It’s the summer of 1969. Evie Boyd is 14 and lives in Northern California. Her parents have recently divorced, and she feels lonely and abandoned. When she meets a group of young women in a park, she envies their apparent happiness and freedom. She is instantly drawn to Suzanne Parker, a glamorous and mesmerizing girl. Evie spends more and more time at the group’s commune, a dilapidated ranch run by their charismatic leader, Russell Hadrick. These young…
Guest Post
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What Oh What Shall I Write?
The following is a guest post by Judy Alter, author of The Gilded Cage. I sort of slid sideways into a career as a writer. In college, I had no thought of a career—I was going to get married and some man would support me, while I read Silver Screen and ate bonbons—or maybe while I read To Kill a Mockingbird and ate raw veggies. It was the typical late ‘50s…
Dane Cobain
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My Signed Book Collection
The following is a guest post by Dane Cobain, author of No Rest For the Wicked. A signed book is a special thing – it’s imbued with the spirit of its author, and it can remind you of where you were and what you were doing when you first got hold of it. At other times, you pick up a signed book second hand, and you’re left to wonder how it…
Donna Urbikas
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My Sister’s Mother by Donna Urbikas
The following is a guest post by Donna Urbikas, author of My Sister’s Mother: A Memoir of War, Exile, and Stalin’s Siberia. A couple of years ago I took myself on a cross-country tour of writers’ conferences where I could pitch my newly finished manuscript, My Sister’s Mother: A Memoir of War, Exile, and Stalin’s Siberia. Reception was great except that I am not famous, so who would care? Fortunately, the…
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Soft Target by John Beyer
The following is a guest post by John Beyer, author of Soft Target. The idea for the novel Soft Target came to me as I sat listening to terrorist experts during a conference in 2012. Colonel David Grossman was the main speaker and discussed the idea of Wolves attacking Sheep and the only ones to protect the Sheep were the Sheep Dogs. He asked the crowd of nearly 1,000 attendees who amongst…
Lisa Beazley
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Keep Me Posted by Lisa Beazley
Cass lives in New York City with her husband, Leo, and their twin sons. She used to work for a magazine that folded, and now she’s a full-time mom. Her sister, Sid, lives in Singapore with her husband and children, and tries to adjust to life as an expat. When Cass and Sid reunite for Christmas, they decide to start an experiment: write letters to each other for one year. No…
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A Book Related Topic (Kind Of)
The following is a guest post by Theodore Ficklestein, author of I Killed the Man Who Wrote this Book. I realize that most if not all of you have no idea who I am, so although I am supposed to be using this post for book related topic, I will use this platform to inform you of my recent writing activity. I guess this is kind of considered a book related…
Channing Whitaker
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Bad Guys Should Break Our Hearts
The following is a guest post by Channing Whitaker, author of Until the Sun Rises. Imagine the villain of your favorite story and ask yourself, what might have gone a little differently in their lives which could have led them to be the hero instead? This is something I ponder on whenever I create antagonists. I love a villain who might otherwise be downright likable if not for a few circumstances, and…
Jeannette de Beauvoir
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Deadly Jewels by Jeannette de Beauvoir
Martine LeDuc is a publicity director for the city of Montreal. When Patricia Mason, a doctoral student at McGill University, tells her that the British crown jewels were stored in the Sun Life building in Montreal during World War II, and that some of the gems might have been stolen, Martine has no choice but to investigate to avoid a PR disaster. Soon they find a skeleton and 3 jewels in…
Gry Finsnes
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Goodbye Bombay by Gry Finsnes
The following is a guest post by Gry Finsnes, author of Goodbye Bombay. I lived in India myself for four years from 1979 until 1983, in Bombay which is now called Mumbai. I had two children when I came and three when I went back to Europe with my husband, feeling both relieved and sad to leave the country. It had made such an impression on me that it was impossible…