Category: Guest Post

Today, I'd like to welcome Greg Messel to my notebook. He's sharing a little about the characters in his novel, The Illusion of Certainty, and how their experiences reflect a lot of Americans'. COPING WITH THE ILLUSION OF CERTAINTY BY GREG MESSEL In a bygone time there was certainty regarding your career, your job stability and plans for the future. If an individual worked hard and was a good employee at work, there was a good chance they could be there for life. There were certain things that could be assumed. Those assumptions were the underpinning of your life. An employee could reasonably expect that income would steadily increase each year, the stock market would provide a steady rate of return which would provide opportunity for home ownership, college education for your children, annual vacations and eventually, a comfortable retirement. Those assumptions seem to be relics of the 20th Century. Now most employees work 10-12 hour days and are married to their job. Wild swings...

I'd like to welcome Jason Krumbine, author of the Grym Brothers series to my notebook today.  I found the following post touching and a story I'm sure many of us can relate to. “Things Left Unsaid” Two years ago my father died. It was sudden. There was no warning, no preamble. We never found out the exact cause of death. Quite simply, one minute my father was living and then the next, he was not. The last time I spoke to him was that previous Sunday. I was trying to get his advice on how to fix a plumbing problem my wife and I had. He called back between performances at the local theater where he was handling the lighting. It was a conversation no different than other conversations I’ve had with my father. There was nothing special about it, but then, neither of us knew that it was going to be the last time we spoke. Although, I wonder, would it have...

I'd like to welcome Chen Lizra, author of My Seductive Cuba, to my notebook. On the last morning of my two months in Cuba, I woke way too early. I was way too emotional to sleep. The Malecón [seawall] was so calm and dawn was breathtaking. I stepped out to my balcony and took some pictures. I am never awake at this time to take in all the beautiful colours. The cars’ lights and street lamps were still reflecting on the water, yet the light already allowed for the pretty sea colours to show through. So calm, so peaceful. I packed my last things, and went to say goodbye to Melba and Alberto, my friends. It was time! On the way I was reflecting on how Cuban dancing has transformed my life forever. With every emotion that I feel deep inside, I explore how to express the feelings outside, and I can feel it changing me. It softens me, makes me more...

Today I'm happy to have Lilian Duval, author of You Never Know, grabbing a page in my notebook with some great avdvice. So, do you have anything to add to her list? 5 Ways to Rekindle Your Love for Not Loving Money by Lilian Duval So, an author writes a novel about a lottery winner, and now  she's blogging about how not to love  money and how not to be  ressured to spend? Hi, I'm Lilian Duval, author of that novel—You Never Know, the life story of a regular guy who wins the Mega Millions and ends up with so much free cash that he's got a whole set of problems he never had before. Don't we all wish we could have such awful problems? Seriously, loving money and always wishing for more is the opposite of what your momma might have said—something like "Be happy with what you have." So here are some fun ways to have fun without paying dearly for it! Do something creative. Everybody is...

I'd like to welcome Richard Blunt to my notebook today. The other day I was talking about sequels I'm looking forward to. Today, Richard discusses the challenge in writing sequels. The Challenge with Sequels By Richard Blunt Do you like reading sequels as much as I do? Well, OK, that might depend on how much I like reading sequels I suppose. *grin* But you might have guessed it, I love sequels. Or to phrase it more specific: I love it when a good story doesn’t just end, but continues. The problem is: Can you make a good story better by continuing it? Or can you at least hold the quality? In my opinion this is one of two things that set apart nice stories from really great stories. If you look at authors like Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle or J.K. Rowling, they all managed to pull that off and write book after book without getting lame, overly repeating or just boring. The second...

I'd like to welcome Debra Brenegan, author of Shame the Devil, to my notebook today. Learn about history by reading historical fiction By Debra Brenegan By profession, besides being a writer, I am a teacher. Frankly, one of the reasons I chose to write my historical novel Shame the Devil was because I wanted to teach people about Fanny Fern, a trailblazing nineteenth-century journalist, novelist and feminist who has been largely forgotten.  I did enough research to write a biography about her, but I wanted to convey all of the wondrous information I discovered about Fern to as many people as possible. What better vehicle than a historical novel, right? But, does reading historical fiction really count as learning history? According to a survey by the Center for Survey Research and Analysis at the University of Connecticut, professors believe 81 percent of college seniors are at a D or F grade level when it comes to American history. Teachers lament these statistics and search...