I still remember the book that got me hooked on romances. It had everything I could ever ask for: adventure, passion, a hero and heroine to die for. The author weaved a spell with each word, each phrase that kept me breathlessly turning each page.

That author was my first teacher. I just didn’t realize it.

Since then I’ve studied numerous how-to articles, absorbed books on the craft of writing. Still, I hungered to learn more. But along the path to publication I forgot the most important teacher, the one who started me on the career I so desperately wanted--the author.

I had some of the best teachers right at my fingertips, but I’d put them to the side as I lost myself in my own stories. How could I forget those early teachers? Even if I picked up a book, and didn’t care for it, I still learned something from it. What didn’t I like? What would I have done differently?

How does the author describe a scene? What about her opening hooks? Why does it pull you in to the story?

My  tip? * READ *. That’s where it all started.