Holiday Reflections in Advance by Debra H. Goldstein The holidays are about to overwhelm us. The TV will be taken over by warm and fuzzy advertisements. Catalogs of things I must have or give will fill my mailbox. At my local CVS, one staff member was moving Halloween candy to a sale rack and packing […]
Dru Ann Love – I’m reading UNDER THE COCOON MOON by Kathleen Bailey. It’s the third book in her Olivia Penn cozy mystery series. I like her work and writing. Lynn McPherson/Sydney Leigh – I’m reading A FATAL GROOVE by Olivia Blacke. The Record Shop Mystery series is so much fun! Kathryn Lane – THE AMERICAN […]
Reflections on the Passing of Time by Debra H. Goldstein Despite the temperatures being in the high 80’s and 90’s for the past few weeks, we’ve had just enough of a temperature drop that the leaves are beginning to change colors. It’s a sign of Autumn. The calendar even says Fall has begun. The big […]
Authors are divided on how to handle the pandemic in their writing. Kathy Reichs chose to write a book that referred to it in past tense but played on its fears (The Bone Code), Elizabeth Strout embraced the emotional and behaviors it arose head on, (Lucy by the Sea), while Ann Patchett incorporated it by […]
Reviews that Sink Authors by Debra H. Goldstein Traditionally, authors are told to ignore their reviews. Maybe some can, but most can’t. In fact, many writers can’t help focusing on anything except the bad ones. I read reviews. Sometimes I totally agree and learn from the point being made, but more often, I’d love to […]
At some time, every writer has to kill his/her darlings. Here’s how different members of The Stiletto Gang deal with this onerous task. Dru Ann Love – Luckily, I don’t have to deal with that, but as a reader, I’m not a happy camper when a main protagonist or favorite secondary character is killed. I’ve […]
Lynn McPherson – If it makes me laugh, I like to think it could make someone else laugh, too. Gay Yellen – If it makes me laugh, or feel sad, or touches me in the way I want it to touch readers, I’m guessing it will work. Lois Winston – Having previously spent more than […]
‘Tis the Season – The Voting Rather than the Holiday One by Debra H. Goldstein Have you ever noticed the increase in your emails or in list serv postings during the period before nominations are turned in for writing awards? Some requests are blatant – please vote for me. Others are more subtle – noting […]
Are you easily distracted? Is so, by what? Here’s what distracts us: Robin Hillyer-Miles – Social media. Saralyn Richard – Social media can take me off of a plot line faster and longer than anything else. T.K. Thorne – Questions like this. Lol, just kidding. Other stuff on my computer—email, FB, trying to stay up with […]
I Hate Packing by Debra H. Goldstein Although I love traveling and have been cherishing the times that I once again have been able to get-together with family and friends, I hate packing. For me, it is a tortuous process. First, I make sure everything I might possibly want to take is back from the […]