And Then There Were Bodies - a Review

š˜ˆš˜Æš˜„ š˜›š˜©š˜¦š˜Æ š˜›š˜©š˜¦š˜³š˜¦ š˜žš˜¦š˜³š˜¦ š˜š˜¦š˜¢š˜µš˜©š˜¦š˜³š˜“, but now there are bodies. And now one, specifically a skeleton, has turned up in…

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Choosing a Name for Your Character

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…

How Not to Get Arrested Breaking Into Your Own Home – Guest Post by AJ Scudiere

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 scienceā€”biology, medicine, physicsā€”and my first book, Resonance, is about scientists and magnetic polar reversal. It was…

Retribution – a Review

Can anyone ever escape his or her past? ā€œHello, Sin.ā€Ā  That whisper sent her into a panic. How could someone have found her?Ā  Identities have been changed.Ā  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…

Vengeance – a Review

How far would you go to get even with the men who murdered your parents right in front of you?Ā  Would you hunt them down, torture them, and kill them? Sinā€™s life has never been easy. Ā She watched her parents die at the hands of the mob when only a child. Ā And what the mob…

Arsenic, the King of Poisons

Arsenic, cyanide, and strychnine are the classic poisons. The seemingly innocent little old ladies inĀ 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.…

Saint Patrick’s Day: Myths, Facts, & Writing Prompts

St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17. When going toĀ 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.…

Lynn Cullen Interview ā€“ Sofonisba Anguissola, Juana the Mad, and Historical Fiction

What was it about Sofonisba Anguissola and Juana the Mad that caught this authorā€™s attention?Ā  What did she do to learn more about these two fascinating women?Ā  How old was this author when she began to write?Ā  How supportive is her family of her writing?Ā  What advice does she have for aspiring authors? Sofonisba Anguissola…

Reign of Madness – a Review

Every little girl dreams that one day her prince will come and sweep her off her feet.Ā  After all, Cinderella and Snow White were each rescued from their dreary existence by a prince, and they lived happily ever after.Ā  But does this ever happen in real life? Meet Juana of Castile.Ā  In many history books,…

Leprechaunophobia ā€“ the Fear of Leprechauns

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…

How to Write Believable Dialogue

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…

The Creation of Eve – a Review

The Creation of Eve takes you on a journey to the Spanish court and the world of painting during the Renaissance. Imagine being a young girl who loves to paint. Now imagine living in a time when it is not appropriate for girls to be painters. Sofonisba lives in Renaissance Italy during the 1500s. Painting,…