Whenever I watch TV shows like Downton Abbey, or movies like The Remains of the Day, stories that centre around servants in a thankfully extinct era, I am always struck by the attitudes of the servant class — the way that they reinforce their own subjugation, partly because it allows them to abuse those lower […]
This week, Written Words once again pairs two very different authors to discuss what they think makes a good book. Raine Thomas is the bestselling author of an award-winning series of YA fantasy/romance novels about the Estilorian plane, including her latest, Return of the Ascendant. Doug Dorow is best known for his innovative thriller The Ninth […]
Image courtesy Mary Okeke Reviews. This week, two very different authors answer my unscientific survey of best sellers. Gary Henry is author of the urban fantasy novel American Goddesses and a collection of short stories, What Happened to Jory and Other Dark Departures. Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar is author of a number of literary novels that explore […]
Writers are inspired and informed by authors they’ve read. I asked some best-selling authors what they like to read most. This week, I’ve asked two very different authors for their opinions. Best-selling Toby Neal is author of the Lei Crime series, set in her home state of Hawai’i; Russell Blake writes thrillers from his home […]
Photo by Documentally / Christian Payne, found on Flickr, licensed through Creative Commons. Writers are always struggling with advice from disparate sources on how to improve their writing. That’s why I turned to some best-selling authors and asked them what made certain books their favourites. What makes a good read? Weighing in this week are DelSheree […]
Today, I am proud to say that I take on the Presidency of BestSellingReads, a collective of “new fiction” authors. My thanks to Frederick Lee Brooke for being such an inspiring and capable President and blazing a path for me. BestSelling Reads is an organization of writers of fiction and non-fiction who know the value […]
I nearly missed this story last week: Kobo, the e-book reader manufacturer and publisher, went through an exercise of weeding out “offensive” books and removing them from its catalog. Of course, “offensive” means books about some forms of sex. Apparently, books that glorify stock market manipulation or various forms of fraud against the middle class, […]