November Musings by Nancy J. Cohen November has always been a special month to me. It’s the start of the holiday season, with stores displaying Christmas decorations and stocking chocolate Hanukkah coins and dreidels. It’s my birthday month, which is challenging for my family because it ties in with the holidays and our December […]
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 […]
Plot Ideas by Nancy J. Cohen “Where do you find new plot ideas for series books?” is one of the responses we received from our Booklovers’ Bench reader poll. For me, this has never been a problem. One book seems to segue into the next as though my characters’ lives are naturally evolving. For example, […]
Short Fiction by Nancy J. Cohen I’ve never been a big fan of short fiction. I prefer to read a novel that I can sink my teeth into, as the proverbial saying goes. I like to get absorbed in the story and love the feeling when it’s so good that I don’t want it to […]
Waiting Rooms by Nancy J. Cohen You’re sitting in the waiting room at the doctor’s office or waiting around an airport to board a flight. How do you pass the time? In simpler days, we used to carry a book and spent the hours engrossed in reading. But now we have myriads of ways to […]
Writers Conferences by Nancy J. Cohen This weekend I am attending SleuthFest, the annual mystery writers’ conference sponsored by Florida Chapter of MWA. I’m giving two workshops, meeting with my agent, and networking with as many other authors/fans as I can. This last part is the reason most of us attend these things. If you’re […]
Decluttering Tasks for January by Nancy J. Cohen Spring cleaning in my house starts as early as January. It’s a fresh year, meaning I like to toss out old tax documents and receipts that are no longer needed. This clears space for 2017 files. So what kinds of things does this include? Old financial statements […]
The Gift that Keeps on Giving Retail stores and online vendors would like us to think that all holiday “gifts” must be purchased. Those store-bought gifts are nice, but there are other kinds of gifts. The personal touch and the “little things” are often cherished more than something picture perfect. I hope you enjoy our […]
Thanksgiving by Nancy J. Cohen Happy Thanksgiving! Since we are being thankful today, let me express our gratitude to all of our Booklovers Bench followers for your support throughout the year. It’s your feedback and encouragement that makes our work as writers worthwhile. This holiday is especially meaningful to me because I was born on […]
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 […]
