Hema Vasavada, one of the founding members of the Skagit Valley Writers League, passed away this week. A long-time friend and an active supporter of local writers, I will miss her. As I ponder how to honor her memory, I realize she is a model, for me, of what it is to be an […]
Archive | Guest Blogs
Reviewing THERE MUST BE SOME MISTAKE
Before I took off for Writers Conferences a couple of weeks ago, I reviewed Lori Roy’s Bent Road and asked readers to respond, giving me the titles and comments on good books they’ve read this year. Author Terry Persun did respond recommending Frederick Barthelme’s There Must Be Some Mistake. Here are his review and […]
Heidi Thomas on Writing Family Sagas
I’m delighted to present author-friend, Heidi Thomas’s account of the role of family sagas in her writing life. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ How many of you have read a book and become so invested in the character(s) that you hate for the story to come to an end? Whether it’s a likable detective or a boy who would […]
The Inspiration of True Life Stories
Readers of fiction look for characters whose lives will rivet them, carry them places they dare not go. As an author of fiction, I greatly admire those who seek those stories among those around them—stories that need to be told. So today, I gives me great pleasure to introduce one such author, Jaana Hatton, who […]
Helping a Worthy Book to Make its Way Out into the World
Please welcome my writer/friend Priscilla Long’s blog on the value or reviewing books you’ve read. Priscilla is well known in the the Northwest and beyond for her book, The Writer’s Mentor, for her “Science Friction” column in The American Scholar, for many articles, and for her workshops. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Okay, so you like a book. More […]
A Famous Dream
Friend and author, Priscilla Long, who writes a fascinating column in the American Scholar, shares this story by author, Brian Doyle, on the origin of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Findings – Summer 2006 Findings: A Bogey Tale By Brian Doyle Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde came to Robert Louis Stevenson in a dream, […]
Debra Borys: Postcards from the Streets
Let me introduce Debra Borys, another author who finds her stories in Chicago’s streets. She is the author of Street Stories, a series of suspense novels (Painted Black and Bend Me Shape Me, so far) . Below is the story of how she came to focus her talents on the homeless of the city’s streets. […]
Terry Persun: The Writing of my Historical Fiction
I’m delighted to welcome this guest post by Northwest author Terry Persun on the writing of Sweet Song, a historical novel which, like The Inheritors, deals with a mixed race hero. I would never have guessed I’d write an historical novel. After writing science fiction short stories and a few mainstream novels, historical fiction just […]
Writing About My Grandmother
Award winning author, Heidi Thomas, shares her story of the women who inspired her. I grew up in Big Sky Country, eastern Montana where the deer and the antelope roam. My grandparents bought me my first horse, and I helped my dad with chores, rode with him to gather cattle for branding and shipping, and […]
Imagination & Image-Making: Thing One and Thing Two
As promised last week, poet Jane Alynn ( http://janealynn.com/) joins to our conversation on the role of the imagination. Jane, a friend and colleague, is a frequent contributor to Skagit Valley Writers League workshops on creativity and poetry. I’m delighted to have her here. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Like the two mischievous characters in The Cat in the […]
