April 2016

How to use characters’ emotional frustration

A guest post by Scott Justin About a month ago, a young writer named Scott Justin sent me an email, offering a guest essay for Written Words. Here is his observation on a tool that writers can use to bring audiences into their stories and bond with the characters. What do you think? Leave a […]

Undrastormur: An independent book review

The best children’s books are those that also appeal to adults, and they do that by presenting characters with elements that readers of all ages can recognize in themselves. Undrastormur: A Viking Tale of Troublesome Trolls by Roger Eschbacher is one of those books. It continues the author’s oeuvre of middle-grade books based on ancient […]

Characters, crime & roses—A chat with Toby Neal

How can you get a copy of a Rough Road, a Sydney Rye Universe novella? Read this interview and find out. Toby Neal hit the best-seller lists five years ago with Blood Orchids, her first novel and the opening of the mystery fan favorite Lei Crime series. Now with over 20 titles on Amazon’s virtual […]