On Being the New Kid by Diane Stuckart Back when I was in grade school, I envied the occasional kid who showed up as the official “new student” a couple of months into the school year. Class would be halted while said new boy or girl was brought to the front of the home room […]
Wedding Countdown by Nancy J. Cohen We’re in a wedding countdown for our daughter’s nuptials happening near Halloween. Invitations have gone out. Vendors are hired. A second bridal shower will take place this weekend. Time accelerates the closer we get to the anticipated date. Does this sound similar to a book release? Indeed, it is. […]
Transitions by Karla Brandenburg It’s back to school time again. Parents everywhere are celebrating or bemoaning their quiet houses once again. For some, back to school means getting back on schedule. For some, an empty nest means adjusting to the quiet. As silly as it sounds, when my kids went to college, despite the fact […]
Hitting the Road by Tina Whittle In a few weeks, I’ll be offering a new novella featuring my series protagonists Tai and Trey. “Creature Comforts” is technically an epilogue, continuing a minor story line from the sixth novel, Necessary Ends, to its…well, necessary end. In that book, Trey lost a bet, and as forfeit he […]
Things That Confound Me by Maggie Toussaint While my Dreamwalker Mystery sleuth Baxley Powell isn’t easily confounded, I certainly am. For instance, I don’t know how the same sweet young woman got tricked into recording pitches for so many credit card companies and vacation getaway places. She’s been Emily, Elizabeth, and a few other names. […]
What Do Authors Read? by Terry Odell I’m dipping into our reader questions again this month. One reader says: “I love when authors read books. I’d like to know what genres an author reads. If they have a favorite, or least favorite book. If they have never not finished a book and why.” Speaking for […]
Autumn—Beginnings and Endings by James M. Jackson In the circle of life, endings and beginnings often overlap. Which aspect we focus on depends on our perspective at the moment. Although the calendar marks the end of summer and beginning of autumn in the third week of September, for me that demarcation occurs at the beginning […]
Character Quirks by Nancy J. Cohen I greatly admire authors who can make each character distinctive through a unique quirk of personality. As I recently watched an episode of The Brokenwood Mysteries (see the Acorn Channel on TV), I admired the writers’ ability. The background setting for this story took our detective team to an […]
Happily Ever After by Karla Brandenburg My son just got married! As the mother of the groom, I have the easy job this time around, and his wife is a charming, lovely woman. I couldn’t be happier for the both of them as I wish them their happily ever after. To get into the proper […]
Breaking Bread by Tina Whittle In addition to the usual holidays celebrated in the US, my family and I celebrate the Wheel of the Year. This calendar combines ancient feasts and holy days from the Anglo-Saxons and other Indo-European cultures and follows the agricultural cycle from the first plantings in the spring, through the various […]
