My Secret Vice by Nancy J. Cohen Since I write cozy mysteries, you’d think this was my favorite genre to read, right? Wrong. I have a passion for space opera and military science fiction. I don’t like stories that are too technical but prefer ones that focus on relationships. Think Horatio Hornblower in space. I’ll […]
How Writing a Romantic Suspense Series is Different than a Mystery Series by Karla Brandenburg Fellow Booklover’s Bench Author, Maggie Toussaint, recently commented to me about how mystery authors have to work to keep a series fresh, and a sleuth believable. My first thought was something along the lines of that’s not a concern I […]
This week the Booklover’s Bench authors share their thoughts about the changes associated with the season of fall. We hope you’ll enjoy this group post. Be sure to enter the Rafflecopter for a Tote Bag prize. Emily Dickinson famously wrote, “There is a certain slant of light.” I recall her words quite often as summer moves […]
The Dark Side of the Sun by Tina Whittle Since my husband is a science nerd, there was no way we were going to miss the Great American Eclipse of 2017. Not if we could help it anyway. So Monday morning on the day of the event, we packed up the mini-van with a bunch […]
Amnesia and Cleopatra Jones By Maggie Toussaint In my new cozy mystery novella, “No Quarter.” Cleopatra Jones wakes up in a distant hospital with no memory of how she got there, no memory of what she did that day. She is frightened and alone. A man arrives who claims to be related, and hard on […]
LOVING REVISIONS by James M Jackson I have entered the final self-revision phase of my fifth Seamus McCree novel. It’s the last step before I send it to my editor. Over the years I have honed my revision process, making it much more efficient. I’m a pantser (or as some prefer, “organic writer”), so I […]
Blending Genres by Terry Odell As readers, most of us have favorite genres. Some like romance, some like mysteries, some like science fiction or fantasy. Of course, some like more than one. But within each genre are many sub-genres. Romances can be sweet, hot, suspenseful. Mysteries can be cozies, police procedurals, suspense. And so on. […]
Having a Second Home by Nancy J. Cohen Having a second home can be a burden or a joy. You’re responsible for taxes, insurance, and homeowners’ association fees along with utilities and other expenses. We bought a condo in Orlando after years of visiting our kids in school there and afterward when they’d graduated and […]
Try, Try Again By Karla Brandenburg Sometimes, I’m like a bull in a china shop, although I make the attempt not to do permanent damage and knock things over. I have a tendency to rush into things, to be in a hurry. This has come to my attention again recently as I 1) started to […]
The Eclipse By Tina Whittle On August 21, 2017, the world will end when the giant cosmic snake of darkness eats the sun and the universe goes dark. Unless of course the evil is thwarted and the sun vanquishes the shadow and returns to its right and good fullness in the sky. Spoiler alert—I’m betting […]
