November 18, 2023

Worldbuilding 101: Characters, the Story Foundation

Your characters are worldbuilding tools, but they are also much more. Use them correctly, interact with them as if they were real, and you’ll see them come to life. They’ll become the guides to your storyline and world.
October 26, 2023

Worldbuilding 101: Maps, the Story Blueprint

Your map represents the world your characters live in. It might be as small as a doll’s house or as large as a multi-galaxy supercluster, and that’s fine…provided you can keep it all straight.
July 27, 2023

My Favorite Things: Black Cats

I’ve had and loved cats of many colors and patterns, but my heart will always be most captive to the black ones: To their elegance, to their uniqueness within the seeming uniformity, and to the memories they evoke of those now gone. In history and in the now, black cats reign supreme.
February 9, 2023

Cozy Mystery Review: The Cat Who Series

Every title begins with the phrase ‘The Cat Who’. The reason is simple: A cat is the crime-solver. His devoted human is merely the tool he uses to impart justice, and the actions described in the title are a clue...
December 11, 2022

Gingerbreading

Gingerbreading is crafting and creating, laughing and lauding. And when the holidays are over, it takes on one last, long-awaited meaning: smashing those beautiful little houses and feasting for a month (or more!) on all the melt-in-your-mouth pieces!
February 26, 2021

The Fight Starts Here: Review of “Fight Write”

Your head has left the story, because the fighting doesn’t jive with reality.  You’ve been left dissatisfied at a pivotal moment, and while you may still go on to enjoy the rest, your subsequent recommendation will forevermore come with a caveat:  “If only...” But what if you are the author?  How do you keep your readers’ heads firmly where they belong – in your story—despite the epic duel that must be fought with weapons you may know nothing about? Enter Fight Write, a recent book by Carla Hoch that dives headfirst into the brawl to save you!