I am not an old soul. I am a klutz and a fairly slow learner. I bumble through life, making almost every mistake possible before finding the right way.  People (most notably, my long-suffering parents) tried to explain things to me. But that’s apparently not how I learn. And I don’t think I’m alone. This […]

by Angela Ackerman A friend of mine, the talented YA author Martina Boone, debuted last year with Compulsion, a southern gothic mystery romance novel showcasing a protagonist with the most unique and amazing talent: she is a finder of lost things. For her, this inherited talent (sometimes a curse, sometimes a boon), acts a compulsion--when […]

Kathryn Craft Turning Whine Into Gold To embrace paradox we must hold two seemingly conflicting concepts as equally true. Wisdom literature is rife with paradox, suggesting that we receive through giving, gain through losing, and live through dying. “Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it,” said Mahatma […]

Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy In real life, being judgmental might cause a few problems, but in fiction, it's something every character should aspire to. How characters--especially the point of view characters--judge the world around them shows readers what that world is like and how it works (and even non-genre writers need to world build, it's just […]

Kait Nolan Summertiiiiiiiiime, and the livin' is easy... Summer is the season of lazy days, naps, vacations, and endless stretches of time. The perfect opportunity to catch up on your TBR pile. You sit down with the latest Nora Roberts, only to have to put it down again to take the kids to their latest […]