Flattery gets you anything you want.

Julia Barrett freakin' made my day:

So Mia Watts

mentioned me in her recent blog post. I love her voice. She is a master at poetic prose. As my…well, as one of my mentors says, her voice resonates with shades of Lord Dunsany, a Twentieth Century British fantasy writer. He influenced many authors, including Mia – though she never realized how well she channels him, in fact, she’d never even heard of him before I mentioned his name.

God, her prose is beautiful. I told her recently that I lust after her voice. Especially in Claimed By Darkness. Look her up. Go to her site – get your butt over there and buy yourself a copy.

In college, my very favorite professor told me…well…told us, his class that is, Write What You Know. In other words, don’t write in a phony voice. The discerning reader will pick it up immediately.

He also said – Say What You Have To Say As Simply As Possible. Use Adjectives And Adverbs Sparingly. Words to live by, except in Mia’s case – she makes it work. She doesn’t overuse the adjectives and adverbs, but she writes magnificent descriptive prose.

And pick up some Lord Dunsany and his protege, H.P. Lovecraft while you’re at it.

Check out the link at the top of the page. That's a classy woman up there. Her brain is like candy for the inquisitive.