by Bruce Hennigan I am amazed at times by friends who think that I am somehow in league with Satan because I write novels about demons. Nothing could be farther from the truth. So, why do I write about demons? Because I have stared the enemy in the its face and I will not back down again! My first encounter …
Relying on the Reliable Narrator
by Christine Sunderland World War I (“the war to end all wars”), begun a century ago, seeded an era of cynicism, doubt that “civilization” was possible, that the savage beast could be tamed. England lost one third of their best and brightest young men. Despair and disbelief filled those who were left, a despair reflected in the arts and letters …
Big Dreams
by Henry McLaughlin At one time or another, we’ve all had big dreams. When I was a kid, my dream was to play Major League Baseball. But I stopped growing and my bat never could figure out how to hit a curveball. As we grow up, our dreams change but they’re still big: the right job, the perfect spouse, the …
Writing Fiction, Sorting Out the Facts
by Rebecca DeMarino A challenge to writing fiction based on the lives of real people and events can be daunting, but not impossible. When it is set in a historical time period, sorting out the facts from lore, stereotypes and misconceptions can make it tricky (or sticky) however. I had concerns about writing a novel based on the real lives …
Writers are From Mars, Readers are from Venus
by Janice Thompson Likely you’ve heard the old expression, “Women are from Mars, men are from Venus.” It’s so true, isn’t it? While we may have common goals, our methods of getting there are quite different. Add the various personalities/temperaments to the mix and you will see the potential for both hilarity and adventure. As writers, we must remember that …
Writing Road Potholes
by Linda Robinson Recently, while waiting for my editor to finish the first pass of my third book-to-be, my doctor informed me I needed major surgery. Given only six days to prepare for six weeks of incapacitation, my mind went berserk. I had a book signing and other events scheduled and would miss our church’s Easter cantata and special Sunday …
Facts in Fiction
by Lynn Hobbs Remember the wildfires of Texas during 2011? I lived through them as did many of my friends. When the fires came within two miles of my home, I had to evacuate. Later, after fire lanes were dug and officials cleared everyone in my neighborhood to return home; I carried important belongings with me for weeks in the …
Writing Spaces
By Ane Mulligan Where we write, at least to me, is paramount to creativity. I prefer my office or nook to be neat and organized. My muse likes my writing space neat and only comes out to play when it is. It’s hard to keep a nook clean, though. Where can you keep all the things we writers need? Unfortunately, …
That time I found maple syrup in my bed (aka Deadlines and the Beauty of the Undoable)
by Melissa Tagg Recently I’ve been in the throes of deadline life. And it’s been…interesting. I’ve had deadlines before. As a former reporter, they’re really not anything new to me. But I’ve never faced one quite this tight. Or this, um, challenging to my daily living and common sense abilities. Examples of things I’ve done in the past few weeks …
Christian Novels and Things that Go Bump in the Night
By D.L. Koontz “Christian authors should never touch this topic!” “Thank goodness – something fresh that isn’t afraid to push the edge.” “Clearly this author doesn’t know her Bible.” “I love how she wove spiritual truths throughout the story.” You probably guessed by now that these disparate comments were written about the same book – my novel, Crossing into the …