Take the day off. Oh, how I love those words. When you’re an author, or anyone who works at home, is there such a thing as a day off? Really? Because there is always SOMETHING for me to do – more promotion, answer another letter, maybe read more about craft, hone another page in my current book. A day off? What’s that? But, the truth is, to create, you need what I call WHITE SPACE. Space to think. To let your mind relax. And for many of us, relaxing isn’t just taking a walk…it’s reading. No—it’s reading without ANAYZING. It’s reading without having to dissect every scene, every sentence, every nuance of characterization. It’s reading for enjoyment. (Yeah, you FORGOT how to do that, didn’t you?) Every once in a […]
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Reading Up: Charles Martin
When my agent suggested reading Charles Martin, I bought “The Dead Don’t Dance” right away. I devoured this book. Personally, I think it’s his best. But I haven’t read the sequal, “Maggie” yet. What Martin does well is paint on the page. He’s lyrical and magical in his phrasing. He takes the time, (sometimes too much) to put emotion on the page. In “Dance” I felt the emotion and love of the hero for his wife and the pain of their devastation. In a season where fiction writing seems to be all about “tension” on every page, Martin creates a story of tension that evokes emotion on every page. In love stories or relationship stories, true emotion is just as much a drive to the story as tension or conflict. […]
Read the RestReading Up: Jodi Picoult
New York Times Best Selling author Jodi Picoult is gaining a reputation for great writing, wonderful stories and the boldness to address hard core social issues. In The Tenth Circle, Picoult paralells the lives of 14 yr old Trixie Stone, her Dad, Daniel and mother, Laura. with the different levels of Dante’s Inferno. Including comics drawn by the Dad, a DC Comic artist. What I love about Picoult is her ability to attack social issues like suicide, cutting and “rainbow” parties. The Stone family is far from perfect and when Trixie claims she’s raped by her ex-boyfriend, Jason, the secrets of their lives begin to surface. I classify Picoult as a “reading up” author for her smooth prose and clever addressing of social issues. In The Tenth Circle, she deftly […]
Read the RestBook Therapist Picks: The Restorer
I have to admit, I didn’t think I was a fantasy reader. One look at a Robert Jordan Wheel of Time book has me in shivers. I just can’t wrap my brain around the magic, and the elves, or mythical creatures, the rules of the different worlds, the ongoing list of characters. My brain isn’t that big, maybe. But when my friend Sharon Hinck asked me to read her new book, The Restorer, I was intrigued. The premise — the story of a soccer mom who goes through a portal to a different land to become their champion had me cheering. (Because, secretly, wouldn’t we all like to do that?) But…fantasy? And then I looked at my viewing habits — LOTR, Star Wars, Star Trek, and I remember devouring the […]
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