Since spring is almost here, I’m offering “Writing through the year – Winter” as a free gift till March 21. Let me know if you’d like a copy – I’ll send you a SW coupon or the mobi file for your kindle.

Here’s what it’s about: (more…)

Pursued by Winslow Eliot

“In this stunning thriller the reader is taken from the exquisite beauty of Hawaii to the high-rises of Sydney, stopping on the way in Milan. We join investigative reporter Leigh Garner as she pursues a mysterious stolen chalice. Gardner is one of the most likeable of heroines. A “Can Do” gal on a mission.

• Purchase Pursued Print Edition

  Pursued (Telemachus Press 2011) A storm — a disaster — the theft of a priceless chalice. Investigative reporter Leigh Gardner loved and admired scientist Kale Trenton from the time she first heard of him, way back when she was a teenager. When his ancient chalice is stolen, a chalice vital to a mysterious scientific project [...]

Pursued by Winslow Eliot

… is now available for your Kindle on Amazon and any other ebook format through  Smashwords.

• Purchase Pursued Print Edition

  Pursued (Telemachus Press 2011) A storm — a disaster — the theft of a priceless chalice. Investigative reporter Leigh Gardner loved and admired scientist Kale Trenton from the time she first heard of him, way back when she was a teenager. When his ancient chalice is stolen, a chalice vital to a mysterious scientific project [...]

WriteSpa – An Oasis for Writers

Last week you listened, you eavesdropped – you were surprised by nuance, misunderstanding, flow, pitch, tone… Now it’s time to write purposeful dialog. By ‘purposeful’ I mean dialog that

• illuminates characters
• moves the story along
• and is fun (or harrowing) to read.

How?
(more…)

WriteSpa – An Oasis for Writers

We talk most of the time – except for when we’re not. The gift of language is part of our existence. We communicate with words far more often and easily than we do through writing or even through an expression like a glare or a smile. And yet much of the time, in conversation as in life, things are not what they seem. Words don’t necessarily mean what you think they do, or what they mean when you’re writing narrative prose. That’s because in dialog the words themselves are colored by the people who are using them. (more…)

From The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

The next planet was inhabited by a tippler. This was a very short visit, but it plunged the little prince into deep dejection.
“What are you doing there?” he said to the tippler, whom he found settled down in silence before a collection of empty bottles and also a collection of full bottles.
“I am drinking,” replied the tippler, with a lugubrious air.
“Why are you drinking?” demanded the little prince.
“So that I may forget,” replied the tippler.
“Forget what?” inquired the little prince, who already was sorry for him.
“Forget that I am ashamed,” the tippler confessed, hanging his head.
“Ashamed of what?” insisted the little prince, who wanted to help him.
“Ashamed of drinking,” the tippler brought his speech to and end and shut himself up in silence.
And the little prince went away, puzzled.
“The grown-ups are certainly very, very odd,” he said to himself, as he continued on his journey.

From Sleeping Fires, by George Gissing

In this passage, middle-aged Langley seeks permission from eighteen-year-old Louis’s guardian, Lady Revill, to take the boy under his wing and help guide him through the shoals of youthful adventuring. Lady Revill is a former lover of Langley with whom he has only recently reconnected, after a twenty-year separation. She knows of Langley’s true relationship with young Louis, that Langley is his father – a fact of which Langley has not yet been apprised. Here’s the dialogue: (more…)