historical fiction writer, amateur photographer, retired computer guru and math geek
Nobody told me how everything goes to hell when you get old. Well, okay, the stereotypical old fart gripes about aches and pains and how the world is falling apart and things ain't like they used to be. But... Something happened when I turned seventy. My body went into rebellion mode: every joint aches, every … Continue reading Old and Creaky
After consultation with WordPress support, here are somesuggestions if your comments don't post: Clear your browser cache. Here are some instructions Use a different browser. WordPress.com works great in Google Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge Disable browser extensions: Chrome Firefox Safari Edge Here's hoping they work for you, and keep me posted if they don't.
Some of you readers have recently advised me that your comments on my blog are not showing up. I've found one or two in my spam, but the rest seem to mysteriously disappear. I've been thinking that it might have to do with whether or not you subscribe to my blog. So, here is my … Continue reading Re: Comments on my blog
Every year, we try to take a small vacation to get away from the winter doldrums. We don't always escape the weather, but just a change of scenery is enough to get through until spring. This year we headed south--that is to the Southern Tier of New York--and we tried something new: we took the … Continue reading Trumbull’s Corners
Too many times, we learn only one side of a story. I believe it’s important to be informed of all perspectives before I make any judgment. In the case of the many Arab-Israeli conflicts since the early 1900s, I’ve mostly learned the Israeli side, beginning with the Holocaust and the creation of an Israeli state … Continue reading Book Review: “The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine” by Rashid Khalidi
You show me a woman who hasn't fantasized getting in the car and leaving home and I'll show you a woman who doesn't drive." ~Susan Sussman, in her novel Time Out From Good Behavior Show of hands, moms: who has never clenched her car keys so tightly they made red indents in her palm, and … Continue reading Car Keys
Whew! It's been quite a year! But now the Christmas tree is down and ready to recycle, the ornaments and stockings safely packed away until next December, and 2023 is nearly over. A year ago I learned that War Sonnets had received a bronze award from the Historical Fiction Company, the same organization that had … Continue reading 2023: The Year That Was
The phone rings early Sunday morning. It must be my dad—we often share answers to the Sunday Crossword.But today his voice shakes, his emotions barely in check. “Mom is worse.”I can almost hear his tears. Mom’s cancer is back. Just last month she’d assured us everything was as it should be and we believed her—until … Continue reading Saying Goodbye: A Memory
One of the most stressed "rules" of writing is that a prologue is a no-no. Agents hate them. Many readers wont even bother to read them because they think a prologue is a bunch of first-page exposition that contributes nothing to the story. Well, if you read War Sonnets don’t skip the prologue. Why? Every … Continue reading Prologue vs. Epilogue: What’s Your Opinion?
Susannah Willey Writes 