Plot Ideas by Nancy J. Cohen “Where do you find new plot ideas for series books?” is one of the responses we received from our Booklovers’ Bench reader poll. For me, this has never been a problem. One book seems to segue into the next as though my characters’ lives are naturally evolving. For example, […]
Happy Birthday! by Karla Brandenburg What? It isn’t your birthday? Well, mine is this week, and with it comes the dilemma of “what do you want for your birthday?” As I get older, there are fewer things that I haven’t already bought/will buy for myself, so when someone asks me that question, I have to […]
Short Idylls by Tina Whittle One of my favorite things to write is short stories and their slightly longer cousins, novelettes and novellas. Writing a book is an all-consuming endeavor, and when life has piled a lot on my plate, I enjoy a writing project that I can dip a toe in whenever I have a […]
What’s Cooking with Maggie by Maggie Toussaint I’m cooking up books this summer! Vacation Appetizer. Summer used to signal a time to slow down and smell the ocean breeze. These days, writers are making tracks everywhere during the summer to connect with readers. Through Southeast Mystery Writers of America, I’ll be at reader functions in […]
Falcon’s Prey: A New Release by Terry Odell I’m excited to announce the release of Falcon’s Prey, Book 8 in my Blackthorne, Inc. series. It’s an action-adventure/covert ops/romantic suspense (I always had trouble staying inside boxes!). When I wrote Identity Crisis, Book 7 in the series, the hero, Brett “Scrooge” Cashman, had been left to […]
Summer Reading by James M. Jackson Even though as I am writing this (4/18), winter is still gripping the upper US, and the summer solstice is not until June 21. For many people, the Memorial Day weekend marks the beginning of summer. And warmer months mean Summer Reading. Studies have shown that children who do […]
Short Fiction by Nancy J. Cohen I’ve never been a big fan of short fiction. I prefer to read a novel that I can sink my teeth into, as the proverbial saying goes. I like to get absorbed in the story and love the feeling when it’s so good that I don’t want it to […]
What Sparked Your Love of Reading? by Karla Brandenburg Growing up, we had books all around the house. Both my parents were readers, and they set the example for us. I particularly enjoyed the fairy tales and legends, and whenever I went to the library, I went in search of mysteries. It was only natural […]
Abracadabra by Tina Whittle Last month, I was saddened to learn that actor Harry Anderson had passed away. Most people knew him as Judge Harry Stone on the sitcom Night Court. But I knew him as that most charismatic and skillful of stage performers, a close-up magician. His brand of magic was not pure and […]
Countdown Mania by Maggie Toussaint We’re familiar with the countdown sequence to a rocket’s launch: Ten-Nine-Eight-Seven-Six-Five-Four-Three-Two-One-Blast Off! When an author launches a book, it feels just that mindful and eventful. Confound It is coming out June 1, 2018, and I’ve been busy getting everything ready. To readers it should seem like everything comes together silky […]
