historical fiction writer, amateur photographer, retired computer guru and math geek
They say editing is the hardest part of writing. I would disagree. If you are an indie writer like me, the hardest part of writing is getting your book publishing-ready. This means formatting the interior and cover according to the rules set forth by the company that will print and distribute it. It seems each … Continue reading Published!
No, this isn't a story about my Thanksgiving feast. Although there was lots of good food--and dessert--no "humble pie" was served. Nevertheless, I might have eaten a little bit of it, the night before. We'll start with this question for you, dear reader: How many times have you found yourself reading a book and *tsk-tsking* … Continue reading Humble Pie
I spent two years on the twisted road of writing. There were roadblocks and switchbacks. Ice, snow, rain. (uphill both ways?) At first I didn't really know where I was going, only that the journey must be undertaken. I had to tell this story, but how? How could I take a bunch of letters, over … Continue reading To the Finish Line!
First things first: Lucy's DNA results are in. Nothing really surprising except under the "supermutt" category, aka "a little of this, a little of that:" Beagle...Pit Bull... American Eskimo... German Shepard. Holy big dogs! ....I guess the size factor got bred out over the generations. In other news, my finished draft of Nostalgia is off … Continue reading What’s Happenin’?
For those of you who wonder where I've been the past few weeks (Hell-o-o-o! Anybody?) I'm hard at work trying to finish a solid draft of Nostalgia and send it out to my beta readers. I promise I'll be back soon. If you'd by chance like to be a beta reader (that means you read … Continue reading Hiatus
Yes, Napoleon is a character in Nostalgia. Yes, he was my ancestor. An yes, that was his name. Go figure. In Nostalgia, Napoleon is Jim's cousin (in real life they were not related) The fictional Napoleon lives next door to Jim. His father, Isaac, is a veteran of the Mexican Wars and a raging alcoholic, … Continue reading Napoleon Bonaparte Drown
I am way overdue for a Nostalgia teaser, so let's talk about Peleg. Captain/Major Peleg Anthony is Jim's nemesis, and he represents the larger antagonistic force of the US Military in the Civil War which refused to recognize PTSD--what they called "nostalgia"--as a legitimate disorder. Back then, men who exhibited signs of "battle fatigue", both … Continue reading “Nostalgia” update
(Photo: Captain/Dr. James Dana Benton, or, as he is known in Nostalgia, Dr. Jim Banyon) Yes, I know. I posted my first chapter of Nostalgia a few weeks ago. So if you feel like skipping this version, you won't hurt my feelings. But as I mentioned in this post I got frustrated with what I'd … Continue reading More “Nostalgia”
First of all... this has been a cra-a-a-a-zy week! My dryer starts acting like it's possessed by aliens. My car turns into a zombie. And the heat! High 90's, heat index 105! What the heck? This is New York, not Florida! Now, about that writing: When I started writing Nostalgia I rattled off the first … Continue reading Trash can writing
I promised a sneak preview a couple weeks ago, and finally I have something to show you: an advance image of my second novel, "Nostalgia," a novel about PTSD in the Civil War. Once again I have an ancestor to guide me. My great-great-great uncle. Dr. James Dana Benton, was a surgeon in the 111th … Continue reading Coming soon…
Susannah Willey Writes 