Blog

Laurie Stevens is the author of the Gabriel McRay thriller series. You can find out more about her on her website, www.lauriestevensbooks.com, or by clicking here, read her last post here, and buy her books here. As if writing isn’t taxing enough, words exist that turn us on our heads. They’re called “contronyms,” and once you start looking for them, it’s hard not to keep looking -- and laughing. Take the word “sanction,” for example. It can mean to penalize something or approve of it.  It gets confusing. Especially when used in politics. What about “dust?” You can dust something…

Donna Rewolinski is the author of the Novice Mystery series. You can find out more about her on her website, www.donnarewolinksi.com, or by clicking here, read her last post here, and see her books here. Years ago, when I first started working as a hospital social worker, a doctor from the Philippines asked, “I get that Memorial Day commemorates those that gave their lives to protect America but, why else does everyone in Wisconsin get excited for the end of May?” My answer involved ideas of no more struggling through the harshness of winter, putting away of hats, gloves and…

Sheila Lowe is the author of the Claudia Rose handwriting analyst and the Beyond the Veil series. You can find out more about her on her website, sheilalowebooks.com, or by clicking here, see her last post here, and find her books here. Change is hard. For the past ten years, I have served as president of an international handwriting analysis organization. When I started in 2012, it was supposed to be a two-year term with one renewal. Suffice it to say, it’s taken a lot longer than that to find someone qualified and willing to take over, and believe me,…

Sherrill Joseph is the author of the Botanic Hill Detectives mystery series for ages 9 to 12. You can find out more about her on her website www.sherrilljoseph.com, or by clicking here, read her last post here, and find her books here. If you are a reader, writer, or filmgoer, and your answer is, “YES,” then I say, “Perfect!” Aficionados of crime, thriller, mystery, whodunits, or suspense stories want to be confused by red herrings and MacGuffins. Why? Because when used effectively as plot devices in those genres, red herrings and MacGuffins help writers craft compelling stories, leaving an adrenaline-fueled…

Joy Ann Ribar is the author of the Deep Lakes cozy mystery series. You can find out more about her at her website JoyRibar.com, or by clicking here. You can read her last post here, and see her books here. Authors spend a lot of time talking about writing techniques, plotting, creating characters, and whether or not we’re plotters or pantsters. One thing I don’t often talk about is what kind of reader I am. Joy Ann Ribar I do spend a lot of my reading time doing reading favors for fellow authors.  It’s not that I don’t want to…

Laurie Buchanan writes the Sean McPherson series of thrillers. You can find out more about her on her website www.lauriebuchanan.com, or by clicking here, read her last post here, and see her books here. When asked about the details of my preferred writing environment—the setting and the ambiance—I share that I’m a bare-bones writer who enjoys solitude. As a dyed-in-the-wool minimalist, I appreciate nothing more on my desk than a laptop and lit tea light—my “contract” to show up, stay put, and write. To avoid distraction, I turn off my cell phone and limit my writing screen to two ingredients:…

Anne Louise Bannon is the author of the Old Los Angeles series, the Operation Quickline series, and the Freddie and Kathy 1920s series. You can find out more about her at her website, or by clicking here, see her last post here, and find her books here. Given that most writers work a day job as well as write their novels, it might seem a little odd that writers need a day off from writing here and there. I know I do. But part of that may be that I mostly write and do research full-time. Also, I work on…

Saralyn Richard is the author of A Palette for Love and Murder, and A Murder of Principal. Her most recent book is thriller Bad Blood Sisters. You can find out more about her on her website saralynrichard.com, or by clicking here, read her last post here, and see her books here. I always wanted to be a writer, but my parents didn’t think writing was a real job, so they encouraged (read, pushed) me into a career in education. I didn’t mind, exactly. I majored in English, so I could stay as close to reading and writing as possible, while…

Avanti Centrae is the author of the VanOps thriller series. You can read a sample from the series at her website, VanOps.net. You can also find out more about her here, see her books here, and read her last post here. Do you ever feel stuck at work? Can’t find the answer to a thorny problem? Where do you turn? What do you do? In this post, with Earth Day 2022 still visible in the rear-view mirror, I want to celebrate nature as muse and problem solver. What? Wait? “You don’t sit inside on a keyboard all day, every day,…