Susan Van Kirk Applies Her Skills as an Educator to Her Mystery Writing
I’ve always been fascinated by the ways in which our various life experiences and career paths inform our writing. Susan Van Kirk is a terrific example of someone whose past life as a distinguished educator has helped her develop the skills to become an accomplished mystery author. I’m so delighted to welcome Susan to my…
Read MoreWriters Can Escape Into Fiction, Too
Many years ago, when I was going through a painful divorce, books became my lifeline. Especially on the weekends when my little boy was visiting his dad, I’d bring home a pile of books from the library and lose myself in a novel (or two) to stave off my sadness and my loneliness. It was…
Read MoreMystery Author Carol Preflatish Treats Setting as Character
Full disclosure: Carol Preflatish and I are active members of Derby Rotten Scoundrels, the Ohio River Valley chapter of Sisters in Crime. When I first met Carol, she told me she adored Robert B. Parker’s Jesse Stone series. I immediately knew that we had something special in common! I’m so delighted to feature Carol on…
Read MoreJudy Penz Sheluk Draws Inspiration from the Movie White Christmas and Agatha Christie’s Advice
Many writers enjoy penning short fiction, but I don ‘t know many who single-handedly create and edit anthologies. Judy Penz Sheluk has taken on this role not once but four times! This month, she celebrates the release of her fourth anthology, Larceny & Last Chances. I loved learning more about what inspired her latest anthology,…
Read MoreWinning (and Sometimes Losing) the Genetic Sweepstakes
With musicians and music lovers on both sides of my family, I feel enormously grateful that musicality was a quality that I apparently inherited. I have always felt deeply and passionately about music, and my musicality benefited me greatly during my years as a professional dancer. And now that my dancing days are behind me,…
Read MoreThe Value of Fiction in a Random World
Few things irk me more than pious pronouncements that whatever transpires must be “God’s will” or “God’s plan.” I invariably want to scream, “Are you kidding me?” Evidence abounds that painful and challenging things happen to people all the time that surely no loving God would allow, or worse, would have planned. Take my writing…
Read MoreAlice Fitzpatrick Debuts Intriguing Mystery Series
I’ve always been drawn to books set on islands, as well as those that explore long-held family secrets. Alice Fitzpatrick’s SECRETS IN THE WATER features both, and I’m so delighted to welcome her to my blog today to talk about her novel, the first in a new series, Meredith Island Mysteries. Below are her responses…
Read MoreYou Can Never Tell
All signs pointed to a disastrous performance for the community chorus I sing with at the rehearsal yesterday morning. The director stopped us mid-song several times, furious that we were still making mistakes she deemed unacceptable. “I’m right on the edge, people,” she told us. She wasn’t kidding. Meantime, the accompanist wasn’t feeling well, and…
Read MoreChoices
On my Guppies’ Sisters in Crime listserve, there’s been an interesting discussion about career choices, especially when it comes to choosing paths to publication. One of our members, Judy Penz Sheluk, has written a wonderful book on this subject, FINDING YOUR PATH TO PUBLICATION: A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE. Choices include: finding an agent and shooting for…
Read MoreSometimes Our Writer Friends Know Just What to Say
My writer’s group was discussing Ruta Sepetys’s wonderful book, YOU The Story, A Writer’s Guide to Craft Through Memory. Sepetys advises writers to use our own backgrounds and experiences as grist for our fiction. One of the questions she suggests we pay attention to is: “What elements of your childhood self still exist in your…
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