I get a questions about my reference library. (OK, so it's more along the lines of "where the heck did you come up with that?") So here's a list of almost every title on my bookshelf.
By category and in no particular order, with links:
BOOKS I COULD NOT WRITE WITHOUT
(Seriously, I use these nearly every time I start a new story.)
Screenwriting Tricks for Authors and Screenwriters by Alexandra Sokoloff
The Complete Writers Guide to Heroes and Heroines by Tami Cowden, Carolyn LeFever and Sue Viders
And as I write the Mystic Bayou series, the two following books have been absolutely invaluable:
Monsters You Should Know by Emma Sancartier
The Mythical Creatures Bible by Brenda Rosen
WRITING CRAFT
Before anyone thinks I’m all fancy and cerebral, a good number of these were textbooks for my master’s of fine arts program.
The Writers Workshop by Alan Zeigler
Released into Language by Wendy Bishop
Writers Guide to Character Traits by Linda Edelstein
The Negative Trait Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Peglisi
20 Master Plots and How to Build Them by Ronald Tobias
How to Write a Selling Screenplay by Christopher Keane
Lew Hunter’s Screenwriting 434 by Lew Hunter
Writing a Romance Novel for Dummies by Leslie Wainger
I KNOW, it sounds funny for a professional author with ten years experience to have a “For Dummies” book, but I bought this waaay back before I even wrote my first (never to see the light of day) romance novel. It WAS a valuable source of information and I consider it a sort of good luck charm. It’s moved with me four times now. And so it deserves a spot on the shelf.
Teach Yourself: Writing a Romantic Novel by Donna Baker
Writers Workshop of Horror by Michael Knost
Adventures in Screen Trade by William Goldman
The Elements of Grammar by Margaret Shertzer
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Brown and Dave King
SUPERNATURAL STUFF
10,000 Ghost Stories by Lisa K. Webster and Jason Hook
Black Cats and Evil Eyes by Chloe Rhodes
A Field Guide to Demons, Fairies, Fallen Angels, and Other
Subversive Spirits by Carol K. Mack and Dinah Mack
Wicca: A Guide for The Solitary Practitioner by Scott Cunningham