Category: On Writing
Ephemeral Inspiration By Lya Badgley
The ink shimmered, shifted—stirring awake like blood beneath skin. For any creative, inspiration can feel like a half-remembered dream just out of reach: the more one tries to recall it, the more elusive it becomes. But when it finally takes shape, it feels like magic. The inspiration for my latest novel, The Thirty-Fifth Page, began […]
The Inspiration Behind THE ROARING RIDLEYS by K.M. Colley
“The Gilded Age” and “Gossip Girl” meet Alyssa Cole’s When No One is Watching and Sara DiVello’s Broadway Butterfly in THE ROARING RIDLEYS by debut author K.M. Colley (Thomas & Mercer; May 1, 2026). Set in 1920s New York, the story follows the adopted heirs of the city’s most elite family as they find themselves […]
An Archaeological Dig of My Life by Deborah Kalb
Many decades ago, when I was in my 20s, I decided to write a mystery novel. I had been working at a magazine in Washington, D.C., filled with interesting characters, so I thought that might make a good setting. But who would be my protagonist? Although I was a longtime fan of PBS’s Mystery series, […]
An Old Man’s Darling by Deborah K. Shepherd: Excerpt
KIRKUS REVIEWS calls Deborah K. Shepherd’s new memoir, An Old Man’s Darling, “…unflinchingly honest…a thoughtful and multidimensional examination of love, power, and self that doesn’t shy away from asking difficult questions.” We’re delighted to feature this excerpt! AN OLD MAN’S DARLING What could possibly go right when a 21-year-old Jewish/agnostic erstwhile hippie chick college dropout […]
Origin Story: From Fact to Fiction in How Long a Shadow by Cheryl A. Ossola
In any family history, secrets, murky half-truths, and even full-out fictions spiff up the stories one generation hands down to the next. How much we know about those truths and lies depends on how doggedly we dig—and how determined the truth-holders are to hide what’s real. In my family’s case, relatives banished to the shadows, […]
On Writing Longshore Drift
By Bronwen Griffiths I live near the south coast of England, close to the ancient town of Rye. Rye is famous for its old cobbled streets, its ancient inn which is called The Mermaid and for its literary folk. Henry James lived in Rye, as did Rumer Godden, and many other literary figures. Rye is […]
Movement, Still
By Tracy Smith I don’t know the exact day I realized how much I needed to keep moving. Maybe it was the first trip to Iceland in September 2022 when I was lost in downtown Reykjavik. Or the time I was in a mosh pit in Doha, cheering with the Argentina fans during the FIFA […]
Fresh Air and Possibility: On Poetry, Verse Novels, and Writing Books Kids Love to Read by Ona Gritz
One gray afternoon when I was in 7th grade, a tall man with floppy hair loped into the room at the start of our English class with a hardcover the size of a phone book under his arm. Our sub for the day, he leaned against the teacher’s desk and announced, “I’m just going to […]
Let It Breathe: Unleashing the Power of Setting
By Kimberly Behre Kenna Can a house loom like a monster and still show up as the most tender thing in a story? In the opening scene of this middle-grade novel, thirteen-year-old Lola arrives at her uncle’s home: “…as soon as we turn into the driveway and I catch a glimpse of the stone roof […]
Writing Historical Fiction as an Homage to My Ancestors By Peggy Joque Williams
When asked about my two books, Courting the Sun: A Novel of Versailles (2024) and Braving the Dawn: A Novel of New France (January 2026), I take delight in saying they are an homage to my French-Canadian ancestors. In a 2024 piece I wrote for Women Writers, Women’s Books, “From Super Collaborator to Solo Historical […]
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