Common Threads
In a series of books, the main characters may return for new adventures, or their offspring or other relatives may appear in their stead. And devotees of series enjoy seeing…
Heroines
Once upon a time women in novels were frail creatures always in need of rescuing, or silly dolts who could not be expected to know the time of day, or…
Condensed Books
Shortened versions of books have been popular for some time, condensed editions that (hopefully) have all the emotion and action of the story without the extra descriptions and scenes that…
Over and Over
Some think it absurd to read a book more than once. Others reread because they forgot they have already read it. And another group simply enjoys the same tale again…
Adriana Trigiani
Sumptuous. That is the word that comes to mind to describe Ms.Trigiani's writing. Very Valentine celebrates the author's heritage and the city of New York that is her home, as…
Marketing Books
Marketing is meant to sell books, which is no easy task in a world where there seem to be thousands of new ones on the market every single day. (And,…
Unlikely Story
One of the difficulties in writing is the need to make a story "believable." The trouble is that what is believable in the mind of one reader is absurd to…
Dan Brown
Perhaps best known for The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown does not restrict himself to tales with religious overtones. In Digital Fortress, technology meant to crack codes succumbs to human…
Movie to Book
In a previous blog post, I mention a specific actor and film that inspired one of my characters. Creativity is said to come from putting existing elements together in a…
Robert Harris
Pompeii is an historical novel through which the reader lives the last days of that doomed city of luxury and its neighbouring community, Herculaneum. The signs are there: Wells and…