Albuquerque Take Flight Golden Crown Annual Conference logo with hot air balloon aloft in dark morning sky GCLS 2022

GCLS 2022 – Birthing Books and More

Karin Kallmaker Events and Appearances, Sisters of the Pen 0 Comments

Once the Googlerithmz realize we’re writers, we’re bombarded with online ads touting the only way to get an idea out of your head and onto the page. Hooey. Absolute hooey.

meme, the only wrong way to write a book is not to write the book - all other ways are the right way - karin kallmaker

You can quote me. Marketing, quality, style, tone, plot – none of it matters if the page is blank.

How Books Get Born

It’s fantastic that pandemic protocols have eased and the Golden Crown Literary Society is resuming their live annual conference event. (Virtual series events remain too!) It’s been my good fortune to moderate So I Had This Idea – From Idea to Published Work panel over the years. Writers tell the stories of their stories. If you’re attending, mark your Friday morning at 9 a.m. to join us.

It doesn’t matter if you’re an experienced author or just starting out. Read More

Blue sky and green trees behind Rainbow Progress, Dublin City, California State, and United States Flags snapping in the wind

The Best Kind of Surprises and Pride in ALL of Our Books

Karin Kallmaker Cowboys and Kisses 0 Comments

I am continually, delightfully surprised by the reader love for Cowboys and Kisses. As always, I’m never quite sure what aspect of any story will form the magic connection with readers. I usually think I know, and I am often wrong. With this particular story, it might be that the two women might have actually existed in some frontier town, and lived happy lives together.

One reader said it was a “love story that sticks to your bones.” Another said Read More

young white woman with brown hair in pigtail buns clutches her cheeks in terror saying "What have I done?"

Rookie Amateur Mistake = Opportunity, Right?

Karin Kallmaker Business of Books, Cowboys and Kisses 2 Comments

I messed up. Making a rookie amateur mistake is generally not a good thing when you’ve been around as long as I have, but it ended up being a good thing. At least I think so.

It has to do with books and how they’re printed. Specifically, all the magic behind making color that’s true and stays true whether a book is printed in the USA, India, or (eventually, right?) on Mars.

Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, blacK = CMYK

There’s a lesson I learned a very long time ago about the difference between computer screens and printing presses. What you can see on the former can’t be reproduced on the latter. It’s all about how color is processed by each device. Here’s an approximation of the difference between RGB and CMYK with the basic colors of red, green, and blue. Read More

dark haired light skinned woman in blue shirt and yellow beret against plain light blue backgrounds looks likes she hatching a plan

Rule #2 for the Win – A Femme’s Tale of a 1980s Workplace

Karin Kallmaker Cowboys and Kisses, LIFE + STYLE 8 Comments

Breaking the rules without looking like you’re breaking the rules. It’s something I tried to excel at as a child. Like Ways-to-Get-Ice-Cream-Even-Though-It-Will-Spoil-My-Dinner.

In my early years of loving as a lesbian and living as a femme woman in a world where nearly all rules were made by men to benefit men, I discovered ways to look like I went along with the rules even as I used the rules to resist the rules. I call that Subverting the Patriarchy. It could be good fun, and often eased the relentless pinpricks of sexism and male privilege. Read More

white cake with chocolate pieces and frosting drips with black and red berries

What Happened Next, Round 3

Karin Kallmaker Book News, Frosting 3 - Still Crazy After All These Years, Readers and Libraries 81 Comments

Drawing and comment period is now closed. Winners announced in this comment.

(Apologies to those who received this post in their inbox twice. Something went awry with the interwebs WordPress magicks and it was not pretty!)

Has Kesa finally designed a dress for Jennifer Lamont to wear to the Oscars? Is Helen Baynor still the Queen of Broadway? Do Kip and Tam ever have a chance to get away from the job? Will anyone ever give Lisa the credit she is due for always being right? Does a TikTok world offer celebrity chef Valkyrie Valentine a way to go viral? Do Alice and Pepper really go on an all-science road trip? Read More