Posts by Lynn Slaughter
My Music Fix: Navigating the Ups and Downs of Life During Co-Vid
In some ways, this was a good week. It was exciting to open a package containing copies of Malice Domestic’s 2020 anthology, Murder Most Theatrical, in which my short story, “Missed Cue,” appears. I was also able to push ahead on my work-in-progress, writing several thousand words as I near the novel’s climax. But it…
Read MoreOn Edge
I admit it. With the election looming less than a month away and this global pandemic showing no signs of magically disappearing anytime soon, I’m on edge. Every time I see folks in the grocery store ignoring the “mask required” signs prominently displayed, I want to scream. But what good would that do? These folks…
Read MoreWriting Outside Your Identity Group: Some Dos and Don’ts
In my last blog, I talked about my strong feelings about supporting and encouraging marginalized writers to share their stories, as well as my commitment as a white author to write books in which all young people can see themselves represented and affirmed. A great resource is the nonprofit advocacy group, We Need Diverse Books…
Read MoreWriting Updates and Reflections on Writing Outside Your Identity Group
I’m excited to share that at long last, Malice Domestic’s anthology, Murder Most Theatrical, is available for pre-order from Wildside Press and will officially come out on October 1st. My short story, “Missed Cue,” appears in the anthology, and its setting in a dance company reflects my love of the dance world I spent decades…
Read MoreShe Wasn’t Only Brilliant, But She Was a Lot Nicer Than I Am
Like so many in America and around the world today, I mourn the death of a genuine hero, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, whose decades as an attorney and Supreme Court Justice advanced human rights for everyone, most especially women. I recall reading that she was always amused by the frequent question from children visiting her at…
Read MoreSarah Dessen’s THE REST OF THE STORY: An Unforgettable Read
I can always tell when I’ve read a wonderful novel. Days afterward, I’m still thinking about the characters and wondering what they’re up to! Such was the case this past week when I inhaled Sarah Dessen’s 2019 novel, The Rest of the Story. The novel centers around seventeen-year-old Emma Saylor Payne. When her father…
Read MoreReflections of a Football Grandmother/Writer
Determined to support our football-playing grandson, my husband and I ventured across the Ohio River into Indiana to see him play his varsity game last night and JV game this morning. All I can say is I have now witnessed close up why it took less than two weeks for our grandson’s high school to…
Read MoreBack Story Matters in Fiction– and Life
Like all fiction writers, I strive to create characters readers will care about. But that only works if I care about the life experiences that have shaped them. To do that, I’ve found it essential to delve deeply into their backgrounds. Much of what I learn will never appear in my novels, but my characters’…
Read MoreCelebrating the Love of My Life
When I turned 39, my husband gave me a coffee mug that said, “39 and Holding.” At the time, I couldn’t imagine the day our marriage would reach that magic number, but today is our 39th wedding anniversary. I feel lucky as hell to be married to a man who makes me laugh every day…
Read MoreMiscast and Loving It: My Literary Writing Group
It all started after I finished my MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill back in 2016. Despondent over the demise of my local SCBWI critique group, a former member told me about her other writer’s group. “These women are serious,” she said. “They’re all multi-published, and they take turns critiquing each other’s work…
Read More