I recently read a women’s fiction novel by an author I’ve enjoyed before, Lisa Jewell. It had the usual things she does well: interesting characters, complex relationships, an appealing and well-developed setting. But it had something else, a suspense plot. This “something extra” made it an even more compelling book. The book worked as women’s…
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Critiquing Can Be Hard Work, But…
When critiquing the work of colleagues, whether in a critique group or just between friends, the hardest thing is when it’s a topic, genre or style you don’t normally enjoy reading in your leisure time. It isn’t often spoken about, but it’s true. It can sometimes be an interminable slog to try to read and…
Independence Day
I grew up in Lincoln, Massachusetts. The first house where we lived happened to be on the same road that Paul Revere followed on his famous ride. My parents used to wake us up on April 19 to watch the re-enactment of the ride. It was late, but I’m not sure if it was midnight….
Rocky Mountain Writer #89
Peter Eichstaedt & Borderland Peter Eichstaedt has written non-fiction books based on his reporting all over the world, from Kosovo to Armenia, Afghanistan and Uganda (among other stops). He also published a book called The Dangerous Divide: Peril and Promise on the US-Mexico Border and that title won the 2015 International Latino Book Award for…
How Do Online Classes Work?
The answer to this question always makes me smile because I want the first answer to be, “Easily! Seamlessly.” Except, if you’re nervous about a new technology, there may be nothing easy about an online class. At least, at first. Online classes are a way of taking a class at the times of day or…