Author Nancy J. Cohen

Author Nancy J. Cohen

Author Nancy J. Cohen

Discovering Your Story

Plotting your story can’t take place until you have an idea of issues you want to explore, setting, and character. Before you take pen to paper, you engage in the stage of Discovery. What does this mean? Normally when planning a mystery, I start with the victim. Once the dead guy makes himself known, I … Read more

Noting the Details

Observing a place with a writer’s eye is totally different than going as a tourist. In the latter capacity, you notice the bigger picture. For example, while on a movie studio tour, you might be hunting celebrities or be excited about seeing the costume department. But do you notice the trash bin labeled with a … Read more

Writing the Military Hero

Have you ever thought about writing a military hero into your story? If so, be sure to get your facts and lingo straight. At a recent Florida Romance Writers meeting, we had the good fortune to have as guest speaker a Navy Captain and the brother of one of our members. Let’s call him Captain … Read more

CSI Investigations

At a recent meeting of MWA Florida, we heard a CSI investigator from North Miami PD speak about her experiences. “Our day begins when yours ends,” she quipped. A beautiful woman who is married with five children, she could be a TV star of her own show. She proceeded to differentiate what’s real and what … Read more

Antigua

St. John’s, Antigua Nov. 8, 2012, Vision of the Seas We took the ship’s tour AN48 Antiguan Experience. Antigua is a dry island compared to Dominica, where it actually rained in the rainforest and the shrubbery is lush with tropical foliage. Here cactus grows and the hills are lower although they still offer scenic views. … Read more

Dominica

Roseau, Dominica Nov. 7, 2012, Vision of the Seas We did the Royal Caribbean ship’s excursion RO32 called Cooking Caribbean, Rum, and Nature. An air-conditioned van drove us through a poor section of town with ramshackle buildings to a mountain road. We drove up a steep, winding incline. It was a bumpy ride where we … Read more