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
Sorry I haven't blogged in 10 days--but it's been a whirlwind since April 2. Here are a few highlights of the last two weeks. Book Launch Plus! First, there was the National Reconciliation Day event "Reconciliation Through Story" sponsored by the Levine Museum of the New South. I was joined by my fellow Charlotte authors,… Continue reading Catch My Latest Book News!
This post has been a long time coming. About 16 years long. There have been times when I thought I was ready to submit my middle-grade novel, HALF-TRUTHS. But now I KNOW it. IN THE BEGINNINGFrom the beginning, I imagined a story about a white girl and a light-skinned Black girl discovering that they were second… Continue reading On Submission
If you're a writer, then someone has probably said to you: "So, are you done with your book yet?" If the person who you are talking to loves you then he may say, "How's the book coming along?" Which is a softer, kinder way of saying the same thing. Either way, most people who are not… Continue reading Revision Revisited
One of the good things about writing historical fiction set in the not-so-distant past is that you can interview people who lived through the conflicts you are writing about. One of the hard things about writing "recent" historical fiction is that the people you interview--your experts--are elderly and die. Ten years ago I posted my first blog… Continue reading Thereasea Elder Wore Many Hats
Congratulations to Gail Cartee who won The End of the World and Beyond on last week's giveaway. When I began researching Half-Truths someone--I'm afraid I don't remember who it was--told me about how Brooklyn, an African American neighborhood in Charlotte that was leveled as a part of urban renewal. Tomorrow's Bread by Anna Jean Mayhew, breathes life into… Continue reading TOMORROW'S BREAD: A Review and Giveaway
Congratulations to Deborah Allmand for winning THE PLAYER KING from last week's blog post. ******** My blog readers know that I generally read and review books for children and teens. Every once in awhile I come across a book for adults that I want to share with you. Run to the Light (Bedazzled Ink, 2018) by Laura… Continue reading Run to the Light: A Review and Giveaway
Yesterday I posted information about my writing classes. Here are other writing classes in the Charlotte, NC area focusing on book publishing, food writing and travel writing. Classes start Sept. 13 and 20, Oct. 11 and are led by author/teacher Jodi Helmer. Pre-registration is required for all classes; email jodi@jodihelmer.com to register. Travel Writing: Write Your Way… Continue reading Or, if You Prefer Food & Travel Writing….
It has been quite awhile since I have posted about a technology tool that I have found useful. In the last ten days I've used two that I want to share with you. During a recent class at Central Piedmont Community College on "Crafting Characters that Connect" I brought Joyce Hostetter into the classroom via… Continue reading Two Tech Toys and One Book
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