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.…
