S.A. McClure

I attended my very first author event yesterday at a lovely little bookshop called Bookmamas. It was rainy. And cramped. And had very little foot traffic during the first hour of the event. I don't write that to complain. It just was how it was. I was super excited for this event. Since publishing my book in June, I have been participating in marketing campaigns and contacting various bookstores in the Indianapolis area. Bookmamas was the earliest one on the schedule and I wa

I’ve been trying to remember why I write. Ever since last week when I attended several seminars on writing during Gen Con 2016, the same question kept popping up: why do we write? How much do want this—the writer’s life? What’s the point? I can tell you one thing: it’s not to make money. Did you know that the majority of authors (even if they’re traditionally published with one of the biggest—the big four—publishing houses) make less than $5,000/year/book? As in there are onl

The best four days of gaming just came to a close. It was the time of my people; and by that I mean the over 60,000 people who fanboy/girl over fantasy authors, table-top board gaming, and nerdy comedy shows. This year, I spent four days discovering new authors, learning tips from the pros, and—of course—playing strategy games. Here are some of the highlights: 1. Ticket to Ride: Rails and Sails If you know me, then you know that I am an absolute Ticket to Ride fanatic. This b

I have never liked the phrase blood is thicker than water. It seems to indicate that families are only designated by blood. By biological means or by marriage. I think that family is so much more than blood relatives. Family means being a part of something bigger than yourself and caring about someone else more than you do yourself. It means, as Lilo said it, never leaving someone behind or forgetting them. Family is what you make it. This means that friends, blood relatives,

Suicide. It is a scary, often misunderstood, action. Some call it selfish. Others call it a permanent solution to a temporary problem. It is a product of mental illness. Depression. Drugs. An all-consuming desire to just stop. To cease existing. Suicide is stoppable. Even though, so often, people feel like there is no way out. There is always a way out. A way to talk through the crisis. A way to show that you care enough about a person, that there is enough hope, for them to

Dear Childhood...and Lifelong Best Friends, We've known each other for like...forever. Or, at least it feels that way. We grew up together. Shared moments together that have, and I hope will continue to, solidify our friendship. From elementary school embarrassments to our first crushes and eventual kisses, we have been there for each other. And, now that we are adults, have moved away from each, each one living in a different city, each one at a different point in our lives,

We've all been alone. And we've all felt lonely at different points in our lives. It is a sub-theme in my upcoming book "The Search." Learn more about loneliness here: https://youtu.be/zR4JN4V-DD8 #depression #loneliness #theme #writing

Characters are, in my opinion, some of the most important aspects of a novel, or any story, for that matter. Sure, plot twists, the environment, and the building action (climax!) impact the way people remember a story. But, what is it that people actually remember about a story? How the characters REACTED to the plot twists. How the characters ADAPTED to the environment. How the characters DEVELOPED in moments of action, climax, and resolution. There's a lot of advice out the

#entrepreneur #author #selfpublishing #writing

Alright. So I'm not a starving artist. But it sometimes feels that way, especially when the ideas swarming in my head are anxious to be put to paper. And, when the fate of my characters or, you know, the mystical world I am creating hangs in the balance, eating a meal just doesn't seem quite as important. The Truth I was recently asked where I found the time to manage a full time job, graduate classes, and, most importantly write my novels. Do I sleep? Do I eat? Do I spend ti