Rachelle Gardner

The QueryFRANKLIN’S LADDER is supernatural fiction, complete at 82,000 words. It is the women’s fiction version of a Mike Dellosso or a Brian Keene novel. I am querying you because of your desire for well-written women’s fiction that incorporates a Christian world view. Husbands are troublesome creatures, especially when they’re dead. Anna’s husband, a journalist…

I get weary of hearing people complain about publishing, comparing it to other industries and saying, “In no other business…” followed by whatever their complaint is. People even go so far as to claim the entire publishing industry is “incompetent” because it doesn’t work like other industries with which they’re familiar. To me, those complaints…

Every once in awhile, on a Friday night, my husband will be at work and my kids will be gone at sleepovers and I’ll have a whole evening to myself. This is maybe twice a year. But when it happens… ah, bliss. I carefully select some fruit and cheeses for my dinner, and pour a…

The Query:Katie Carey’s husband has a mistress and her name is heroin. From the moment she met British guitar god Jay Carey, Katie lived a fantasy life. They were one of the superstar rock and roll couples of London in the 1970s with the big houses, the cars, phenomenal success and a love that seemed…

Yesterday I wrote about treating your writing like a business, and being professional about how you deal with the finances and tax ramifications of that business. Continuing along those lines, today I want to suggest a couple more things you can do to stay organized in your writing business. If you’re in the querying stage,…

It’s another Friday, and phew, this week went by in a blur. I was sitting here thinking about how much time I spend dispensing my opinions and worth-every-penny-you-paid-for it advice on this blog. And how much time I spend on the phone with clients, giving advice and offering guidance for their careers. And for just…

The query: After three days of lying in bed with her life crumbling around her, college freshman Stephanie Miller needs to get out of her room before she goes insane. She decides to go to the One Force House; a guy she’d met recently had told her she could come there if she ever needed…

(Today’s peek into my mailbox.) Dear Rachelle, I’ve been writing a series of novels, and have completed six books. My question is: How do I go about submitting a series? I have a query that describes the series an includes an excerpt from each book. Would this be the correct way to present the series?…

(No regular post today in honor of Good Friday.) After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back…

Sorry, I don’t have an April Fool’s post for you. Encouragement Week continues. I’ll be back next week with all-new posts. *** Hey… you. Yeah, you, the one sitting alone in your basement hammering out a thousand words every morning before you go to work. And you. The one filling out your registration for a…

Continuing with Encouragement Week… featuring posts from years past, each offering a little inspiration for your writing journey. I’m away from the blog, but I’ll be back next week with all-new posts. Enjoy! *** Everyone knows getting published is an uphill battle. With few exceptions, it’s a long, difficult and often frustrating road with the…

Encouragement Week continues. I’m featuring posts from years past, each offering a little inspiration for your writing journey. I’m away from the blog to observe Holy Week, but I’ll be back next week with all-new posts. I hope you enjoy this series. *** “The best time for planning a book is when you’re doing the…

It’s Encouragement Week here on my blog! I’m featuring posts from years past, each offering a little inspiration for your writing journey. I’ll be away from the blog to observe Holy Week, but I’ll be back next week with all-new posts. I hope you enjoy this series. *** Many of you know that my kids…

We writers tend to make a big deal about the physical spaces in which we write. There are countless blogs and websites that feature photos of writers’ workspaces, and I admit I love looking at them. There have even been entire books full of photos of writers’ desks. I guess it’s fun trying to see…