[portions of this post were originally published as a guest blog for donnacookauthor.com in 2014. Check out Donna’s award-winning fantasy novel, The Gift of the Phoenix http://donnacookauthor.com/book/gift-of-the-phoenix/ ] I had just finished the manuscript for book number four. After going over it several times, I was feeling pretty darn good about my work. My best one yet, I thought. I’ve got this novel-writing thing down. I turned it over to my editor, thinking she’d probably ... VIEW POST
When in Italy, Drink Like an Italian
My soon-to-be-released romantic suspense novel, The Lair, takes place in Verona, Italy. Since I’m not Italian (except in my heart), I knew I had to bone up on all things Veronese, including the city itself (which I was fortunate enough to visit), the culture, the language, and of course, the food and drink. So imagine my horror when I checked my manuscript one more time before sending it off to be edited and came across the following sentence: “Dante suggested they meet for a cappuccino around ... VIEW POST
A Crime Too Big and Close to be Ignored
My latest romantic suspense novel, The Lair, will be released June 16th. It’s set in Verona, Italy, in the glamorous world of elite hospitality. Several of the characters, including the heroine, are co-owners of a five-star luxury hotel company that caters to the world’s richest clientele. Yet the crime at the heart of the story is anything but high class. I’m talking about human trafficking, which is a fancy term for modern-day slavery for the purposes of forced sex or labor. My ... VIEW POST
Get Your Alligator On … and Put Your Readers on Edge
Our annual summer bocce league is almost underway. Over two dozen teams, made up of four players each (plus alternates), meet at a local park to play bocce every Wednesday evening. Over the course of three months we battle it out to see who will be crowned the League champions and get to take home the so-cheesy-they’re-cool gold medals. It’s tons of fun. This year, with a slightly different group of team members, we decided a new team name was in order. Normally teams call themselves some ... VIEW POST
How to Keep Readers From Uttering Those Four Dreaded Words …
[NOTE: I submit this blog post as a writer, a reader, and a regular, everyday person. When I use the word ‘we,’ I’m referring to the collective, as in all writers, all readers or all citizens.] In the real world, where what happens to us via laws and public policy really matters, we seem to be okay with the fact that those we hire (read: “elect”) to represent us in government, are not straight with us. Basically, they lie. Even as candidates for office they lie, either directly or by ... VIEW POST
How Reliable are Memories?
I remember you ... sort of The past is a province in a fairy tale, suspended in the midst of pain, beauty and freedom. It is a universe of mirrors and an infinitely arbitrary, yet exciting, itinerary of metamorphosis. Journalist Cesare ... VIEW POST
