Where Fiction and Reality Meet
In the creative writing class I’m teaching, I start off by emphasizing how important it is to know how the story is going to go before you start writing. We map out the Triggering Event, the Turning Points, and try to bring it all to a Tidy Logical Conclusion in the end. We do outlines... Continue Reading →
“Steampunk is...the love child of Hot Topic and a BBC costume drama.” ― Gail Carriger Title: Clockwork Tangerine Author: Rhys Ford Publisher: Dreamspinner Press Pages/Word Count: 90 Pages Rating: 4 Stars Blurb: The British Empire reigns supreme, and its young Queen Victoria has expanded her realm to St. Francisco, a bustling city of English lords... Continue Reading →
“Steampunk is...the love child of Hot Topic and a BBC costume drama.” ― Gail Carriger Title: Clockwork Tangerine Author: Rhys Ford Publisher: Dreamspinner Press Pages/Word Count: 90 Pages Rating: 4 Stars Blurb: The British Empire reigns supreme, and its young Queen Victoria has expanded her realm to St. Francisco, a bustling city of English lords... Continue Reading →
“When you fall in love, the natural thing to do is give yourself to it.” ― Haruki Murakami Title: The Carousel Author: Eva Vicci Publisher: Dreamspinner Press Pages/Word Count: 74 Rating: 3 Stars Blurb: Eighteen–year-old Jonathan Moore works as a garden hand on a lord’s estate in Victorian England. On a festive servants’ day off,... Continue Reading →
“When you fall in love, the natural thing to do is give yourself to it.” ― Haruki Murakami Title: The Carousel Author: Eva Vicci Publisher: Dreamspinner Press Pages/Word Count: 74 Rating: 3 Stars Blurb: Eighteen–year-old Jonathan Moore works as a garden hand on a lord’s estate in Victorian England. On a festive servants’ day off,... Continue Reading →
“At heart, after all, he was a romantic.” – Amy Rae Durreson Title: Aunt Adeline’s Bequest Author: Amy Rae Durreson Publisher: Dreamspinner Press Pages/Word Count: 51 Pages Rating: 5 Stars Blurb: One snowy evening, wounded WWI veteran Jasper Pritchard arrives at Valentine Nugent’s sweet shop with an unusual request. Jasper’s deceased great-aunt has left him... Continue Reading →
“At heart, after all, he was a romantic.” – Amy Rae Durreson Title: Aunt Adeline’s Bequest Author: Amy Rae Durreson Publisher: Dreamspinner Press Pages/Word Count: 51 Pages Rating: 5 Stars Blurb: One snowy evening, wounded WWI veteran Jasper Pritchard arrives at Valentine Nugent’s sweet shop with an unusual request. Jasper’s deceased great-aunt has left him... Continue Reading →
“The very essence of romance is uncertainty.” ― Oscar Wilde Title: Eidolon (Whyborne & Griffin, #1.5) Author: Jordan L. Hawk Publisher: Self-Published Pages/Word Count: Rating: 5 Stars Blurb: Griffin Flaherty wants nothing more than to create a perfect Valentine’s Day for his lover, Dr. Percival Endicott Whyborne. Dinner at a fancy restaurant, an evening at... Continue Reading →
“The very essence of romance is uncertainty.” ― Oscar Wilde Title: Eidolon (Whyborne & Griffin, #1.5) Author: Jordan L. Hawk Publisher: Self-Published Pages/Word Count: Rating: 5 Stars Blurb: Griffin Flaherty wants nothing more than to create a perfect Valentine’s Day for his lover, Dr. Percival Endicott Whyborne. Dinner at a fancy restaurant, an evening at... Continue Reading →
As part of my non-writing life, I attended a development day, where one of the speakers discussed “Relationship Marketing” and the increasing loyalty as someone moves from being a prospective customer to a brand advocate. (How does this relate to the story behind “Awfully Glad”? Bear with, bear with...) I immediately could relate this concept... Continue Reading →
As part of my non-writing life, I attended a development day, where one of the speakers discussed “Relationship Marketing” and the increasing loyalty as someone moves from being a prospective customer to a brand advocate. (How does this relate to the story behind “Awfully Glad”? Bear with, bear with...) I immediately could relate this concept... Continue Reading →
“There now ensued a series of incidents which transported me to the opposite extremes of ecstasy and horror; incidents which I tremble to recall and dare not seek to interpret.” – H.P. Lovecraft Title: A Case of Possession (A Charm of Magpies #2) Author: KJ Charles Publisher: Samhain Publishing Pages/Word Count: 159 Pages Rating: 5... Continue Reading →
“There now ensued a series of incidents which transported me to the opposite extremes of ecstasy and horror; incidents which I tremble to recall and dare not seek to interpret.” – H.P. Lovecraft Title: A Case of Possession (A Charm of Magpies #2) Author: KJ Charles Publisher: Samhain Publishing Pages/Word Count: 159 Pages Rating: 5... Continue Reading →
“Our brightest blazes of gladness are commonly kindled by unexpected sparks.” ― Samuel Johnson Title: The Billabong Author: Jack Byrne Publisher: Dreamspinner Press Pages/Word Count: 70 Rating: 4 Stars Blurb: Having long ago lost his wife and children, cattleman Jim Kelly works the family farm in the harsh 1800s Australian outback, most days wondering why... Continue Reading →
“Our brightest blazes of gladness are commonly kindled by unexpected sparks.” ― Samuel Johnson Title: The Billabong Author: Jack Byrne Publisher: Dreamspinner Press Pages/Word Count: 70 Rating: 4 Stars Blurb: Having long ago lost his wife and children, cattleman Jim Kelly works the family farm in the harsh 1800s Australian outback, most days wondering why... Continue Reading →
“The music resumed, as strange and compelling as before. ‘And the world is going to break his heart.’” – Ruth Sims Title: Counterpoint: Dylan's Story Author: Ruth Sims Publisher: Dreamspinner Press Pages/Word Count: 332 Rating: 5 Stars Blurb: At eighteen Dylan Rutledge has one obsession: music. He believes his destiny is to be the greatest... Continue Reading →
“The music resumed, as strange and compelling as before. ‘And the world is going to break his heart.’” – Ruth Sims Title: Counterpoint: Dylan's Story Author: Ruth Sims Publisher: Dreamspinner Press Pages/Word Count: 332 Rating: 5 Stars Blurb: At eighteen Dylan Rutledge has one obsession: music. He believes his destiny is to be the greatest... Continue Reading →
“The past cannot be changed, and we carry our choices with us, forward, into the unknown. We can only move on.” ― Libba Bray Kay Fraser combines history and the holidays, in Coming Home, the story of two boys who meet in decidedly touchy circumstances, and through the kindness and persuasive skills of young Alexander... Continue Reading →
“The past cannot be changed, and we carry our choices with us, forward, into the unknown. We can only move on.” ― Libba Bray Kay Fraser combines history and the holidays, in Coming Home, the story of two boys who meet in decidedly touchy circumstances, and through the kindness and persuasive skills of young Alexander... Continue Reading →
“Who knows the end? What has risen may sink, and what has sunk may rise. Loathsomeness waits and dreams in the deep, and decay spreads over the tottering cities of men.” ― H.P. Lovecraft One of the things I’ve come to love about Jordan L. Hawk’s books is that no matter what I expect going... Continue Reading →
“Who knows the end? What has risen may sink, and what has sunk may rise. Loathsomeness waits and dreams in the deep, and decay spreads over the tottering cities of men.” ― H.P. Lovecraft One of the things I’ve come to love about Jordan L. Hawk’s books is that no matter what I expect going... Continue Reading →
“There is no traitor like him whose domestic treason plants the poniard within the breast that trusted to his truth.” --- Lord Byron Blurb: Caroline and Cyril have recently wed and are honeymooning on the Isle of Man, a glorious spot in the middle of the Irish Sea marked by picturesque villages, rocky cliffs, and... Continue Reading →
“There is no traitor like him whose domestic treason plants the poniard within the breast that trusted to his truth.” --- Lord Byron Blurb: Caroline and Cyril have recently wed and are honeymooning on the Isle of Man, a glorious spot in the middle of the Irish Sea marked by picturesque villages, rocky cliffs, and... Continue Reading →
“There are wounds that never show on the body that are deeper and more hurtful than anything that bleeds.” ― Laurell K. Hamilton The year is 1919: Francis “Frank” Huddleston returns from the war in Europe to his grandparents’ home, recovering from a head injury. Frank suffers from a form of amnesia from his head... Continue Reading →
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