INTRODUCTION When you write "recent" historical fiction, sometimes you are fortunate enough to interview people who were alive during your story's period. I am one of those authors. HALF-TRUTHS takes place in Charlotte in 1950, and when I started researching the book twenty years ago, I searched for people who were alive in the 1950s.… Continue reading Learn to Read, Read to Learn
It's been a long time since I've published a "You Heard It Here First" blog post. It's been an even longer time since I first began writing Half-Truths. My first blog was in 2007 when I wrote about attending a SCBWI-Carolinas conference and finding my character's voice. Since then, I've written over 100 blog posts about this… Continue reading YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST- HALF-TRUTHS HAS A HOME!
Congratulations to Linda Andersen who won an autographed copy of Linda Phillips' ARC, CRAZY. My last few blogs have been heavy on text, so I thought I would do something different for the next two weeks. Today I'm going to share some of the photographs I consult while writing Half-Truths. Next week, you'll meet a… Continue reading Picture This: A Behind The Scenes Look at Researching Historical Fiction
"What motivates you as a writer?" my pastor, Rob McCurley, recently asked me. "Are you fascinated with the characters? Do you like delving into the plot? Playing with the words?" His questions got me thinking. Image courtesy of Google images As a child I enjoyed putting together jigsaw puzzles. On many levels, writing Half-Truths is… Continue reading What Drives You as a Writer?
I’ve been composing this blog in my mind for days. But I told myself I couldn't actually write it until I'd reached "The End." sanja gjenero Lately I've been spending days pushing through the first draft of my WIP (work in progress), Half-Truths. These have been days of sitting down at the keyboard and feeling… Continue reading When "The End" is Only the Beginning
Recently, historical novelist and my good friend, Joyce Hostetter, posed these questions on her blog: “What makes research exciting for you? What unexpected or particularly interesting forms has research taken for you recently?” I took up your challenge, Joyce. Here are some answers from my research excursions: Last year I interviewed Charles Jones, a light brown-skinned African American… Continue reading Why I Love Researching Historical Fiction….Let Me Count the Ways
One of the instructional themes in Teaching the Story is that the details which an author includes make a difference in depicting a character, setting, or time period. I am repeatedly reminded of this fact in my own reading and writing.Currently I am listening to Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson. This story of a young… Continue reading Details Make a Difference