Writing Blog
Useful advice for writers – and for life
“There’s no end to what can be tried, is there? So better luck next time.” —Eudora Welty Yet more insightful advice from American novelist and short story writer (1909-2001). It must be difficult for writers to read bad reviews or feel they poured so much of their heart and soul into a literary work that…
Read MoreA good writer should be able to fool his readers
“What is important is to invent a story and to make the spectators believe it.” —Tahar Ben Jelloun I like this quote from contemporary Moroccan author Tahar Ben Jelloun. This is exactly how an author creates a successful novel – by creating characters, a story and an environment that draws us in immediately and has…
Read MoreBook review: Midnight Blue
I bought this book at an airport bookstore in Amsterdam’s Schipol heading back home from a long flight. It then sat for two years on my bookshelf before I remembered about it and picked it up. Am I glad I did! Written by Dutch novelist Simone van der Vlugt, this novel was translated to English…
Read MoreBook review: The Nanny
I enjoyed this novel told through multiple narrators, with its Gothic elements and an engaging backstory that slowly reveals itself as the novel progresses. Laura Holt fled England, her privileged life and her titled parents as soon as she could, eventually settling half a world away in California. But tragedy and financial woes force her…
Read MoreAuthor Mark Tedesco’s love affair with Rome
As an unabashed Italophile myself, one who is lucky enough to have called Rome home for over 20 years, I was bound to be fascinated by a newly released book entitled She Seduced Me: A Love Affair with Rome, written by American author Mark Tedesco. Here’s a bit of background about the book: “I resisted,…
Read MoreBook review: Half a World Away
Loved, loved, loved this book. So pleased it was my first novel of 2021, and that I discovered author Mike Gayle through this highly enjoyable tale. The cover blurb says it best : Same city. Different streets. Same mother. Different lives. The story of Kerry Hayes and Noah Martineau is the story of fate, the…
Read MoreAnother year, another Goodreads Challenge
In 2020, I truly took my Goodreads Reading Challenge down to the wire – only reaching my goal of the 45 novels I’d set out for myself in a more optimistic January of 2020 on the next-to-last-day of 2020. Even so, it was still a nice feeling to have met my goal. I love the…
Read MoreHappy 2021!!
Were we in need of a new start. And a new year. As a history nerd, I’ve always loved the post-World War I era, so one year ago I was thoroughly bamboozled by the glamour of the year 2020 – the chance to ring in the new roaring 20s. The Jazz Age. Flappers. The economic…
Read MoreA 2020 in books
I usually finish my annual Goodreads Reading Challenge with plenty of breathing room, but 2020 has been anything but a usual year. So I’m still uncertain if I’ll meet my annual goal as the year rapidly comes to a close. Chances are – with yet another government-mandated shutdown (because science), I will. Nevertheless, I’ve read…
Read MoreA fascinating glimpse into sea-sourced vocabulary from author Grace Tierney
From baggywinkle and gollywobbler to tempest and flotsam, the sea in all her moods has given a boatload of words to the English language throughout history. Grace Tierney’s fascinating Words the Sea Gave Us explores their origins along with a cargo of old sea dog yarns. Cast your line for the salty history of skyscraper,…
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