writing style

Trump looking dumb, Zelensky looking resigned

You cannot deny Trump’s enthrallment any more I don’t know how to express the depth of my disappointment and disgust with the display in the Oval Office today.  It reminded me of nothing less than a doddering, wilfully uninformed grandfather lecturing his grandson about the younger man’s ingratitude for the revocation of his inheritance. Meanwhile, […]

Smiling boy with hand in cookie jar

The problem with lies from Trump or other authoritarian leaders is that others believe them, or worse, act as if they believe the lies. That’s why we see people like US Secretary of State Marco Rubio revising his statements on Ukraine because they contradicted his president’s previous lie. It was so refreshing, so uplifting to […]

Because Why Not: 25 Tales of Imagination, by Trick Campbell cover image

This Sunday, I offer a sample from a book I edited. Because Why Not: 25 Tales of Imagination By Trick Campbell On the eve of the office Christmas party, three days before December twenty-fifth, the halls of the Crescent Moon were alive with the sounds of laughter and merriment. Brightly coloured lights and tinsel were […]

Passive voice should be avoided by writers

Things writers do to drive me crazy, part 3 I’ve advised against using the passive voice before. Sure, there are places where it’s warranted. (See what I did, there?) But those are rare.  To clarify what passive voice means, let’s contrast it against the active voice: Active: The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy […]

Things writers do to drive me crazy, part 2

Last week, I wrote about a common problem in many manuscripts: unnecessary details. This week, I move on to another common error: shifting point-of-view in fiction, also known as Head-hopping This term describes text that jumping between characters’ points of view (POV).  Let’s take a look at this, adapted slightly from a recent project to […]

Palm Trees & Snowflakes cover

Palm Trees and Snowflakes is now available for pre-order on Amazon. This second Hawaiian Storm mystery hits Amazon’s shores officially on November 30, but you can order it now at a special price of 99 cents. This Christmas-themed tropical mystery brings back your favourite Hawaiian Storm characters, like FBI Special Agent Vanessa Storm, still in […]

The consequences of irrational decisions

I’m dreading the irrational news that I think will come out over the next few weeks. I live in Ontario, where we recently elected a new provincial government. From everything I can tell, the voting decision was made in the absence of facts. In other words, non-rationally. And if you make your decisions in the […]