Had some wonderful book events this Fall! Started with the wonderful Writer’s Workshop at Page158 Books in Wake Forest. Terrific group of writers with facilitator, Suzanne Beaumont! I also picked up some new wonderful fiction and non-fiction books to read! Next, I was lucky enough to return to Page158 Books for an author talk with the very, talented author – Angela Anderson. What a dynamic lady! I love her book, The Power of I Am. It gets me started in the morning. Great to see my local friends show up and celebrate with me. In October, Teri M Brown, (https://www.terimbrown.com/) and I presented Feisty Deeds at the Southwestern Branch of…
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As you may know by now, Feisty Deeds: Historical Fictions by Daring Women published on June 8, 2024, which was also Women’s Fiction Day! This story of mine, ‘Junebug,’ also made me a published author for the first time! To say that I sat on pins and needles for the time it took for approval and editing would be a huge understatement. I’m so proud to be included in this anthology with these twenty-two other amazing authors. The stories span centuries, countries, and customs. Each one taught me something amazing. These stories will tug at your heartstrings and leave you in awe of the ‘feisty’ women who dared to make…
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I’m always adding more books to my list. I have a huge To Be Read List. My biggest problem is deciding what to read next. Sometimes what I’m writing determines my next book. And I have to fit my book club pick in close to the end of each month, or otherwise I’ll forget names and details about the story when we meet to discuss it. I have books by my fellow writers that I’m dying to read, southern and women’s fiction books on my list, best sellers that everyone is talking about, historical fiction for my current WIP, and a few romance novels that will make me laugh and…
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Falling Down the Research Hole APR 22, 2024 With all historical fiction and really most writing, you have to research. On my current manuscript, I’ve researched extensively. I had to find out much about World War II, life in the 1940’s, when transistor radios were invented and what ‘revenuers’ drove. It’s a good thing, because I want my reader to drop into that story and feel like they are living it. My short story in the upcoming anthology, Feisty Deeds: Historical Fictions of Daring Women, came about due to an article in my local paper about a military base on Topsail Island. I grew up in North Carolina and I’d never heard…
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Looking for Jane touched me in so many ways. Heather Marshall did a great job with this story of motherhood and everything that it entails. She introduces us to Angela Creighton, Dr. Evelyn Taylor, and Nancy Mitchell. Each of their story lines begin disconnected, but poignant in their own lives. In 2017, Angela and her wife are going through invitro, trying to have a baby. In 1960, Evelyn is an unwed teenager, sent to St. Agnes, to hid her baby from the world and give it up for adoption. In 1979, Nancy is a young adult meeting her cousin who plans to have an illegal abortion. All these women’s stories…
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Are you part of a book club? Do you like to read books? Can you commit to reading at least one book a month? Those are some of the things you need to consider before joining a book club. Although, most book clubs meet once a month, some meet less often. Some pick their books for the whole year at one time and some pick one month ahead. Some read only fiction, some read only non-fiction. What sounds good to you? That’s what you must decide. Size is important, too. Do you want an intimate small group, a medium size group with a chance for discussion, or a large group…
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I’ve been to Moonshine Distilleries and sampled a few flavors here and there. They make everything from Apple Pie to Salted Caramel, and many more. I discovered while researching information for my current book that the origins of moonshine produced today started with the first Scot-Irish people who immigrated here in the 1700’s. Fast forward to today and there are large operations like Copper Barrel in North Wilkesboro, Howling Moon in Asheville, and Call Family Distillery in Wilkesboro. Moonshine got its name from bootleggers who made their product under “the light of the moon. In the book I’m currently writing, one of my characters is a young moonshiner. He falls…
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Find you read certain types of books? JAN 28, 2024 Some people read only one genre of story. They love romances or historical fiction and that is the one type of books they choose to read. Kind of how I used to read Nancy Drew when I was younger. Nothing could touch a Nancy Drew Mystery and I lived for every other Friday night. My parents would take my sister and I to “town,” I’d pick out the next book in the series, and buy it with my allowance. Of course, my mom took us to the library, too. But those books were just fillers until I got my hands…
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by Nikki Erlick
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by Kristin Harmel As I reread the ending few chapters, the tears came again. My husband tells me that heknows it’s a good book when I cry. The Winemaker’s Wife by @kristinharmel is an excellent book.It takes place in the vineyards of the Champagne region of France and the U.S. We first meet Ines, inMay, 1940, when she speeds home from Reims to tell her new husband, Michel, that the Germansare coming. Next we meet Liv, Edith’s granddaughter, when she shows up to whisk Liv away to Franceafter Liv’s nasty divorce. There begins the story of Edith, Ines, Michel and Celine, the champagne makers of Chateau Chauveau.The story follows the…
