D L Richardson

A while ago I wrote a post about the importance of sticking to one genre when writing. READ POST HERE. I don't write in one genre. I also don't read in one genre. I read a variety of books and I want to be able to write a variety of stories.
But in this post I pointed out how switching genres can disappoint readers who signed up to your newsletter while you wrote young adult fantasy, then a few years later you send them an email to announce your new science fiction novel, then send an email to announce your latest supernatural thriller.That post highlighted to me that I really needed a pen name for some of my books. So I created Jonette Blake, who writes suspenseful mysteries and thrillers, and I moved my supernatural thrillers over to her. It does mean I've had to build up a totally new audience.The other pro for sticking to the one genre is that I would be able to release more books by the same author and target the same audience and build on the sales over a series of b…

People often ask me how I come up with my story ideas. THIS is how I come up with story ideas. The following is a true event. I woke to the sound of the doorbell ringing and glanced at the clock. It was 2am. I thought I had just woken from a dream.Then my husband rolled out of bed and stood up to stare out the bedroom window.I mumbled, "What's up?"He said, "If you can believe it, the doorbell just rang.""So it wasn't a dream," I said.Our front doorbell had chimed at 2am in the morning. Our front door is downstairs, we were sleeping upstairs. The husband was staring out the bedroom window which overlooks the driveway, but I don't need to get up to know that we can't see down to the front door. I gave him the most logical explanation I could think of at 2am in the morning. I said, "It's probably the battery dying."He agreed, and we both did a quick look out the front and back windows before heading back to bed.I never went back …

I've been watching, James Cameron's 'The Story of Science Fiction'. It's on TV each Thursday night and each week it features another aspect of sci-fi. He interviews other directors and actors, and it's like a who's who of sci-fi. It's great. It's also given me the jolt in the arm I need to keep working on my sci-fi novels. I love sci-fi. Always have, even before I knew it. I love space opera, dystopia, post-apocalyptic, aliens, artificial intelligence, robots, off-world. I love it all.What I love most is that many of these great sci-fi books and movies are cautionary tales about humanity and the planet we inhabit. I love how the writers and creators seek out unique ways to deliver these messages. BUT... I lost my love of writing sci-fi earlier this year. 2020 came at me with a bang, first with the horrific bushfires in Australia that decimated the Australian east coast, then we had floods, then the pandemic. For me, these cautionary messages were be…

I recently watched "I Am Mother" on Netflix. I'd added it to my list a while ago but was waiting for a day when I had the TV all to myself. I suspected it would be a psychological thriller, and I enjoy watching these types of movies when I'm alone, so I can immerse myself in the suspense without someone commenting or studying my reactions.
From Wikipedia: I Am Mother is a 2019 Australian science fictionthriller film directed by Grant Sputore, from a screenplay by Michael Lloyd Green, based on a story by Grant Sputore and Michael Lloyd Green. Starring Clara Rugaard, Luke Hawker, Rose Byrne, and Hilary Swank, the film follows Daughter, a girl in a post-apocalyptic bunker, being raised by Mother, a robot aiding the repopulation of Earth. The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on 25 January 2019. Netflix released it in several countries on 7 June 2019.
The Cast:

Clara Rugaard as DaughterLuke Hawker as Mother (performance)Rose Byrne as Mother (voice)Hi…

2020. What a year to forget. Oh, wait, it's not over yet.

Many writers and readers across the globe are finding it hard to stay motivated. I can understand that. 2020 sucks. Like a lot of people, I'm stuck at home. Also like a lot of people, I'm looking around the house and thinking about how dated all my furniture looks. I can't afford to just replace it all and get the whole house renovated, so what can I do? I can look at my creations and give them a makeover.
This is one of the great benefits of being an indie author. We can adapt quickly to new trends if need be. I noticed a comment on a Facebook thread from a successful author who was giving advice on a book cover, that the trend for covers was moving to text and image. 
I decided to check out some book covers on the bestseller lists, and discovered that this author was right. There were lots of books without people on the covers. Just text and image. 
Who is driving this push? Is it the traditional publishers who ha…

Can I share a little secret with you? I'm losing my motivation to read and write. It's a common thread I'm seeing on Facebook that a person's creativity is becoming a casualty of lockdown. We're all supposed to have this extra time to do something. But often it's not time that prevents us. It's motivation.
I did a quick count of all the paperbacks on my shelf that I have yet to read. 91. I have 91 books on my "to be read" pile. That isn't counting the number on my Kindle. I should be devouring these books.
Instead, I'm binge-watching "The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" and "Titans".
So how am I finding motivation in lockdown? I'm sharing covers for two of my upcoming writing projects. I don't normally do this. I normally wait until a book is released to share the covers, but this time I need a little extra push.
"Earth Arrested" book 2 in my sci-fi thriller series "Earth Quarantined"

"The Widow C…