Having read two books back to back about World War Two pilots and nurses, I found only two similarities: They’re both fiction based on fact and they’re both about women. The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg is funny and focuses on one of my pet peeves: how women rarely got (and often […]
fiction
Moon Beach Magic: a warning
You’ll find a bit of everything in Moon Beach Magic by Natasha Alexander (aka North Carolina resident Nancy Gadzuk)—spirited characters (Shirley’s a hoot), a few necessary explosions, and descriptions of mouth-watering pastries that had me searching online for recipes to duplicate. Set along the southern coast, Moon Beach Magic captures the serenity of beach town […]
Aristotle: developing a logical plot
When he wasn’t lecturing on philosophy, nature, politics, metaphysics and ethics, Aristotle was caught up in logic. He even applied logic to writing and expounded a strategy for developing a good plot. Aristotle modeled his strategy after the classic Greek tragedies which had a beginning, middle and ending. Every writer who’s ever attended a workshop […]
Book research comes alive in Louisville
Last summer I took a combined research/pleasure trip to Maysville and Louisville, KY. I learned so much and had to get right down to fixing parts of my story that didn’t jibe with history. I may be writing fiction, but I want the historical parts to be as accurate as possible. I was concerned about […]
Best book On Writing
I’ve read two books by Stephen King: Christine, a novel about a jealous Plymouth Fury, and On Writing, King’s combination memoir/teaching text. I read Christine because my husband had it in the house. On Writing came into my hands because writers I admire claim it’s “the best book on writing ever written.” Inside I found […]
NPR’s Best Books of 2011
Of the dozens of books on NPR’s Best Books of 2011 list, I’ve read none. Seems I’m always a few years—or decades—behind. Among the many titles that caught my eye, several stand out, some for no other reason than the length of their titles. Take Catherynne M. Valente’s The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland In A […]
