Anne Who? Three Reasons For Using a Pen Name

I first wrote and published this post in 2019. Three years and two published novels later, I'm still happy with my choice to use a pseudonym, though I DO think it's more fun to call it a "secret identity." -Anne It's confession time. I've been leading a double life. It's true. I go about my…

When Does the Research End?

Photo by Dariusz Sankowski on Unsplash I recently got into a social media conversation with a historical fiction writer who is just starting out. He mentioned that he enjoyed research—enjoyed it so much, in fact, that he was having a hard time knowing when to stop. He asked me how I know when my research is done. My…

World War II on the Small Screen

Combat! My husband has a knack for finding interesting viewing. When the first season of Combat! showed up amongst my gifts last year, I didn't know quite what to expect having neither heard of nor watched the show before. Now that we have completed watching the first season, with the second and third seasons waiting…

The Challenges of Writing That Second Book

Photo by energepic.com on Pexels.com Or third, or I suppose now I'm starting on a fourth... I first published this post after releasing my first novel in 2019. Since then, I completed the second book that I was writing about and released it as Where Shall I Flee? in November of 2021. Now I'm working…

Looking Back and Moving Forward

Photo by John on Pexels.com Once again we’ve turned the calendar page to a fresh new year, full of possibilities. Looking ahead to plans for 2022 got me looking back at 2021. Just what did I actually accomplish in the past year? It seems like it went by awfully fast… Personal The beginning of 2021…

2021 NaNoWrap-Up and an Interview

We've made it to another weekend! If your December is like mine, it's flying by in great leaps. Before it gets away from me completely, today I'm taking a moment to pause and update you on the results of November's NaNoWriMo challenge and to share a lovely opportunity I had to visit another writer's blog.…

An Interview with Author Jonathon Mast

Hello Readers and Writers! Author Jonathon Mast graciously agreed to stop by for an interview and to let me throw all sorts of questions at him. I hope you find his insights on writing and publishing as interesting (and entertaining) as I did! SO, Jon, when did you become “a writer”? Was it something you…

Whaddya Mean You Don’t Like My Protagonist?!

I'm on the verge of launching a new story, which means introducing new protagonists and hoping they "play well" together. While their personalities are different than the characters from my first book, (i.e. the characters this post was about when I wrote it a few years ago) the lessons are essentially the same. I hope…

I’m Guest Posting Today

Photo by Emanuela Picone on Unsplash Hello Readers, Writers, and History lovers! I'm travelling today—or at least my writing is! I was invited to guest blog over at JPC Allen Writes, an excellent site full of writing tips and prompts. As JPC's theme for September is "Plot," I'm sharing ways in which real history influences the plot of…

Revealing Traits of The Brothers Karamazov Through Secondary Characters

Being a parent, a teacher, and a writer, I've received my fair share of unsolicited advice. I've tucked some of the helpful bits into my memory. Others I've let slip away. As I began to prepare for this post, one came piece of advice came to mind from waaaaaay back in my dating days. I…