Tag: writing

Texting & cursing

I realized recently while texting on my phone that my voice to text did not know the word “dadgumit” at all. Instead, my iPhone typed “dammit.” Not at all what I wanted to my very religious friend!

Writing to Music

Do you write to music? I often do. But it has to be the right music, at least for me. And it really depends on what stage I’m writing in—first […]

Howdy!

fencing for the flowers around the tree

Yes, revamping the website. Avoiding editing the first draft. Gardening a lot lately before the heat hits.  What else can I do to avoid editing? Oh, clean the house LOL. […]

Worldbuilding with Words

Geography: panoramic display world, building

Worldbuilding with Words is a study of what makes great worldbuilding, from the word choices wemake to the entire universe we create. Students will learn tools to create fascinating worldbuilding […]

Workshop: Generating Gorgeous Genre

books on white wooden shelves

Jun 27 & Jul 5, 2022Generating Gorgeous Genre Both in the Apex Strategy session and at the Apex SFF Group, I was honored to present an hour-long workshop on Generating […]

Nano Novel Prep Time!

at Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal RWA New to NaNoWriMo? Or an old Mad Hatter? Never fear! Nano Novel class is here! We’ll play Pin the Tail on the Tagline, Tarot […]

Invited to Guest Blog!

Tony Eldridge invited me to blog for his website Marketing Tips for Authors (again!). I was happy to do so. Tony makes me sound sooo professional! Examining Online Media: How […]

I’m Guest Blogging!

I am guest blogger at the DFW Writers’ Conference website blog. “Life is Learning” by Pat Hauldren I’ll be teaching a class on how to write for online media to build […]

I’m a Top Story for 2010!

Close-up of hockey players battling for puck during an intense face-off on a lighted ice rink.

My article “New concussion policy for for high school hockey league” was listed as one of the top sports stories of 2010! How cool is that? I’m really having fun writing […]

Start Date: Monday, October 5, 2026
End Date: Friday, October 30, 2026

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Bestsellers are bestsellers for a reason. Bestselling authors use their writing toolbox and skills to create a fascinating story. In this class, we will analyze bestselling authors and see how they created their bestseller and apply those techniques to our own. Bestseller here we come!

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Generating Gorgeous Genre-Using Genre Elements and Tropes to Enhance Your Stories

Start Date: Monday, July 6, 2026
End Date: Friday, July 31, 2026

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Your readers crave the essential elements that make their favorite genres irresistible—and it’s your job to deliver them brilliantly. Genre fiction thrives on tropes: those familiar yet powerful building blocks that readers expect and love. Master these elements, and you’ll have the tools to craft stories that satisfy genre expectations while standing out from the crowd. In this workshop, we’ll explore how to identify, adapt, and elevate classic genre tropes to create fiction that keeps readers hungry for more.

She’s running from the darkness. But what lurks inside her is darker.

The debut novel from award-winning author Pat Hauldren explores questions of who we think we are vs the truth of who we are, and the price we pay no matter the path taken.

Life is not simple for Zarachiel, freshly escaped from her drug-dealing foster parents in deep South Texas. In Dallas, she stays off the grid. She finds a new family in Gracie, from whom she leases an extra bedroom, and Katie, Gracie’s four-year-old daughter.

The cartel attacks just as Zarachiel makes contact with her biological father. They want what she stole from them.

Amid chaos and survival for both her and her new family, Zarachiel discovers her true nonhuman self as she fights for her freedom and the freedom of humanity.

Read Excerpt >