

Places you never want to go to again: The dentist.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: I refused to hand my iPad over to a machine gun toting soldier in a foreign country once.

Something you chickened out from doing: Going on the tea cup ride at the fair with my sons. I invariably throw up when moved in tight repetitive circles.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: That reading my book LONG WAY HOME, which is set during the driest year of the Great Depression, made them thirsty.

The craziest thing a reader said to you: That too many people are writing novels these days.

Besides writing, what’s the most creative thing you’ve done: I was an actor at the Stratford Festival of Canada.

A project that didn’t quite turn out the way you planned it: Any carpentry project I’ve ever done.

Some real-life story that made it to one of your books: In THEORIES OF EVERYTHING, there’s a story entitled “The Sewing Machine.” It’s uncharacteristic of the rest of the book in that it is set during the Great Depression. In 1936, my grandmother was visited by the repo man. He wanted to repossess her Singer sewing machine. She rolled up her sleeves and told him he’d have to be a bigger man than she if he was going to take that machine. He left the house without the sewing machine.

Something in your story that readers think is about you, but it’s not: In my book STEALING HOME, there’s a poem about a guy making love to his girlfriend on the mound of a baseball diamond at night. Readers have brought this up with my wife, suggesting that she must be the girl in the poem. In fact, the incident was narrated to me by a fellow baseball player who shall not be named and who performed the act with his own girlfriend back in the day.

About Dwayne:

Dwayne Brenna is the award-winning author of several books of humour, poetry, and fiction. Coteau Books published his popular series of humourous vignettes entitled Eddie Gustafson’s Guide to Christmas in 2000. His two books of poetry, Stealing Home and Give My Love to Rose, were published by Hagios Press in 2013 and 2015 respectively. Stealing Home, a poetic celebration of the game of baseball, was subsequently shortlisted for several Saskatchewan Book Awards, including the University of Regina Book of the Year Award. His first novel New Albion, about a laudanum-addicted playwright struggling to survive in London’s East End during the winter of 1850-51, was published by Coteau Books in autumn 2016. It subsequently won the Muslims For Peace and Justice Fiction Award at the Saskatchewan Book Awards and was one of three English-language novels shortlisted for the prestigious MM Bennetts Award for Historical Fiction. In 2022, Pocol Press published his second novel Long Way Home, about a barnstorming baseball team travelling through the American Midwest in the eventful summer of 1934. A book of short fiction, entitled Theories of Everything, was published by Shadowpaw Press in March 2025. His short stories and poems have been published in an array of journals, including Grain, Nine, The Cold Mountain Review, and The Antigonish Review. Brenna has taught theatre and creative writing at the University of Saskatchewan.

He has acted at the Stratford Festival and has appeared on television in various nationally and internationally broadcast programs including For the Record, Judge (CBC Toronto), The Great Electrical Revolution, and The Incredible Story Studio (Mind’s Eye). His movie credits include The Wars, Painted Angels (with Kelly McGillis), Black Light (with Michael Ironside), and The Impossible Elephant (with Mia Sara). A series of character-based vignettes called The Adventures of Eddie Gustafson, written and performed by Brenna, had a five-year run on CBC Radio.

Brenna is also the author of several books on theatre research, including Scenes from Canadian Plays (Fifth House) and Emrys’ Dream: Greystone Theatre in Words and Photographs (Thistledown). His book Our Kind of Work: the Glory Days and Difficult Times of 25th Street Theatre (Thistledown 2011) was subsequently nominated for a Saskatchewan Book Award in Non-Fiction. Brenna’s entertaining academic text Nights That Shook the Stage, about forty pivotal events in theatre history, was published by McFarland Books in 2023. It was subsequently shortlisted for two Saskatchewan Book Awards. He has contributed articles on theatre to Canadian Theatre Review, Theatre Notebook (London UK), The Dictionary of National Biography (London UK) and the Czech journal Theatralia.

His stage plays have been produced at Dancing Sky Theatre in Meacham, 25th Street Theatre in Saskatoon, and the Neptune Theatre in Halifax. In 2022, Brenna’s apocalyptic full-length drama The Promised Land received an Honourable Mention in the Scripts on Fire Playwriting Contest. Also in 2022, Brenna was a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal.

Why The First Draft is Just the Beginning...

When I talk to groups of new writers, I’m asked often about editing and revising, and they’re often surprised when I mention the number of rounds of revisions before the manuscript is ready for my agent and editors.

I love typing, “The End” on that last page, but it really is just the beginning. I print off a paper copy and do multiple (sometimes as many as 8 or 9 read-throughs). I’m looking for different things each time. Here’s what I always check…

• Are there plotholes? Does something not make sense? Did I make sure all the clues/red herrings were addressed? Are there multiple motives? Are you sure the protagonist isn’t too perfect? Is the technology and the actions plausible?

• Is the dialog pertinent? Get rid of the chitchat. Does the dialog all sound the same? Is the chatter boring? Can readers tell who is speaking? Are there enough dialog tags? Are there too many dialog tags? Did I use slang or regional sayings that most readers won’t recognize?

• Is there enough description of settings and characters? Is there too much description? Is there too much backstory?

• Are there continuity mistakes? Did your character eat lunch two times in the same chapter? Are all the details consistent throughout the manuscript? Did you change a character name in ALL the places? Is the timing of events in the right sequence?

• Check the grammar and punctuation. Do all the quotes have a beginning and end punctuation? Did autocorrect substitute any weird or wrong words.

• Do you have words and phrases that you overuse? I have a list of my biggest offenders, and I always search for these.

• Are all the chapter endings neat wrap-ups? Make sure you build suspense and cause your readers to stay up past their bedtimes. Neat wrapped up chapters make good stopping points.

What would you add to my list?