Legends, Lore, and More
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 →
I've written about Mary Higgins Clark before. I came across her first suspense novel, Where Are The Children in the late seventies and was hooked. In a recent post, I named some of my favorite novels written by her. So, I was saddened to learn the Queen of Suspense passed away on January 31 at... Continue Reading →
Hey everyone. It's time for Mystery Monday. And you know what the mystery is? Yeah, my writing mojo is MIA. Okay, no excuses but I probably scared her away. As some of you know, I returned to work last week after being off with the flu. Getting back into the swing of things and catching... Continue Reading →
Sometimes the inspiration for stories come in the oddest ways. I often use real-life events in my books—either personal experiences or things I’ve read. I change the situation enough so as not to be recognizable. It’s been a long time in coming (much longer than I expected), but the first draft of Unclear Purposes, the... Continue Reading →
Mondays. Lots of songs have been written and sung about this day of the week. Two that come to mind are the Mamas and Papas, "Monday, Monday," and The Carpenter's "Rainy Days and Mondays." Neither of the songs put the first day of the work week in a good light. But this Monday is a... Continue Reading →
One thing I often hear new and even experienced writers say is that they don't know what to write about. I'm posting for the first time on Story Empire today where I talk about ways to generate ideas. So I hope you'll take time to hop on over and read The Stories Around Us.
In my last newsletter, I said I wouldn’t participate in NaNoWriMo because I needed to finish the novel I began in April. Yet I’ve wanted to take part in the event since I first learned of it several years ago. When several of my online writing friends talked about their participation, I felt the urge... Continue Reading →
I’m participating in Camp NaNoWriMo this month, hence my absence from the blog last week. This 30-day event is much like November’s NaNoWriMo except writers can set their own word count rather than the usual 50K. I’ve been steadily working on a novel. Most days things have run smoothly. Yet some days, I’ve hit snags.... Continue Reading →
There are times when you come across a quote, a line in a movie, or a sentence in a book that makes a huge impact on your life. Often, the quote comes at a time when you need it the most. Fellow Tribe Writer Bryan Hutchinson, from Positive Writer, challenged us to share seven quotes... Continue Reading →
Joan Hall 
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