I am so overwhelmed by this book! Written for a YA audience, it sends a message of tolerance and understanding of the diverse people inhabiting Earthia. Elloran enters the university and is thrown into contact with the other races that inhabit their world, and whom she has been taught to hate, as they have beenContinue reading “Review of The Black Witch by Laurie Forest”
Category Archives: authors
When an Author Has an Urge for Something Different
“I love your books! When is the next one coming out?” Music to a writer’s ears, to be sure. But what happens when a writer has the urge to write something different than her previous novels? Maybe a different genre, a stand-alone that is not part of an established series, or a young adult novelContinue reading “When an Author Has an Urge for Something Different”
Blog Hopping for The Writer’s Process
I’m doing a question and answer session today for The Writer’s Process blog. It is a little introduction to my writing, and those of you who know me may learn something about me you didn’t know before. I would love to read your comments! What am I working on/writing? I am currently working on aContinue reading “Blog Hopping for The Writer’s Process”
Who Loves Lady MacBeth?
Writers often create characters who are not likeable, to serve as foils or antagonists for the main characters. These antagonists exhibit qualities in opposition to the main characters in order to create conflict. Readers love an evil character. Think of the wicked witch in The Wizard of Oz. We love to have someone toContinue reading “Who Loves Lady MacBeth?”
A Good Book I’ve Read Lately
Every once in a while I like to post a review of a book I have enjoyed. Murder in Thrall by Anne Cleeland is in one of my favorite genres, a British detective novel, but with a twist. This is my review that was published in Suspense Magazine. I recommend it. Rookie detective Kathleen DoyleContinue reading “A Good Book I’ve Read Lately”
The “Nature” of Setting
I have always wondered how a person’s surrounding affect they way they live. How is it different to grow up on the flat land of Illinois in the midst of corn fields and soy beans, compared to a city overlooked by an ancient castle (Edinburgh, Scotland), or the lushness of tropical trees and flowers. DifferentContinue reading “The “Nature” of Setting”
Forward to the Past
Writers never throw anything away, or at least they shouldn’t. This week I pulled out an old “almost novel” that I wrote before my first one, The Gate House, was published. This one, tentatively titled Nara of the Islands, is really the original story of my protagonist who appears in both The Gate House andContinue reading “Forward to the Past”
Killing a Cockroach with Kindness
I was walking through the hallway of a local high school where I sometimes substitute teacher, and encountered a teaching standing in the hallway holding a small spray bottle in her hand and staring into a trash can. “I’m trying to kill a cockroach with essential oils,” she said. She gave it another squirt. “OrContinue reading “Killing a Cockroach with Kindness”
Review of David Bell’s The Hiding Place
Although The Hiding Place is certainly not a Thanksgiving book, I though it appropriate to post my review of this book which appeared in Suspense Magazine. This novel deals with two families and the secrets that were kept for many years. It seemed fitting for the holiday season in that it emphasizes how easy itContinue reading “Review of David Bell’s The Hiding Place”
Giving Birth to “Lydia’s Story”
My newest novel, Lydia’s Story, is now available all the major book sellers. If you are a writer, you know what a wonderful rush comes along with writing those words. If you are not a writer, just think of any major project you have embarked on in your life — giving birth to a child,Continue reading “Giving Birth to “Lydia’s Story””