Tag Archives: Winds of the Forelands

Friday Musings: Checking In and Sharing a Song From Alex

Posted on July 25, 2025 by dbjackson

Summer is speeding by, and I have been terribly remiss in keeping up with my blog. For those who have reached out to me in recent weeks, asking if I am okay, the short answer is, “Yes, I am.” I … Continue reading →

Posted in Business of publishing, Family, Friendship, Grief, nature, Novels, Publishing, Radiants, Thieftaker, travel, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Friday Musings: Checking In and Sharing a Song From Alex

Professional Wednesday: Beginnings, Middles, and Endings, part IV — Keeping Our Plots Tight

Posted on July 5, 2023 by dbjackson

Today, I bring you one more “Middles” post in my several-weeks-long feature on “Beginnings, Middles, and Endings.” You can find past posts in the series here, here, and here. I made the self-evident point a couple of weeks ago that … Continue reading →

Posted in Angry Robot Books, Bell Bridge Books, Belle Books, Business of publishing, Falstaff Books, Invasives, Islevale Cycle, Novels, Publishing, Radiants, The Chalice War, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Professional Wednesday: Beginnings, Middles, and Endings, part IV — Keeping Our Plots Tight

Professional Wednesday: Looking At Our Old Work With Compassion

Posted on May 17, 2023 by dbjackson

I continue to read through and revise the books of my Winds of the Forelands epic fantasy series, a five-book project first published by Tor Books in 2002-2007. The series has been out of print for some time now, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Business of publishing, Friendship, Novels, Publishing, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Professional Wednesday: Looking At Our Old Work With Compassion

Professional Wednesday: Trust Yourself. No, Really.

Posted on May 10, 2023 by dbjackson

Trust your reader. This is editor speak for “trust yourself.” It is something I say often to many of the writers I edit. But what does it mean? I have had my own lesson in “trust your reader” in recent … Continue reading →

Posted in Business of publishing, Character, Fantasy, Novels, Setting, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Professional Wednesday: Trust Yourself. No, Really.

Professional Wednesday: Learning From Each of Our Projects

Posted on May 3, 2023 by dbjackson

Ideally, every new book and story we write is not just an adventure in imagination, a chance to discover new characters and settings and narratives, but also a learning opportunity. I continue to improve my writing with each project, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Bell Bridge Books, Belle Books, Character, Islevale Cycle, Novels, Radiants, Short Fiction, The Chalice War, Thieftaker, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Professional Wednesday: Learning From Each of Our Projects

Monday Musings: My Favorite Babies

Posted on April 24, 2023 by dbjackson

This post is not about my daughters. I swear. I love my girls exactly the same amount. Except maybe around my birthday, when my love for them is directly proportional to the quality of the presents they give me. Other … Continue reading →

Posted in Angry Robot Books, Bell Bridge Books, Belle Books, Business of publishing, Falstaff Books, Fantasy, Invasives, Islevale Cycle, Novels, Publishing, Radiants, The Chalice War, Thieftaker, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Monday Musings: My Favorite Babies

Professional Wednesday: 2023 Is 1/4 Gone — What Have You Done?

Posted on March 29, 2023 by dbjackson

Spring is here. April is knocking on the door. 2023 is just about one quarter gone (a thought that sends me into a frenzied panic) and with the first three months of the year nearly over, I felt this would … Continue reading →

Posted in Appearances, Bell Bridge Books, Belle Books, Business of publishing, Novels, Publicity, Publishing, The Chalice War, travel, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Professional Wednesday: 2023 Is 1/4 Gone — What Have You Done?

Professional Wednesday: My Best Mistakes, part IV — Managing Expectations

Posted on March 1, 2023 by dbjackson

For the past several weeks, I have been sharing “My Best Mistakes,” which have included inappropriate remarks at a convention, poor business decisions, and replies to reviews. This week’s “Best Mistake” is a little different, in that it’s less about … Continue reading →

Posted in Business of publishing, History, Novels, Publishing, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Professional Wednesday: My Best Mistakes, part IV — Managing Expectations

Professional Wednesday: What Matters In Your Work? Part I

Posted on January 4, 2023 by dbjackson

On Monday, I began what will be a series of posts on the things that matter to us, and the ways in which we can make them central to our lives. Not surprisingly, I think about this a great deal … Continue reading →

Posted in Bell Bridge Books, Belle Books, Business of publishing, Novels, Publishing, The Chalice War, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Professional Wednesday: What Matters In Your Work? Part I

Professional Wednesday: In Which I Ask You, What Should I Write Next?

Posted on October 19, 2022 by dbjackson

As I discussed at length in last week’s Professional Wednesday post, I have recently completed a first draft of the third book in my contemporary Celtic urban fantasy, The Chalice Wars. The novel needs to sit for a while before … Continue reading →

Posted in Belle Books, Business of publishing, Ethan Kaille, Fantasy, Friendship, Invasives, Novels, Publishing, Radiants, Short Fiction, The Chalice Wars, Thieftaker, Writing, Writing Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Professional Wednesday: In Which I Ask You, What Should I Write Next?