On (Not) Defending Historical Fiction
Image by thecryptI had the pleasure of attending this year’s National Book Festival in Washington, DC, and as a historical novelist, of course I gravitated to the sessions on historical fiction. Hundreds of audience members flocked to hear perspectives from Philippa...
Tips for Writing a Great Love Story
ew.com Romance novels get a bad rap, and yet, at the very core of human existence is the need to be loved, to belong, and to find a mate. What is it about romance that makes some sneer? Even Nicholas Sparks has said he doesn’t write romance, he writes love stories, or... Serious Lessons from a Fool on a Hill
Notting Hill, that is.As writers, we often draw our inspiration from a wide range of sources. Sometimes, those sources may be unlikely or counterintuitive. But the trick, I think, is to keep an open mind, and to stay receptive to inspiration from ANY source. Maybe...
In Search of a Moral Compass
Rose Compass by Enrico StrocchiHow do our characters navigate their way through difficult choices where the moral issues are ambiguous, contradictory, or insufficient to resolve the dilemma? How are they to determine what is the right or the good thing to do? How can...
A Conversation with Rachel Howzell Hall
I heard of Rachel Howzell Hall long before we actually met. I had been told by friends about her Elouise “Lou” Norton novels based in South Central Los Angeles, and found them every bit as smart, grounded, and compelling as advertised. Then I read her now famous 2015...
Featured Books
The Wand Whisperer
What if wands were alive?
For one clumsy and inexperienced mage, his life and everything he knows about wands changes when they begin talking to him. Sparkle is an ancient and powerful wand who has not chosen a bond mate in longer than recorded history. On a dare from another and much younger wand, Sparkle has chosen to bond with Dillard Muckledun. Unexpected and powerful magic is rekindled when the two eventually learn to accept what is happening to them.
There hasn’t been such a pairing of powerful magic in centuries. There are secrets and corrections to history to come.
This is the magical world told from the wand’s point of view.
More info →Trumpery Resistance
MacKenzie Dillon serves as a as a protectorate soldier in the New Republic, a new order that was created from the ravaged mind of a leader who had long ago given up his sanity. Now the New Republic is protected by a wall that keeps out everything that exists in the Wastes and keeps everything within it subjected to the severest restrictions of freedom and mental conditioning.
But MacKenzie is having flashbacks from his youth. The conditioning he has undergone is failing and with it comes a new realization that he is not what he thought he was. Confused by the change in circumstances, he takes on a role that allows him to infiltrate the resistance.
There he uncovers the real reasons behind America’s decline and the formation of the New Republic. But there’s yet more. A secret Caste called the Omega who really controls everything, the truth about the destruction of half the country and a deadly plot that has been set in motion against neighboring nations.
MacKenzie’s quest for the truth and justice is just beginning. But is the way of the resistance any better than what the nation already has?
More info →Gus and the Greedy Goblin
While Gus the Garden Dragon is busy cleaning his cave with help from Opal and Felix, Crystal the Phoenix stops by to ask an important favor. Crystal needs egg sitters to keep a watchful-eye on her soon to be hatchling.
More info →Gus and the Winter Sprite
Gus the Garden Dragon is alone and feeling sad during the sleepy winter.
More info →