Death a Sketch by Cheryl Hollon

For November, our featured jigsaw puzzle is the cover of Death a Sketch by Cheryl Hollon. We hope you enjoyed last month’s puzzle and would love to hear what you think of this feature. Feel free to share links and copies with your friends. The jigsaw puzzle has a timer that will show how long […]

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Black Pearl

Calisthenics for Characters

Recently, I came across a question from a new writer who asked, “Is it okay to use a real person to create a character?” That’s a tricky question because writers get their ideas from so many areas. A vacation we take might stir a potential setting. A newspaper article may influence a plot. But basing a character on a real person, especially if the person isn’t a public figure, can be detrimental to an author’s career. Lawsuits have been filed (and won) when a person recognizes themselves in a book. […]

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Authors on the Bench – January 2022

The trouble with favors… It’s happened to us all. We try to do someone a favor, and it backfires (sometimes spectacularly). What good turn have you done for a person (or has someone done for you) that didn’t work out quite as planned? CHERYL: I casually mentioned to my sister that we should do something […]

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Let’s Talk with Lois Winston

Reviews By Lois Winston I recently read a review from a national newspaper for a memoir that has received quite a bit of hype. The reviewer gave it only two stars, stating that the book left her frustrated because it didn’t live up to what it had been purported to be. Instead of “a dissection […]

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