Category: On Writing
Crones and Queens: Inspiration for When the Ocean Flies
Crones and Queens: Inspiration for When the Ocean Flies I’ve written in other places about the ways in which finding my biological parents inspired and influenced the writing of When the Ocean Flies. I’m an adoptee from what’s known as the Baby Scoop Era—post World War II to the early 1970s—during which time millions of […]
On Writing UNNIE by Yun-Yun
UNNIE by Yun-Yun Throughout my childhood, school assignments frequently probed into our aspirations for future professions. Almost mechanically, I would list two options: teacher and writer. However, these choices were made without much fervor. At the time, my understanding of the professional world was limited, and my career aspirations were merely reflections of my childhood […]
Creating Characters in Springtime
Creating Characters in Springtime by Rachel Dacus It’s the end of the rainy season here in northern California, and walking through hills newly covered in green, the air tasting of abundance, lends me creative energy. I call it my springtime writing effect. It’s a good time to start a new book and conjure new characters. […]
The Scandalous Origins of a Faux, Fascinating Life
THE SCANDALOUS ORIGINS OF A FAUX, FASCINATING LIFE by M J Robotham In hindsight, it does seem odd that I’ve chosen to frame my writing of a feisty, tenacious and independent woman entirely within chapters devoted to men. The life of Ruby M Devereaux is laid out in twelve episodes, weaved through the relationship of […]
SAD SACKED: Excerpt
Coming out in June The last person Liz Alterman expects to hear from during her Thanksgiving prep is her husband, Rich. He never calls from his job at a busy Manhattan newsroom. And he never will again, because he’s just been laid off. Two months later, Liz is downsized, too. At first, Rich is enchanted […]
Henriette Lazaridis: On Writing LAST DAYS IN PLAKA
As an athlete, I’m familiar with the principle of different kinds of training intensity, and I’m familiar with the concept of being in the zone. I’m pretty sure I’m mostly a slow-twitch muscle fiber kind of person, doing better at endurance efforts than at sprints. B efore 2020, if you had asked me what kind […]
Today is Global Holistic Wealth Day! On Starting A Global Movement By Keisha Blair, Mother of Holistic Wealth
Today is Global Holistic Wealth Day! On Starting A Global Movement By Keisha Blair, Mother of Holistic Wealth By Keisha Blair There have been some poignant moments on my journey to building a global movement for holistic wealth – a journey that has already impacted the lives of over 50 million people. The journey started […]
What Writing about My Scientist Father’s Death Taught Me about Faith
I wrote my novel, The Saddest Girl on the Beach, in the aftermath of my dad’s death. In the book, much like in my life, the protagonist’s journey is one of finding her way back to herself, of figuring out who she is, in a world without her dad. Along my journey of writing and […]
Migration, Botany, History and Identity: The Seeds of Inspiration for a Book about Gardens and Gardening from an Émigré’s Perspective
Migration, Botany, History and Identity: The Seeds of Inspiration for a Book about Gardens and Gardening from an Émigré’s Perspective By Mariam Pirbhai Garden Inventories: Reflections on Land, Place and Belonging (Wolsak & Wynn, 2023) is a book of creative nonfiction written through the lens of nature writing and memoir. It concerns the space of […]
Reviews: The Great Divide
Reviews: The Great Divide Q. How many reviewers does it take to change a lightbulb? A. None – their job is to stand back and critique the way you did it – and they’ll be split down the middle as to whether you did it perfectly or whether you were hopeless. An old variation on […]
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