Writing About Resistance: An Interview with Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger
It’s exciting to round out the 2024 Author Interview series with historical fiction author Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger. She says, “Writing strong women characters gives me a real kick, as does exploring cultural clashes, languages, and relationships.” She also enjoys “connecting with people and challenging myself and others to look from different perspectives.” And that’s what this…
Read MoreHumor Is Key: An Interview with David Ebenbach
Some authors on the blog come to me via other authors, and David Ebenbach falls into that category. In January, after reading fellow author Karla Huebner’s interview, he reached out regarding his forthcoming work of fiction, saying, “My upcoming novel, Possible Happiness, is really all about mental health and the ways that it can intersect…
Read MoreCookies for Melina
It’s been a long time since I shared a recipe, and since Melina keeps requesting these cookies, and I can’t find where I shared the recipe before (though I’m pretty sure I did), I’m sharing it again. These soft, cake-like cookies are delicious and easy to make. This recipe originally came from Annie’s City Kitchen,…
Read MoreCreating Experiences for Readers: An Interview with Andrea J. Stein
Author Andrea J. Stein has a lot to celebrate this fall! Her second novel, Dear Eliza, launched in October, and I’m certain her many fans were eagerly awaiting its release. Those fans loved her first novel, Typecast, citing the “amazing characters” and “brilliantly balanced” storyline, among other attributes. This second book is seeing glowing reviews…
Read MoreTwenty: Make a Difference
Dear Aaron, Late in the day on October 30, 2004, labor pains for your impending birth began. That evening, which was beggar’s night in Kettering, I sat on the front stoop, clutching my tightening belly as I passed out candy to the neighborhood children. The pains had been strong enough to send me to the…
Read MoreQuick Tip: Hold a Hand
My mother went nonverbal pretty early in her Alzheimer’s journey, which meant much of the time I was with her, I either held a conversation with myself or said nothing. Sometimes we’d walk down the hallway, hand in hand, and I would point out the window at the end. We’d look at the trees, the…
Read MoreBringing Conversations Into the Fore: An Interview with Paulette Stout
Author Paulette Stout and I first crossed paths years ago via a Facebook group, and since then, I’ve been surreptitiously keeping up with her. Paulette “considers herself a rhythm writer, using pacing to craft momentum, tension, and sticky reading experiences” and a “wordsmith who reveres the written word.” That’s probably why readers are singing praises,…
Read MoreBeing Moved by Resilience: An Interview with Carol Van Den Hende
The old idiom reminds us not to “judge a book by its cover,” but we’re going to ignore those words when it comes to author Carol Van Den Hende‘s Goodbye, Orchid series. Each book has a striking cover that draws readers into a “well-researched” and “well-written book” that features traumatized individuals and their capacities to…
Read MoreQuick Tip: Change the Subject
Over the last five years, I’ve spent a lot of time with people with dementia. I’ve also spent a lot of time with family and friends of those living with dementia. Countless conversations have filtered to my ears, and the greatest lesson I’ve learned there is not to argue with someone who has dementia. Now,…
Read MoreLetting Kindness Guide Our Actions: An Interview with Sheila Athens
Sheila Athens writes the kinds of books I love to read—“smart women’s fiction with a hint of romance.” She also says that “her stories are about women seeking to find the peace we all deserve—whether they’re battling an external foe or an internal one (or both).” Which means her books are both relatable and realistic,…
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