historical fiction writer, amateur photographer, retired computer guru and math geek
As a wanna-be author, I have a social media presence. It's virtually a requirement. If you want a publisher to take you seriously, you need to have Facebook, Twitter, Instagram accounts, a website, and writing blog. Your social media presence, your online followers, are critical. Publishers want to know there is already an audience who … Continue reading Writers, Introverts, and Social Media
A few months ago, I reported on our three old dogs, Kody 17, Emmit 15, and Riley 15, and our cat JellyBean. Things change. We lost Emmit shortly after that post. In late August we decided it was time to let Kody cross the "Rainbow Bridge." Only Riley remains of the three old dogs. He … Continue reading Update: Three old dogs…
Leo Baldwin and Tadashi Abukara, soldiers fighting on opposite sides in the Pacific Theater of World War II have more in common that one might think. They are both farmers and poets. And they are both fighting for a cause they firmly believe in. Leo loves the sonnet. "The challenge of the sonnet intrigued him, … Continue reading The poetry of “War Sonnets”
At the end of Brenda Marie Smith’s novel, If Darkness Takes Us, things were looking up for Bea Crenshaw—but only in the sense that life had nowhere to go but up. Well, that’s not completely accurate. Good things happened, but I can’t tell you what they are without spoiling the story. But Bea’s Austin, Texas … Continue reading Book Review: “If the Light Escapes” by Brenda Marie Smith
...for the illustrious JeniChappelle to critique my second draft of War Sonnets, I've turned my attention to another work-in-progress: And Know They Love You. When I started writing this story (in--yikes!--1998), it was a challenge to myself to complete a novella-length work. When finished, it came in at just less than 27,000 words. Mission accomplished. … Continue reading While I’m waiting…
Twelve-year-old Meredith Whitson and her sister, Nina don't know what they did to make their mother, Anya, hate them. Well, maybe hate is too strong a word, but Meredith and Nina believe she definitely doesn't love them. In fact, other than knowing their mother is Russian, everything about her is a mystery--the girls don't even … Continue reading Book Review: “Winter Garden” by Kristin Hannah
Introvert At a Party
Frankie Elkin is an alcoholic, and she's on a mission: She finds missing girls that everyone else has stopped looking for. Don't ask her why--it's a motive that isn't clear to even her. But she is driven. She started her quest long ago, leaving her home in California and her friend, Paul, the man who … Continue reading Book Review: “Before She Disappeared” by Lisa Gardner
In April 2020 I thought I had completed a decent first draft of War Sonnets… until I attended a seminar and realized my “draft one” should more appropriately be referred to as “draft zero.” Yes, it had a beginning, a middle, and an end. But the character and story arcs were badly lacking. It wasn’t … Continue reading War Sonnets—Draft Two
Susannah Willey Writes 