Category: Uncategorized
-
Books that shaped my childhood
Most authors can trace their roots back to childhood, when they discovered new worlds and adventures awaited between the front and back covers of books. They embarked on their journey, curled up on the sofa, or maybe under the covers with a flashlight, and travelled to new places-maybe a pirate ship, or space ship, or…
-
Empowering Young Authors: A Speech Therapist’s Journey
She criticized my entry for the Lt. Governor’s Award in Writing in front of the whole class. I loved this teacher (and continued to love her) so I hope she did this because she saw potential and understood my obstinate “I’ll show you” attitude. I rewrote the paper, developed the characters and plot more, used…
-
Inside Mandy’s Diary: A Glimpse into Character Thoughts
I snagged a sneak peek into the diary of one of my characters. If you read Higher Honor or Higher Courage, then you met Mandy Montgomery (Mandy Collinger in Higher Courage). She and her fiancé, Michael, were the characters who supported Cassidy, Ryan, and Chris with their unwavering faith and trust in God. I know…
-
Finding Hope in Trauma: Insights from the Southern Christian Writers’ Conference
Discover what Susan learned at SCWC and how she’s embracing her calling as writer.
-
Revamping Higher Honor: A Journey of Faith and Resilience
Salvation brings…well, salvation. There is no magic healing or curing of the injustices the characters face. The changes aren’t always immediate and even when they are quick, the consequences of their previous lives emerge.
-
Fair Balance by S.M. Kirkland
TONIGHT. Celisa Cooper froze, the fingers of her right hand entwined in one of the many chains and necklaces hanging from her thin, pale neck. The sterling silver cross felt cool in her hand. Her grip tightened, and her heart thundered. Tonight? I’m not ready. Tonight.
-
The Struggle for Survival: Andre’s Journey Through Poverty
Author’s note: This was the original opening, but my editor, Caprice Hokstad, recommended a rewrite. The published chapter one is much stronger, but this was a good chapter (just not the best) and thought I’d share it with you. Chapter 1 Eighteen-year-old Andre Collinger ripped open the thick plastic bag and jerked it open, ignoring…
-
Talkin’ about dialogue
I love dialogue. Effective dialogue brings the story to life. It is literally the starting breath of all my novels. A snippet of conversation bounces around my brain and I have to figure out the who, what, when, where and why of those one or two lines. But, how is novel writing dialogue different from…
-
Griping supernatural journey-The Wringler doesn’t disappoint
I’m currently reading “The Wringler: A Letter from Home” by Daniel Swarthourt. It’s a supernatural thriller that is well written with good pacing. Great cliffhangers between storylines that sometimes made me glare at the book. . .but it also kept me reading. The story follows Tatum, a young man who goes NC with everyone following…
-
That annoying word
Pet-peeves. We all have them, but writers seem to possess an extra dose of grammar and syntax idiosyncrasies that drive us bonkers.