For a number of years, I had the privilege of editing the anthology series, Lace and Blade. The concept was a certain flavor of elegant, romantic sword and sorcery, witty and stylized, sensual yet with plenty of swashbuckling action (think The … Continue reading
Dear Auntie Deborah: Help! My characters have gone amok and won’t follow the plot of my book! What can I do to whip them into shape? — A Frustrated Author Dear Frustrated: The short (but brutal) answer is that your characters … Continue reading
I ran away to the mountains. That’s an odd thing to hear from someone who lives “in the mountains.” But my lovely, peaceful mountains are really just forested hills. The highest point in the entire range is only 3,000 feet. … Continue reading
God of Broken Things, by Cameron Johnston (Angry Robot) One of the challenges of writing a sequel is the balance between giving the new reader all the necessary background, developing the characters well enough, and yet not boring readers who are … Continue reading
Timepiece (Book 1 of the Keeping Time Trilogy) by Heather Albano (Stillpoint Digital Press Prometheus) The concept: Jane Austen-style characters travel through time to keep Frankenstein’s monsters from saving the Battle of Waterloo and transforming Victorian London into a nightmare of … Continue reading
It is a truth universally accepted that kittens make people smile. Well, maybe not all people. But me. And you. In March 2019 I posted about our adventures in integrating two kittens into our household, and the resulting Great Ringworm … Continue reading
The Department of Justice recently announced its intention to resume executions. I am appalled by this decision, and this is why. In 1986, my 70-year-old mother was asleep in her own bed when a teenaged neighbor broke into her home, … Continue reading
Following the 2016 election, I posted a series of essays called “In Troubled Times.” I wrote about despair, fear, anger, powerlessness, and determination. Then the initial fervor faded. Exhaustion set in for me as well as for so many others. … Continue reading
I don’t attend many conventions, and most of the ones I do appear at are local. The last couple of years have presented me with more opportunities. Some have involved a bit of driving and staying either with a friend … Continue reading
Summer’s almost here officially, and there are many wonderful books to choose from. Here are a few I’ve enjoyed recently: First I must offer an explanation of why it took me so long to review this book, which entails a … Continue reading
