TweetSummer movies are upon us, bringing with them the unfortunate role of women in blockbusters. As the mercury rises and the grass turns brown, female characters are once again relegated to simpering on the margins, or stuffing themselves into tight-fitting clothing to enjoy sexual innuendo, while the men go off to save civilization. Sighhhh. This [CONTINUE READING]
TweetFirst a novel by Stephen Vizinczey, IN PRAISE OF OLDER WOMEN was made into an award-winning 1978 film by director George Kaczender. Even in the days before I might be considered older, I found this title an intriguing combination of words. On a gut level, they made so much sense. But what is older anyway? [CONTINUE READING]
TweetI couldn’t tell you exactly why, but I’ve been intrigued by stories of religious persecution since I was a teenager. I won’t argue with you if you come back and tell me that it’s morbid, but I’m encouraged by accounts of people who remain faithful in the face of intense opposition. I think for a [CONTINUE READING]
TweetAlthough I didn’t know it at the time, my book had its start in a doctor’s office in West Los Angeles in 2008. That’s when a doctor told me: “You’re not getting any younger. Lose 5 to 10 pounds and your numbers should return to normal.” (At that point, I was at least 20 pounds [CONTINUE READING]
Tweet During World War II, Nazis assigned a special team to search for the Ark of the Covenant (as well as other religious icons), because an army possessing this relic cannot be defeated. As a child, I read this true account after being enthralled by Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark—one of [CONTINUE READING]
TweetIn the world of fantasy, anything can happen. There really are no limitations but in order to make the story work, there has to be explanations. The reader will often give up on a story that seems ridicules if there is no accountability for why things happen. The characters in a story are no different. [CONTINUE READING]
TweetThe Sci-fi/Fantasy genre seems to have really picked up speed in recent years, much to my delight as a long time fan. I’m sure I’m not the only reader seeing a trend as to which creatures are getting the most attention and sometimes that attention isn’t positive. Yes, I am of a generation that doesn’t [CONTINUE READING]
TweetToday we have Collin Doyle from THE TELEPATHIC CLANS SAGA joining us to talk about himself and the series he’s in. What is the name of the book where we’ll find you? Collin: I’m in all of BR Kingsolver’s books, The Succubus Gift, Succubus Unleashed, and the new one, Succubus Rising. I’m the love interest [CONTINUE READING]
TweetWe all love to read a story where the characters feel like real people. We want to laugh or cry with them, feel the hurt and feel the love. Writing characters this way is difficult. What makes it so hard, is that in order to do it well, the author has to become that character. [CONTINUE READING]
Tweet Sex Your vajayjay can take a guy’s cock ‘n’ balls…at the same time. Always name your butt plug after Anderson Cooper. Pre-ejaculation while jetting a plane over Italy causes turbulence. Never let a dog sleep in your bed, especially three dogs. It’ll ruin your sex life. If he’s as hung as an Evian bottle, [CONTINUE READING]
TweetAre your frightening scenes scary enough? Learn practical tricks to turn up the suspense. Make your readers’ hearts hammer with suspense, their breaths quicken with excitement, and their skins tingle with goosebumps of delicious fright. This book contains practical suggestions how to structure a scary scene, increase the suspense, make the climax more terrifying, make [CONTINUE READING]
Tweet This whole waking in the middle of the night bit is starting to get really old. I honestly can’t remember the last time I had a good night’s sleep. It must have been before my parents died. The lack of sleep is starting to make everything really fuzzy, and I’m sure my social life [CONTINUE READING]
TweetAre you ready for your head to spin? I think I can make it happen. We live in a world dominated by reality TV — which isn’t real — and a real world that is so often hard to believe. Got that? It’s upside down and backwards. Reality TV isn’t real. And the real world is something we don’t [CONTINUE READING]
TweetA book cover seems like a simple thing, right? Slap an image and some text on there and send it out. In reality, like anything else that seems easy, it’s a lot more complicated and complex. At least, if you want to do it right. A book cover is more than just the thing holding [CONTINUE READING]
Tweet If you’re sober, episodes of mass drunkenness are not pleasant to watch. Imagine what it would look like if 15-20% of the population got drunk and stayed that way for fifty years? That’s what happened in London during the 18th century, during a bizarre period of human history known as the Gin Craze. King [CONTINUE READING]