Whoa, Nellie!

Are you a Nervous Nellie? Or perhaps you’re a Negative Nellie. Has anyone ever said to you, “Not on your…

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The Fun of Fiction: Using Famous People, Infamous Mobsters, and Real Places – Guest Post by Andrea Waltz and Richard Fenton

In a way, the Onyx Webb series can sometimes feel like Forrest Gump. What do we mean by that? If you’ve seen the movie, Forrest ends up in the middle of some of our country’s most noteworthy historical events. We have done the same in a way, and though we’ve used some recognizable people and…

Onyx Webb: Book Three: Episodes 7, 8, & 9 – a Review

Book three in the Onyx Webb series doesn’t slow down any. The history, the events, the characters and their actions—all keep progressing in such a way that it is impossible to disentangle oneself from their lives. Al Capone, Frank Sinatra, Sammie Davis Jr., and Walt Disney are some of the famous people in these three…

Chiroptophobia, the Fear of Bats

Phobias are constant, irrational fears that afflict some people. Their fears should be taken seriously. They should never be made fun of or belittled. But, as writers, we can bless (or curse) our characters with phobias and make the story so much more interesting. What happens if someone encounters the object of their fear? They…

My Kindle Oasis – a Review

Before I bought the Kindle Oasis, I was using the Kindle app on my tablet. Maybe it was because my tablet was old, but it was becoming a chore to read books on it. When I would open the Kindle app, it would have to warm up for about ten minutes before I could open…

The Lost Diaries of Elizabeth Cady Stanton – a Review

Elizabeth Cady Stanton definitely had a mind of her own. She had no interest in things that women were supposed to find fascinating. Instead, she had an insatiable desire to involve herself in chemistry, law, mathematics, the freeing of slaves, and improving the rights of women. In 1823, many laws were unfair to women. This…

The Classic Poison Strychnine

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 in their deadly elderberry wine. One gallon of this toxic wine contained one teaspoon of arsenic, half a teaspoon of strychnine, and just a pinch of cyanide. Unsuspecting…

Martha Kennedy Guest Post/Interview – The Protestant Reformation and Freedom of Religion

Did the Protestant Reformation improve the quality of the lives of wives? Or did it make it worse? When the Anabaptist Swiss immigrated to the U.S. during the 17th and 18th centuries, what three faiths did they bring with them? Why did the Anabaptists believe that the powers of church and state should remain separate?…

K. Hollan Van Zandt Interview – The Great Library, Slave Trafficking, and the Emerald Tablet

What was the inspiration for this book? How long did it take the author to research all the colorful history woven into the story? Who was her favorite character? What are the author’s thoughts on self-publishing? What was your inspiration for this book? Many slender threads begin with romance and synchronicity, and so I started…

Written in the Ashes – a Review

If you like to read about strong women, this is a book you will greatly enjoy. Hannah, a victim of human trafficking in 5th-century Sinai, is taken to a land in which she is unfamiliar with their ways and customs. She manages to rise above all the hardships she experiences there to become a woman…

Danvers State Hospital & Waverly Hills Sanatorium

Have you ever thought about using a mental hospital in your story? The reasons people were admitted to these institutions suggest many different story ideas. The cruel and inhuman way many of them were treated can also fill one’s head full of ideas about the patients, those who “cared” for them, and those who had…

Surrounded by Creepy Crawlies

Did you realize we are surrounded by creepy crawlies?  These creatures are enough to bring on scary dreams if you think long enough about them.  One or more of these creepy crawlies could be used as fodder for a nightmare-inducing tale. If your character has acarophobia (an irrational fear of small bugs), murophobia (irrational fear…

Owls: Harbingers of Doom

According to dictionary.com, a superstition is a belief or notion, not based reason or knowledge, in or of the ominous significance of a particular thing, circumstance, occurrence, proceeding, or the like.  It is an irrational fear of the unknown or mysterious. Many myths and legends, good and bad, exist about the owl. Some see them…