Save the Date:  October 21-23 for the First Annual Readerly NaNoPlanMo Virtual Writing Retreat

Do you dream of joining in with others during NaNoWriMo, but run out of gas about half way through? Do you have an idea for a novel, but you are not sure how to get started and make real progress? Do you struggle with finding time to write, because you have a busy schedule andContinue reading “Save the Date:  October 21-23 for the First Annual Readerly NaNoPlanMo Virtual Writing Retreat”

New Stump the Chump Video and more…

Do you have a research question for your novel? In preparation for the FREE session on 23 July I am recording shorts of me answering writers’ research questions. Catch the latest installment of Stump the Chump to see what it’s all about:  The research question being considered is “could a hot air balloon go fromContinue reading “New Stump the Chump Video and more…”

Throwback Thursday: Germinal by Emile Zola

Originally reviewed June 2015 First a little background:  Emile Zola was a French novelist during the late nineteenth century and is credited with founding the naturalist school of fiction writing.  His contemporaries, and indeed friends, included Flaubert, Balzac, and Stendhal.  Zola attempted to apply the methods of natural science to fiction writing to make itContinue reading “Throwback Thursday: Germinal by Emile Zola”

Throwback Thursday: The Truth and Other Lies by Sascha Arango

Originally reviewed 2015 Finally, something edgy, clever, and not the least bit condescending. The unreliable narrator will keep you guessing until long after you close the book. When we meet Henry, he is in the midst of a crisis. His mistress is pregnant, but he likes being married to his wife, who incidentally, is theContinue reading “Throwback Thursday: The Truth and Other Lies by Sascha Arango”

Austenalia: The Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Gray

Those of you who are regular readers will know that I was looking forward to reading this novel.  It is an Austen fan fiction cozy mystery written by an author that I first became acquainted with through her Young Adult novels.   Here’s the set up:  it’s a house party starring the Darcys, the Knightleys, theContinue reading “Austenalia: The Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Gray”