During a major west-coast heatwave, temps in the 90s, and energy conservation necessitating the turning off of the air conditioner after 4 pm, I plunged into Vaughn Hardacker’s frozen Maine landscape to follow the hunt for a supernatural creature–the Wendigo, an Algonquin manitou (god), monstrous and ravenous for human flesh. Hardacker’s prose sucked me in… Continue reading Book Review: WENDIGO by Vaughn Hardacker
News & Reviews
Book Review: THE WOMEN OF BLACKMOUTH STREET by Thea Sutton
Twisty historical psychological thriller. Find yourself on London’s foggy, dark, and menacing cobblestone streets in the light of flickering gaslamps. Read on…
Book Review: THE WICKED BIBLE by Sharon Dean
Readers who enjoy cozy academic mysteries may find themselves intrigued by Sharon Dean’s THE WICKED BIBLE. Read more…
Book Review: THE BOOK OF EMMAUS by Kevin St. Jarre
Kevin’s St. Jarre’s THE BOOK OF EMMAUS is a fast and engaging read. Once I started, the story propelled me forward, and I finished it in several hour-long sessions over a couple of days.
Writing Life: Heading Over the Rainbow
Writer’s Brain I don’t know about other writers, but if I spend too much time researching, reading, recharging, or goofing off rather than tapping away at my keyboard doing actual writing, I get as agitated and depressed as a Kansas farm girl watching her balloon-ride home drift away into the heavens. This is my state… Continue reading Writing Life: Heading Over the Rainbow
Short Story: Rainy Day Friends
Back in December, my flash fiction was published in San Diego Woman Magazine! I was thrilled because I’d actually pitched the idea of a fiction section in the magazine to the editor, and she gave it a try. THIS month, three more of my flashes are included in the latest edition–along with some other talented… Continue reading Short Story: Rainy Day Friends
Book Review: THE SECOND MOUNTAIN by David Brooks
Every so often I come across a book that not only speaks to the very concerns with which I am most engaged at the moment but also bounces me off in a completely unexpected direction. Read on to hear how David Brooks’s book, THE SECOND MOUNTAIN, left me feeling more committed to the idea of… Continue reading Book Review: THE SECOND MOUNTAIN by David Brooks
Writing Life: The Cozy Comfort of Knitting
When you find yourself distracted and upset by the outside world, sometimes there’s nothing better than picking up a couple of hefty needles and a skein of soft, bright, bulky yarn. Read on to hear about how a simple knit stitch project like this comfort shawl can lift your spirits in crazy times. March.… Continue reading Writing Life: The Cozy Comfort of Knitting
Writing Life: Spring Cleaning My Tech
“Out of clutter find simplicity. From discord find harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity” –Albert Einstein Every so often, the need to simplify, downsize, and clarify, grabs hold of me and I become a whirling dervish of activity: selling tableware, giving away books, tossing files from filing cabinets, bundling up old clothes to… Continue reading Writing Life: Spring Cleaning My Tech
Short Story: Something Sparkly in a Little Velvet Box
Just for you, my dear readers, a Valentine’s Day short story with a happy ending. XOXO, Shelley SOMETHING SPARKLY IN A LITTLE VELVET BOX ******** “I have bad news.” Henley’s voice faded in and out, the cell service in that part of Florida spotty. I pressed the phone against my ear. “What did you say?”… Continue reading Short Story: Something Sparkly in a Little Velvet Box