Part of the magic of cracking the cover of a new book, (and yes, I just admitted to cracking the spines of my paperback books) is the participatory component of storytelling. Image by Maria Zangone from Pixabay I have to acknowledge that there is a different UX (User Experience) when a story is delivered through… Continue reading From Page to Screen: Cozy Mystery Book-to-TV Adaptations
When I tell folks I write “Cozy” Mystery, it is often followed by a blank look while their gears and cogs translate the term. More often than not, coming up empty, they ask, “what is a ‘cozy’ mystery?” Fair enough, the words cozy and murder, mystery, whodunit, are not exactly twins of the same mother,… Continue reading Cozy Mystery Settings: A Charming Village for a Whodunit
The proof is in the pudding. Here’s the effect of AI on writing. In a new conversation with Chat GPT (the AI program I am using) I have asked it: “Chat GPT, please outline a blog post about AI on the future of writing.” To which Chat GPT responded with a three-and-a-half-page blog post on… Continue reading A.I. and the Future of Authors… The Scary Truth
Did ya miss me? I was off enjoying Charlottesville Design Week in Charlottesville, VA. If you're a design creative, it's the place to be in April. (I believe next year's event is scheduled for April 13-19, so mark your calendars... and double-check my dates.) Great Design, by Laura,Hosted by Tuesday Design Society. Day 1: Networking with… Continue reading Getting Cozy with Creatives
Last week I attended several events at the Virginia Festival of the Book, an annual event sponsored by the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities in Charlottesville, VA. For me, this year was all about the Book Arts and book-themed art. With permission, (c) Blake Gore. I had the pleasure of chatting with Blacksburg, VA artist,… Continue reading Books and Book-Themed Art!
I’m supposed to be writing the next novel, but sometimes, you just have to give in to fate when a story lands in your lap. During the morning writing hours, I mute my phone, so I didn’t hear the notifications indicating that someone was knocking on my door, circling the yard to find signs of… Continue reading Writing and Wine Before Nine… a.m.
Finally. Whew. It's here, er, there, er, out in the ether. And speaking of ether... Something sinister is brewing in the Poropotank riverside community. Rocky Smith is a serial husband: married three times, divorced twice, and murdered on a Friday. Instead of heading off to the afterlife, he perches atop Grey’s Hotel overlooking the small… Continue reading Book Release!!!
I’m a natural born collector. My kids refer to it as orderly hoarding, light on the "orderly". But I just learned that it was an early iteration of social climbing: he with the weirdest collection of artifacts mounts the higher rung on the social ladder. Well, I doubt I would win any such awards. I… Continue reading A Cabinet of Curiosities
What lies between the cover of a book? Well, there are pages, words, punctuation… But for an author, what lies between books is sadness, celebration, ennui, self-doubt… I’m talking about the difference between what “literally” lies between the front and back cover of a book vs. the emotional rollercoaster that comes when one has written… Continue reading Batty Between Books
There was a recent discussion amongst some writer buds about the books on our shelves. The question posed was, “am I meant to have read all of those books?” The consensus was, “no.” The secretary desk curated. Four more bookcases to go... In my case, this is what happened: I am gifted books. A LOT… Continue reading Curating Old Friends
