Mary; I write mostly historical articles but I am currently working on a novel about Jack the Ripper and just finished a short story about the Civil War. The books I find useful? Writer's market guide., The New Dictionary of American Slang and various writig guides dealing with plotting and such. I tend to do alright in the area but I do like checking my facts and style before I final draft. Of course most of my writing has a historical bent so there is a lot of history books that are absolutely in dispensable. Hope it helps and belive me, It's a hard way to make a living at times but I would not change a thing. Kindest regards, Neil