Blog: Copy Editing for Fiction Writers | Freelance Book Editing

Discover New Authors (PLUS read a snippet from my latest book!)

July 15, 2019November 21, 2019 by Jody CalkinsNo Comments

Hi there - Good morning! It's been a while since I shared an update, so I thought it was high time I get my act together. Back in March, I published Books #2 and #3 in The Hexon Code series. Redeemed takes us right back to where Shattered left off (and right back to Riverbrook - *gasp*). And Blackout takes us further into the future and reveals more horrible things about the messed up world of The Hexon Code. For more details on my latest books, check out my book pages here - https://jodycalkins.com/book/redeemed/ Anyway, that's my quick update. Now onto the good stuff - If you are in the Kindle Unlimited reader program, there is a special KU promotion I'm in this week on StoryOrigin. It's a great way to discover new-to-you authors in several genres including thrillers, fantasy, and romance. You can check it out here. I've also joined a freebie giveaway on Prolific Works. You'll definitely want to check it out for full-length books and previews - go here. Also, today...

Reading to Writing: An Author’s Journey

July 11, 2019November 21, 2019 by Jody CalkinsNo Comments

Reading to Writing: An Author's Journey I’ve always loved thrillers. I read a ton of thriller and horror classics back before I started reading romance novels at thirteen. Authors like Christopher Pike, R.L. Stine, Richie Tankersley Cusick, Lois Duncan, Diane Hoh, and Leslie Rule. I didn’t get into the Goosebumps books much; I was getting a bit old for them. But I read just about everything else for young adults. I even started drafting my own novel with dark themes (I never finished it, but it’s still in my head). Following in my sister’s footsteps, I started reading romance novels at the age of thirteen. My first two romance novels were a Harlequin romance titled Master of Glen Crannach by Stephanie Howard and Rebellious Desire by Julie Garwood. After those I got into western and historical romance. I read books by Connie Mason, Teresa Medeiros, and Ellen Tanner Marsh. And that phase lasted into my mid-twenties. After that, I switched to adult murder...

Storytelling and Fears

June 10, 2019 by Jody CalkinsNo Comments

Storytelling and Fears Did you know that an estimated 11 percent of the U.S. population is afraid of the dark? And according to the Mirror, 22 percent of the British population has confessed they don’t like to poke their foot out from underneath the covers in case something grabs it? nyctophobia – a fear of the dark Here's what Wikipedia wrote about it: “Nyctophobia produces symptoms beyond the normal instinctive parameters, such as breathlessness, excessive sweating, nausea, dry mouth, feeling sick, shaking, heart palpitations, inability to speak or think clearly or sensation of detachment from reality and death.” My earliest memory of being afraid of the dark was when I was about four years old. For some reason, I had it in my head that, at night, there were snakes covering my bedroom floor (likely a suggestion I picked up somewhere - I'm pretty sure I hadn't seen Indiana Jones yet by that age though). Within a few years, I had picked up the intense...