Barbara Fradkin's Blog

I missed my previous turn to post and for this I apologize. Last month I was in Oceanside, CA, to attend the ceremony for the International Latino Book Awards. Not knowing what my travel schedule was going to be, I had written my blog ahead of time and all I had to do was logon, give it a last-minute read, and hit publish. Problem was, I couldn't logon. When my account needs verification, I

 Donis here. I've about reached the middle of my new WIP, the spot where everything changes for the protagonist, and now I'm neck deep in historical research as she moves to San Francisco in 1886 and starts a new life. Now, the 12 books I've had published are all historical mysteries set in the United States. This new MS is not a mystery, really, but it is historical, and like every

by Catherine DiltsI have a “birdbath” on my deck.It’s actually a clay flower pot base set on the railing. Birds like gettinga drink there.I have a theory that beingelevated and open makes the birdbath appealing as a safe place to satisfy their thirst and wash their feathers. Theycan see what’s coming.Neither my husband nor I are birdwatchers. Our identification skills are limited. I

 by Thomas KiesI was introduced to a new scam the other day. One that I came very near to falling for.  An email came to me out of the blue claiming to be from the organizer of a large book club (nearly 700 members).  He said they wanted to “feature” my book Random Road and he gave it, and me, effusive compliments. The entire club would be reading and discussing my novel. &

 Dear Lovely Reader:I must apologize, first of all, for missing my essay slot two weeks ago. I was, as usual, experiencing technical difficulties, this time with my Google account. I'd changed my password . . . and that set off a chain of reactions that included my phone, my calendars, my contacts, and my email. Things are working again--but I don't feel totally secure. This has always been

 by Sybil JohnsonI’m sure a lot of you have heard of the Bartz v. Anthropic lawsuit. Of the dozens of lawsuits about unauthorized use of works for AI training, this is the only one so far that has reached a settlement. Sort of. I’ll get to that later, but first, here are the basics. Before I continue let me note that I am not a lawyer nor do I know much about the law. So I’m not an

 by Charlotte HingerWhat a thrill! And I was definitely surprised. My historical novel, Mary's Place won the Will Rogers Gold Medallion. The award was all the sweeter because my daughter, Michele, was able to attend. The event was held in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Next year it will move to its permanent location, Claremore Oklahoma. This book was published by the University of Nebraska Press.

by Steve Pease/Michael Chandos Writing is hard, concentrated work. You "stare at your typewriter until your forehead bleeds", wrote one writer. I haven't had the concentration recently. Why?  Life.- My wife embroiders with a room full of expensive Babylock machines. Beautiful work: 75,000 stitches, towels, aprons etc. She sells on ETSY and her website. And at primal human tribal events

Donis here. What wonderful entries my blog mates have offered lately. I love reading about the little things that make a novel real and relatable, like having animals as characters and keeping the action tight. One thing that has always interested me in any story, even noir-ish thrillers, is food. How a character relates to food tells me a lot about them. It also tells me a lot about the times in

Steve posted last week about creating character in stories and the way character influences behaviour and reactions. No need for a lengthy list of adjectives -- shy, fearful, arrogant -- just show us! He then described the very different behaviour of his two dogs. Being the owner of two dogs, I can relate! Furthermore, how people react to dogs tells a lot about their character, so they are a