How Concerned White Citizens Marched in Selma Before Bloody Sunday
A small thing made all of human civilization possible. It is often overlooked and undervalued, but it is so much a part of our lives that we don’t pay much attention to it. We did it even before we developed language, and we still do it. It is a deep part of who we are as a species, and it is so powerful that it can change everything.
What is it? What made human civilization possible?
By Lois Winston
Image by InoxyBuild from Pixabay
There was a time when I enjoyed fantasy, science fiction, and even some horror. The summer before ninth grade, I discovered The Lord of the Rings trilogy and read all three books within a few weeks. The books of Ira Levin, Arthur C. Clarke, and Tom Tryon filled my spare time throughout high school and into college, in-between assigned literary works like Moby Dick and The Bell Jar.
I also like to think that I have a decent knowledge of current events and trends, although I have no interest in following most of those trends. I can still kill it on Jeopardy most nights, though I’ll admit, the answers aren’t coming at the same rapid speed they once did. The brain is a muscle, and with the inevitability of growing old, all muscles, no matter how much you exercise them, start slowing down with age.
But then there’s Minecraft. My eight and ten-year-old grandsons are obsessed with it. They play it as much as they’re allowed, and when they’ve used up their screen time for the day, they either read Minecraft books or talk about Minecraft incessantly.
And I just don’t get it. Not their obsession. I get obsessions. I had plenty of my own throughout childhood and even into adulthood. My obsessions haven’t ceased. I recently became obsessed with West Wing, a show I had never watched back in the day, but I spent hours binge-watching the entire seven seasons in the autumn and early winter of 2024.
What I don’t get is Minecraft. I’ve tried. I’ve watched my grandsons play and listened to their explanation of the rules. I’ve read aloud chapters in their Minecraft books. But try as I might, I can’t wrap my brain around what strikes me as very random and odd rules concerning assorted worlds, cauldrons, emeralds, ores, ender dragons, wizards, witches, elder guardians, blocky animals, trees that don’t look like trees, and mining fatigue. And those are just a few of the oddities. It’s enough to make my head spin. It really bothers me that I seem completely incapable, even after hours of tutelage, of grasping the most rudimentary aspects of Minecraft. 😵💫
Perhaps Minecraft makes perfect sense to the pre-pubescent brain because they’re more open to wonderous possibilities. After all, they still believe in Santa Claus. It’s probably best that I stick to my own imaginary world of the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries. The murder and mayhem I throw at my reluctant amateur sleuth in my cozy mystery books makes far more sense to me than the pixelated world of Minecraft ever will.
What about you? Is there something about modern culture or trends that leaves you stymied and scratching your head? Post a comment for a chance to win a promo code for a free download of any of the currently available Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery audiobooks.
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USA Today and Amazon bestselling author Lois Winston began her award-winning writing career with Talk Gertie to Me, a humorous fish-out-of-water novel about a small-town girl going off to the big city and the mother determined to bring her home to marry the boy next door. That was followed by the romantic suspense Love, Lies and a Double Shot of Deception.
Then Lois’s writing segued unexpectedly into the world of humorous amateur sleuth mysteries, thanks to a conversation her agent had with an editor looking for craft-themed mysteries. In her day job, Lois was an award-winning craft and needlework designer, and although she’d never written a mystery—or had even thought about writing a mystery—her agent decided she was the perfect person to pen a series for this editor.
Thus, was born the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries, which Kirkus Reviews dubbed “North Jersey’s more mature answer to Stephanie Plum.” The series now includes fourteen novels and three novellas. Lois also writes the Empty Nest Mysteries and has written several standalone mystery novellas. Other publishing credits include romance, chick lit, and romantic suspense novels, a series of romance short stories, a children’s chapter book, and a nonfiction book on writing, inspired by her twelve years working as an associate at a literary agency. Her latest release is Seams Like the Perfect Crime, the fourteenth Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery.
Learn more about Lois and her books at www.loiswinston.com where you can find links for her other social media sites and sign up for her newsletter to receive a free download of an Anastasia Pollack Mini-Mystery.
By Lois Winston
For my first Sisterhood of the Traveling Book post, I’m reaching back to 2012 for the best promo ever.
The Underground New York Public Library is a photo series by photographer Ourit Ben-Haim. It features riders who are reading while waiting for a train or traveling on one throughout the New York subway system. As you can see from the screen capture, photos are posted on the site along with information about the books and links for liking and sharing. This photo was originally taken on March 11, 2012, fourteen months after the debut of Assault with a Deadly Glue Gun, the first book in my Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery Series. Imagine the thrill I received when the photographer emailed me a copy of the photo. Of course, I framed the photo and have it displayed in my office.
Now, fast-forward fourteen years from the January 2011 series debut to this month, which saw the release of Seams Like the Perfect Crime, the fourteenth book in the series.
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USA Today and Amazon bestselling and award-winning author Lois Winston writes mystery, romance, romantic suspense, chick lit, women’s fiction, and children’s chapter books. Kirkus Reviews dubbed her critically acclaimed Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series, “North Jersey’s more mature answer to Stephanie Plum.” In addition, Lois is a former literary agent and an award-winning craft and needlework designer who often draws much of her source material for both her characters and plots from her experiences in the crafts industry. Learn more about Lois and her books at her website www.loiswinston.com. Sign up for her newsletter to receive a free Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mini-Mystery.
Happy Dancing – With Our Bellies Full and the Fire Dying by Debra H. Goldstein
I’m happiest writing when I’m sitting in front of a toasty fire or positioned to stare at a body of water. Both are calming to me. The result is that the words tend to flow.
Sometimes, though, a roaring fire may simply be a means to create heat or a makeshift dinner. That is the fire’s purpose on the cover of my recently released short story collection, With Our Bellies Full and the Fire Dying. The story that the title and cover photo are from is called “So Beautiful or So What.” It originally appeared in Paranoia Blue: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Paul Simon. My story involves a tent city, homeless people, and undercover policemen. It is one of the two grittier stories in the book.
Most of the stories featured in With Our Bellies Full and the Fire Dying are lighter fare. For example, “Thanksgiving in Moderation” tells what happens at a Thanksgiving dinner when a member of a family’s fifth groom-to-be keels over during the meal. Rather than showing the underbelly of humanity, this story highlights humor.
I was excited when White City Press, a division of Misti Media LLC, opted to publish this collection of eighteen of my older stories that, for the most part, either won writing competition prizes or were finalists for the Agatha, Anthony, or Derringer awards. Many people know me for the seven novels published during the past decade but aren’t aware that more than fifty of my short stories have appeared in periodicals, anthologies, or online.
That’s why it is a joy to share this collection with readers who are familiar with my work and those who are new to it. Whether you ask your library to obtain a copy of the book for you or purchase one yourself, I hope you will enjoy reading these crime fiction tales.
Buy Links:
White City Press (publisher giving a print discount and free shipping): https://whitecitypress.com/product/fire/MM/8
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Our-Bellies-Full-Fire-Dying/dp/1963479688
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/with-our-bellies-full-and-the-fire-dying-debra-h-goldstein/1146836374?ean=9781963479683
Great writers don’t need an editor. They demand one. What first-rate writers understand is that another pair of eyes or a fresh pair of eyes are essential to successful communication. This second looks brings a new perspective, the distance that only time (even a little time) can offer, and renewed energy to improve content.
1. Transform that flat piece of paper into the world’s most wonderful flying machine. The goal is to fly as far as possible.
2. Take a few minutes to play with different designs, then stand up and launch your creation. How far did it go?
3. Now let’s rethink, or edit, the exercise. What did your flying machine look like? Something similar to a paper airplane?
4. Now let’s review the instructions, the language. Nowhere did it say to build a paper airplane. It said a flying machine. The goal was distance.
What would be an easier way to build a flying machine? What would get us great distance? Crumpling the paper into a ball would.
That’s what editing does. As we write, whether for a reader or a listener, we dive in. Ideas flow. We create content. We think about our audience. We identify important points to make. We’re in the midst of our content, our characters, and our creativity.
When we edit, we take a step back. We come up for air. We have a different perspective – and a draft on which to overlay a fresh set of eyes. Even short pieces of writing should be edited. We need to think before we walk away. We need to give ourselves time to review and revise. To take one last read through (or think through). You’ll be surprised at what you missed or decide to revise.
Editing is essential to clear, concise, compelling writing. But editing isn’t just one thing. Just as pizza isn’t just one thing. There is deep dish pizza with red carnival spinach. Thin crust pepperoni and Bloomsdale spinach. New York-style pizza with Tyee spinach. Notice though that although the type of pizza is different there are common elements.
That’s also true when it comes to editing. There are three broad types: substantive editing, stylistic editing, and copyediting.
I thought we could spend a little time exploring these different types of editing in future blogs. Until then, I’d love to hear from you about your editing process, what drives you nuts, what makes your heart soar sing.
You can learn more about this in donalee’s book The Thong Principle: Saying What You Mean and Meaning What You Say.
About donalee
donalee is a professional writer from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Her byline has appeared in over 100 publications across North America. Her most recent book Conflagration! won the 2024 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Historical Mystery Suspense. Her other books include a murder mystery based in Nova Scotia and a non-fiction book about effective communications, and she has more coming out this year. She is a longtime educator and currently offers a variety of editorial services and workshops to help authors hone their writing and get it published.
You can catch up with her on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Interiority by Saralyn Richard
I recently attended a virtual meeting at which the author, Mark Stevens, spoke. He claimed the main reason a reader likes a fiction book is interiority. Since all writers aim for readers who like our books, I paid attention.
Mark did an excellent job of explaining what interiority is—masterful, in fact, because interiority, like voice, is difficult to nail down. Basically, interiority is the multi-dimensional way in which an author provides the internal thoughts, feelings, and attitudes of a character, so that the character comes alive on the page.
Mary Kole gives another thorough explanation of interiority in fiction here.
When I’m writing, the chief vehicle for character interiority is point of view. Each time I write another book, I learn more about point of view and how critical it is for giving readers the best story.
Here are some of the things I’ve learned:
Mark Stevens said readers, especially mystery readers, care less about plot points and more about the people who are living within those plots. I’m sure he’s right, because when I think of all the Agatha Christie books I’ve read—with multi-varied plots and settings—what do I recall most? Hercule Poirot, Miss Jane Marple, Tommy and Tuppence Beresford. And Connelly’s Harry Bosch and Renee Ballard. And Patterson’s Alex Cross.
My own writing experience bears this out. When MURDER IN THE ONE PERCENT came out, the most consistent feedback I received was about Detective Parrott. Not the wealthy and powerful partygoers who had occupied my thoughts when plotting out motivation, weapon, and opportunity. Detective Parrott, the Everyman protagonist, captured readers’ attention and hearts way more.
When Quinn McFarland appeared in BAD BLOOD SISTERS, she was the only POV character. Everything in the book was filtered through her eyes and ears, and she shared a lot of her thoughts and feelings with readers. Throughout the writing process, I identified so closely with Quinn that certain chapters caused me physical discomfort. Readers have told me they felt the same thing.
I’ve read many books where a character’s interiority left an indelible imprint on me. One example is Kya Clark, the Marsh Girl in WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING.
What examples can you think of where POV characters have stayed with you long after you finished the book?
Saralyn Richard is the award-winning author of seven mystery novels, including the Detective Parrott mystery series, and the children’s book, Naughty Nana. Her newest book, Mrs. Oliver’s Twist, is the sequel to Bad Blood Sisters. Look for it soon.
by Paula Gail Benson
On Valentine’s Day, I learned something. I was reading Cynthia Ruchti’s message in the Guideposts devotional book Mornings with Jesus 2025. Ruchti wrote about caring for her husband when he was debilitated during an illness. She found that some of the more difficult tasks required all her strength. At times, she had to tell her husband she “could not speak to him in all 5 languages of love” that day.
Ruchti challenged her readers to look up the 5 languages, so I did. They have been identified by Gary Chapman in his book, The Five Languages of Love: the Secret to Love that Lasts.
According to Wikipedia, Gary D. Chapman is an author, radio host, and counselor on the staff of Calvary Baptist Church in Winston Salem, North Carolina (since 1971). Amazon lists him having 11 books on the subject, including ones focused on children, teenagers, men, singles, work relationships, apologies, and how God shows love to people.
Chapman identified the 5 languages as:
Touch—physical connection, caress, kiss, intimacy
Words of Affirmation—praise, kindness, recognition
Acts of Service—providing aid, taking on another’s obligation, relieving a burden
Receiving Gifts—presents, items the other person needs or wants, unexpected and delightful surprises
Quality Time—focus on someone through attention, eye contact, listening, and seeking to understand
Gary D. Chapman–Photo from Wikipedia
I began to wonder about stories that might spring from the ability or inability to communicate with these languages. I could imagine humorous situations that could arise from trying, but failing to offer the needed words, acts, gifts, or quality time. Just as an example, consider O. Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi.” But, I wondered, how could you miss on touch?
Then, it occurred to me. Medical conditions affect the ability to express and enjoy touch. What are conditions when we lose our sense of touch? Neuropathy? Loss of arms or legs, which would generally be used to embrace or caress? Perhaps a person would have to figure out how to touch another using a feather, cloth, or brush? The importance would be more to the person receiving the touch rather than the person giving it.
As I considered it, I realized the focus in all these languages is upon the pleasure they offer the recipient. Seeing the receiver’s satisfaction is what should lead to the giver’s happiness.
Which of the 5 languages did you give or receive on Valentine’s Day? How might you write about them in a story?
No, it’s not time for the Oscar’s or anything normal people care about. I’m talking about the extremely niche category of mystery short story awards. The Short Fiction Mystery Society, a volunteer-lead group of short fiction writers annually hosts the Derringer Awards. Any member is welcome to submit a short story that has been published in the previous year in four categories. The stories are judged by volunteers from the society membership and ranked on a standardized score card.
While novels are my primary format for writing, periodically I do try to stretch my skills and do some short story writing. The format is different and it makes it much easier to try out some different genres. This year I only submitted one of my short stories – The Rage Cage. It’s a brisk little story about re-evaluating life, questioning self-narratives, Chuck Norris, and of course… revenge. It’s also about the manager of a Rage Cage, a business that allows you to suit up and go smash whatever you want. Mostly it was a chance to try out the Rural Noir genre and write a story about telling yourself the right kind of personal narrative. The year that I helped judge I was impressed by both the quality and the variety of stories and I know that the story I submitted is up against some tough competition. However, judging for the Derringer’s runs from February through March, so I know I’ve got until April to find out if my story picks up a nod.
However, in a break from previous tradition, this year the SFMS is trying a new award for anthologies and Larceny & Last Chances, the anthology containing The Rage Cage has been listed as a finalist. With 56 anthologies nominated, getting to the finalist stage is pretty impressive, and I’m extremely happy for all of the authors and our editor, Judy Penz Sheluk (a returning Stiletto Gang member). Final awards for the anthologies will also be in announced in April, so send some thoughts and prayers our way. In the meantime, if you’re interested in checking out some award-worthy short stories check out Larceny & Last Chances!
Larceny & Last Chances: https://amzn.to/3xUNg7Z
Sometimes it’s about doing the right thing. Sometimes it’s about getting even. Sometimes it’s about taking what you think you deserve. And sometimes, it’s your last, best, chance.
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Bethany Maines is the award-winning author of action-adventure and fantasy tales that focus on women who know when to apply lipstick and when to apply a foot to someone’s hind end. She participates in many activities including swearing, karate, art, and yelling at the news. She can usually be found chasing after her daughter, or glued to the computer working on her next novel (or screenplay). You can also catch up with her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and BookBub.
I’m delighted to welcome a remarkably prolific author to the Gang as our guest today. Pamela Fagan Hutchins and I met early in our writing careers. Since then, she has published upwards of 30 books, mostly novels (award-winning romantic mysteries, a couple of children’s books, and some non-fiction, too). Lately, she’s been turning out some modern tales of Western adventure.
The secret to her success? To my mind, it’s that she spins new tales faster than a bullet train, and that her stories engage readers with heart and humor.
I’m lucky that I write fast, type fast, and no longer have kids at home or a job outside of writing. I also believe that writing is something you can get more efficient at over time.
After thirty-two novels and seven nonfiction books, I’ve had a lot of practice!
But I am firm about sticking to set writing hours and setting word and page count goals to keep me focused. I eliminate most distractions, and I reward myself frequently… lots of snacks!
Way back in 2020, my agent challenged me to write Big Horn, the Jenn Herrington Wyoming mystery that ultimately won me a publishing contract with Hachette UK’s Bookouture. But my editor wanted me to change it substantially or write a different book. I was happy with Big Horn just how it was. I opted to publish it myself and write a Detective Delaney Pace novel for Bookouture.
Two things happened. First, Big Horn slayed and kept slaying for two solid years. Meanwhile had to write three Delaney Pace books and one Patrick Flint family adventure mystery during the year after Big Horn came out. And move to Denmark for my husband’s work. Then Bakersfield. Then France. Have two foot surgeries. Welcome my first two grandkids.
Ya know—life stuff.
Despite Big Horn having had the best release of any book I’d ever written—better than Delaney Pace did, originally, although it’s picked up a lot of steam!—I did not get the follow-up book out for 18 months. In indie publishing terms, that’s a century. And I had a heck of a time pulling myself out of Delaney’s and Patrick’s worlds and back into Jenn’s.
But I’d already outlined five follow-up books while I was writing Big Horn. So, the book I rolled out next was Walker Prairie. It had the planned plots and subplots and the same gritty-but-kinda-cozy feel which some people love.
Between the time I outlined Walker Prairie (2021) and when I wrote it (2024), I acquired two Alaskan Malamute sled dogs, Willett and Sibley! They seemed like the perfect lighthearted addition to Jenn and Aaron’s world, so I wrote them in, and just like in real life, they proceeded to WOO and HOWL and JUMP AROUND until they’d pretty much hijacked the book. The plot remained the same, but the adventure elements surrounding the climactic scenes changed to feature two beautiful, often-naughty, and occasionally terrifying FLOOFS (my term for fluffy goofs.)
So, whether you pick up Walker Prairie because you’re dying to read about or continue with Jenn, her veterinarian husband Aaron, her legal associate Kid James, and Jeremiah Johnson (the loveable skunk), or because you love gritty-cozy romantic legal thrillers, or Wyoming mysteries, or just love books with FLOOFS, I am delighted that the wait is over and Walker Prairie is finally here.
And I love the book! You can get your copy here:
USA Today bestselling author of the Detective Delaney Pace series / Host of Crime & Wine / Silver Falchion Best Mystery Winner
Thanks for stopping by, Pamela!
Gay Yellen’s writing career began in magazine journalism. She served as the co-writer/editor for the international thriller, Five Minutes to Midnight (Delacorte), a New York Times “New & Notable.” The success of that book led to her first romantic mystery, The Body Business, Book 1 of the Samantha Newman Mystery Series. The Body Next Door soon followed, and The Body in the News in 2023. The series has won multiple awards, including a Readers’ Favorite Mystery / Chanticleer Mystery & Mayhem 1st Place / InD’Tale Crowned Heart for Excellence / Silver Falchion Finalist/ and an American Legacy Best Cozy Award. https//:GayYellen.com
I had a post all ready for this month’s blog. Then I opened my friend’s newsletter. After I read something that I consider much more poignant and timely, I asked if I could share. Please welcome Barbara Nickless to The Stiletto Gang. ~ Donnell
Author Barbara Nickless
Friends have called to ask if I’ve been triggered by the fires in Los Angeles. In short, yes. It’s an unsettling fact that more people than ever live in fire-prone areas known as wildland urban interfaces. With L.A. on everyone’s mind, I want to share what I learned when my home of twenty-two years burned down in a wildfire.
When I lost my home in Colorado’s Waldo Canyon Fire of 2012, I went—in the space of hours—from being a middle-class, tax-paying suburbanite to one of the shell-shocked homeless. Overnight, I found myself needy, helpless and so bone-deep tired I suspected a solid year of sleep wouldn’t fix it. Like anyone grieving or in pain or simply raw from the public weight of it all, what I wanted was the one impossible thing: to go home.
I passed through the classic stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. Some stages, like anger, were brief. Others lingered for years, depression and bargaining looping back in unwelcome refrains. Denial reappeared, too, a kid poking her tongue in the place where there used to be a tooth, surprised by the emptiness.
But tragedy’s sharp-edged gift is that it brings unexpected growth. Pain reshapes us, expanding our capacity for understanding and wisdom. Here are a few things I’ve learned—and am still learning—about loss.
My heart goes out to everyone who lost their homes in L.A. If you want to take action, here’s how you can help:
The Drowning Game has been named Best Book of 2024 by WRBH Reading Radio. “Although a difficult decision with so many good books, the winner of the 2024 WRBH Writers’ Forum Book of the Year Award is Barbara Nickless for The Drowning Game.” A huge thank you to the Writers’ Forum on WRBH!
“Ms. Nickless continues to be one of our best action/mystery writers. Her deep dives into her subject matter and smooth narratives always guarantee a great experience. Following Nadia down the twists and turns of international industrial espionage and spy craft is a thrilling ride, made more enjoyable by the interior monologues and richly drawn characters. More, please.”
–Amazon Reviewer