The Joys of Poverty
I didn’t grow up poor. We weren’t rich, but we certainly weren’t poor, so even if I pouted at times (like, I imagine, most kids do), in reality, I rarely…
Editor in chief Tara Tomczyk has been a professional writer and editor for over 24 years. She specializes in editing nonfiction books for the young adult market, working primarily as a history, social studies, and biography editor. In 2005, she started her own editorial services company, eventually narrowing her focus to publishing books and ebooks, as she helped launch Blydyn Square Books.
Tara Tomczyk, Editor in Chief of Blydyn Square Books
Three Different Ways to Get Your Book Published
Ways to Get Published Whenever we do live events, I get asked the same question over and over again. People ask, “How much do you charge to publish a book?”…
On Blue Herons and Mothers: In Memoriam
Every year on this date, through some bizarre miracle (or coincidence, depending on your attitude toward the unexplained), I seem to spot a great blue heron—that is, every year since…
On Groundhogs, Seasons, and the Power of Change
It’s Groundhog Day, and though I don’t necessarily trust the meteorological forecast of a large rodent, I imagine it can’t be much worse than the never-accurate predictions I get from…
You Need to Be a Reader First
Welcome to our first segment of Ask the Editor. Shooting live video is about the last thing on Earth that a painfully shy person like me wants to do, so…
Time Flies When You’re Having Fun
It’s the end of the first month of this “New Year” (which is no longer all that new) and I can’t help but wonder: Where DID the time go? I…
Yeah, I’m Bitter—So What?
People are always saying to let things go, to forgive (for yourself, if not for person who did something wrong). But there are some hurts that just can’t be forgiven.…
On Comfort Foods
I may be a little bit weird. I get that. I seem to be the only person in the world (except for people who love snow—yuck!) who actually likes this…
Hooray for Winter!
I love this time of year. I know, I know. Most people think I’m crazy. What’s to love about subzero temperatures, icy roads, and darkness setting in at 5:00 p.m.?…
My New Year’s Resolutions
I am a planner. Always have been. The only thing I enjoy more than getting stuff done is making extensive lists of things I PLAN to get done. For a…
And So This Is Christmas…
It’s almost Christmas and I’ve been thinking a lot about Christmases past and how much emphasis I always seem to put on this one day to be the anchor for…
2018 Publishing Contest
A year ago, we launched our first-ever publishing contest. We received an overwhelming number of submissions and were very impressed with the quality of everyone’s writing. Our judges had a…
Birds of Brookside Manor: Reading Guide
How traumatic do you think Beverly’s situation really is—losing her husband, being left with a mountain of debt, having to move to a new place? How do you think you…
Christmas Cards
I’m mailing out my Christmas cards today. That means I spent hours last night, painstakingly choosing the perfect card from the five different styles I purchased so each and every…