Growing Great Characters ($13.95, ISBN: 067916781) is a 284-page trade paperback aimed at beginning and intermediate writers, especially those who subscribe to writing magazines and/or attend one or more of the over 400 writing conferences offered in America every year. Ms. Engber's character development process can be applied to any fiction or nonfiction project, whether screenplays, memoirs, essays or novels.

The book lists 70 examples from past and present literature covering a wide variety of genres to illustrate key concepts. Each chapter ends with exercises, which if followed, are designed to help readers grow their own characters. The book ends with a glossary, sample query letter and list of questions that can be used during the editing process.

"Growing Great Characters is highly recommended for any aspiring writer-to-be and for community library writing/publishing shelves," writes James Cox, editor of Midwest Book Review, an online publication for community and academic libraries in California, Wisconsin and the Upper Midwest. The review is posted on amazon along with the comments of other reviewers, who also give Growing Great Characters an overall rating of five stars:

"Ms. Engber instructs with practical exercises and examples, as well as humor."

"I’ve been reading (the book) with my daughter, a budding author. The text is aimed at more advanced storytellers, but even my 9-year-old has found it to be very valuable."

"(Growing Great Characters') easy style and readability is a huge plus as one will be inclined to read it over and over again."

For additional information, contact Martha Engber via phone at (408) 243-7662 or via email at martha@engber.com. You can also visit her website at marthaengber.com or read her blog at marthaengber.blogspot.com.