Legends, Lore, and More
Good morning, readers. There were times I thought this day would never arrive. I've wanted to publish a book of short stories for who knows how many years. When I began writing them in the fall of 2021, I expected to publish them in the spring. Then came summer, then fall, and... You get the... Continue Reading →
Hey, readers. I haven't written a WIP Wednesday post in a while, mainly because there was little to share. This week, I'm happy to report I've made progress. Twelve of the thirteen short stories for my upcoming collection are written. All would have been done, but I didn't like how I'd done the thirteenth story,... Continue Reading →
Hey, everyone. It’s already the second week of April, and it’s been a while since I wrote a WIP Wednesday post. This one is more of a WIHW (What I Haven’t Written) story. I thought by now I would have already written tons of words this year. Wrong! So far, 2022’s word count is shaping... Continue Reading →
It’s no secret that my all-time favorite movie is Casablanca. What’s not to love about this classic with a cast including Bogart, Bergman, Peter Lorre, Paul Henreid, and Claude Rains? It also contains some fantastic quotes. "Here's looking at you, kid." “Play it, Sam.” This is often misquoted as “Play it again, Sam.” (Bogart never... Continue Reading →
Inspiration for my stories comes from many different places. Sometimes it’s an observation made in a crowded restaurant. It may be from a photo prompt or from a family story. Other times, ideas just pop in my head. But often, it’s songs from favorite groups or singers. John Denver’s music inspired some of my early... Continue Reading →
Hey, everyone. Autumn is in full swing, and it’s my favorite time of the year. Of all the seasons, I think this one is the one that seems to bring about the most change—the cooler temperatures, changing leaves, and migrating birds. While we haven’t yet had “frost on the pumpkin” in Texas, it’s only a... Continue Reading →
Hello, everyone! Before I continue, the release date of Cold Dark Night has been delayed a few days. I've had some unexpected personal things come up and need a few more days to prepare. Anyhow, instead of May 24, the new date is Tuesday, June 1. Most of you who have followed my blog a... Continue Reading →
Hey, everyone. This is short and sweet, but it's been a while since I've done a WIP Wednesday post. I'm delighted to report I've almost completed the first draft of Cold Dark Night. Hey, it's only around ten months later than I originally planned. I'll not get into the whats and whys but suffice to... Continue Reading →
Hey, everyone. WIP Wednesday means one of two things. Most of the time I write about a work in progress, but other times it's a work in publication. Today's post is about the latter. So, here we go… For those of you who have followed this blog for a while, you know I’m fascinated with... Continue Reading →
Hey, everyone. It's been ages since I've done a WIP Wednesday post. The past few weeks, I turned my focus from Cold Dark Night toward finishing the short story prequel. Originally titled Woman in Black, it has a new name, House of Sorrow. As is often the case, the story took me in a slightly... Continue Reading →
Hey, everyone. Time for another WIP Wednesday. Today, I’ll share an excerpt from Cold Dark Night. But first, let me introduce you to someone and explain how I got her name. I’ve used various methods for coming up with character names—random generators, popular name sites, keeping of a list of ones I encounter. However, this... Continue Reading →
Hey everyone. It's been ages since I did a WIP Wednesday post. For one reason, up until June, I did very little writing. While my newest novel is still very much a work in progress, I promised a post last week. Cold Dark Night is the first book in the Legends of Madeira series. Each... Continue Reading →
Hey, everyone. November is behind us, and another National Novel Writing Month is in the books. I honestly didn’t know if I could do it – writing a minimum of 1667 words per day to reach 50K by November 30. But… Drum Roll Please… I did it! On November 29, I crossed the line of... Continue Reading →
Hey everyone. Can I cheat a little this week? This is neither a work in publication or a work in progress (unless you count my character sketches and outline). I am taking the plunge and participating in this year’s NaNoWriMo. In case you don’t know, November is National Novel Writing Month. The goal (or challenge)... Continue Reading →
Hey, everyone. Time for another WIP Wednesday. A couple of weeks ago, I posted about Macabre Sanctuary, an anthology published by AIW Press. I wrote The Keeper’s House for inclusion in that collection. Today, I’ll tell you the story behind the story. Rain fell steadily on an April night in Deep East Texas. We’d had... Continue Reading →
Joan Hall 
You must be logged in to post a comment.