Congratulations to Jo Lynn Worden for winning "You Are Mine, Porcupine." She is my cousin-in-law and has several porcupettes she'll read the book to! ******* Some writers use prompts or free writes when they're trying to figure out what their character is thinking or feeling, or what happens next in a story. I use poetry.… Continue reading After I Passed: Lillian's Poem
It's been awhile since I've shared the books that I read while writing Half-Truths. Here are two more books that have helped me understand one of my characters, Lillian Harris. If you aren't familiar with Half-Truths, this is the pitch for my book: In the heavily segregated South, fifteen-year-old Kate Dinsmore's world is shaken when she… Continue reading Multi Racial Reads #20 and #21
Congratulations to Connie Saunders who won Blood Brothers from my last blog. ******* Thanks to all of you for leaving comments two weeks ago on Part I. In Part II, I answer several thought-provoking questions about the Half-Truths cast. At the end you'll find a list of my blogging colleague's posts. Check them out--these are… Continue reading Shared WIP Tag- Part II: Meet My Cast of Characters
Congratulations to Cat Michaels who won Leonardo the Florentine from last week's blog. ******* I purchased NOTE OF A WHITE BLACK WOMAN several years ago and recently found it while unpacking. I'm glad I did! Judy Scales-Trent provides amazing insights into racial identity as she reveals her thoughts and emotions as a "white black woman." As I often do… Continue reading Multi-Racial Read #19: Notes of a White Black Woman by Judy Scales-Trent- Part I
Congratulations to Joyce Hostetter who won the autographed copy of Darlene Jacobson's book, WHEELS OF CHANGE. As promised several weeks ago, I want to share more about Vermelle Ely, one of my generous experts for Half-Truths, my WIP which takes place in Charlotte, NC in 1950. Vermelle and I in her Charlotte, NC home March,… Continue reading Meet My Experts III- Vermelle Diamond Ely
Congratulations to Kathy Wiechman who won FIRE, COLOR, ONE from last week's blog. Three years ago I posted a blog about some of the people I'd interviewed for Half-Truths. These experts as well as other men and women willingly shared their life stories with me in order to make my story more authentic. Since I'm… Continue reading Meet My Experts – Part II
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
When Allan Wolf was thirteen, he lost a penny behind the baseboard in his bedroom. He grabbed a pencil and wrote, "Penny lost down here on the night of April 12, 1976 at 2 til 9 PM and 5 seconds by Allan Dean Wolf." In some ways, that was the genesis of Zane's Trace, a… Continue reading Zane's Trace
As my loyal blog readers know, I am researching and writing my first young adult novel, Half-Truths. Since the story involves a light-skinned African American girl, I have read several multi-racial books. I recently completed The Sweeter the Juice: A Family Memoir in Black and White (Simon and Schuster, 1995), by Shirlee Taylor Haizlip, a contemporary… Continue reading Multi-Racial Read #9: The Sweeter The Juice
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