Hoping to spot John Wayne at Monument Valley
You really can’t blame me. John Wayne, the actor best known for his westerns may have died in 1979, but anyone who visits this impressive landscape that served as the natural set design for his films can’t help but wonder if they’ll catch a glimpse of him thundering by on his horse past these these…
Read MoreAbdicating the papacy in literature
When, on 11 February, Pope Benedict XVI announced that he would be abdicating the papacy, a modest 13th century Italian monk became an unlikely feature bar in newspapers worldwide. That’s because, before Pope Benedict’s surprising news, the last Pope to have resigned from his office was Pope Celestine V, way back in 1294. Pope Celestine’s…
Read MoreReason #5366 to love Rome: Track and field stars at the Golden Gala
Every year in June, Rome hosts the Golden Gala at its Olympic Stadium. Rome held the track and field events from the 1960 summer Olympics here, and it is also here that Roma and Lazio, Rome’s two football (a.k.a. soccer) teams play their matches. But for one night each June since 1980, the stadium is…
Read MoreTime to sign up for the Matera Women’s Fiction Festival
As some of you may know, for the past two years I’ve attended the Women’s Fiction Festival held each September in the beautiful town of Matera, in Italy’s southern region of Basilicata. The festival is a great way to learn about the publishing industry today, how the environment is changing and what writers should do…
Read MoreExploring Napoleon’s Empire: Elba – Part 2
Last week I wrote a post about what to see and do on the interesting Tuscan island of Elba, including a visit to the home of the island’s short-lived Emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte. This week I’ll continue with some places of interest to help you plan your Elba trip. Capolivieri: This Tuscan hill town has pretty views to…
Read MoreWhich author do you write like?
My fantastic critique buddy, Nicola Layouni, posted a wonderful method of procrastination for writers tearing their hair out with revisions tool for writers. Using the “I write like analyzer” and pasting some pages of her text in the text box, Nicola discovered that she wrote like James Joyce. Pretty nice compliment, right? Since I’m right…
Read MoreExploring Napoleon’s Empire: Elba
As a history buff, Elba has always been the place I associated with Napoleon’s short exile, but I’d never visited Italy’s third largest island until I received a wedding invitation. The weather was touch and go on this Tuscan island during our visit earlier this month. It was definitely too cold and windy to enjoy…
Read MoreGender-bias in book covers? Coverflip.
I’m proud to write women’s fiction, but I know this genre label can raise hackles far and wide. The argument goes that, when men and women write about similar, (often domestic) topics, the men’s work is seen as serious fiction (a.k.a. The Great American Novel), while the women’s work is written off as light, beach-reading…
Read MoreA beach fit for an Emperor: Sperlonga
Looking for a Mediterranean summer resort with history? How about 2000 years of history? Ancient Roman Emperor Tiberius, who reigned from 14-37 AD, used to enjoy spending summers in this beautiful seaside retreat on the Tyrrhenian Sea and, millennia later, modern-day Romans still escape the city’s sweltering summers by relaxing on the beach of beautiful…
Read MoreAuthor interview with Time Changes Everything’s Melinda Dozier
I am very excited to announce the launch of Time Changes Everything, a romance novel by Melinda Dozier. I’ve been faithfully following Melinda’s path to publication. Melinda has been one of my amazing critique partners for over a year, and I was so pleased when she informed me that the book I’d so enjoyed critiquing,…
Read More