Lazy Language
Most of us have been guilty, perhaps often, of saying something like: "Hopefully, that won't happen." Or "Hopefully, it will happen." Purists insist that starting a sentence with "hopefully" is…
Karen Marie Moning
My recent introduction to the writing of Karen Marie Moning was The Immortal Highlander, one of a series filled with Scots and Druid mysticism. I was hooked. Karen Marie Moning…
Kim Kelly
Australian author Kim Kelly tells a heartwarming tale in Sunshine (not pictured above), set in the Outback just after World War I. Her imagery puts you squarely into the remote…
Something New
An extra post today: Starting this week, on Thursday, I am adding Featured Author articles. And for the month of December, I plan to post on Thursdays as well as…
Spelling bees in my bonnet
As a Canadian, one of my difficulties is proofreading, because I have been exposed to English spelling in school and American spelling through books. So I find myself using both…
The Long and the Short
Common wisdom says that posts should be long, crammed with anecdotes and information and pictures. And for some types of blogs, that would make sense. Anyone trying to impart information…
Alliteration
Almost all of us have been admonished to avoid alliteration at all costs. This apocryphal aphorism has generated an agony of angst among aspiring authors. Phew! Get out the thesaurus!…
Five Senses
People experience the world through all the senses, but most of us are primarily focussed on one or two, such as sight and perhaps sound, or tactile sensations and taste. …
Bad Boys
Romances are not the only tales in which the characters are less than perfect. Indeed, if they were perfect, there would be no story. But the bad boy who falls…
Censorship
In my not-so-humble opinion, political correctness is a scam. It was designed for intimidation and control and is a common tactic used by tyrannical regimes past to present and all…