Anne R. Allen Writers Blog – Mara’s post “All About Novellas”

June 11, 2025 by Mara Purl

Do you know what George Orwell’s Animal Farm, Edith Wharton’s Ethan Frome, Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea, and H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds have in common?

They’re not novels.

They’re novellas.

Novellas went out of style in the mid-20th century, but now they’re back.

“Everything old is new again,” says the Peter Allen song. Novels, novellas, novelettes (and short stories and flash) have been around for decades. Make that centuries. In today’s publishing and authoring landscape there is less opportunity but more freedom.

Less Opportunity but More Freedom for Shorter Fiction

What I mean is there’s less opportunity to get your short fiction published in magazines—because so many great magazines have disappeared.… Read more

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Writers in the Storm – Mara’s post “Women’s Fiction versus Men’s Fiction”

June 11, 2025 by Mara Purl

“There’s no such thing as Men’s Fiction.” This was Andrew Klavan’s immediate response to my question about whether he’d want to debate this issue at the then-upcoming 2008 Ventura Book Festival.

More recently, fellow authors and readers alike have expressed surprise, saying they didn’t know Men’s Fiction was “a thing.” Is it? It seems to me, it’s been hiding in plain sight all along.

Good or Bad Fiction?

“Fiction” used to be the comprehensive name for all books that a weren’t non-fiction.

I remember a conversation with my father, an omnivorous reader. I described some of the sub-genres that were emerging at the time: mystery, thriller, romance, and several others.… Read more

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Writers in the Storm – Mara’s post “Romance versus Women’s Fiction”

June 11, 2025 by Mara Purl

“What genre do you write?” This has become as ubiquitous a question as “What kind of books do you write?” and both questions often receive the same reply.

It should be an easy answer for an author to provide, but sometimes isn’t, as genres have grown more complex. The added “categories” were supposed to make specific kinds of books easier to find. Yet, to some extent, the added complexities have made finding what a reader of shopper or librarian wants harder. And, despite the added listings, there are times a book gets slotted into an ill-fitting box.

This business of being stuck in the wrong genre can be frustrating, and even damaging to a brand, a book, or an author.… Read more

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# Send Indie Gift Book

November 3, 2020 by Mara Purl
Can other authors use this program? Of course! I designed it for all of us to use. Just follow the simple steps I outlined above. I guarantee you’ll be doing something practical, something good, and something generous.
Posted in Authors, Authors and Publishers Services, Book Marketing, Books, Bookstores - Independent, Community, Connecting through books, Gifts, Gratitude, Innovative marketing, involvement in issues near and dear to heart, Live Your Best Life, Love of Books, Mara Purl, Marketing, Milford-Haven Novels & Stories, new methods of marketing books, Publishing | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Part II – Books versus TV, Narrative Voice versus Scripted Scenes: Bosche, Milford-Haven

July 19, 2020 by Mara Purl
We authors dig deep to find the truths lurking in the souls of our characters. When these truths surface, we have little choice but to write them down, if we want to be authentic. And remember, the root of the word “author” is the same as the root of the word
Posted in Authors, Books, Mara Purl, Milford-Haven Novels & Stories, Television series, What the Soul Suspects, When the Heart Listens | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Part I – Books versus TV, Narrative Voice versus Scripted Scenes: Longmire, Outlander

July 19, 2020 by Mara Purl

A Guest Post by Mara Purl

Every author wants their novels to be made into a film or a television series. Right?

So let’s take a look at how these two worlds of “series”—both the readable and the viewable kind—connect, overlap, or compete. Some people discover a great series first on TV, then want to dig deeper by reading the original books. Some don’t want to see the adaptation on a screen until they’ve delved into the books, sometimes referred to by producers as “source material.”

Here we’ll take a look at works by Diana Gabaldon (the Outlander series), and Craig Johnson (the Longmire series).… Read more

Posted in Art and Entertainment, BBC Radio, Books, careers, Mara Purl, Milford-Haven Novels & Stories, narrative voice, Novel series, Radio, Radio Drama, Serial Drama, Soap Opera Fiction, Television series, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Gift Books Across the Sea

February 20, 2020 by Mara Purl
There’s a person, now, whose love of books inspired me, and who I’ve been able to encourage in turn with a simple gesture. She had collected books to enjoy and to share. Who knows, now, how far and wide her own sharing will reach? I know I touched her heart, and she touched mine.
Posted in about issues of the heart, Art and Entertainment, Author Mara Purl on Book Tour, Authors, Book Marketing, Books, community and transformation, Connecting through books, Creativity, Cruising, Finding treasures of the heart in books, Gifts, Head & Heart, Heart, Heart and head connection in books, involvement in issues near and dear to heart, Live Your Best Life, Love of Books, Magical moments, Mara Purl, Milford-Haven Novels & Stories, Nurturing the soul, Opening up to New Worlds, power of the universe, sychronicity of life, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Untangling Our Strings

December 31, 2019 by Mara Purl
Maybe there’s a knot of resentment that we could untangle with a bit of patience and forgiveness. Perhaps there’s an interlocking loop of mistaken communications that could be smoothed with a phone call or a note. Or it could be that a few moments of stillness—a walk in the woods, down a street, or along a beach—would allow us to relax the tension on those strings and let them disentangle and unfurl like strands of kelp in a gentle tide.
Posted in Acting, Art and Entertainment, Audio Drama, authors and entertainment world, Creativity, Family, family history and genealogy, Family values, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, head and heart connection, Heart and head connection in books, heart of an artist, Integrating lifes purpose through art, life's purpose, Mara Purl, mission and core purpose in life, musician-singer-songwriter, Opening up to New Worlds, screenwriting and acting, Uncategorized, voice performance | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Dolls’ Christmas

December 21, 2019 by Mara Purl
This year we have special visitors who seem to have taken over the den and the guest room. I wouldn't be surprised if they've been tiptoeing around while I'm not looking, arraying themselves throughout the house. This just might be the dolls' Christmas.
Posted in Books, familial history, Family, family history and genealogy, Family values, Gifts, Gratitude, Heart, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

My Box of Dollies

December 6, 2019 by Mara Purl
I hope, when I get to doll heaven, these dolls will be waiting for me once again. They were, and always will be, among my most trusted and trustworthy companions.
Posted in Baby Boomers, familial history, Family, family history and genealogy, Gifts, Gratitude, Head & Heart, Heart, Japan, Mara Purl, womens literature | Tagged , | Leave a comment