Turning Points and Aha Moments By Karla Brandenburg There were a series of insurance company commercials not long ago with people talking about their Aha moments, the turning points in their lives that changed the way they do or see things. For me, I’ve been writing stories all my life, from the time I was […]
Tribbles – we’ve all heard of them By Maggie Toussaint In Happy Homicides 3, due out June 1, my amateur sleuth Lindsey McKay is startled when a young woman tells her she’s got turtle tribbles. Turns out this lady is a Trekkie and Tribbles are fluffy space creatures that multiply quicker than bunnies. Lindsey’s not […]
Series, Standalones, or Connected Books? By Terry Odell Series, Standalones, or Connected Books? I write all three, but what’s the real difference? In a series, such as my Mapleton Mystery series, there’s one featured protagonist throughout the entire series. Think Harry Bosch, or Lucas Davenport, Elvis Cole, Joe Pickett—and of course the mystery authors here […]
Does Formatting Matter? by James M Jackson I speculated to a friend that with more people reading on electronic readers, tablets, and phones that many people are no longer bothered by wonky formatting issues. Would that tolerance gradually spread to printed material as well? Nancy J. Cohen talked about recently revising and reissuing her backlist […]
Playing at the Beach by Nancy J Cohen The Hollywood Beach Broadwalk is always crowded with tourists and locals alike, who enjoy the sidewalk cafés along with the sunshine. Exercisers whiz by via jogging, cycling or walking activities, while sunbathers stake an umbrella in the sand. This visit brought back memories of childhood summers in […]
Five Authors Share About Spring by Maggie Toussaint, Nancy J Cohen, James M Jackson, Terry Odell, and Tina Whittle With Spring comes nice weather, and the temptation to get outside and enjoy the sunshine. Of course, for writers, writing is their job, just like any other job, but it’s easy to want to set aside […]
Southern Gentlemen by Tina Whittle In my Tai Randolph mysteries, I write a corporate security agent named Trey Seaver. He’s the rational, rule-bound counterpart to my somewhat reckless, intuitive narrator, Tai. I get mail about him. Boy howdy, do I. Some readers like to watch him using his SWAT cop skills; others like him best […]
March Madness By Maggie Toussaint March Madness, April Showers, May Flowers, the Dog Days of August, and Mr. October are just a few seasonal references that come to mind. Just for fun, comment with a new monthly name. The answer list is as long as your imagination! Maybe you’ll do better than June Bugs, November Remembers, […]
St. Patrick’s Day by Terry Odell My week here starts on St. Patrick’s Day. Americans have adopted this holiday, although our country’s traditions aren’t the same as they are in Ireland. One of my daughters now lives in Northern Ireland, and pointed out that corned beef and cabbage are not part of the celebration. Nor […]
Bucket Lists By James M. Jackson You know them, right? Bucket Lists: a compilation of the things you would like to do before you kick the bucket. Since I am at the stage in life where I am closer to kicking the bucket than not, I’ve had many years to chip away at my list. […]
