For the latest news on Ronda Rousey as of January 28, 2018 see: Rousey had ditched the UFC for the WWE. I wrote this blog in August 2015: Ronda Rousey is currently the reigning women’s bantamweight champion of the UFC. She is undefeated, having won all of her 12 fights and... read more
What is the relationship between literacy, Islam and the Arabic language? According to Islamic tradition, the Qur’ān is a book of God revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. It did not come to him in the form of a complete book but rather in parts over a period of several decades.... read more
Note: In Anatomy of Criticism Part 1, I open a discussion of Northrup Frye’s key work Anatomy of Criticism (1957). Frye distinguishes among five genres: drama, epic, lyric, history, and novel. In other words, Frye does not have a notion of genre in terms of what we now call genre... read more
What is the difference between so-called genre fiction and so-called literary fiction? Another way to ask the question is to wonder: When did genre fiction begin to be called genre fiction? The distinction seems so clear these days when you can walk into a library, a bookstore, or search online... read more
When I’m writing fiction, I’m always asking myself, “What am I working on?” This question helps me to give my story focus. My first novel, My Lord Roland (affiliate), was set in mid-13th-century England. My goal was to create a reliable first-person narrator. I wanted Marguerite to offer the reader an... read more
One of the wonderful things about the Internet is the ability to connect with and learn from other writers and bloggers. This is the first post in my new series of posts, interviewing some of the intelligent and thoughtful romance writers who share about their craft. My first guest is... read more
Last month I went to Pensacola, Florida with my friend Gail to attend Island Fights 33, an event with both boxing and mixed martial arts (MMA) matches. Roy Jones, Jr. was the headliner – or, as it’s more accurate to say, he was at the top of the card. He’s... read more
Lately I’ve been reading New Adult fiction, mostly sports-themed romances. A recurrent feature of these stories has caught my attention. It’s the moment in the narrative when the heroine experiences “all eyes on her.” What Is “All Eyes On Her?” One story, featuring a college football hero, has the wildly... read more
In a recent blog Jemima Kiss writes, “The web has stolen my creativity. What I need is the time and space to think.” First off, Jemima, no one forced you to log on. You gave your creativity away. However, let me soften the scold. I get it, Jemima: the web... read more
Pornography: “I know it when I see it.” This phrase was famously used in 1964 by United States Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart when he ruled that the French film, The Lovers, was not obscene and therefore not subject to banning from theaters. He saw the film and did not... read more
