How Thea Winthrop became the world’s greatest wizard Back in 2002, back when Harry Potter WAS the YA genre – (Number One, and then twenty empty spaces behind it before the…Continue readingGirls can. Girls SHOULD
Jo Eberhardt took a look at her bookshelves and realized to her surprise that only 24% had a female protagonist. At Writer Unboxed, she wrote a thoughtful essay about it…Continue readingDo men talk too much?
Or, this soapbox is not big enough for the both of us There are three different people involved in any given story at any given time. There is the writer,…Continue readingAuthor vs Character
I have coffee, then get up. (Coffee in bed was part of the marriage proposal.) Nothing is done without coffee. Concentrate. it’s the COFFEE. Hubby always gets breakfast. (yes. I…Continue readingDay of the Writer
I’ve been writing all my life, producing my first poem, about a broken alarm clock, when I was five — don’t ask, I have no idea. I’ve been at it…Continue readingWhich one first?
‘Reading Proust on My Cellphone’ No, not me! It was Sarah Boxer and she writes about the experience in The Atlantic: “When I tell people this, they look at me…Continue readingYou read it WHERE?
Several years ago I wrote ‘The Secrets of Jin-shei‘, a novel about sisterhood that was embraced by readers all over the world and received some astonishing critical attention. “Combine ‘The…Continue readingSisterhood
A New Zealand friend just sent me a note: I thought I should tell you, I finally talked my youngest into reading ‘Random’ last night. This morning – at 6.45…Continue readingA reader demands action!
Alma’s Bookshelf: “The Secrets of Jin-shei” One of a series of essays on writing referencing my own books for examples — I spend half my life living in dreams, in…Continue readingALL fiction is fantasy
I’ve done my share of dedications. Some of them are obvious, if a little sentimental and whimsical: To the REAL Spanish Gardens, now long vanished. Thank you for the Irish…Continue readingThank you for the Irish Coffees