Sea Leaf Book Editing

01/12/2026

Romance writers, are you following Emily Colin? This prolific writer with a gifted, spicy touch offers tips to make your romance writing-- and all writing-- better.

01/09/2026

Great ideas are all around us. (I've known some cats like this.)

01/07/2026

This cartoon is right on the money! At Sea Leaf Books, we see the beauty in every book that comes our way. It’s our job to help you, the author, make your book the best it can be.
We invite you to call and tell us about your book.

How to give feedback! Check out more comics on TINYVIEW. Link in comments.

01/06/2026

The new Wilmington venture, Floodplain Books, is hosting an online literary seminar with some very famous authors! Meet Ann Patchett, John Grisham, Lauren Groff, Jason Mott, and other wonderful writers in a 3-part series that begins Jan. 25. The price may give you pause; the opportunity is exceptional.

01/05/2026

Jane Austen understood the Hero's Journey.
Check the comments for more about the Hero's Journey.

Northanger Abbey

01/02/2026

When clocks strike midnight on the first day each year, a quiet creative revolution starts as hundreds of works move from private control into the public domain, unlocking stories, songs, and images for anyone to reuse.

Since 2004, the world has celebrated this big moment with an official Public Domain Day.

Because copyright rules vary across countries, the list of new additions depends on where you live – such as the painting illustrating this post, Piet Mondrian's "Composition with Red Blue and Yellow", which has been in the public domain in some regions since 2015, but is only now entering the public domain in the US.

But the basic idea is the same: after a set period – often the author’s life plus 70 years – creativity returns to the commons.

In 2026, other highlights include hard‑boiled detective novels, Faulkner’s "As I Lay Dying", plays like Noël Coward’s "Private Lives", films such as "All Quiet on the Western Front", and songs like "Dream a Little Dream of Me".

Public Domain Day invites us to talk about why we have copyright and how long it should last. As authors’ monopolies end, teachers can photocopy stories without paying fees, filmmakers can use clips freely, and musicians can sample melodies without lawyers calling. That fresh freedom sparks remix culture and keeps old works alive in new hands.

So if you have ever wanted to stage a classic play, remix a vintage recording, or illustrate a story with modernist art, now might be your chance.

Enter the domain of public domain ➡️ https://w.wiki/GaDi

01/02/2026

Happy New Year!
For 2026, please remember there is no hyphen in "no one."

01/01/2026

Forge ahead in 2026, writers!
(Get more advice from cartoonist Ton Gauld at theguardian.com.)

12/31/2025

D.G. Martin, thank you for giving us many fine hours with North Carolina authors.
In the comments, read about a contemporary podcast that follows in Martin’s footsteps.

December Editors' Blog by Digital Editor, Devra Thomas!

"Apparently, it’s a bit of tradition now for me to write the December Editors’ Blog about my “wouldn’t it be cool if?” ideas that celebrate North Carolina’s rich literary history, culture, and community. I was all set for this year’s excitement.

But before I could write it, we found out D.G. Martin had died."

Read More: https://nclr.ecu.edu/2025/12/15/december-devra-regret/

12/30/2025

Get busy, flash fiction writers! This contest is $5 for NCWN members, $8 for non-members. (Most contests charge an entry fee, but we feel this is a reasonable one.)

Submissions for the Inaugural Marianne Gingher Flash Prose Contest are now OPEN! This contest is open to pieces of flash prose, fiction or creative nonfiction, or no more than 1,000 words. Entrants must have a mailing address in North Carolina or one of its four adjacent states, or must be a member of NCWN. Learn more and submit at ncwriters.org.

12/29/2025

For writers, this WOTY is especially significant. Let's put our boots on and slog through 2026 together!

Plus 'gerrymander', 'touch grass', 'performative', and other words that defined the year