Juggling Holiday Busyness by Karla Brandenburg The most wonderful time of the year. That’s what the song says, but if you’re like me, the number of command performance increases. Visits to family. Family visiting you. Office parties. Shopping for gifts. Baking of goodies. Christmas cards (does anyone do Christmas cards anymore?) All, in and of […]
A Little Something by Tina Whittle It’s December 1st! And you know what that means – time to get serious about holiday shopping! In our home, that means dragging out an entire closet’s worth of wrapping paper and glitter tape and green bows and gold bows and red bows and white bows… Oh, so many […]
Talking Traditions By Terry Odell Thanksgiving is right around the corner. It used to be the signal for the beginning of the Christmas/Holiday season, but now we’re lucky if merchants wait until Halloween. For many of us, reading gets put on hold. For others, it’s a way to escape the pressures of the season. For […]
Accents and peculiar word choices By James M Jackson Do you notice accents and peculiar word choices? Not yours, of course, because none of us have accents; it’s the other folks. I’ll soon make my southern migration away from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan with its Scandinavian oo’s, spoken through the nose, and sentences that […]
In the spirit of Halloween… some “spooktacular” research By Karla Brandenburg Congratulations Terri Rinko. Check your email to get your ARC copy! Years ago, I did a cemetery walk as I was researching a novel. My first goal was to collect new character names by reading headstones. My second goal was to “feel” the atmosphere. […]
Beyond the Comfort Zone By Tina Whittle Write what you know, they say. Unfortunately, “what I know” is pretty boring stuff. So I make it a point to expose myself to new and interesting things. I’ve attended the Writer’s Police Academy on multiple occasions, shooting up bad guys in the firearms simulation room and clearing […]
Happy Halloween Memories All of us have gathered to share a memory of Halloween, and we hope you’ll also share one of yours in the comments section for a chance to win our custom tote bag. My husband is a bored aerospace engineer, so our Halloween season begins in August. He begins scouring the yard […]
Getting Setting by Terry Odell I’m a huge fan of reading books set familiar settings. I grew up in Los Angeles, and love following Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch, and Robert Crais’ Elvis Cole as they cover my old haunting grounds. I recently read a book set in Albuquerque. I’ve visited the city on several occasions, […]
Moving By James M Jackson Later this month I’ll be helping my 92-year-old mother move from the area she’s lived in since age twelve with the exception of years she earned her college degree, one year teaching before my parents were married, and three or four years while my father was earning his masters and […]
Reading a Series By Karla Brandenburg These days, it seems a lot of authors are writing serial books, books that keep you in a small town, or with a group of people, or with an “action hero” team. As a reader, this is a great way to string me along into future books, provided I […]
