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Anne Louise Bannon is the author of the Old Los Angeles and Operation Quickline series. You can find out more about her on her website annelouisebannnon.com, or by clicking here, read her last post here, and buy her books here. I sew a lot of my clothing. Or I should say that I try to. The reality is, I'm not that good a stitcher. I make a lot of mistakes. Sometimes they show, and when they don't, I'll often let them go. And, yes, there are mistakes on the two projects in the photos above and below. I promise, the…

John DeDakis is the author of the Lark Chadwick mystery-suspense-thriller series. You can find out more about him on his website, www.johndedakis.com, or by clicking here, see his last post here, and buy his books here. Writing is like dipping a straw into your subconscious. When you ask yourself “what if?” questions, you stir up the creative juices inside you—all that subterranean psychological stuff that’s been lurking just below the surface for years. The act of writing is like taking a sip—the creativity simply flows through your fingers and onto the page. You experienced writers know what I’m talking about.…

Jeff Nania is the author of the Northern Lakes Mystery series. You can find out more about him on his website, www.feetwetwriting.com, or by clicking here, read his last post here, and see his books here. One the greatest American poets that ever lived was born 149 years ago on March 26, 1874. Robert Lee Frost’s work was recognized during his life and beyond, including four Pulitzer Prizes, thirty-one nominations for the Nobel Prize in Literature, and the Congressional Gold Medal bestowed on him by President John Kennedy. He died in 1963 at the age of eighty-nine, leaving an unprecedented…

Saralyn Richard is the author of the Detective Parrott series, as well as two thrillers. You can find out more about her on her website at www.saralynrichard.com, or by clicking here, read her last post here, and buy her books here. One of the most enriching parts of my life as a writer is getting feedback from fellow authors. No one better understands the frustrations and challenges, the victories and joys. Sometimes we need to vent. Sometimes we need advice. Sometimes we just need to share a tidbit that we’ve learned. Whatever the occasion, a fellow author can give us…

Avanti Centrae is the author of the VanOps thriller series. You can find out more about her on her website: www.avanticentrae.com, or by clicking here, read her last post here, and see her books here. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to know what’s going to happen? Whether your love interest will call, if you’ll get that raise, or ---- what the United States would do after you invade one of Taiwan’s outlying islands? Avanti Centrae After penning the first two books in the VanOps series, The Lost Power and Solstice Shadows, I wanted to tell a…

Tracey S. Phillips is not only the founder and leader of the Blackbird Writers, she is the author of Best Kept Secrets, and a series of romantic suspense novels under the name Karissa Knight. You can find out more about her on her website, www.traceysphillips.com, or by clicking here, read her last post here, and buy her books here and here. A Picture is Worth 1000 Words. Or is it? Best Kept Secrets by Tracey S. Phillips The winding narrow road that led to Nana’s cottage was tree-lined on the lake side, farmland on the other. Lush greenery and sprouting…

Margaret Mizushima is the author of the Timber Creek K-9 series. You can find out more about her on her website www.margaretmizushima.com, or by clicking here, see her last post here, and buy her books here. Last time I posted on our Blackbird Writers blog, I wrote about my husband and I moving from a small ranch in Colorado to a rented apartment in a Washington state river valley. After forty years at our Colorado home, reducing our belongings to one container and a horse trailer was no small task. We’re grateful that our landlady shared her beautiful property with…

I am a college professor in my non-writing life. I was asked to do a presentation, and discovered important lessons writing has taught me.

Travel has been the inspiration for Valerie Biel's Circle of Nine series of young adult historical supsense. You can find out more about her on her website, www.valeriebiel.com, or by clicking on the Blackbirds page here, read her last post here, and buy her books here. Travel tends to be the source of inspiration for many of the stories I write. For instance, the initial idea for my Circle of Nine series came from a visit to a stone circle in County Donegal, Ireland named Beltany, which became the subtitle to the first novel in that series. I’m often inspired…

Christine DeSmet is the author of the Fudge Shop mystery series and the Mischief in Moonstone mystery series. You can find out more about her on her website at www.christinedesmet.com, or by clicking on the Blackbirds page here, read her last post here, and buy her books here. The emotion of “joy” is key to the plot and three-dimensional characterization for the hitman in the new, short suspense novel, THE LEMON MAN by Keith Bruton. We humans are more prone to experiencing “happy” or “satisfying” moments. “Joy” is much bigger than “happiness,” more mysterious and harder to come by, according…