Where Cameron stops by to remind us that you get better at writing by reading

I am on vacation — and as a series of quasi-coherent posts about how wonderful my family is, and how beautiful the beach is, and how drunk I might be at a time that would normally be a completely inappropriate time for me to be drunk might not go over all that well, I have asked a collection of my favorite bloggers to stop by and share something.

Posting today is Cameron of the site by her own name. Not only is Cam a colleague and friend of mine, but she’s also a bit of a hero. See, I really like to think of myself as a writer. I like to think of myself as someone who “has what it takes” to put words together and make a living out of it. But, alas, I can’t ever think of pulling the trigger and actually putting enough of myself into a work so that I have no choice but to push to see just where I can go with it.

But, with every word Cam writes, I’m pushed, more, to write more.

Today, Cam reminds us that, if we want to become better writers, we need to become better readers. Thank you, Cam 🙂

So, John just handed his space to me. Love that.

Last year I waxed on about one of my passions, this year you get another: indie authors. Here are a handful of independently published authors you should be reading. There’s a little something for everyone here, I think, and some new blogs for your subscription service of choice (and I put them in bullet points, because well, this is John’s blog).

  • Marian Kent: Poetry and short fiction as an expression of a life lived, earthy, sexy, and exultant, lofty and grounded all at once. Marian’s debut book of poetry, responsive pleading, has been described as “like the American songbook.”
  • Kameko Murakami: Vintage Stephen King meets introspective, dark magical reality. Gritty and bizarre and beautifully written short fiction for your ereader. My favorite is Unseen, which you can find on Amazon or for any other format on Smashwords.
  • Bianca Noire: Sexy, confident erotic diarist. Her blog and short stories are strictly for grownups. Blue-Eyed Lover, available on Amazon and for all devices on Smashwords, is keeping my Kindle very warm.
  • Grace O’Malley: Self-described librivore. Her poetry is a balm of words for the tortured soul. Her reissued chapbook of poetry, the tiny book of tales, is available in print and for Kindle on Amazon.
  • Elizabeth Yon: A literary descendent of Andersen and the Grimms but, with a lush, definitely feminine touch. Wilderness, her first collection of fairy tales, is available in print and for Kindle on Amazon.

Fun fact? You could collect all of the works (between free stories, Kindle downloads, and one print edition) of all these authors on for a sum total of $25.93. Indies rock.

And just so the icky legalities are all squared away: I was not compensated for these micro reviews (editor’s note — I wasn’t, either), they’re just super talented friends who deserve some attention, nor was John, but I used my own affiliate links, because why not?

5 comments

  1. Thanks for lending me your platform to pimp out my pals. And it’s so true. You gotta keep reading if you’re gonna keep writing.

    Oh, and also? Swoony intro. I promise I’m blushing under my sunburn and freckles.

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