The inaugural West Coast Haunters Convention was held in Salem, Oregon over the weekend, and I attended as a guest speaker. My classes were “Haunting your haunt: Backstories to add life to your living dead.” Oregon was a blast.  The rain didn’t stop the fun, as the event hall was full of vendors, classes went on throughout the weekend, make-up competitions, haunt tours, and a LOT of networking with haunt owners and enthusiasts. Special shout-out to new friends: set designer Nick Collins, marketing guru Jody Bossert, super convention organizer Ed Roberts, …read more

January, 2006.  Yesterday, I had a perfect opportunity to break the law.  My children had orthodontist appointments, but for the first time since getting braces, one of them had a driver’s license. I didn’t have to go! Not that driving down to F Street should compare to the L.A. commute — the office is barely across town and hardly a taxing drive — but I’d been waiting 16 years to have an excuse not to go somewhere with my kids.  From sports practices to doctors’ appointments to dropping off at …read more

As many of you know, besides being an editor, local feature writer, and generator of many Facebook status updates (#timewaster), I also write romance for Woman’s World magazine and even have my own historical novel brewing on one of my laptops.  When I tell people I write romance, their first (and quite involuntary) response is raised eyebrows (I wait for it).  I can almost read their thoughts instantly: OMG… Dana must have the best sex life EVER!  While that I will neither confirm nor deny, I will say that your …read more

         I know. Obituaries aren’t something anyone enjoys talking about. In fact, when families are grieving, it’s about the last item on anyone’s checklist.  When a family is trying to deal with a death, whether the death somewhat anticipated or horribly unexpected, writing the obituary becomes an albatross.          In most cases, it is a job that simply must be done, and done quickly, and the responsibility of writing the obituary usually falls to the person closest to the deceased, who has the most …read more

Looks like I’ll be flying up to Oregon for the inaugural West Coast Haunters Convention May 21-23 in Salem. I’ll be teaching a class on haunted backstory writing, which you can find examples I’ve done on my Web site by clicking here! Here’s the class description: Haunting Your Haunt: Backstories to add life to your living dead Dana Martin is a writer living in Bakersfield, Calif., who started creating haunted backstories as a favor for a friend. Though a feature writer by trade, Dana gained experience in the art of …read more

Have you ever heard of a book review before the reviewer has finished reading the book? I’m only seven chapters into this book, and I can wholeheartedly recommend it for weight loss. Let’s face it, exercising is great for you, but it isn’t always the most mentally stimulating activity. Unless you’re in need of deep thought that only the black asphalt can provide, then you’re lucky to find something on the gym televisions to keep your mind off of your screaming muscles. Now that my sore knees are less than …read more

Writers, if you’ve often thought about attending a workshop out of town but were dissuaded by the price of gas or the expensive conference fees, the Writers of Kern is pleased to announce their annual Bakersfield Writers Workshop happening this Saturday at the Clarion Hotel. The workshop consists of a continental breakfast, three industry speakers, and access to local published writers during a social meet and greet and Q & A session. Each paid admission also receives one opportunity to win a Livescribe Pulse smartpen. If you’ve thought about writing …read more

We were so happy on Easter Sunday when Jarret surprised us all with a trip home from Florida for 37 hours! After dinner was over, we all took a nap then jumped in the car and headed for LAX. Rob circled the airport while Jordyn, Jaisyn, Allie (Jarret’s lovely girlfriend) and I waited for his plane to land. We were so excited to see him. I hadn’t seen him in 3 months! Look at how big he’s gotten!

This is a sample subtitle for subtitle sake. Check out this article from Meg Cabot (author of The Princess Diaries) regarding rejection letters. All my WOK peeps know I call rejection letters receipts for as-yet published masterpieces! Click here: Rejection! Posted using ShareThis