Reading makes us smarter and healthier. It influences the way we think and learn. It has a positive impact on your brain, encouraging mental stimulation and slowing the process of Alzheimer’s and Dementia. Reading polishes our writing skills, no matter if we write academic essays, web content, or fiction. In plain English, books make us… Read more »
Today I am thrilled to have Tami Charles on the show! Tami is a former teacher and current full-time author of picture books, middle grade and young adult novels, as well as nonfiction. As a teacher, she made it her mission to introduce her students to all types of literature, but especially diverse books. While… Read more »
I’m a long time fan of Stephen King and his particular way of telling a story. In the mid-80s, shortly after I began working at my local library, I came across the novel Thinner. I picked up the book. As is my habit, I didn’t look at the author’s name; I only read the title… Read more »
My grandmother recently passed away at 99 years old. When she was born, in 1919, the average life expectancy for a white American women (higher than that for males, or people of color) was 56 years old. As a child, the idea of a 99 year-old person, let alone her own ability to live to… Read more »
Do you know what entices a reader’s brain and what frustrates it? I enjoy learning about how brains work, and as a writer I particularly appreciate Lisa Cron’s book Wired for Story, which uses brain science to explain how to create a satisfying story. I have combined what I’ve learned from Wired for Story with… Read more »
Hey there word nerds! Today I have the pleasure of hosting Maxine Rosaler on the show! Maxine has had fiction and nonfiction published in some pretty prestigious markets including (but not limited to) The Southern Review, Glimmer Train, and The Baltimore Review. Her stories have also been cited in editions of Best American Short Stories… Read more »
In the last speculations, I introduced you to Kim Hudson’s The Virgin’s Promise, the feminine archetypal structure and promised that I’d analyze two stories in my next column. I decided to explore Ever After, the Cinderella movie starring Drew Barrymore for my first selection. The Virgin’s Promise is a screenwriting tool, first and foremost, and… Read more »
About four years ago, a friend and I were talking about a YA fantasy manuscript I was drafting at the time. This friend, who’s also a writer, was ecstatic to hear I was working on a new story and wanted to learn more. So I asked, “What would you like to know about it?” “Well,”… Read more »
We’ve all experienced it. We finish a story or a draft and we know deep down that something is missing. It’s a good story–but it’s not great. It doesn’t have the pop and sizzle that we’ve achieved in the past or maybe that we’ve witnessed in another writer. But what’s missing? Before you take a… Read more »
Hey there word nerds! Today I have the pleasure of hosting Gail Honeyman on the show! Gail is the author of the novel Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, which hit shelves in May of last year and made a huge splash with readers. Gail’s debut novel was the star book at the Frankfurt Book Fair… Read more »
