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…
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…
JUDITH MILLAR
Most of the books we read are mass produced by large companies like Harlequin, Dell, Penguin, and so on. Some may have been published by smaller companies like Medallion Press…
Evolution of an Idea
"Where are my socks?" Those were the first words of the original version of Citizen Marg, written in 2012 and unpublished. The story sat for years in my "done" box,…
Cyberspace Blues
I get up ev'ry mornin' And I crawl out o' my bed, Hit the button on my laptop, Hear that voice inside my head. Oh, I gotta write a blog…
The Weirdness of Words
The definitions of words are, well, defined, right? Wrong. Apart from the fact many words have multiple meanings, some derived from one language and some from another, and apart from…
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…