What is that?
In reading Sense and Sensibility, I found references I had never seen before. Some were explained in a "Notes" section at the back of the book, others I could guess…
Language in motion
In reading Jane Austen books from my To Be Read pile, it struck me that not only words commonly used have changed―such as her use of twelvemonth instead of year―but…
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A WORLD WITHOUT BOOKS
Books have gotten expensive both to buy and to make―along with paper, food, and everything else as inflation (which is a hidden tax imposed by greedy governments and businesses) rises…
Editing for Others
Writing is an act of love, telling the story of characters in one's imagination. Editing that story can be fun (following the plot from beginning to end), exasperating (when you…
Fiction is Fact and Fact is Fiction
These days, politicians and officials in various capacities, as well as self-proclaimed experts in many fields, claim the power of prophecy, foretelling events that not so miraculously unfold at the…
SECOND EDITIONS
Nobody is perfect. And self-publishers without editing staff are especially prone to typos and other mistakes in the final product. But even well-known authors with publishing houses and armies of…
Vladimir Megré
The Ringing Cedars series of nine books has taken the world by a quiet storm that started in Russia and gradually swept across the planet as translations became available. Some…
Rita Mae Brown
Not many writers have a four-pawed collaborator, in this case "Sneaky Pie Brown," helping them to tell a story. But Rita Mae Brown boasts such a sidekick. In the Mystery…
MIRANDA JAMES
Feminine amateur sleuths are common in the Mystery genre, but Miranda James's hero in her "Cat in the Stacks" series is a Southern gentleman who loves his 36-pound Maine Coon…
JEFF SHAARA
Jeff Shaara wrote Gods and Generals as a prequel to his father's novel, The Killer Angels. Both approach the history of the American Civil War not as strictly historical narratives…