One of the gripes against genre fiction is that too often the heroes, even the flawed ones, are unbelievably cool—emphasis on the word “unbelievably.” For the romance genre that’s especially true because authors want to transport the reader to a place whose inhabitants are much more captivating than most of the characters they meet in everyday life. Nobody, the critics say, is as heroic as those Dudley Do-Rights in the novels. But wait. I just read a book—non-fiction, mind you— about a young ... VIEW POST
Know the Rules Before You Break Them
The keynote speaker for this year’s Annual Idaho Writers Rendezvous was Ron Powers, an acclaimed author and historian who has written extensively about Mark Twain. Besides assuring the audience that the iconic American author would have applauded the rise of today’s “literary proletariat” through indie publishing (yay!), Powers explained that Twain signaled the cultural breaking away of America from British and European literary tradition by writing about common people using vernacular—i.e. ... VIEW POST
To Find a Solution, Just Rent a Goat
A few years ago several homes burned on the hill above where I live. The dried grass, shrubs, and weeds from the flat open space below the bluff served as a tinderbox. That's because the hill itself is very steep - not designed for conventional mowing or weed-whacking. Lightning caused the spark, and the fire spread too quickly to be stopped. Enter Rent-a-Goat. As I write this, I’m sitting in my backyard, listening to the plaintive bleats of the furry fire preventers. Granted, they probably ... VIEW POST
Back at the Drawing…er, Writing Board
I’ve been remiss in blogging for the past two months because I’ve been on the road. First to England and Ireland with a dear friend, and later, on a road trip to Canada with my husband, brother and sister-in-law. Both trips were joyful and full of fascinating sights, sounds, and adventures. It was often a pain to log on to the Internet, so I chose to keep a journal the old fashioned way, in a beautiful leather notebook. I know I'll go back to it, as I have my other trip journals over the years, ... VIEW POST
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