Category Archives: Writing

HOW BLOGGERS REALLY MAKE MONEY

There’s no doubt some professional bloggers make massive amounts of money online. A few internet entrepreneurs have hundreds of thousands of followers and earn millions of dollars annually. These are not lucky gals and guys, like lottery winners. Profitable bloggers are intelligent, strategic, resourceful, ambitious, credible, likable, and above all, generous. And they have one common secret—the coin’s not in the blog.

So how do they do it?

First, let’s look at what blogs are and how they work. Then we’ll rip DyingWords apart to see what’s going on behind the scenes.

Blogs started in the 90’s as web logs or individual diary entries on the Worldwide Web. The term got cut to blog. Here’s how blog king Darren Rowse of ProBlogger.com puts it:

“It’s really quite simple. A blog is a type of website that is usually arranged in chronological order from the most recent ‘post’ (or entry) at the top of the main page to the older entries towards the bottom.”

Today, blogs cover pretty well every topic. News. Politics, Sex & Religion. Sports. Arts & Entertainment. Cats & Dogs. Cars. Beauty. Fashion. Travel. Games. Gardening. Garden Gnomes. Science & Technology. Lifestyles. Crafts. Men’s Erectile Dysfunction & Women’s Shoes. Living on Mars. Online shopping. Cigars. Wine. Marihuana. Books, Blogs, & Writing. And don’t forget Duct Tape and Danish Ditch-Digging.

Some bloggers make money. Most don’t. And the big guns in the blogosphere make it big by doing two things exceptionally well. They have huge audiences and have multiple products for sale—especially teaching their writing and blogging knowledge online to a multi-million audience of active bloggers and writers.

I’ve spent the past three weeks taking online courses in blogging and relevant stuff. One course is Tribe Writers with Jeff Goins through his site GoinsWriter.com. I began following Jeff when I started blogging. Back then, he was struggling to break the thousand mark on his subscriber list. I liked him. Jeff’s honest, knowledgeable, and exceptionally generous. In under four years, Jeff built a monster following and developed multiple products. Jeff teaches writers about writing and he’s good at it.

Another cool dude I follow is Jon Morrow of BoostBlogTraffic.com and GuestBlogging.com. Jon’s also the veteran editor with Brian Clark at Copyblogger.com. His blogging career has made him a millionaire. Jon’s got one unfair disadvantage the rest of us don’t—he’s a quadriplegic and works from a wheelchair. But Jon doesn’t make his money directly from his blogs. He teaches bloggers about blogging.

Mariah Coz is a young lady from Femtripreneur.co who’s using her blog to sell online teaching courses—specifically webinars—and she’s making incredible returns. I “met” Mariah through the Teachable.com group and I have to say I’m impressed all to hell with her drive and delivery. If you want to get motivated about the potential earnings from running a targeted blog site and developing online training courses, you gotta listen to what Maria Coz will tell you — for free.

Now you’re probably wondering what an old guy like me is doing hanging around people younger than my kids. Well, it’s because these impressive movers & shakers knew something I didn’t—and that’s how bloggers really make money.

Their common secret is not that complicated. It just takes immense time, enduring energy, and a proven system to build a large blog subscriber list and the initiative to create a number of quality-content products. Then, they use their blog list in driving qualified traffic to internet portals where they sell their products.

It’s a numbers game.

Whoever has the biggest list and most quality-content products—at the right price point—wins.

So where does DyingWords fit into this? Well, a tiny fish in an immense ocean.

For now.

But I’ve learned something from the past few weeks of paying people like Jon, Mariah, and Jeff to teach me their information — there’s a predictable formula to this blogging numbers game.

Here it is. If you do this—AND DO THIS RIGHT—the rule of thumb goes like this:

One dollar per month. Times the names on the subscriber list. Times the number of saleable products. Equals income.

I see what Jeff Goins is doing. He openly divulges that his list is over a hundred thousand and a look at his website indicates Jeff has about ten different products for sale through online books and courses. Applying the formula to Jeff Goins’s blogging business…

$1.00 X 1 month X 100,000 subscribers X 10 products = $1,000,000.00 per month.

Yep. Twelve million bucks a year.

Jon Morrow holds his numbers closer to his chest. He probably has half a million subscribers and at least six expensive stand-alone products on three different blog sites.

Mariah Coz is super-candid about her income. Her goal for the end of 2015 is 15,000 on her mailing list and she just pre-sold a new online course to a pile of followers for a total of $233K. Maybe I’m a sucker, but I saw her screenshots.

Mariah, Jon, and Jeff represent entrepreneurs who use their blog credibility to parlay a variety of products and services into cash. Here’s a list of the least—to most—profitable streams of revenue that comes from blogging exposure:

11. Direct merchandising — selling hats, t-shirts, and beaded Kokopelli key-fobs.

10. Donations — relying on goodwill or subscriptions to support blog content.

9. Sponsorship — backed by corporations.

8. Blog networks — paid to write other blog posts / ghostwriting.

7. Blog flipping — selling your blog list as an entity.

6. RSS advertising — links to other parties’ products.

5. Adsense — Google or social media advertising.

4. Affiliates — kickbacks from Amazon or other online marketers.

3. Freelance writing — paid articles for The Huffington Post, etc.

2. Speaking & consulting — paid for appearances and personal coaching.

1. Digital assets — selling books, courses, and webinars.

Yes, clever and credible people are getting wealthy selling products through a large following they’ve built by blogging.

So how’s Garry Rodgers and his little DyingWords blog making out?

Well, I’m happy to share this because it might give you a measuring stick and some motivation or encouragement.

I started the DyingWords blog in June 2012. I’ve been at it for three and a half years. The first three were hit & miss with irregular posts and only one product for sale – a novel that I didn’t actively promote after its initial run. My purpose of blogging was to raise my profile as an authoritative author, hoping one day I’d get connected and make some decent money through crime writing.

Over time, I built a backlist of blog posts and experimented with content. I learned the craft of blog writing and began to get noticed. I played with social media and networked with other bloggers and influencers. One-by-one-by-one, people signed my email list.

I got serious this past July. I buckled down to really learn how the blogging business works and I wrote full time—with a plan—blogging being the core of my internet presence.

Things changed.

On July 1^st, my internet traffic was good. My mailing list had 504 subscribers. My Alexa Ranking was 2,940,467 and rising. By the end of November—five months later—my Alexa ranking increased 46% to 1,587,952. But my email subscribers leaped to 1,373. Two hundred and seventy-four percent!

WTF happened?

We’ll, I’d built an attractive platform and learned more about effective list building. Other things occurred. I began getting invites for guest posts on other blog sites and I hosted a few influential folks on my own. I spent more time on social media and it generated talk. Word-Of-Mouse, so to speak.

Then… right outa the fricken blue… The Huffington Post cold-called, offering me a paid gig to write a feature article on the world’s biggest blog. Then, they liked what they saw and took me on board as a regular contributing member of “The Huff Post Signature Blog Team”. Check out my latest post on today’s Huff titled Can You Beat The Polygraph. Or check out the blogs I’ve done for them now. Click Here

My platform elevated to appearing on the Huffington Post. Their website has an Alexa Ranking of 56. I got in front of millions of viewers.

Like—you just can’t buy that exposure.

The Huffington Post opportunity came because I took my writing seriously—as a professional. I’d committed myself to full-time, professional writing.

But something’s missing from the equation.

Money.

Now, here I’m standing on my platform—shouting out to my peeps and they’re shouting back, Hey, Garry! You look good and you sound good and your audience is growing. But you only got one product to sell. When’re you gonna put out some more stuff? That’s what it takes to make a living off this schtick, you know!.

Hang on. I’ve spent the last six months building a stream of new products to come online over the next six months and most of the heavy work’s already done.

One is a new 80K word novel titled No Life Until Death. Eight are guides on Crime Writing. One is a guide on Blogging. And I still have the JFK manuscript lurking out there. So that’s ten—maybe eleven products—twelve if you take in my first novel No Witnesses To Nothing. Plus, I’m seriously thinking of getting into the online course market because that’s where the really big return seems to be. And, as I write – another balloon was floated.

Hey, Mister Future Money-Bags — How’s that fit into your fancy formula?

Well, so far, it seems to fit fine. In the month of November, I got an Amazon royalty check for $100.00 and the Huff paid me $1,000.00 USD for their feature article. With the exchange rate, that converts to $1,385.00 Canadian.

Let’s see…

$1.00 X 1,373 subscribers X 1 online product = $1,373.00

Yup. Purdy akkerate.

Remember, the formula relates to online digital products and other stuff you need to have going—speaking, freelance writing, affiliates, advertising, etc. All 11 steps contribute to the formula and support the income statement. It’s part of the formula. You need to be doing related side jobs in addition to digital books—and putting in fourteen hours a day, seven days a week.

But you’d never, EVER, be able to work the formula if you didn’t anchor it to a free blog that sells your voice.

Think about the potential with six products.

$1.00 X 1,373 subscribers X 6 quality-content, online products = $8,238.00

Imagine doubling your mailing list?

$1.00 X 2,746 subscribers X 6 quality-content, online products = $16, 476.00

Quadruple your list? Quadruple your products? Quadruple your average product price?

Does this sound like a pipe-dream? A get-rich-quick scam? Something that could only happen to someone else?

Nope. It’s happening out there.

I’m not drinking some kinda Jeff-Jon-Mariah Kool-Aid. These people are pulling it off, but they aren’t relying on a stack of 99-cent eBooks as their army of products.

Sure, they’re using some of their free and cheaper products as lead magnets and funnel books which have strategic purposes. Then they’re doing a mix of $4.99 guides. $9.99 eBooks. Some traditional publishing. Some freelancing. Some speaking and consulting fees. Lots of affiliates. Hundred-dollar-a-pop, hour-long webinars in front of two hundred eager people. And two, three, or four online courses at $499.00 each with upsells to $999.00 and even $2,500.00 if you want a couple hours of one-on-one with them.

What’s it take to get onto their train? Here’s some suggestions on how you can really make money blogging:

Be passionate!!!
Understand the system.
Network with other writers, bloggers, and influencers.
Write clean, concise, credible, consistent content in your posts.
Create multiple, quality-content products for sale online.
Build your mailing list.
Know your audience. Engage. Give them what they want and need.
Work your ass off.
Produce and sell lots of quality-content products.
Be highly professional. There’s no secrets on the net.
Never quit. It takes time.
Multiply your reach and develop multiple streams of income.
Never stop learning.
And—above all—consistently blog with your own unique voice.

I think I’ll give ‘er a try.

BTW… please subscribe to DyingWords.net! Just Click Here

SERIAL KILLER, PAUL BERNARDO, SELF-PUBLISHES ON AMAZON

Paul Bernardo is Canada’s most notorious serial killer. In 1995, Bernardo was convicted on two counts of first-degree murder and one count of manslaughter. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a Dangerous Offender designation, giving him zero chance of parole. Bernardo also confessed to committing violent rapes—perhaps over thirty. Today, he’s in solitary confinement at Millhaven Institution, a maximum-security penitentiary near Toronto, Ontario. And this week, Paul Bernardo hit #1 on the Amazon BestSeller list by self-publishing an eBook spy-thriller titled A MAD World Order.

So HTF did this happen?

Before threatening to set Amazon on fire with what’s left of my hair, I decided to check out what Bernardo wrote. Here’s Amazon’s product description:

The top echelons of the Russian government lament for the glory days of their superpower status. Resorting to desperate and nefarious means, a secret cabal has strategized a plan to return Russia to a world power. By a fate not of his choosing, one man finds himself caught, and involved in the Russian plot. Mason Steele with his best friend Kyle Boorem founded Social Mall. It is a 3-D social media website. It is targeted by the by the Russians for a hostile takeover to get the off-the-books financing for their operation, and the FSB uses the local Russian Mafia as its covert operatives. NSA has picked up al-Qaeda chatter of an impending catastrophic strike against the United States. Given the size and sophistication, it is concluded small dirty-bombs are involved. Mason prepares a plan to rescue his co-founder, revenge the attacks against them, and stop the theft of his company. Unrestrained by rules or laws, he takes the battle to the Russian Mafia in San Francisco and across the globe.

Yeah, whatever I thought. Different flavor on an old ice cream bucket. But I wonder if the guy can actually write?

Now, I’m sure as hell not going to buy this monster’s work, but I did have a free “Look Inside” on the Amazon site. After skimming the first twenty pages, my impression was Hmmm. Crappy cover. Story kinda sucks. Not much of a hook. Slow… not sure how this is gonna keep anyone in it for the advertised 631 pages. But the editing’s pretty good—especially for a self-pub. It’s fairly clean for punctuation. Grammar’s okay. Don’t see any obvious spelling mistakes. And the formatting is professional. Can’t see how anyone sitting alone in a jail cell did this, so there’s no doubt Bernardo had some experienced help putting this thing on the market.

Now setting aside the legal, moral, and ethical issues of a human piece-of-shit like Paul Bernardo being allowed to publish from a jail cell, let me remind you what this animal did before becoming a BestSelling novelist.

Bernardo was the Scarborough Rapist who viciously attacked women in the Greater Toronto area in the early 1990’s. A pretty-boy who later score 35 out of 40 on the psychopathy checklist, he tangled up and married an equally evil Karla Homolka. The pair compounded each other’s sick fantasies which led to them drugging, raping, and killing Homolka’s younger sister.

14 year-old Leslie Mahaffy was their next victim. They abducted Leslie and took her to their house where they videotaped themselves raping and murdering her. Then they cut Leslie’s body apart with a circular saw before encasing her pieces in concrete and dumping them in a lake.

Kristen French, 15, was third. Bernardo and Homolka filmed Kristen’s terror over a three day period, then dumped Kristen’s naked body in a ditch.

Bernardo was caught through DNA. Before the video tapes were discovered, the prosecution cut Homolka a deal, letting her cop to a 12-year manslaughter sentence in exchange for testifying against her now-divorced husband. And that’s the sum of the Paul Bernardo story.

How—in a sane world—is cesspool scum like Bernardo allowed to still breathe, let alone be allowed to profit from his mind? His eBook lists at $5.97 USD so he pockets $4.18 per copy. How many copies is he selling? Well, as I write this, A MAD World Order is #1 on Amazon.ca in the Spy Thriller category and #45 on Amazon.com in the War Fiction category. To me, that says a lot of sold books and a lot of coin.

And it’s getting a ton of reviews—over 600 on Amazon’s Canadian site, so far. The vast majority are 1-Star hates, but some people are sticking up for the right of free speech and uncensorship.

Here’s a sample of what they’re saying:

By Paula McLeod — Hello to the powers that be at Amazon… seriously what were you thinking??? I realize that as an American company that you have very little interest in what goes on north of the border. I also understand the extra work involved in checking up on a vendor prior to allowing them to flog their wares on your site is time consuming but come on…really??? In case you were not aware; there is the little thing called “Google”. How about it??? Do not allow this waste of a life to profit in any way after all of the horrific things that he has done. I do not make idle threats…I will not spend my hard earned money on products that are sold by a company that support a sadistic piece of trash, serial killer, serial rapist, dangerous offender. You must remove this immediately or I will cancel my account and never purchasing anything from your site again.

By Robert Truszkowski — It’s not so simple. Amazon publishes OJ Simpson’s “If I did it”, Charles Manson’s autobiography, Hitler’s “Mein Kampf”, and many other deplorable works, and/or works by deplorable people. We live in a society that is so conflicted. We want to be safe from hateful garbage, and we seem willing to fight in far off lands for freedom and democracy, but it’s a catch-22. Don’t want to read crumby fiction by a twisted freak? Don’t! But it’s a slippery slope once you start banning books.

By Sandy M. — WTH Amazon would even allow this b@stard to sell anything on their site, shows me that Amazon is very sick. Anyone that would support what that good for nothing a-hole has blood on their hands from the 3 girls he murdered after raping them repeatedly, as well as all the other women he raped but were fortunate to get away before he killed them too. Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka should not be breathing. DON’T BUY INTO THIS SICK B@STARD’S CRAP! Murderers and rapists should not be making money from anything!

By Sarahon — To all the upset with the following book…get over it. Yea he is in jail…yes he committed a crime..and now he is serving that time. For life. Yes he is going to make money..however he will never get to touch it because he is incarcerated..those not familiar with the wat it works..if you make revenue while in prison.. You can’t have it until your out. Not to mention the amount of money he would still owe for victims restitution. That money will never reach his hand. Further more at least he is not wasting tax dollars abusing the system. He is at least doing something. The book..amazing read. Loved to story. Very interesting and intrigued me. Buy the book based on the description.. Not the author. Lets help pay those victims family’s for what’s happened.

By Mica — Too bad there isn’t a minus star! Cannot believe Amazon/ca would publish a book by a convicted killer/rapist currently serving 25 years without parole and allowing him to pander to his self-grandizement. Did anyone bother to check out the name when he came into the system or does anyone work for Amazon old enough to remember the horror of what he and his then wife did? I remember. I remember the total state of disbelief most Canadians felt over what this perverted psycho did. I will seriously look at changing my shopping source for ebooks if this book remains on your available list.

By Amazon Customer — Kudos to Amazon! I am so HAPPY ,that Amazon decided to carry this book on their site, without prejudice. It is up to readers (buyers) to decide whether a certain book is appropriate or not. That is NOT the job of Amazon. Thank you Amazon for recognizing the difference. I will continue to buy items from Amazon because of this. Thank you Amazon for carrying Hitler’s Mein Kampf as well. By the way, I haven’t bought this book. I have not decided yet. I may or may not. That decision is still mine. Oh yes, I am Canadian.

By Amazon Customer — Amazon, you are taking too long. The damage is growing by the minute.

By Amazon Customer —Ignore the people who choose to hate. To deny someone access to selling their work just because of criminal convictions is criminal. Plain and simple. Amazon, all the power to you.

By Scott M. — Had it not been for all the bleeding hearts bringing attention to this book, I would have never known it existed nor would I care. Now that you all have, I think I’ll buy it as a collector item. Not because I really care about the content of the book, but as a reminder of the notorious, heinous crimes he committed and people like him still exist in our world. Yes, had we brought back capital punishment when we had the chance, this wouldn’t be an issue. The best way to boycott is not give it attention. Now every news media outlet is letting the world know. This could very well now be Amazons new best seller. Good job everyone.

Hey! Scott M. The voice of reason! (I know this guy from chats around the net. He’s a bright dude.) Scott’s 100% right about the capital punishment issue, but I’m not going to turn this into a death sentence debate. And I’m not going to turn this into a free speech debate either. To me, there’s something bigger that’s the real issue. That’s HTF was a convicted serial killer in isolation inside a maximum security, federal institution allowed access to outside help to self-publish?

And there’s no doubt that Paul Bernardo had some help. I’m no stranger to self-publishing and I can tell you that his manuscript reeks of higher help.

So what’s Corrections Canada’s position on this?

Here’s their official statement:

The Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) has been made aware of the (Bernardo’s) e-book that has been published and understands the content may be offensive to some. Offenders are not permitted to profit from recounting of their crimes, however, we are advised that this e-book is a fictional piece that does not relate to this offender’s specific crimes. Materials contained in this book may provide additional information relevant to decision-making regarding the offender. While inmates incarcerated in federal correctional facilities have limited access to computers, they do not have access to the internet or email. They are able to communicate with members of the public in writing and are entitled to privileged correspondence with their legal counsel.

My understanding of A MAD World Order is that the content does not refer to Bernardo’s personal crimes and that’s fine. It’s a novel and many novels are graphically violent. (You should read mine.)

But come on, Corrections Canada. Limited access to computers? No access to the internet or email? Only communicate with outsiders by writing? Except with their lawyer?

I’m calling bullshit.

It’s taken me four years to become a relatively competent fiction writer and that involved thousands of internet hours in learning the craft of fiction writing and researching material. Hundreds more in drafting a manuscript in Word. Hundreds of emails in networking with editors, proofreaders, formatters, cover designers, marketers, and peer writers. And the time learning the computerization necessary to upload to Amazon…

Nope. Paul Bernardo had help. Lots of help. From the outside, which he didn’t get telepathically. Remember—this guy was already locked up before Amazon was formed.

Jeff Bezos didn’t visit Bernardo in jail to self-publish this novel. Bernardo sent it to them, ready to go, and Amazon is perfectly within their rights to keep selling it for him. I hope Amazon acts morally and takes it down, but don’t bet on them trashing a BestSeller.

The real issue is the failure of the system to control incarcerated serial killers like Paul Bernardo.

Corrections Canada. Do your fuckin’ job!

MARRED – NEW PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER FROM SUE COLETTA

Marred is the new psychological thriller from New Hampshire crime writer, Sue Coletta, who is my close internet friend and cohort. Sue’s an exceptionally talented writer with a great sense of humor. In fact, she’s silly enough to drop by the DyingWords shack for a chat about herself and her newest novel which just came online for prerelease on Amazon and other digital retailers. Great to see you! waves at Sue Tell us… What’s Marred all about? And what’s with the woman hanging from the barn rafters on the cover?

Hey Garry. waves back I think the best thing I can say is what’s on Marred’s jacket blurb.

When a serial killer breaks into the home of bestselling author, Sage Quintano, she barely escapes with her life. Her husband, Niko, a homicide detective, insists they move to rural New Hampshire, where he accepts a position as Grafton County Sheriff. Sage buries secrets from that night—secrets she swears to take to her deathbed.

Three years of anguish and painful memories pass, and a grisly murder case lands on Niko’s desk. A strange caller begins tormenting Sage—she can’t outrun the past.

When Sage’s twin sister suddenly goes missing, Sage searches Niko’s case files and discovers similarities to the Boston killer. A sadistic psychopath is preying on innocent women, marring their bodies in unspeakable ways. And now, he has her sister.

Cryptic clues. Hidden messages. Is the killer hinting at his identity? Or is he trying to lure Sage into a deadly trap to end his reign of terror with a matching set of corpses?

Ooooo… Chilling! How much of yourself is in Sage Quintano, your protagonist?

I think all our characters have pieces of us. Don’t you?

I used three main characters in Marred, alternating their point of views. I gave Sage Quintano parts of my heart and soul, the mushy part of me; her love for animals, family, writing, that sort of thing. But Sage lived through a brutal assault, which crushed her spirit. Deputy Frankie Campanelli, my snarky character, says things I only wish I could say. But at one time she would be a better representation of who I am. I’ve mellowed with age. Even Sheriff Niko Quintano, Sage’s husband, has a piece of me. His hard outer layer protects him from heartbreak, but when he loves he goes all in 100%.

When Marred is adopted into a screenplay, who do you want as the main characters? Now, c’mon. Every writer wants to see their book on the screen.

Of course I do! When I wrote my first novel I would spend hours daydreaming about the screenplay version. Marred is my fourth novel, though, so I haven’t given it much thought. Let’s see. For Sage, Gillian Anderson, if she colored her hair sable brown. Jessica Alba for Frankie. She too would need to color her hair, dark with auburn highlights. Robert Downey Jr. for Niko, with short-cropped hair.

I used to own a hair salon, which is why I’m concentrating on the hair here.

You’re a bloody good writer, Sue. How were you as a student?

Aww. *blush* Thank you. As a student I was too busy socializing to worry about grades. Therefore, I got B’s and C’s rather than the A’s I should have gotten.

Ever take an IQ test?

No, but I’ve always wanted to.

What’s your typical writing day like?

Crazy. I start early in the morning, around 4-5 a.m. Read for a while, then get to work by 7 a.m. and continue until 7 p.m., on average. Sometimes later. During the day I take a half hour to have lunch with my husband and two 15 min breaks, or one 30 min. break, to exercise.

Do you have a set process?

Writing process? Absolutely. First, I plan my novel. I use an Excel spreadsheet based on the principals in Story Engineering, Save the Cat, and a few other milestones from other craft books. Once I have my milestones mapped out, I write my scenes. Each scene should either setup the next one or pay it off. Each day I start by editing the scenes I wrote the day before, and then I continue on. This way, by the time I finish the first draft I have less overall editing to do. I realize that’s not the norm, but it works for me. Then I start my editing. First by searching for writing tics, words and phrases I tend to overuse, and then I do an overall read for continuity, hanging plot threads, clues, etc. I send it off to my critique partner and beta readers. Once I get it back I work on the suggestions/comments. One final read-through and it’s ready to go to the publisher.

You held out for a traditional publishing contract rather than going indie like a bunch of the rest of us. Why’d you make that choice?

For a few reasons, actually. Number one, it’s always been my dream to be traditionally published. Number two, when you’re traditionally published more opportunities open up for you. Like going for prestigious awards, for example. Number three, I wanted to work with a team…cover designer, editor, proof reader, etc., without having to absorb the cost. It was a long, hard road, but well worth it.

How was your experience in working with a publishing house?

Great. Everyone has been so nice. It’s a fantastic feeling to know I have a talented team backing me, as well as offering support and encouragement. And, y’know, no more sending out query letters and hoping for a request.

What motivates you to get up in the morning?

I love what I do. I get to kill people for a living and get away with it. What’s not to love?

Will you ever tell where you hide the bodies?

Never!

Hey – Would you attend an autopsy with me?

Sure. As long as it’s not mine.

Ha Ha! What’d you write before turning to crime?

Years ago, I wrote children’s stories. Odd combination, I know, but the stories were bursting to get out. I wrote a dozen or so. Someday I might publish them. Never refuse the muse.

Who’s your biggest writing-craft influences?

Larry Brooks and Brandilyn Collins for craft advice. For authors, who I’ve learned from through reading their thrillers, Larry Brooks, Karin Slaughter, Lee Child, Thomas Harris, Katia Lief, I could go on and on.

Karin Slaughter. Love that crime writin’ name. What do you enjoy about the writing business?

The writing community rocks. I’ve never met so many caring, supportive people in my life.

Is there any one secret to great storytelling?

Structure. It controls pace, creates empathy for your characters, aka rootability, and provides the reader a vicarious experience.

Hmmm… Great answer. What’s the best piece of life advice you’ve received and where’d you get it?

My mom told me repeatedly, “You can have anything you want out of life as long as you apply yourself and work hard. Dream big, because the sky’s the limit.”

Do you fit your Zodiac sign?

To a tee. I’m a double Libra, sun and moon.

Any tattoos?

Three. Back of my left shoulder, right ankle, and inside the right hip bone.

Inside the hip bone? That musta hurt. Now, what’s the Top 3 on your bucket list?

I want to take a cruise to somewhere exotic. Visit Australia and smuggle home a Quokka. And hit #1 on the New York Times Bestsellers List. Not necessarily in that order.

Where do you see yourself in a year? In five? In ten?

In one year I hope to have three of my novels released. I’d love to win the John Creasey New Blood Dagger Award for Marred. Wouldn’t the cover look great here? In five years, I hope to hit the NYTBL. In ten, drop from exhaustion. LOL

So what do you want your dying words to be?

I loved, laughed, cried, danced, and shared my experiences with the world through my books.

Nice! Hopefully that won’t be said for a long, long time. Lots more writing to leave behind, ya know. Speaking of time. What’s your biggest time-vulture?

Facebook. I can’t get enough of hilarious animal pics and videos. Like this…

Awesome! Okay, now it’s time to take the DyingWords 10-step psychological profile. You must answer all questions honestly, otherwise I’ll sic the hounds. And no phoning a friend. Ready?

Pantster or plotter? Plotter.

Window or aisle? Window.

Print or digital? Digital.

Harley or Honda? Harley.

Coffee or tea? Tea.

Coyote or Roadrunner? Coyote.

Burial or Cremation? Burial.

Fine-tip pen or bold? Bold.

Handcuffs or leg-irons? Handcuffs.

Orangutan or gorilla? Gorilla.

Okay. Just a sec… have to plug them into the DyingWords Psycho-Analyzer… twirl the dials… press the button… wait a minute… and… hmmm… Yep! Saw this comin’. Says because you’re a methodical plotter, fearless with your view, progressive in technology, aggressive as a Hog rider yet refined as a tea drinker, persistent as Wile E. Coyote, choose longevity over being a flash in the pan, are bold with words, keep your hands cuffed to the keyboard, and have hide thicker than a frickin’ gorilla…

You’ll make a great best-selling, crime-thriller writer! Imagine that?

Sue rolls eyes

Alright, moving on. With Marred about to be released, what’s your next project?

Wings of Mayhem. About a forensics specialist who moonlights as a cat burglar and mistakenly steals a killer’s trophy box. Oops!

Double Oops. You’ve got a great website, Sue. Tell us about it.

My site—www.suecoletta.com—is dedicated to crime. I post informative articles to help crime writers’ stories ring true, writing tips, editing tips, and feature guests from law enforcement and forensics fields. I also have a Crime Writer’s Resource, which anyone can use. But the site is not only for writers. For instance, I have the Crime Lovers Lounge. Subscribers will get a secret key code that will unlock— You’ll have to subscribe to see what I have in store. More on that coming soon. If you’re a writer with murder in your plot, grab a free pdf 60 Ways to Murder Your Fictional Characters.

It’s been a long haul for you with it’s just-rewards finally happening. Tell us about your journey.

Actually, I’m wrote an entire post about my journey for Molly Greene. You can read it at: http://www.molly-greene.com.

I just did. Wow! What a story of determination and preserverence. You certainly earned your stripes. Now, last and most important, when and where can we get Marred?

To celebrate the pre-release, Marred is on sale for only 99 cents at these fine retailers. More retailers will become available in the coming weeks. Marred will automatically be delivered on 11/11/15.

Amazon US Amazon UK Smashwords

**Thanks so much, Sue. Best wishes for Marred looking down from the top of the charts. I’ve had a sneak-peek at the ARC and it’s a top-notch, thrilling read. Great job!**

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Sue Coletta is a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime as well as the author of five novels. A 4K-word excerpt of Marred will be published in the upcoming anthology, Murder, USA. Her other titles will be available soon. Sue is also editing the How-To / No BS Guide Series on Crime Fiction Writing that are in progress. Connect with Sue on her social media sites: