historical fiction writer, amateur photographer, retired computer guru and math geek
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!
The Psychological Landscape of the Civil War - an Editorial Review of Nostalgia from the Historical Fiction Company, By DK Marley Susannah Willey's "Nostalgia" is an enlightening historical novel that promises early a lasting impression. It uses the Civil War as both a setting and a psychological landscape where the battlefield is not only a … Continue reading Another Five-Star Review!
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’?
Marketing can be the toughest part of writing, especially since so many authors are introverts. In the past couple of years, I've done a few book talks and two book fairs and maybe--just maybe--I'm getting comfortable with it. I'm signed up for an authors and crafters show in August and an author meet and greet … Continue reading Getting Out of My Cave
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
(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
My fiftieth high school reunion was held in August of last year. At first I wasn't sure I'd go--I'd been to all the previous reunions: five, ten, twenty, thirty, forty--were there others? I even organized the first few before handing over the reins to our class president. But this time, I thought--what's the difference? I … Continue reading Fifty Years… Really?
Susannah Willey Writes 