My house is on the market and this life-changing event has given me a dramatic change of perspective. As an author, it has struck me how much a home and a writing a book has in common. In both cases, we fret, we worry, we keep it up and clean it out, we come to… Read More
There’s a quote I once read that said, roughly, “Authors are the only people who constantly have private moments in public settings.” It’s true. Once an idea strikes, it can completely invade your thoughts making you momentarily forget where you are. I suppose it’s how we see the world. In an author’s mind, everyday things… Read More
Candice Poarch’s Summer Read Secrets in the Sand (e-book) Available Now One of the fascinating things about writing is the opportunity to create unique characters. Secrets in the Sand is a nod for women who aren’t afraid to take on traditional “male” jobs and household tasks. Enter Nicole Curtis, a woman who’s right in the… Read More
I smiled at the question. The back cover of my new book, AGAINST THE WILD, says words to that effect so I got the question during a recent interview. Having traversed the vast Alaskan landscape on two different month-long occasions, staying in the back of a tiny pickup camper, I can guarantee America’s largest state… Read More
I’ve been tired all day. Please don’t even think about suggesting I start going to bed earlier. At 10:00 p.m. I pulled the covers up to the hairs I’d missed while plucking my chiny, chin, chin, with the clock/alarm set for 6:00 a.m. That should have resulted in a solid eight hours of sleep. No… Read More
I write a lot of contemporary. It’s fun. I can pick a place I’ve always wanted to visit, plop my characters there, and run. It’s not thoughtless and anyone who calls writing easy is nuts, but it’s relatively straightforward. Writing science fiction is another thing altogether. The worlds are the ones I make up in… Read More
Honor Reclaimed was not an easy book to write. I had research all kinds of depressing subject matter, ranging from child brides to PTSD, and I put my characters through the wringer. But in the end, I’ve very proud of how this book turned out and would love to share a scene with you. But… Read More
I’ve noticed that a lot of successful writers tend to optimists. This makes perfect sense. You can’t be a writer if you don’t believe in your own potential for success. Your work has to have value, and although the value assigned to it is entirely up to you, you have to be optimistic that you’ll… Read More
Brazen authors Gina Gordon and Amanda Usen talk seduction…as in how they seduce their stories out of their heads and hearts! Amanda: Oh, the headache and the heartbreak of the writing process! I’m one of those seat-of-the-pants writers. Every time I try to plot out a book ahead of time, it veers off in another… Read More
Usually picking a favorite scene in a book is like picking my favorite chocolate from one of those Valentine’s Day boxes—I like them all! I have a ton of scenes that I love in This Year’s Black. There’s the makeover. Sex in a tent (trust me, it’s better than it sounds). The won’t-give-an-inch flirting/bickering. But… Read More
Like most writers, I also had a day job, because one does acquire a certain taste for the luxuries of life, such as shelter and food. I wound up, largely by chance, as a college professor, reading specialist type, working with teachers. So, at the ripe old age of thirty, I looked up to find… Read More
I had a friend suggest that maybe writers were drawn to the time period where they have the most memorable past lives. If this is the case, clearly I had a blast during my time as a medieval lady because I can’t seem to get enough of the time period. Some people look at the… Read More
Besides love? More book clubs! When I first came up with my idea for THE BEST LIFE BOOK CLUB, I thought I was being so original, so clever. A book about a book club – yes! And then, after I’d surfaced from my writing cave back into the sunlight, I blinked and saw… all kinds… Read More
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