“Books are the plane, and the train, and the road. They are the destination, and the journey. They are home.” ~ Anna Quindlen
Thought for the Day: "Remember: Plot is no more than footprints left in the snow after your characters have run by on their way to incredible destinations. Plot is observed after the fact rather than before. It cannot precede action. It is the chart that remains when an action is through. That is all Plot… Continue reading BAD BADGER: A LOVE STORY — Review & Giveaway
Thought for the Day: "Writing is not like dancing or modeling; it's not something where—if you missed it by age 19—you're finished. It's never too late. Your writing will only get better as you get older and wiser. If you write something beautiful and important, and the right person somehow discovers it, they will clear… Continue reading THE GIRLS OF SKYLARK LANE — Review
Thought for the Day: “Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.”~ Louis L’Amour ~ Gifts for My Writer Friends: I never tire of reading good articles about creating villains. HERE Sarah Allen from Sarah’s Smorgasbord has a great article about Writing a Satisfying Self-Destructive Villain. Her… Continue reading MYSTERY AT THE BILTMORE: THE VANDERHOFF HEIST — Review & Giveaway
Thought for the Day: "I write not only what I want to read… I write all the things I should have been able to read.” ~ Alice Walker ~ Gifts for My Writer Friends: We all know that a character arc is important in our novels, but how do we show the character's growth? HERE… Continue reading A KID’S GUIDE TO PLANTS OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST: with Cool Facts, Activities and Recipes — Review
Thought for the Day: “A writer is, after all, only half his book. The other half is the reader and from the reader the writer learns.”~ P.L. Travers ~ Gifts for My Writer Friends: The Institute for Literature publishes a lot of good articles for writers. HERE is Susan Ludwig’s excellent take on Creating Character… Continue reading THE SECRET LIFE OF THE FOREST — Review
Thought for the Day: The truly creative mind in any field is no more than this: A human creature born abnormally, inhumanly sensitive. To him… a touch is a blow, a sound is a noise, a misfortune is a tragedy, a joy is an ecstasy, a friend is a lover, a lover is a god,… Continue reading HOW TO LOOK AT A BIRD: OPEN YOUR EYES TO THE JOY OF WATCHING AND KNOWING BIRDS — Review & Giveaway
Thought for the Day: "A great book should leave you with many experiences, and slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading it." ~ William Styron ~ Gifts for My Writer Friends: We often hear about keeping up the tension and ramping up the conflict, but how often do we hear about… Continue reading FREAK THE MIGHTY & THE BIG DARK — Double Review & Giveaway
Thought for the Day: "The idea is to write it so that people hear it and it slides through the brain and goes straight to the heart." ~ Maya Angelou ~ Gifts for My Writer Friends: Showing our characters' emotions isn’t always easy to accomplish, but it’s critical. HERE is a good article from the… Continue reading GUT REACTION & HALF MOON SUMMER — Double Review & Giveaway
Thought for the Day: "It is a magical thing for a handful of words, artfully arranged, to stop time. To conjure a place, a person, a situation, in all its specificity and dimensions. To affect us and alter us, as profoundly as real people and things do." ~ Jhumpa Lahiri ~ Gifts for My Writer… Continue reading STONES AND BONES: FOSSILS AND THE STORIES THEY TELL — Review
Thought for the Day: "When you first start writing -- and I think it's true for a lot of beginning writers -- you're scared to death that if you don't get that sentence right that minute it's never going to show up again. And it isn't. But it doesn't matter -- another one will, and… Continue reading THE SECRET LIBRARY — Review & Giveaway
Rosi Hollinbeck 