Sakura: Sakura-no-toori nuke Sakura: the Japanese word for cherry blossom. These delicate pink petals featured as supporting characters in my previous blog on Himeji Castle. The thing to do last Friday night in Osaka was to go to the Osaka River walk and view the cherry blossoms. So that’s what... read more
I arrived in the Osaka area of Japan (specifically: Nishinomiya) late Thursday evening. The first thing we did on Friday was to travel west for an outing at Himeji Castle (hime = ‘princess’ + ji ‘road’). It’s the only original castle – do I have this right? – in Japan... read more
The title could have been: Seattle? The first day of my 5-month trip around the world began with a resounding THUD! I never made it out of Durham, NC because of storms. However, my luggage did. My luggage and I finally met up in Seattle on Tuesday. On Monday my prospects... read more
Yesterday I left Durham, North Carolina to begin my fifth trip Around The World. My route is continuously Westbound. First and only stop in the U.S.: Seattle, Washington, where I am today. Before I got on the road, a friend asked me, “You’re leaving the country for five months, so... read more
If you write paranormal, fantasy or speculative fiction, you create universes. Universe creating is fun … and challenging. Title image: PBS Nova. I’m about to start the second novel in my shapeshifter Buy Me Love trilogy, so world-building is on my mind. I established the world of the trilogy in... read more
Yes, this is a post on creating a distinctive character voice. But first, take a good look at this: A friend sent me this page from the Amazon 365 New Words-a-Year desk calendar her mother gave her for Christmas. At first I was bewildered to receive such a weird thing until... read more
We’re delighted that Maria Kuznetsova is participating the Five Questions series. She is a talented writer with an exciting debut novel, Oksana, Behave! Maria Kuznetsova: Penguin Books (Random House) is publishing your first novel, Oksana, Behave!, this month. What do you want readers to know about the story? I’d want... read more
Writing is an aerobic activity. To be in writing shape you have to write. You don’t decide to run a 10K then tie on a pair of running shoes and expect to make it to the finish line. You have to train for it. Creativity is a muscle. You have... read more
A beginning writer recently asked me how to create compelling openings, thus prompting this blog. I have chosen to explain what I did to write Chapter One of John Carter’s Conundrum. I chose it because my editor noted at the end of the first chapter: “You’re writing to all your... read more
Writing burnout. It happens. Burnout is beyond block. Writer’s block occurs when a blank wall descends in your brain, and you can’t think of anything to say or write. If there is such a condition, it is a mild one. I’ve gone so far to say that it does not... read more
