Epcot Food and Wine Revisited On our way to Orlando from the Necronomicon convention in St. Petersburg, we stopped at the Parkesdale Farm Market in Plant City. Alerted to this venue at the annual Strawberry Festival, we hoped to obtain some of the goodies for sale at that event. We were pleased to find the … Read more
How can you raise your readership and increase your book sales? Today at the MWA-FL Chapter meeting, Joanna Campbell Slan spoke on Promoting Outside of the Box. Joanna is the author of three mystery series, including the Kiki Lowenstein books and her newest Jane Eyre mystery, Death of a Schoolgirl. Joanna offered tips on increasing … Read more
WHAT TO DO IF YOU MEET A TROLLEK by Nira Larsen, grad student in comparative mythology Trolleks move so fast, you’ll see them as a blur of speed. Go back-to-back with a friend so an ugly brute won’t surprise you from behind. Any weapon will do but watch out for their disruptor fire. Don’t let … Read more
Trolls have been around in mythology from the early days. Let’s see how much you know about them. Why the interest? Since my series is based on Norse mythology, my bad guys are evil trolls called Trolleks. Remember the adage: Know your enemy. TROLL TRIVIA by Nancy J. Cohen 1. A troll comes from which … Read more
Recently, I’ve been judging writing contest entries. Below are some of the common problems I have discovered among these manuscripts. Out of several entries, only one passed muster. It was well written, kept my interest, had an interesting “voice” and an intriguing premise. I’d read this book if more was available. The other submissions, however, … Read more
My husband and I have attended various cooking classes throughout our time together. We started in Gainesville where he had a fellowship and we had an infant. Taking these courses together gave us something fun to do. We took a series on French cooking and then another on Chinese cuisine. Sporadically thereafter, we’d sign up … Read more
If you’re an avid reader, no doubt you’d like to encourage your favorite authors to keep writing. What can you do to help? Write customer reviews on Amazon, BookBub, and other online reader sites. Add the author’s book to your Wish List on Amazon and TBR pile on Goodreads. Search for the author’s website, author … Read more
You’re approaching the end of your book. Do you finish in a spate of action, or do you have your characters meet in a quiet scene where they reflect on what’s occurred? In a romance, these last pages are where the hero proposes and the main characters profess their love for each other. In a … Read more
We recently attended a family wedding, and it reminded me why I used a wedding as my setting in Shear Murder, book ten in the Bad Hair Day mystery series. The sheer sentimentality, the joy of the married couple, the suspension of family conflict for one evening, lend themselves to an outburst of passion that … Read more
Do you ever wonder if the punishment fits the crime? Come along to the Crime Museum in Washington D.C. where you can tour through a history of crime and punishment. Beginning in medieval times, you get insights into torturous implements with the items on display. Metal was popular for finger screws and iron helmets. And … Read more