Welcome back to my conversation with author Maryanne Fantalis about Finding Kate, her retelling of The Taming of the Shrew. If you missed the beginning of the interview, check it out here. I’m interested in the names of the settings, Whitelock Town, where Kathryn lives, and Bitterbrook Keep, Sir William’s home. Where did those come…
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FINDING KATE with Author Maryanne Fantalis (Part 1)
I used to have a real problem with books that were retellings of other stories. I just didn’t get it for the longest time. It seemed like the lazy way out to take someone else’s story and tell it from a different angle. It bothered me so much that I did what I always do…
Talking about FOREVER FINLEY with Author Holly Schindler (Part 2)
True love never dies – or so Amos Hargrove, a brave Civil War soldier who lost his beloved before they could marry, still believes. His spirit, some say, pervades the town he founded and named for his sweet fair-haired young beauty. In Finley, dreams come true, love blossoms, and second chances are unearthed. Is Amos’s spirit…
Talking About FOREVER FINLEY with Author Holly Schindler (Part 1)
Today, I’m excited to have my friend Holly Schindler here to talk about her short story cycle, Forever Finley. Here’s the description from Holly’s website: True love never dies – or so Amos Hargrove, a brave Civil War soldier who lost his beloved before they could marry, still believes. His spirit,…
Good Reading for Bad News
Perhaps it is not so much that the news is bad as that it is relentless. I am a member of the Generation That Has No Name, too old to be a Millennial, too young to be Gen X. For most of my childhood, the most advanced piece of technology in our house was the…
“Mr. Rogers Talks About Discipline” and I Talk About Mr. Rogers
One of the great things about having a child is that I have an excuse to watch Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood from the beginning. While my daughter loves the show, especially snapping her fingers to make a “snappy new day,” I often find that Mr. Rogers says exactly the thing I need to hear in my…
Why I Write and Read Short Stories (Plus Some Ancient Gossip About My Love Life)
When I began writing seriously in high school, the first pieces I wrote were short stories. I had a few reasons for this: My English teachers made us write one every year. I had no idea where to even begin writing a novel. I am impatient and like to finish things quickly. Anthologies often include…
The Joy of Caring Less
I always thought I was a one-project-at-a-time kind of girl. I have discovered I was wrong. In my January post at YA Outside the Lines, I discussed the frustrations I’ve been feeling about writing in the last year. It was bad. As in can’t eat, can’t sleep, drive my family crazy bad. I’m happy to…
Greetings from the Playroom (And the Office and the Nursery and Sometimes the Kitchen)
One of my New Year’s resolutions is to spend more time on my blog and social media sites. When my daughter was born (16 months ago!), I panicked and cut everything down to the barest of bones re: writing. That meant spending my precious, precious time actually writing books, so I quit on my personal…
The Quickening
“The Quickening: A Last Sister Short Story” is a holiday gift for my readers and is available as a free digital download for your computer, tablet, or phone. The Anglo-Cherokee War has just ended and survivors Owen Ramsay and Amelia Williamson have made their way to Owen’s childhood home in the South Carolina backcountry. Join…