A Writer’s Beginning By Nancy J Cohen Do you remember when you first started writing books? Or as a reader, do you remember when you discovered a new author to read? My latest project is to revise and update my backlist mystery titles and publish them as reissued Author’s Editions. The first book, Permed to […]
Do you have a pet? by Karla Brandenburg Pets play an important part in our lives, and even if all haven’t adopted one, we generally have sympathy for some kind of animal. (Don’t ask me about my son and baby hippos). I grew up with and still have cats, which are often featured on my […]
Mementos By Tina Whittle One afternoon along the Mississippi, I became the girl who reads tarot. It was in New Orleans, of course, the land of beignets and chicory coffee and lagniappe. I was at an academic conference with my friends from the university where I taught. These were the same people I passed in […]
Intriguing Aspects By Maggie Toussaint The year still feels shiny and new. Resolutions for the year still feel doable, and the days are starting to lengthen. In short, I have a sense of optimism despite the (temporary) colder temperatures. One bright star on my immediate horizon: I have a book release on February 5 under […]
Welcome to our new “Let’s Talk” format. The authors at Booklover’s Bench would love to know more about what you like—or don’t like—about the books you read. Each week, we’ll add Q&A to our short posts, and we’d love to have you share your opinions. Also, on February 1st, we’re celebrating our third anniversary, and […]
Rediscovering Your Muse By Nancy J Cohen Recently I’ve begun sorting my recipe clippings into categories. This will make things easier when I want to find a meal to make. For example, instead of hunting through my pile of papers for a poultry main dish, I can pick the envelope labeled “Chicken” and search […]
Hunker down with a good book month by Karla Brandenburg I don’t know about you but January is hunker down with a good book month for me. With the holidays over and the weather declining, there’s nothing better than curling up in a warm chair and reading. I do most of my binge-reading in January. […]
Beats and Rhythms By Tina Whittle One of the things I enjoy most about talking to other writers is learning about their writing processes. We’re creatures of various habits, we writers. Some of us plot; some of us pants it. Some of us are morning writers; other are night owls. And some of us adore […]
Gingerbread Men Rule! By Maggie Toussaint Close your eyes for a second and imagine your favorite holiday cookie. Got it? Me too. I’ve always had a yen for Gingerbread men. As far back as I can remember, that was THE treat I wanted most during the holidays. I didn’t want that pan of gingerbread topped […]
Does Genre Matter? by Terry Odell When I started writing, my reading preferences were primarily mystery, so that’s what I wanted to write. I had a basic premise—a cop who never crossed the line, and a woman as a victim of a crime he’d investigate. I figured it would be about his investigation, but as […]
