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Category: Creative Writer
Wild Horses on the Salt, by Anne Montgomery: #BookReview.
345 pagesWomen’s Action & Adventure/Romance/Contemporary Fiction Having enjoyed Anne Montgomery’s ‘A Light in the Desert’, I thought I’d give this new novel a try. I’ve never been to the USA, and frequently find novels set there both self-congratulatory and full of references that are meaningless to me as a UK reader. But the previous novel …
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The Joy of Serendipitous Distribution.
Some years ago, I encountered a young Chinese woman, Helen, online. I can’t now remember how it came about, but it was probably a result of my series of ‘Right Word’ posts on the blog. Anyway, Helen asked if I could help with her English, as she wanted to learn the language to a better …
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Pride of Place: a #Poem
Pride of Place I wonder why it may bethe casean accident of birthshould create such loyaltyto a place you had no say in choosing. You were at your birthof course.But did you choose your parents?Did you select the place, the mannerof your entrance to the world? It is possible you are loyalonlyout of love for …
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The Photograph as Contemporary Art, by Charlotte Cotton: #BookReview.
248 pages Photography Criticism & Essays/Photography Reference/Digital Art. This is an examination of photography employed as a contemporary art medium as things stood approaching 2009 (there’s an updated version from Aug 2020). There has been an ongoing discussion about the validity of photography as a means of such self-expression. Hopefully, that argument has long been …
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Depolarized, by Nick Airus: #BookReview.
272 pagesPerspectives on Law/Government/Civil Liberties & Political Activism Subtitled ‘Transcending the False Left, Right Narrative’ this book is basically a plea for rational discussion to replace the current fashion for polemic and knee-jerk reactions to so many disagreements. It is also much more than this. The world seems to have descended into extreme factions, if …
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The Latest on the New Novel
Picture via Pixabay. Yesterday I received the final edit notes for the new novel. This was the copy edit part, where a super-observant editor with an excellent grasp of the rules of English, goes through the entire book with a fine-tooth comb and picks out all the nits and knots: spelling, punctuation, syntax, grammar, etc. …
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Options: Maye West Mysteries, Book 2, by Brenda Colbath: #BookReview.
231 pagesKidnapping Crime Fiction/Crime Action Fiction/Murder Fiction I came across this author and her books via comments on websites I visit. I tend not to read much crime fiction, but the comments led me to expect a good story from this author. And that was the case. The story is full of action, conflict, some …
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Crimes and Impunity in New Orleans, by Sherrie Miranda: #BookReview.
353 pages: Women’s Crime Fiction/Coming of Age Fiction/Women’s Contemporary Fiction (It should, perhaps, also be included in ‘Political and Historical Fiction) Subtitled ‘Shelly’s Journey Begins’, this book is a prequal to the authors debut thriller ‘Secrets and Lies in El Salvador’, which I’ve also read and reviewed. Both books are well worth anyone’s cash and …
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The Pleasures and Pains of #Editing.
It’s been a long slog, but it’s finally done! My latest novel deals with contentious themes and these proved a source of much discussion between me and my publisher’s editors. Usually, editing of my work has consisted in minor grammatical, structural and vocabulary changes. Nothing substantial, as the characters have always been accepted as well-rounded …
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Boxed In, by Penny Grubb: #BookReview.
384 PagesWomen Writers and Fiction/Thrillers This is the latest in the Annie Raymond series, and, as usual, worth waiting for. As someone who doesn’t read much crime fiction, I’ve always enjoyed this series of crime novels, which is probably explained by the excellent writing and the way Penny Grubb delivers her characters.In this story, Annie’s …
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The Father I Never Knew
Kenneth Burden He died on this date in 1948, just 16 days before I was born, so I never met the man my mother always called ‘Daddy Ken’. She described him as a kind and wonderful man who never had a bad word for anyone. He spent his adult life as a car mechanic and …
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Mara’s Awakening by Leo Flynn: #BookReview.
Space Opera/Science Fiction A short story full of action, and written in a style to keep that action moving. The title character is described on the cover as ‘half human, half machine, all badass’, and that comes across in the telling.Although I write science fiction, and read it, I’ve tended to stay clear of space …
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A Lullaby in the Desert, by Mojgan Azar: #BookReview.
296 PagesDiscrimination & Racism/Women’s Biographies/Adventure Stories & Action This is effectively an autobiographical novel, an exceptionally candid and affecting one, as the author followed the same dangers, cruelties and life choices as the fictional narrative subject, Susan. It is not an easy read. But it is a book everyone who can read should.It tells the …
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Beyond Writing: Art of Choice #OpenBook Blog Hop
March 29, 2021If you weren’t an author, what other art would you likely pursue? Rules:1. Link your blog to this hop.2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants' blogs.4. Tweet/or share each person's blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.5. Put a banner on …
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Stuart Aken 