I’m days, maybe hours, from starting the writing of book three in my current series. I’ve had the fun of brainstorming how the crimes all happened. I’m excited to dig into the plot, because it feels like there will be so many twists maybe the most that I’ve ever written. I’ve spent the last week digging into the research on …
Four Tips when writing about something you’ve never done
Several years ago when my writing bud Nicole O’Dell asked me if I wanted to be part of a novella collection with her, my initial reaction was “of course!” Nicole is so prolific and accomplished I couldn’t imagine not writing with her. And if it also meant I could help a Valerie Comer, a debut author, get her first contract, …
Monuments Men: Rachel’s Camera
Tomorrow the giveaway I’m hosting to celebrate the release of Shadowed by Grace ends. I wanted to make sure you each had an opportunity to participate. In this I’m giving away the camera that Rachel Justice, the heroine, uses. You might think she’s fictional, but while I was writing her scenes I would play with this camera to make sure …
Monuments Men: who was James Rorimer
If you’re excited about the Monuments Men movie, you might be curious who the characters are. Today I wanted to fill you in on the real person behind Matt Damon’s character. In the movie, he’s called James Granger. In real life the Monuments Man was Second Lieutenant James J. Rorimer. Before joining the military in WWII, Rorimer had already become …
The Real Monuments Men: Part 1
In Shadowed by Grace, I delved into the world of the Monuments Men in Italy. The movie that releases next week explores some of what this elite group did in France and Germany, while I recreated part of their job in Italy during WWII. Capturing life in Italy during WWII was quite a challenge. The photo shows just a few …
3 Signs Research is Your New Best Friend
If you’ve been a writer long, you may have discovered something…something that is causing your rooms to feel smaller. Your checkbook to feel lighter. Your desk to feel like a leaning tower. You’ve discovered that to write an exceptional book, you must conduct mounds of research. I can’t tell you how many times my husband has asked if I’m really …
Shadowed by Grace: Fact or Fiction?
I love history. I always have. That’s one reason I minored in history at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. It’s also why I love writing historical fiction set during World War II. I also have a great respect for the men and women of the Greatest Generation. I want to tell their stories well and honor what they did. That leads me …
Behind the Scenes: A Wedding Transpires on Mackinac Island
I often start my books by thinking about a setting that I think readers will enjoy escaping to through the pages of a book. A Wedding Transpires on Mackinac Island was no exception. I didn’t grow up aware of Mackinac Island. I wasn’t even sure what I was getting into the first time we drove the ten hours from Lafayette, Indiana, to …
Getting Our Facts Right…
I’m bringing this one back. Getting research right is so important. Our readers care. My friend Julie Lessman recently had a great post on this at the ACFW blog. So Recently, I received some really amazing feedback for one of my historicals A Promise Forged. First, you need to know a little about the story, set in 1943: When Kat …
Three Reasons I Chose a Legal Setting for my Characters in Cherry Blossom Capers
One of the lessons I learned early as a writer was to write what I know. That’s why my first heroine had the name Dani, lived in Lincoln, NE, and worked at a TV station. That’s why my second hero and heroine were based on my grandparents and their love story in my hometown of North Platte, NE. That’s also …
- Page 1 of 2
- 1
- 2