Jade Varden Official Blog

I've been spending time on the Goodreads forums lately, and one topic really struck me as I was reading along: the book outline. It's a hot topic on the forums, and every writer seems to have their own style of using (or not using) an outline to keep their plots straight and their books organized. So today's Writing 101 lesson will be the outline -- how to use it, when not to use it and what to do when your writing doesn't match it at all. Outline Basis Everyone arranges their outlines differently, and it's not always the method of organization that matters (but I do know that pets and Post-Its aren't a good mix). Some writers organize outlines by chapters, some by events. I write mine by days and dates; maybe you've noticed I'm always very clear about which day of the week it is in the DOL series. Again, it doesn't matter how the outline is organized, only that it is organized. An outline isn't a huge chunk of text, it's ...

I discovered The Book of Quotations for People Who Hate Quotations at Amazon's Kindle store , where it was free to download. But after reading it, I would happily pay money for the joy of owning it. I definitely qualify as a quotation-hater, and this book did not disappoint. I was all ready to be angered by it -- sometimes, irony is wasted on me -- but by the end of page one I was laughing with hysteria. Usually I'm a tell-me-a-story type of gal. I'm not into those books that are nothing but anecdotes -- even a short story collection won't usually turn me on. But I got into a mood where I just wanted some light reading and light humor, and this book fit the bill perfectly. It pairs famous and shopworn quotes from all the usual suspects -- Maya Angelou, Confucius, Henry David Thoreau, old wives of note -- with snarky comebacks that point to the failing in each well-accepted expression and piece of trite advice. The book is divided into topic sections...

I'm hard at work on The Tower and elbow-deep in murder plots. Release date for Book 2 coming soon!

Rain prefers to dress in bold colors and tends toward slim silhouettes -- it's why she loves Calvin Klein dresses, like the two in the collage. She usually chooses shoes with a solid-looking heel like these red Steve Maddens. And when it comes to carrying stuff, she's got a lot; it's why she favors big purses, like this Barbara Milano.