A Study in Mystery

For six weeks, my husband and I have been taking a writing class.  A Study in Mystery, taught by the entertaining and highly knowledgeable Johnny Worthen, has taken us from the history of the mystery genre to inventing our characters, to outlining scenes and figuring out where to put the clues, and on to actually…

Rose Daughter

Last night I finished rereading Rose Daughter by Robin McKinley, which is a gorgeous retelling of Beauty and the Beast.  Actually, this is Robin’s second version of Beauty and the Beast.  I read the first one, Beauty, when it was first published in 1978, and I absolutely loved it.  I’ve reread it so many times…

The End is Near

National Novel Writing Month is almost over, and I am on the home stretch of the first draft of my book, City of the Giants.  It’s been a crazy, wonderful, amazing month of writing.  I love the creative flow that happens when I can just write.  So far, I’ve got 68,594 words (266 pages) which…

Writing is like Time Travel

I've been writing like mad for the past week, working on my new novel -- a ghost story/ murder mystery that takes place in the same 'Gifted Ones' world as my previous book. When I finally got my head above water last night and took a deep breath, I realized I'd forgotten deadlines, skipped appointments,…

Roger’s Rap

Have you ever wondered what the lesser characters in a book think and feel -- the ones who aren't the main characters, so you never get a chance to find out what they are really thinking? Well, here's your chance to find out what Roger (from the Sixth Power) thinks about Tania (the main character…

Fire! Fire!

Review of Fire Country by David Estes - FIVE STARS I couldn't put Fire Country down and ended up reading until very late. I loved Siena's character. Her strong voice resonated with me. As the conflict was rising in the story, I kept thinking, "Siena, what are you waiting for? Get out of there!" But…