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…
Tag: Stephen Helmes
Book Reviews, Fiction Writing, Historical Fiction, New Words Learned, Romance, Suspense/Thrillers, Words
Written in the Ashes – a Review
by 2 Comments
• •Fiction Writing, Halloween Articles, Writing Prompts and Exercises
Danvers State Hospital & Waverly Hills Sanatorium
by 1 Comment
• •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…
Fiction Writing, Halloween Articles, Writing Prompts and Exercises
More Creepy Crawlies
by 0 Comments
• •Here are eight more creepy crawlies that live way too close to us. Wasps—paper wasps, yellow jackets, and boldfaced hornets—nest in rotten tree stumps, crevices in rocks, and in mud. A person can develop an allergy to their stings without warning. The daughter of a friend of mine, who had never been allergic to their…
Collective Nouns, Halloween Articles, Writing Prompts and Exercises
A Lunacy of Werewolves
by 0 Comments
• •From the brilliance of the phoenix to the brutality of the sphinx and the magic of the unicorn, these mythological creatures are amazing. Would a burning conservatory of phoenixes turn the sky red and gold? How crazy is a lunacy of werewolves? Do you think a flurry of yeti and a yearning of sasquatches could…
Fiction Writing, Halloween Articles, Phobias, Writing Prompts and Exercises
Surrounded by Creepy Crawlies
by 0 Comments
• •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…
Collective Nouns, Fiction Writing, Halloween Articles, Phobias, Writing Prompts and Exercises
Owls: Harbingers of Doom
by 4 Comments
• •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…
Collective Nouns, Fiction Writing, Halloween Articles, Writing Prompts and Exercises
An Academy of Apparitions
by 0 Comments
• •Collective Nouns, Fiction Writing, Writing Prompts and Exercises
Cats – Egyptians, a Pope, & the Middle Ages
by 2 Comments
• •The Egyptians worshiped them. Noah prayed for them, but Pope Innocent VIII declared them to be evil. During the Middle Ages, they became associated with witches, and some were even burned. A group of them can be called a destruction, or you could call a group of them a cuddle. Egyptians and Their CatsAncient Egyptians…