NANCY ATHERTON
An advantage of the Cosy Mystery genre is the fact it requires no grisly murders or deep drama. Aunt Dimity and the Summer King provides an excellent example that keeps…
Mary Jo Putney
Romance writer Mary Jo Putney has woven in The Rake a historical-fiction tale of personal redemption as well as intrigue among the aristocrats of Britain. This is a second edition…
That one book
Most of us read a book and decide whether we like that author's work. If we do, we may read more of his or her stories. But if we don't,…
Biographies and Autobiographies
Frankly, I rarely read biographies and autobiographies, especially those of politicians and industrialists. But I picked up Peter Ustinov's Dear Me simply because here was one man whose life might…
LASTING IDEAS
Isaac Asimov wrote intriguing stories, but perhaps what will last even beyond those tales is his notion of The Laws of Robotics. His original three laws are quoted here, from…
M. A. FOSTER
The Warriors of Dawn is a pocket novel I picked from a free-book tree I occasionally donate to. An oldie (1975) but an extraordinarily imaginative tale in the science fiction…
Love and Healing
Many believe that love heals all. But what sort of love? Whose love? Romance is a blush of blossoms with instant power that must mature or perish. What may be…
Favourite Characters
Readers have favourite characters, as the many Outlander fan groups prove. But authors do, as well: that one man or woman who colours a writer's inner world enough to urge…
Voices
Find your "voice," aspiring authors are advised, voice being that manner of speech that translates on the page as yours alone. (Well, more or less. After all, there are millions…
Testing, testing…
Just jotting a little something to test the system. That is one of the reasons I sometimes want to throw up my hands and toss out all notions of maintaining…