What activities come to mind when you think about lakes? Sailing, fishing, picnicking, swimming, water skiing, or just hanging out…
Read more →The Quinstons and their cat, Silver, have finally settled into their home in Bluffington Hills. They are looking forward to…
Read more →Adding new words to my vocabulary is something I really like to do. Since I like learning new words so…
Read more →Flowers are beautiful, and their lovely smell can brighten your day. Plenty of flowers can be seen at weddings as…
Read more →Sometimes family life and relationships are scary. The stories in 𝐵𝑟𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟’𝑠 𝐾𝑒𝑒𝑝𝑒𝑟 show this, each one in a different way.…
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Here in the United States, we celebrate Easter by going to church to rejoice in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, having Easter egg hunts, and eating the ears off chocolate bunnies. Well, maybe not everyone eats the ears off the chocolate bunnies, but that is something my husband used to do when our kids were…
Honey, that wonderfully sweet and sticky substance made by bees using nectar or pollen collected from flowers, is the only food that contains all the substances necessary to sustain life. It can also be used as a medicine. So if honey is such an awesome and nutritious food, how can someone become mad or even die…
The origin of April Fool’s Day, the holiday that delights those who love to play practical jokes, is a mystery, although it is believed to have had its beginnings in France sometime during the 1500s. No one is safe from pranks, practical jokes, and hoaxes on this day when humor reigns. There have been some…
There are several things you should consider before choosing the name your character will be known by. One of the first things you should look at is the time or era in which your story takes place. Say your story or novel takes place in 1925. The five most popular names for boys in 1925…
When you are bitten by a snake, do you need an anecdote or an antidote? Do math students learn how to measure an angel or an angle? Would you be taken on a picnic by your aunt or your ant? anecdote, antidote An anecdote is a story. Jerry had an anecdote to share about every situation in…
When you think of a character for your new book, what is the first thing about him or her that pops into your mind? Is it the color of his skin or hair? Maybe it is his temperament. Or it could be a peculiar mannerism he has. Whatever it is, this is where you start…
BAM! Splat! Pow! Punched, shot, exploded, shredded, rolled, kicked, stabbed . . . What are good fighting words? What makes a good fight? Should it be real? Supernatural? Painful? Showy? There are so many options that sometimes it’s hard to figure it out. Maybe you know exactly how the fight should go, but not how…
There I was, about to start writing my second novel, but a great abyss had opened between me and the story. When I wrote my first book, I clung tightly to the adage “write what you know.” I know science—biology, medicine, physics—and my first book, Resonance, is about scientists and magnetic polar reversal. It was…
Before she begins to write, how completely does she plan out her characters and her book? What does she enjoy most about writing? What is her biggest fear as a writer? Was there any particular thing or event that inspired you to write these books? I think the initial, fundamental idea of the story (revenge…
Can anyone ever escape his or her past? “Hello, Sin.” That whisper sent her into a panic. How could someone have found her? Identities have been changed. Now known as Will and Diana, Sin and Lee have moved to a new place and have new jobs. Diana (Sin) is a police officer; Will (Lee) is…
How far would you go to get even with the men who murdered your parents right in front of you? Would you hunt them down, torture them, and kill them? Sin’s life has never been easy. She watched her parents die at the hands of the mob when only a child. And what the mob…
From a ginormous spider to cancer to human sacrifice, this trip through the nine levels of hell show us that in our human condition, we are capable of creating hell on earth. The Stories: “The Cave Robber” – This story has the potential to creep you out even if you aren’t scared of spiders. A…
Have you ever been caught out in fog so thick you could not see your hand in front of your face? Or maybe you were driving and the fog was so thick you could barely see where you were going. Some would be terrified at being caught in such a situation. A phobia is an…
Arsenic, cyanide, and strychnine are the classic poisons. The seemingly innocent little old ladies in Arsenic and Old Lace, one of my favorite movies, used these three poisons together in their deadly elderberry wine. One gallon of their elderberry wine contained one teaspoon of arsenic, half a teaspoon of strychnine, and just a pinch of cyanide.…
If something has been done previously, has it been done all ready or already? If everyone goes to the movies together, do they go all together or altogether? Would a magician perform an allusion, and elusion, or an illusion? Does one kneel to pray at an altar or an alter? Is an analyst or an…
St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17. When going to school, I would always find something green to wear on this special day. I really didn’t want to be pinched, and if I failed to wear green, the inevitable happened. Who was St. Patrick, and what does green have to do with this day? St.…
What was it about Sofonisba Anguissola and Juana the Mad that caught this author’s attention? What did she do to learn more about these two fascinating women? How old was this author when she began to write? How supportive is her family of her writing? What advice does she have for aspiring authors? Sofonisba Anguissola…
Every little girl dreams that one day her prince will come and sweep her off her feet. After all, Cinderella and Snow White were each rescued from their dreary existence by a prince, and they lived happily ever after. But does this ever happen in real life? Meet Juana of Castile. In many history books,…
If you turn and see a box of Lucky Charms, does the picture of Lucky the Leprechaun on the front of it cause you to panic? Do you shy away from parties where others might be dressed as leprechauns? If so, then you might have leprechaunophobia. The world can be a terrifying place to live…
What exactly is dialogue? It is simply a conversation between two or more characters. Nothing fancy, just a conversation. But the mere mention or thought of dialogue scares a lot of writers who will do just about anything to avoid it. The fear of writing dialogue must be conquered. We practice dialogue every time we…
If you are confused about what dialogue tags are and how to use them, they are simple to learn. Ready?
Have you ever wondered what your own special color was? What about the characters you create when writing fiction? Would you like to assign each one a special color that can be used to describe their personality and affect their actions? Astrology is not a science. It is a study that assumes and attempts to…
I must not have been paying attention during English class when we were learning about the colon. I have discovered that it is one busy little punctuation mark with several different jobs. At first look, all of the things the colon does can be a bit confusing. Once you read about all this classy punctuation…
Do you prefer to write mysteries or romances, thrillers or fantasies, science fiction or historical fiction? Whatever genre you prefer to write in, I’m sure you can find a way to include one of these unusual holidays that occur on March 9 to add a bit of something different to your story. Do you own…
