Category: books

Imogen Interviews Philippa

I’ve posted character interviews before so that’s nothing new. But I thought recently, ‘What if one character interviewed another? That would be interesting!’ So that’s exactly what’s happening today. Imogen Bell, heroine of Dead Locked, traveled back in time over 800 years and across the Atlantic to have a chat with Philippa, heroine of my forthcoming novel, The Jester’s Apprentice. Let’s look in and see what she had to say! Imogen: This is so exciting! I’m in England! And it’s 1197! What’s that smell? Philippa: Grazing animals more than likely. You don’t have them in 2011? Imogen: Somewhere, I’m sure. […]

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What Are You Reading This Summer?

What Are You Reading This Summer?

I don’t know what it is about summer, but it makes me want to read. Winter does not have that effect on me, which boggles my mind. But all I want to do in summer is get a few good books, plop down on a beach, and get to it. And I generally reach for the meatier books too; classics like The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe and The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins. Huge books that require more time and mental energy. This year I’m taking a different track. I’m reading the YA fantasy Gladius and the Bartlett Trial […]

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Bringing Readers & Writers Together: An Interview With Darcia Helle

Bringing Readers & Writers Together: An Interview With Darcia Helle

Welcome to Open Blog Week, a celebration of moving my blog to a new space!  To keep tabs on what’s happening, be sure to subscribe via the handy RSS link on the top of this page, by email over on the sidebar, or bookmark us. You can also keep up on new posts and happenings by following me on Twitter. To get this week off to a good start, I interviewed Darcia Helle, mystery/suspense author and co-creator of the BestsellerBound forum. She also recently served as editor of the BestsellerBound Short Story Anthology, Volume 1. I asked her about the anthology and the forum, […]

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>Dead Locked In Print! & A New Short Story

>Dead Locked In Print! & A New Short Story

>I feel like I’ve been talking about it long enough, but the final stage in getting Dead Locked out in the world is done. The print edition is now available at Amazon.com! If you’re curious what the story’s all about, you can sample the first chapter on the little BookBuzzr widget on my sidebar, read a short excerpt on my website, or download a free sample on Smashwords. Also, the ‘Look Inside the Book’ feature on Amazon will be available soon! Speaking of Dead Locked, I just released a lighthearted short story about the two main characters. “Bast & Immie” […]

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>A Few of My Favorite Heroines

>I thought I’d skip the serious topics for today and write something fun to start off the week. I’ve thought a lot about heroines lately (thanks to my own) and how sometimes it seems there aren’t enough of them. Along that line, I thought I’d list some of my favorite heroines from various books, movies, and TV shows. Ripley from Aliens. I absolutely love this character. She was the perfect balance between vulnerability and invincibility. My favorite scene is when she’s in the elevator getting ready for her showdown with the queen alien. Elizabeth Bennet from Pride & Prejudice. Of […]

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>Book Title Announcement & Novel Sneak Peek

>Book Title Announcement & Novel Sneak Peek

>Today is my 100th blog post! Woohoo! As such, I decided to celebrate and do something a little different. As I’ve said in previous posts, I’m writing a mystery/adventure novel that’s now in revision stage. So today, I’m posting an excerpt from my novel. It’s still rough but I think it will give you an idea of what’s to come. If you haven’t before, check out this exclusive interview that I did with the main character, Imogen Bell, for the Character Interview Blogfest. I also have an exciting announcement: my novel has a title! Yay! (Read about my misadventures in […]

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>Choose Your Destiny

>Choose Your Destiny

>One of the most difficult decisions can be where to take your story next. You can brainstorm and brainstorm, listing the choices for all eternity it seems. But eventually you must make a choice. I think for some writers this is easier than for others. I’m a person who likes to keep options open. I like to have choices, but settling on just one sometimes requires telling myself to just make up my mind and move forward. Instead of just taking the first idea, I do think it’s good to see if you can do better. But the fact is […]

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